Registered: 09/27/06
Posts: 1493
Loc: Victoria, BC
We recently shared the project we worked on with Floyd Jane: The Birth of a Song with a short (under 6 min) video link.
But it can take longer than 5 minutes to explain the songwriting process! The project is complete, and in this extended version of the video (it's over an hour long!), Songwriter Floyd Jane shows in detail the songwriting process from inspiration to performance and publication. (YouTube link: https://youtu.be/qPrejgnwb4M)
The idea for this project came about when many members on this forum and elsewhere were asking questions about the song writing process. There are many aspects, and many parts of it necessary to create a song, get it arranged, performed, and then published on the internet. So we asked the great songwriter Floyd Jane, who is a regular member on this forum, if he could help. Floyd agreed and was even able to collaborate with other forum members, Janice and Bud. The result is this video we put together that you can see on YouTube, called "The Birth of a Song (w/Floyd Jane)".
We hope this video helps other songwriters with their songwriting process, and also shows them tools that are available to them along the way. Also, we mention this User Showcase Forum, and hope to see many new aspiring or accomplished songwriters join this community blush
A big Thank You to Floyd for sharing your knowledge with the community and making this possible, and to Janice and Bud for your great collaboration!
Table of contents for the full length video: CHAPTER INDEX: 1 - The Challenge - 01:23 2 - Inspiration for the Song - 01:57 3 - The Musical Hook - 02:58 4 - Writing the Lyrics - 03:21 5 - Writing the Chorus - 04:29 6 - Taking a Break and Refining the Lyrics - 05:53 7 - Adding the Musicians and Creating the Arrangement with Band-in-a-Box® - 10:56 8 - Exporting the Band-in-a-Box® Tracks to use in Studio One - 26:10 9 - Using Studio One to Record the Vocals - 26:59 10 - Importing Band-in-a-Box® tracks to Studio One - 29:14 11 - Microphone Setup - 32:51 12 - Recording the Vocals - 37:57 14 - Creating the Guitar Solo in Band-in-a-Box® - 42:43 15 - Recording the Electric Guitar Lick - 47:07 16 - Mastering the Song in Sound Forge & Follow up - 47:35 17 - Uploading Finished Song to SoundCloud - 51:09 18 - Posting to the Band-in-a-Box® "User Showcase Forum" - 53:53 19 - Concluding Thoughts - 58:28 20 - "A Little Bit Of Me" Music Video - 1:00:13
The original shorter version of this video:
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Callie Marketing Representative PG Music Inc.
Good idea to break it up into chapters too, I just finished watching a few of them, will watch more later when I have more time.
BTW, love your tele style guitar, Floyd! When I was a kid, 15 or so, I vividly remember seeing an off white tele with a white pickguard in the local music store, first time I had ever seen a Fender in real life (grew up in a very small town). Ever since then I've always wanted one with that particular colour scheme.
Registered: 05/12/12
Posts: 2384
Loc: South Africa
Really enjoyed this and learned a few things along the way. Very inspiring, which is what I need right before FAWM. Especially loved the music video at the end.
Thanks Floyd and PG Music for sharing this video – really interesting to see how others work with songwriting and the technical part of the production. Always some good tips and tricks to pick up. And the MusicVideo at the end – as Joanne mentioned above – great stuff!
@Dave (BlueAttitude) - Hey, Dave... tell you a "secret"... the tele is a G&L ASAT Classic that I picked up on the Musician's Friend Stupid Deal for $299. BEST! $299 I've ever spent! Out of the box, the intonation was perfect. The neck has a silkiness that is a pure joy to play - feels great, so smooth. It stays in tune amazingly well. I grab it most often now (over my Strat) as my "play a little guitar" guitar... love it. Keep an eye out for the Stupid Deal (they have run it again since I got it) - their return policy is good in case you don't want to keep it...
@Charlie - (congrats on your award!) Glad you enjoyed this - it is a lot to watch....
@Joanne - Thanks for watching. Really glad you liked the video at the end! We had a lot of fun making that!....
@Einar - Thanks! Pleased that you like the ending Video!
@Charlie Gannon - Thanks for all your work on this!
Registered: 12/27/13
Posts: 1318
Loc: St. Louis, MO. USA
Very enjoyable to watch Floyd!
I was really interested in your description of the harmonies and that you just use a 3rd above. When I did mine I wasn't sure and mostly did 3rd above with a 3rd below turned down much lower. Nice to know I won't need to work below.
Liked that you used the same 2688 Brent Mason soloist that I did. It's amazing that those soloists can cross genres so well. Took the tip in to generate the entire track a few times. I only did once. Like you, the solo part that was already aligned with my guitar solo section of the song and worked as-is and I didn't have to play with it.
Enjoyed the final music video on the song too. Good idea with the lyrics on the wall. Well done.
Thanks for spending the time in making this video for those of us that can use it as a learning experience!
I enjoyed this and learnt a few new things about BIAB. I just wish you also used Realband and Reaper! Seriously, I thought it was really well put together and I loved the Dylanesk bit at the end!
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Windows 10 Home insider preview (Evaluation) Build 17083 BIAB 2018 (Build 510) Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi) VoiceLive 2, Nova, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
@steve - typically in this type song and production (which covers MOST of them) all you need for harmonies are a third above. And you can do a bunch of them. That makes the background big and fat - AND subtle - all important things...
@Mr. Snyder - the acoustic is a Yamaha FG500. Fairly rare. A GORGEOUS instrument. Like a well worn Martin. It was damaged years ago, which caused the saddle to release. I replaced it myself (with Elmer's glue and a new saddle). Mic? That is just my wife's iPhone recording what we did (she did a GREAT job of handling the videography throughout)
@Terry - I use the standard version of BIAB. For most of my productions it is all I need. I have heard a few things using the Audiophile version that make a difference - if your song is mainly acoustice guitars - and the cymbals are sometimes noticeable - but for productions that include electric guitars, I can't hear the difference... a matter of choice and styles...
That was awesome. You gave me some good ideas and I liked how you used Studio One. Since I’m a sonar user, I was looking at studio one as a replacement since cakewalk seems to have gone belly up.
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He who is not busy being born is busy dying. - Bob Dylan
@Neil - glad you got a little out of this. I hadn't really thought of the ending video as "Dylan-esque"... I had thought about doing just a lyric video and then decided to try more of a "hybrid" approach....
@Dave - thanks...again!
@bodhi65 - Studio One is a great DAW (imo). You might give Reaper a try, too...
Registered: 04/13/16
Posts: 586
Loc: Stanwell Park NSW Australia
I've downloaded the updated/extended version. thanks. It's a cool comparison of workflow as well as a few handy hints.
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Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe Pop on over to The Recording Rebels for positive, honest commentary, critiques and support. http://therecordingrebels.com/index.php
Top Notch!!!, anyone who writes music should watch this video. I will more than once. Floyd mentioned something about a line while riding a lawn mover, HA, how many songs have been started mowing a yard, or riding a tractor. A great video guys!!!
A big thanks to you, Floyd (and Janice & Bud) for putting this together. While PGM's instructional videos are very good, seeing another forum member use it really gives some insight into the creative process beyond the nuts and bolts of using BIAB. I'm thinking the only thing harder than the entire song creation process is DOCUMENTING the song creation process. So thanks for what I'm sure was a lot of work.
Floyd, I'd really like to see an interview style video on how you guys who were writing on music row went about coming up with song ideas and turning them into a finished song for a recording project. Hook, lyrics, music. Because of your 15 years on the row you have some unique insights to share. I think it would be fascinating.
Thanks for all your hard work and to the folks at PG Music who helped get it out there.
Late to the party, but just wanted to echo thanks for the video and demonstration. That dang song will be in my head until next week, at least. :-)
I smiled with recognition at the first parts, picked up some good pointers in the latter parts, and just enjoyed the video and complete play through at the end. I hope that lyric sheet is worth big money one day.
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BIAB 2018 Audiophile. Windows 10. Former user of old version. Prefer creating while learning over learning before creating. Passable, intermediate level acoustic rhythm guitar player. Songwriter, lyricist, composer loving all styles.
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows Online Manual - Chord List & Shortcuts
Visit the Chord List of our Online Manual, and you'll see all the chords that can be used within the program! The list includes a few Tricky Chords and Shortcut Chords that you may find useful too!
Tricky Chords:
C5b This is "C flat 5." It is spelled this way to avoid confusion.
C2, C5, C4, C69, C7alt, Cm7#5
You can type C-7 for Cm7 (i.e. use the minus sign) or C7-9 for C7b9.
Shortcut Chords
If you enter a lot of songs, you will appreciate these shortcut keys.
J = Maj7
H = m7b5 (H stands for Half diminished)
D = dim
S = 7sus
There's even information on how to add your own chord shortcuts - check it out!
If you have a folder of songs that you'd always like easy access to within Band-in-a-Box, make sure you familiarize yourself with The SongPicker feature, which access the folder that you choose and lock it to!
Access the SongPicker by clicking on the [Song] button next to the title of the song within the main screen of Band-in-a-Box. The first time the SongPicker is opened, you can choose the folder to use to create the list by selecting [Change] and navigating to your preferred directory. Once chosen, select [OK - Make Song List], and Band-in-a-Box does the rest... the next time you click on [Song], you'll be taken directly to your preferred folder!
Learn even more about this feature within Chapter 5 of our Online Manual, here.
If you have a question (or questions!) about Band-in-a-Box®, PowerTracks, RealBand®, or any other PG Music Inc. product - whether it be technical support or pre-sales, there's now an easy one-stop spot to find the answer - our FAQ and Knowledge Base Forum!
Don't want to read through the 600+ posts? Use the Search FAQ option, and you can choose your key search terms to locate the topic and answer you're looking for!
Common pre-sales questions about our products, ordering, and delivery: Pre-Sales
Today's the day we say "Happy Birthday" to Adolphe Sax, the creator of the Saxophone! (Adolphe was born November 6, 1814 - 32 years later he patended his saxophone creation!)
We have more than 190 Saxophone RealTracks available for Band-in-a-Box with the following RealTracks Sets - review the complete list here.
Here's some of the amazing feedback we've received lately, from program users just like you!
Arthritic fingers means I find it very difficult to play anything. This program is amazing - and it does use real musicians!
-Bob E.
The power of this program is just unbelievable! It's been a best kept secret for a couple of decades now. A song writer's dream!
-Mike D
This band can practice any time of day...LOL
-William G
Band-in-a-Box works so simple you could teach a child to do it within minutes - the RealTracks are amazing. Doing an album as we speak. I challenge you to give it a try. I am 60 years old and even though I've played 50 years, I am no engineer. But as a song writer I needed some effective tools to create quality production of my work. This is IT! It's as easy as typing and filling in the blanks. The instructional videos allow you to change settings while watching the pro. I myself purchased every "RealTrack" I could get... Take it from me, don't let this overwhelm you. It is absolutely a writer and solo artist dream!
-John S
Best part of Band-in-a-Box is that it saves me having to program drums, the Real Drummer part of the software is brilliant and natural sounding. I then layer real instruments with guys from my band. As a songwriter, Band-in-a-Box has saved me so much time it's ridiculous.
-Andy B
Incredible Software. Great for ignorance and experts and for anyone who wants to deal with music. If you do not have a hobby and want to have one "Band-in-a-Box" is the best choice. Simple, but if you want to be an expert on it, you need to make an effort to master it perfectly for perfect use. The only disadvantage is if you do not want to become a musician, and use it, you will become a perfect musician. Therefore, be cautious. It's not a toy. ;)
-Ilija B.
Been a BIAB man since '92, such a comprehensive source for music making! So much more to offer than "loops", it allows actual music composition to be realized. Evolve from harmonic ignorance and find out what REAL music is made of!
-Don D.
A must for any musician who wants to improve on his own, or to share his musical ideas in a professional high quality rendition.. You just play with the best musicians and that's great ♪ :)
-Jean-Marie D.
I use Band in a Box all the time. I couldn't be more pleased. It's easy to use and it sounds super-big time!
-Max R.
An excellent tool for generating backing tracks. Saves me hours of MIDI programming. Combines the best of MIDI and live audio samples.
-Steve A.
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