Where can we find MGU files of famous songs that we can use to make our own tracks or versions?

Some here
Biab files 1

Biab files 2

Use at your own risk!
Virus check all downloaded files first

there is a band in a box group on YahooGroups, and they have a very large collection of files that can be downloaded. You have to join the groups individually to access the files.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Band-in-a-Box-Files/info

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Band-in-a-Box-Files2/info

The files used to contain melody and lyrics, but a few years ago whoever manages the site removed anything that is protected by copyright.

http://bob.bmcadvies.com/biab/

http://www.midkar.com/MidiStudio/BIAB/List.html

I constantly am astonished that there is not a vibrant forum for trading BIAB files SOMEWHERE. It's SO weird. The yahoo groups above are dead.

There's the regular same links to the same pages as always.

I'm surprised that the forums here dont have a dedicated "Trade your .sgu .mgu creations" that is more vibrant.

Also I'm sure theres some folks that are brilliant in building up a song that very much represents particular recording with voicings/hits/vibe/etc... I'm pretty good at it but I'd really imaging there would be a market for such a thing from someone who was really good and fast at it.

Basically:

"Send me the track you want reproduced in BIAB and i'll create it and send you the .sgu or .mgu"

I guarantee folks would pay for that.. but i've never seen it (ps.. I don't want this job) :-)

But I'm always shocked when i'll do a search for some very VERY well known tune and somehow NO WHERE is it out there to get... when I know theres probalby been hundreds if not thousands of people that have already built it.

Am I missing some killer forum somewhere and can someone send me the link if so? :-)

There are some on my website. They don’t have the Melody


https://www.joannecooper.co.za/guitar-backing-tracks

The internet use to have many websites filled with midi song interpretations. Those interpretations were deemed to be infringing on copyrights and sites were told to pay royalties, close or be sued out of existence.

Distribution of MGU or SGU song files face the same issue. It's just not worth the hassle. The websites that offer midi files pay royalties or risk being sued out of existence. Evidently there is not enough demand for Band-in-a-Box MGU or SGU song files to make creating and offering them for sale profitable.

there are karaoke midi files available on a pay basis. here's just one
https://www.midi.com.au/genres/midi-karaoke/

for 'clones' of particualr tracks, these will open fine in RealBand with any distinctive riffs or instrumental breaks reproducd as close as midi can get them.

BIAB is not the program for 'cloning' commercial tracks. you could put in the chords for satisfaction by the rolling stones and you'd still have to record the guitar riff and the bass part wouldn't be what Bill Wyman played either.

with a karaoke track opened in RealBand you'll get as close to the recording as posible.

I use with great success Norton Music, owner is Notes Norton!
Google Norton Music and have a look!

The yahoo groups no longer exist as yahoo stopped hosting groups.

You have to go to groups.io, look for the Band In A Box Independent User Group. Join and have access to a whole lot of files including mgu files of standards, pop, rock, italian, latin just about any song you want.

The users group for Yahoo migrated to Groups.io when Yahoo stopped hosting groups a while back. The group is called Band In A Box Independent User Group. You have to have a Groups.io account, free, and then join the group. Plenty of files still available there.

Try the Facebook page:

SGU Backing Tracks

https://www.facebook.com/groups/899178587802657

Go to the Files tab. Some are good and some are blah. I do notice that many of them are posted in rarely used keys like Db and F#. Just transpose them as needed.

Most of them are SGU files but you can find some that are MGU files.

My understanding is that selling or giving away the .mgu of a copyrighted song without paying royalties is a violation of copyright law.
The sgu (the changes with no melody) of a song lies in a little more murky waters. People seem to be willing to let that go.
I don't care much for most of the free stuff that's out there
Entering the changes and building the arrangement of any cover tune in BIAB is an integral part of my workflow.
It gives me time to see how I want the song to evolve.
I'm not a "just like on the record" kind of arranger- good thing as that approach is not always easy with BIAB.
I do change key, styles, intros ,choruses, etc.
Sometimes my harmonies are different, very often the groove (style) is different.
I'm not after arrhythmic dissonance on a Beatles ballad, I just want to provide something a little interesting. Something folks will remember. People know what song it is, perhaps they are just hearing it a new way...

My experience is that often the "free" versions of BIAB tunes available on the internet are pretty bad. They are often more work to correct than if you built them yourself.

Some of the pay sources are good. Some less so....

But that's just me

<< I guarantee folks would pay for that.. but i've never seen it (ps.. I don't want this job) >>

Neither do I but I enjoy using BIAB to make good covers. I always use midi to capture the groove of a cover and I only use free midi files. There's some truth to paid midi is usually more complex and likely to be more accurate to the original but in most cases for use in BIAB, none of that is necessary. In fact, I've never had a case that a paid midi was necessary.

I haven't found it necessary to use any external program, including RealBand, to get nearly note-perfect renditions of cover songs with or without riffs. Bob Calver is right, getting riffs are important, but BIAB has excellent midi capabilities and song construction tools. It was a midi based program years before it transitioned to audio. I'm sure RealBand can facilitate the process but it's never taken more than a few minutes to generate a good karaoke song in BIAB.

Here's an link to YouTube of a cover song I created with a distinctive riff done entirely in BIAB.

Listen to the music, Doobie Brothers cover using BIAB