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Hi Floyd! Mandolin and bossa is a delightfully pleasing combination you’ve used. I reckon the mandolin is a much underused instrument outside of bluegrass, and yours is no exception. I love the interplay between the mandolin and and your lead guitar towards the end of the piece. A song that has novel but critical use of a mandolin is Chris Cornell’s (ex Soundgarden) Nearly forgot my broken heart A few years ago, I bought myself a Fender A-style mandolin with built in pickup - it’s action was set much higher than I could use and felt like fingering granite - so like you, I sanded back the base of the nut and lowered the bridge so get the action height I could play. But I digress. Love this piece Floyd! Andrew
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Hi Brno! I vaguely recall hearing this song before, although I am not sure because I am aware that some of these traditional songs borrow from each other in terms of melody, chord progression and the like. As a student of traditional songs, do you find that to be the case? Your posts often talk of the evolution of these traditional songs. Your reference to Australia piqued my interest, and in particular the reference to the Western Plains. I had to look up where that is - it is an area immediately west of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales (the state whose capital is Sydney). The Great Diving Range is a mountain range just in from the east coast of Australia and stretches the length of the east coast from top of the state of Queensland down through the state of New South Wales and into the state of Victoria. Dubbo is a city that is often associated with / central to the Western Plains area. I listened to a few versions of ‘Across the Western Plains’ on YouTube after listening to your song. What is the bass sounding instrument doing a solo at 2:55 in your song? Andrew
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Hi Vic! I love that! The acoustic, bass and vocal work together like they were just meant to be. Rhythmically, each is performing to a slightly different level of busy-ness, that provides each some room to operate within e.g. syncopated feel to the acoustic; vocal with sometimes longer held notes; and the bass steady beneath. The vocal of the title line feels like it is very natural. Sounds great! Andrew
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Hi Noel. Really nice song, production and performance. I'm glad it made it out of your never-got-finished songs folder. Enjoyed my listen. Charlie
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We are late to the party and great accolades have been posted. Accolades that we 100% agree with. Enjoyed the backstory. We are always fascinated by the time and creativity you put in your productions. Simply epic. We can see a huge stadium crowd transfixed. We cranked it up as loud as Bud's ears will allow.  And the soundstage on our monitors was remarkable. Crystal clear with really impressive dynamics - not an easy combo to achieve. Well done! J&B
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Hi BD. The effect is delay but you are probably right. I was trying to get a sort of spacey sound but, couldn’t get it right. I’ve now dialled it back a bit. I’m plagued by sibilance. They seem to be around the 3750 k area where I placed the de-esser but I also had to do a lot of it manually. My ears aren’t good in the high frequencies so I can only hope I got it right now. Thank you for the info. Vic
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The vid is engaging and supportive of y'all's collab. This mastered audio definitely has outstanding dynamics. Kudos to you two and your ME. J&B
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Hi Marty! Great song, great singing, good band, and Dave’s lead guitar is filthy! (Good) Great storytelling in the lyrics - K-Dub Ya and I have a songwriting challenge we have to submit soon where the song needs to tell a story, so we’ve got a fine example in your song. Just wondering - is Dinah from the diner? Gee, AI is getting good at video clips. I kept checking the fingers and they’re all accounted for - and no surplus either. Loved it. Andrew
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Wow, that was great for a noob! It wasn't Marty Stuart, but it was very musical. The whole thing sounded good, but I especially was surprised how good the guitar and mando sounded together. Another color in your aural palette, hope we hear it on your songs in the future!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Build 1003 is available: https://update.pgmusic.com/support/mpatch/bb2026_mac_update_build1003.pkg Summary of fixes for build 1003 - Fixed: Embedded windows might not receive certain keystrokes depending on cursor position.
- Fixed: Crash if choosing Print Options from Lead Sheet window and then exiting that window.
- Fixed: Crash could occur if there was a floating window onscreen and you added an embedded window.
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Very imaginative, Hans. Reminds me of something Kate Bush would have done. Those backing vocals really add something to it. Well done. Vic
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Bravo Floyd. I'm envious of your talent and determination. I always wanted to learn fiddle but there is no chance in this life of me taking up that challenge now. A pal of mine plays mandolin with me and it certainly adds to my guitar thumping. Love that sound. Vic
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The mixing is good, I like the subdued vocals and the beautiful guitars. I think it's very good. Laurent
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Hi Bob. What I like about your songs is they wave the ordinary folks flag. I've had my songs played by "small radio" djs. I hope they continue to survive in this expanding commercial world. Great stuff. Vic
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The mandolin sounds good (very beautiful) and the accompaniment is well chosen. It sounds like an open session. Laurent
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James, Thanks very much from both of us. We enjoyed putting this together for Rayna. She is indeed a great person. Bob
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Floyd, Now that was cool and different. I really like the sound of the mandolin with these tracks - so light & nimble. The switch over to the guitar works completely - it's a great arrangement. Your playing is great. Amazing actually for only a few months. Very much enjoyed! Bob
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I've had a mandolin hanging on my wall for 30 years. A few months ago, I decided it was time to learn to play it. I changed the strings (for the first time). And started trying to figure it out. I ended up buying a new mandolin. Setting that up was an education. I ended up "scooping" the Florida extension (that was a bit scary), sanding and reseating the bridge and filing down the nut slots. (Still working on it. Slowly) I thought it was time to record something. So...my first mandolin recording... Somewhere between rambling instrumental and just a bunch of noodling. Warts and all. Just stretching a bit... At the 2 minute mark, I thought... that was enough mandolin for anyone to put up with, so I switched to guitar to finish it out.. MANDO BOSSA The BIAB guys: RealTracks in style: ~464:Bass, Acoustic, Bossa Ev 140 RealTracks in style: ~470:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Bossa Ev 140 RealTracks in style: 708:Guitar, Nylon-Elec, Rhythm Bossa Ev 140 RealTracks in song: ~1664:Guitar, Electric, SoloAccompaniment Bossa Ev 140 RealDrums in style:BossaBrushes: a: Sidestick Brushes b: Sidestick, Ride Me: mandolin (pictured) lead guitar (PRS DGT SE - the gold top next to the mandolin - thru S-gear amp sim) Hope you enjoy (or can at least tolerate) the listen. Have at it. fj
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Thanks for those encouraging words, Chay. Vic
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Hi Bob. Nice to hear that. Thank you. Vic
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Vic, A good write. Catchy, too. Nice vocals. Excellent use of BIAB. Solid. fj
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Hi JJJ, There is a tendency to think that mastering is an essential part of the recording process, but this isn't altogether true. Back in the days when we mixed for vinyl, the tape would go to the cutting room for final mastering and they would apply any EQ and compression which was needed to make the signal comply with the limited dynamic range of the medium. These days, digital doesn't have these restrictions, so if you have a mix which sounds good to you, mastering may only make it sound different. The thing which you may want to do is apply a little extra compression to the mix to bring the overall perceived volume up to the level of a commercial recording, which all tend to be mixed "hot". The more work you put into the mix, the less you need to fix by mastering. Hope this is of some help to you.
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UPDATE ========== - I used BIAB's 'Bar Settings' quite extensively in this song.
- If anyone is interested in seeing what I did, the link below is to a video of the chordsheet.
https://vimeo.com/1184535043?fl=ip&fe=ec --Noel
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Hi Noel That’s a terrific song. I really like the synthetic effect on a synthetic voice and then you have the normal voicing in the harmony. Flawless, a catchy song worthy of several listens. Enjoyed listening, a great start to the day. Kind regards. Hi KW. Thank you for finding the time to have a listen. I appreciate your feedback --Noel
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Order now!
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