Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Hello! I'm new to the forum and in the process of deciding if PowerTracks Pro is a good fit for me.

I am a trumpet player, music educator, and composer. For years, I have been wanting to find a program that I can notate in, output scores and parts, and tweak a very high quality audio output of my work. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information online using PowerTracks for such purposes.

Are there any users here that can offer their thoughts? Would the notation output be even close to that of say, Finale? Does PowerTracks allow you to draw volume changes into the midi tracks to create fairly realistic sounding recordings?

I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,
Mark

PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Update: I purchased PowerTracks Pro Audio. The notation side of things isn't in depth enough for my needs. If I use it, it will be to fix up the midi outputs from another application.

Since I do have some experience with BIAB, I'm wondering now if I should upgrade to RealBand instead.

I look forward to hearing your insight!

PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
markmusik,

Realband is more than an addon, but it is part of the
BIAB software package.

Using BIAB for creating music is a very powerful tool.
Realband in addition is a very powerful tool.
I view Realband as Power Tracks on steroids.

Using BIAB for your creations, chord progressions, arrangements
and then adding some kind of "scored melody" is there.
The other powerful tool if your looking at original creations
is/are the Melodist and Soloist tools.

BIAB will at minimum create the base of what you want to do.
Cover songs, your originals, your arrangements.

The PG and the forum members(mentors) totally changed
music world for me.

I would suggest looking and listening to the demo's.
This is the BIAB Pro link with demo's.
http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.pro.htm

Even if you have to purchase Band-in-a-Box Pro with RealBand
full price, you'll never regret it.
Purchasing the BIAB pro gives you all the tools, plus some amount of RealTracks and styles.

Also if you just purchased Power Tracks and it does not
do what you want I would call them. They do have 30 day
money back guarantee.

Making a guess, but they will be able to help you in
a new purchase... Their numbers are bottom of the link
page above.

Good Luck.

No not part of the staff, just an avid user.

Last edited by seeker; 05/09/14 11:28 AM.

FrankB

Down The Street vs2015 12-03-2014
Win7, AMD QuadA8-5500,16GB,2TeraHD, Komplete 10
PG Ultra Plus 2016,Alesis 12USB, Sonar Platinum
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Thanks for the advice, seeker! I chatted online today with PG customer service and they've been nothing short of helpful. Based on my research and what you/they are telling me, I'm leaning toward purchasing BIAB/RealBand. For the orchestral/band arrangements that I do, I can see myself using it to work out ideas. Then, if I want to expand it into a proper score, I'll do that in outside software and bring it back into RealBand to tweak the output.

I'm really excited about getting involved in the PG Music forum community. Nowadays, this sort of thing is a rarity. I look forward to learning software techniques from the people here and sharing my music. I'm a Chicago-based professional trumpet player, so I will likely use it for trumpet backing tracks as well.



Last edited by markmusik; 05/10/14 08:24 PM.
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,649
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,649
FWIW, PT and RB share the same notation engine. So if you are looking to improve the notation by purchasing RealBand you'll be disappointed.

I have been able to print some pretty usable scores with PT/RB, but it is not the same as Finale. There are quite a few options in the notation area that may need attention for your use, and you can 'draw' volume changes .. using the piano roll window in RB.

However;
Finale is a notation software with extra DAW features, while PT/RB are DAWs with notation (and many other) extra features. There is a difference and your needs should be the deciding factor.
PT/RB notation as not been improved (updated) in many years. It is what it is.


Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
rharv,

I was able to draw that conclusion about notation quickly upon using PT. I own a copy of Finale PrintMusic. It's great for notating, but I find that workflow is slow, thus stifling the creative process. What I really want is the best of both worlds-notation and beautiful sounding digital audio outputs.

A former student of mine uses a program called Guitar Pro 6. The notation on it is fairly basic, but it's much quicker and easier to navigate than Finale or Sibelius (much cheaper too!). I will likely purchase a copy of it for quick notation and use it in conjunction with BIAB/RB. If I need a very high quality output, I can always import the data into Finale to clean things up later.

I just discovered what BIAB soloist and melodist can do. Truly unbelievable!

PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,649
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,649
Yeah, it's amazing what PGMusic products can do. I just wanted to point out that notation isn't improved between PT/RB. Many other things are though, so worth the investment .. if you think BiaB soloist is cool, wait until you unlock the power of RB!


Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
Just learned this last week from Matt.
Musescore does import BIAB files into it. http://musescore.org/
Tried it out after Matt's comments, works very nicely.

Know almost nothing about the Musescore workflow aspects. But its a great free tool.
My first scoring software was Personal Composer Prior to VS 1. Think it was $395 at that time,
if my memory serves me well. Minimum of hundreds and hundreds of hours with it.

BTW Matt is a trumpet/flugelhorn artist, among many other music talents.

And welcome to the PG musical journey.

Last edited by seeker; 05/10/14 09:26 PM.

FrankB

Down The Street vs2015 12-03-2014
Win7, AMD QuadA8-5500,16GB,2TeraHD, Komplete 10
PG Ultra Plus 2016,Alesis 12USB, Sonar Platinum
PowerTracks Pro Audio
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10
Thanks again, seeker! I download Musescore to take some time to try out. I've attempted to work with it in the past, but it was slow going in comparison with Finale PrintMusic. The fact that Musescore imports BIAB files is huge though!

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®

The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!

His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!

Watch: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box


Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Windows is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!

Paket | Was ist Neu

Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!

Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!

Learn more about this free update for PowerTracks Pro Audio & download it at www.pgmusic.com/support_windows_pt.htm#2024_5

The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!

The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!

Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.

This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245

The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option

Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!

Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!

For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.

Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.

Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!

Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.

Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.

Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!

Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!

With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!

Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!

If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.

A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."

"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."

"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,721
Posts736,516
Members38,556
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
Rogee, John Dharmawan, hughesai, BabzColl, bluejaffa
38,555 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 190
rsdean 113
DC Ron 111
Noel96 92
dcuny 81
Today's Birthdays
dryan08
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5