PG Music Home Forums Latest Threads 7 days

Chay, Thank you very much for taking the time to listen and comment. I am really glad you like this tune. I agree with your opinion about Suno AI. I think I should still do the work myself to to maintain my originality. I am always very encouraged by your kind words. Best regards. Shigeki Adachi

Dani, Welcome back! I'm happy to hear your vocals again. It's as light and lively as ever. It's unusual for a song to be about computer problems. I've experienced computer problems a few times myself, but I never thought of turning them into a song. Enjoyed my listen a lot. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best regards. Shigeki Adachi

rayc, The song is punky, but the video is also extremely punky. The melody and video really match. It's an outstanding piece of work. Enjoyed my listen and watch a lot. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best regards. Shigeki Adachi

Janne, It's a very cheerful Christmas song. The sound is light and goes perfectly with the video. Your usual style is more subdued, but that may be more appropriate for this type of song. Come to think of it, Santa Claus originated in Finland. Enjoyed my listen and watch a lot. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best regards. Shigeki Adachi

Deej, What a great collaboration. Great guitar rock sound. A nice intro that I wouldn't expect from RT. The bass is also wonderful. And above all, your vocals are amazing. Enjoyed my listen a lot. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best regards. Shigeki Adachi

Thanks a lot, it works perfect!

Thanks for the idea however it needs to be built in because Windows already has extended Monitor capability

THANKS, Marty! Have checked out Turn based on your post and it looks like a binge-worthy experience for sure. Glad you enjoyed the tune. Merry Christmas! Thank you, Laurent. As my primary intent is to provide a pleasing musical context for the lyrics, your assessment as a "very pleasant song to listen to" is quite a compliment. Hope you have a Merry Christmas! Thanks, Rob. Y'know, my brother only infrequently shares the context of his lyrics, so my process is to provide the context and backstories that I use to write the music myself. This is a process my brother is very comfortable with, and he delights when I (or anybody else) finds a context or interpretation that he did not have in mind. Truthfully, he includes ambiguity just for that purpose. I think it's cool and artistic WAY beyond my capabilities, though I couldn't tell HIM that. Anyway...I interpret that line to mean this: The night watch is expecting an attack that may or may not come. They've been TOLD there will not be an attack (maybe a Christmas Eve truce?) but are not convinced. Either way, their situation is less than confident (it's going to be a long night) and the possibility of not surviving the night is real. So the narrator is reflecting on a possible grim outcome of the night, even as he still marvels at the beauty of the night sky and worries for the girl he left behind. I've never served, but supported those who did for almost 40 years. Have known more than a few who were supposed to come back, but never did. I like to imagine I know what that must be like. Of course I never can. But I respect their sacrifice, and think of them when I think about this song. Well, THAT sounds like a downer, but it's not supposed to be. It's just a slice of reality, I think. Hope you and your family have a great Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Thank you Marty! Only early because of my geography – otherwise, musically I’m a late bloomer (or is that a late boomer?). Regarding random lyrics, one rationalisation is that with so many of us mis-hearing lyrics anyway (e.g. CCR ‘There’s a bathroom on the right’), who said they have to make good sense! My mind is full of random and quirky thoughts, so it would be wrong to hold them in! Merry Christmas to you and yours – and thanks for your listening ear, welcome, and encouragement over the last 10 months! Thanks Torrey! I’ll take The Beatles and ELO references any day – two bands that significantly shaped my musical ear. I taught myself how to play guitar by learning the chords to all songs from Sgt Pepper’s and Magical Mystery Tour albums, and Blue Jay Way introduced me to diminished chords. Merry Christmas and thanks for listening. Looking forwards to some more good stuff from you in 2026! Thanks Ron – I am writing to you from 10:53 AM ACDT on Christmas Day and can confirm that Christmas Day is worth pursuing! I’ve never received an A+++ before, so I am wondering if I can retrospectively ask for a reappraisal of my final year high school music results – where I scored C-. Cool classic rock / little pop gem – I think the addition of the BIAB rhythm guitars (same ones I used on ‘Nervous’) have given this song some added drive. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and here’s hoping you don’t run out of your brother’s lyrics in 2026! (because I want to hear more.) Thanks Rob! Yes, my musical mission is to write and record catchy melodic songs that distract listeners from my lyrics – but glad you liked them. Thank you for introducing me to ‘prosody’ during the year – I’m not perfect but the concept is front lobe for me now. Thanks for the multiple listens! Thanks Bob! I hope to keep pumping out more of this in 2026 and listening to more of yours as well – such excellent lyrics from you – amazing how much you can portray in a few words. My mother reckons I told her I have 2000 songs – no, drop a zero – but I still have quite a few to record, if only I could stop writing more! It’s a cross I have to bear. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and for your encouragement during the year – you are such a good encourager! Merry Christmas to you all! Andrew Dee (Davies) Andrew of the antipodes

Translated (quite a lengthy wishlist) Edit: although then I found that there are two identical posts, the other in English Hello PG Music team and community, I'm writing as a long-time and deeply grateful Band-in-a-Box user. BIAB has always been a true pioneer. Long before "AI" became a buzzword, BIAB was already offering accompaniment tools and musical intelligence that changed the way music is created. Looking ahead to BIAB 2025 and beyond, I'd like to share some constructive thoughts on how AI can strengthen—not dilute—BIAB's original mission: to empower musical creativity from the very first chord. 1. "Neural RealTracks": From Fixed Performances to Elastic Musical Expression RealTracks are one of BIAB's greatest strengths. However, they remain limited to the musical register in which they were originally recorded. Unlike a sampler or synthesizer, a RealTrack cannot be freely "transposed" between octaves—in many cases, that performance simply doesn't exist in the requested register—and while some limited transposition may be possible, RealTracks are not designed as elastic instruments that change registers while maintaining a completely natural timbre. Proposed Direction • Elastic Voicings with Natural Pitch Preservation This is precisely where AI can make a real difference. Instead of stretching audio, BIAB could use formant-preserving neural resynthesis to recreate the same musical performance in another register while maintaining the original pitch and realism. This would allow for free choice of voicings and registers, without being solely dependent on what was captured in the recording sessions. • Natural Endings, Pads, and Phrasing Some RealTracks and RealDrums—especially the pads—can end abruptly. An AI-based phrasing engine could generate smooth, organic tails and transitions, making arrangements sound polished without the need for external editing software. This would transform RealTracks from static performances into living, flexible musical instruments. 2. Improved Creative Flow: Fully Integrated Utility Tracks and Harmonic Intelligence Creativity should flow as quickly as the musical idea, but today Utility Tracks still feel somewhat disconnected from the overall arrangement logic in BIAB. Proposed Direction • Full Integration of Shots/Rests/Holds Utility Tracks should follow Chord Sheet symbols and Bar Settings just like the main tracks. Currently, even manually created rests can be refilled upon regeneration. Full integration would unlock much richer arrangement possibilities. • Pop-up contextual interface for chords When a chord is entered, BIAB could display a smart window with inversions, extensions, and micro-times, reducing menu navigation and encouraging spontaneity. 3. Expanding notation and lyrics for modern arrangements Now that BIAB can handle up to 24 Utility Tracks, the notation system should evolve to reflect that scale. Proposed direction • Multi-channel lyrics (L1–L14 and beyond) Independent layers of lyrics would allow choirs, backing vocals, and spoken elements to have their own phrasing, independent of the lead vocal. • Printable internal notation of the entire work Exporting to MuseScore is useful, but it breaks the creative flow. Ideally, BIAB should be able to display and print the entire arrangement internally—not just seven instruments—so that the process can be finalized within BIAB itself. 4. AI-Assisted Production: The “DaVinci Resolve” Philosophy DaVinci Resolve became a transformative platform by applying AI directly to real workflow bottlenecks, offering professional tools such as automatic masking, object removal, noise cleanup, speech reconstruction, dialogue-based editing, audio enhancement, stem separation, and much more. The principle was simple: One environment. One purchase. One complete professional solution. Band-in-a-Box has the same opportunity—especially if BIAB and RealBand evolve into a Unified Production Module, designed around musical creativity. Proposed Direction • AI-Assisted Mixing and Mastering Integrate intelligent balance tools inspired by iZotope Neutron (now part of the Native Instruments ecosystem), along with AI mastering that generates LUFS-compatible versions for each streaming platform, while preserving musical dynamics. The goal is not volume at all costs, but release-ready results within BIAB. This would allow users to compose, arrange, mix, and master within a single, coherent ecosystem—just as DaVinci Resolve unified post-production. 5. Clear Expectations for AI: Useful, Not Just Demonstrative If BIAB invests in AI features like stem separation or audio-to-MIDI conversion, it would be ideal if they reached a standard comparable to current tools—otherwise, many users will continue to rely on external software. For example: • Stem separation should aim for results similar to RipX DAW Pro, ideally through deep spectral analysis and not just EQ-type processing. • Audio-to-MIDI conversion should be comparable to Melodyne 5 Studio, while also being harmony-aware: respecting tonality, chords, and realistic registers, and integrating directly into the Chord Sheet and notation windows. If these tools don't reach that level—and aren't musically integrated—they risk becoming interesting demonstrations, but not truly useful composition tools. 6. AI for Lyrics — Only if it truly supports the songwriter (including optional internet connection) If BIAB is going to offer AI-powered lyrics generation, it should provide real creative value—not just from a limited database, but also by offering optional access to a broader knowledge base, always with the user's consent. Many current systems (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, etc.) are powerful not only because they generate text, but because they are trained on—or can access—large volumes of cultural and linguistic information. This allows them to inspire the songwriter with themes, structures, rhyme schemes, emotional tone, and genre-specific language. Proposed Direction BIAB could offer an AI-powered lyrics assistant that: • works locally with BIAB's own library and, with user permission, can connect to the internet for broader inspiration, • suggests ideas without copying existing lyrics, • understands the musical context (genre, tempo, atmosphere), • and integrates directly into the creative workflow, preventing the user from having to leave BIAB to find inspiration. The goal is not to replace the composer, but to maintain the creative flow within BIAB from the initial idea to the finished song. Conclusion: Strengthening BIAB's True Identity None of these ideas are intended to turn BIAB into a generic DAW. Rather: They aim to protect what makes BIAB unique—intelligent music creation—while simultaneously offering the possibility of completing the entire work without leaving the platform. If RealTracks become truly flexible, if Utility Tracks are fully integrated into the arrangement logic, if notation and lyrics reflect actual arrangements, and if AI-assisted mixing, mastering, and lyrics allow a song to be completed in a single environment, then BIAB can proudly remain the world's most integrated and musically driven creative workstation. Note: Due to my work commitments and the time difference between Europe and the United States, I may not always be able to respond to comments promptly. I apologize in advance if I am slow to reply. I sincerely appreciate any feedback or discussion this message may generate.

There isn't a way currently to change the font size, however we will add an option in the next build.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community! The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST. Team PG

Nah, man There are people who can't carry the tune for Happy Birthday song, (sometimes even after lessons!) Don't tell me you've never heard them. We're all different, which is good. mostly Natural talent (or a knack for something) is a thing

Marty, Once again - GREAT MUSIC! Love the song and your vocal is in absolute top form. Dave is wonderful throughout. Beautiful production. Big crisp sound. Loved it! Bob

Hi PG Music Team and Community, I’m writing as a long-time and deeply appreciative Band-in-a-Box user. BIAB has always been a true pioneer. Long before “AI” became a buzzword, BIAB was already giving musicians intelligent arranging tools that changed the creative landscape. As we look toward BIAB 2025 and beyond, I would like to share some constructive ideas on how AI can strengthen — rather than dilute — the original mission of BIAB: empowering musical creativity from the very first chord idea. 1. “Neural RealTracks”: From Fixed Performances to Elastic Musical Expression RealTracks are one of BIAB’s greatest strengths. However, they remain bound to the musical register in which they were originally recorded. Unlike a sampler or synthesizer, a RealTrack does not truly “transpose” freely across octaves — in many cases the performance simply does not exist in the requested register. And although some limited transposition may be possible, RealTracks are not designed as elastic instruments that can change register while retaining a fully natural tone. Proposed Direction • Elastic Voicing with Natural Tone Preservation This is exactly where AI could provide real value. Instead of stretching audio, BIAB could use neural, formant-preserving resynthesis to re-create the same musical performance in another register while maintaining the original tone and realism. That would allow composers to freely choose chord voicings and registers — without relying only on what was captured in the original recording sessions. • Natural Endings, Pads and Phrasing Some RealTracks and RealDrums — especially pads — can end abruptly. An AI-driven phrasing engine could generate smooth, organic tails and transitions so arrangements sound polished without external editing. This would evolve RealTracks from fixed recordings into living, flexible musical instruments. 2. Enhancing Creative Flow: Fully Integrated Utility Tracks & Chord Intelligence Creativity should flow as quickly as the musical idea — yet Utility Tracks still feel partially disconnected from BIAB’s global arrangement logic. Proposed Direction • Full Shot / Rest / Hold Integration Utility Tracks should follow Chord Sheet symbols and Bar Settings exactly like the core tracks. Currently, even manually-created rests may be refilled when regenerating. Full integration would unlock richer arranging possibilities. • Contextual Pop-Up Chord UI When entering a chord, BIAB could display a smart panel for inversions, extensions, and micro-timing — eliminating deep menu navigation and supporting spontaneous creativity. 3. Expanding Notation and Lyrics for Modern Arranging With up to 24 Utility Tracks now available, the notation architecture should evolve to reflect that scale. Proposed Direction • Multi-Track Lyrics (L1–L14 and beyond) Independent lyric layers would allow choirs, harmony vocals, and spoken elements to each maintain their own phrasing — separate from the lead. • Unified Printable Notation Exporting to MuseScore is useful, but it breaks the creative flow. Ideally BIAB should visualize and print the full arrangement internally — not just seven instruments — so users can complete the entire process inside BIAB. 4. AI-Assisted Production: The “DaVinci Resolve” Philosophy DaVinci Resolve became a market-changing platform by applying AI directly to real workflow bottlenecks, delivering professional-grade tools like automatic masking, object removal, noise cleanup, voice reconstruction, dialogue-aware editing, audio enhancement, stem separation, and more. The principle was simple: One environment. One purchase. A complete professional solution. Band-in-a-Box has the same opportunity — especially if BIAB and RealBand evolve toward a Unified Production Module built around musical creativity. Proposed Direction • AI-Assisted Mixing & Mastering Introduce intelligent balancing tools inspired by iZotope Neutron (now within the Native Instruments ecosystem), plus AI mastering that prepares LUFS-compliant versions for each streaming platform while still protecting musical dynamics. The goal is not loudness at any cost — but musical, release-ready results inside BIAB. This would allow users to compose, arrange, mix, and master in one coherent ecosystem — just as DaVinci Resolve unified post-production. 5. Setting Clear Expectations for AI: Meaningful, Not Novelty If BIAB invests in AI features such as stem separation or audio-to-MIDI, they should ideally reach a standard comparable to what already exists — otherwise most users will still rely on external tools. For example: • Stem separation should aim for results similar to RipX DAW Pro, ideally using deep spectral analysis rather than simple EQ-style processing. • Audio-to-MIDI should be competitive with Melodyne 5 Studio, while being harmonically aware — respecting key, chord structure, realistic register limits — and integrating directly with the Chord Sheet and Notation windows. If AI tools do not reach that threshold — and are not musically integrated — they risk becoming interesting demonstrations rather than genuinely useful composition tools. 6. AI Lyric Generation — Only If It Truly Supports the Writer (Including Optional Internet Knowledge) If BIAB is going to offer AI lyric-generation tools, they should provide real creative value — not only by working from a small internal dataset, but also by optionally accessing a broader body of cultural and musical knowledge, with the user’s consent. Many modern AI systems (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, etc.) are powerful not simply because they generate text, but because they are trained on — or can reference — large, diverse knowledge sources. That allows them to inspire the writer with themes, rhyme patterns, structures, emotional tone, and genre-specific language. Proposed Direction BIAB could offer an AI lyric assistant that: • works locally from BIAB’s own library, and — if the user agrees — can connect to the Internet to draw broader inspiration, • suggests ideas rather than copying lyrics, • understands musical and stylistic context (tempo, genre, mood), • and integrates directly into the songwriting workflow so users do not have to leave BIAB to seek creative support elsewhere. The goal is not to replace the songwriter — but to keep the creative flow inside BIAB from the first idea to the finished song. Conclusion: Strengthening the True Identity of BIAB None of these ideas are about turning BIAB into a generic DAW. Quite the opposite: They are about protecting what makes BIAB unique — intelligent musical creation — while giving users the option to finish their work without leaving the platform. If RealTracks become truly elastic, if Utility Tracks integrate deeply with arrangement logic, if notation and lyrics reflect real-world arrangements, and if AI-assisted mixing, mastering and lyric tools allow a song to be completed in one ecosystem — then BIAB can stand, confidently and proudly, as the world’s most musical and integrated creative workstation. Note: Due to my work schedule and the time-zone difference between Europe and the United States, I may not always be able to respond quickly to replies. Please accept my apologies in advance if it takes me some time to get back to the discussion — I truly value any feedback or conversation that this post may inspire.

They've never had to before—why start now? Congress should have passed laws to protect rights holders as required in the Constitution but have never stepped up to the plate—other than giving Disney an additional 20 years before Mickey Mouse went into the Public Domain. Every significant movement has come from the courts or in legal agreements now considered precedent. I speak as someone who worked on the 1976 revision to Title 17. I'll spare everyone the next five pages I could write on this.

Thanks Bob...you're right--I cleverly let the "pro" sing the touch parts! Thanks for listening!

LOVE, Love, love this!! A clever and fun write, authentic and genuine and personal. The kind of song that people relate to and that generates strong emotions. I think my favorite lyric is: "I will prove that I can still shred" And you should not be apprehensive about singing your songs, Mario. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Sir, and a blessed New Year!

Bob - thanks so much for your super comments, no it's probably not 'raw' enough to compare to the real thing I agree! But if it sounded 'sweet' to you then you've made my day - I'm no expert, just churn them out as they happen, very glad you approved! Have a great Christmas Bob, Carl

Feedback from you two is always much appreciated and reading your words is like opening a gift on Christmas morning. Thank you!! Thank you so much, Noel! Oh my gosh. Thanks for all of that! Thanks for the spin. Glad you liked it, Bob! Another fan? Music to my ears. Thank you!! Well, it's streaming everywhere, but I doubt it'll find it's way to country radio. Thank you for the thought though, and for your generous words. Good ear. I'm presently working on an old mix that has an artifact I haven't quite been able to isolate and if I can't I'll have to go all the way back to the raw tracks in Sonar. Daunting. Thanks for the listen and the feedback. Thank you! Thanks for all of that. I appreciate your kind words and suggestion. I was reluctant to spend the bucks for a Collings, but now I'm glad I did. Thanks for listening and for taking the time to reply with those nice words.

Thank's David and Torrey for the comments. Laurent

Thanks so much David! I would call these vocal stylings the "tired old man" sound! TB

Herb, This is a very nice treatment of the old classic! You've made me realize that I need a mandolin....but a Les Paul or 335 has to come first haha! It's a lovely recording that needs to be posted every year! Thanks, TB

Bossa is boss, and you prove it so well with this masterpiece, Chris. Of course I love the feel and you took it through some very cool changes. Great mix, and the vocals are perfect.

We'll be playing an after-Christmas party for the vets in a V.A. Hospital nursing facility. We are honored to do so, and we've done this facility a few times this year and are looking forward to visiting with the vets we've come to know.