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Boss281 Offline OP
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I am a guitarist, been playing for 45 years give or take. While I'm not gigging anymore, I do like to play along to my favorite old tunes and use backing tracks.

Initially, I just want to create some basic blues tracks at various tempos and different degrees of complexity. I have over 29GB to install off 7 DVDs. I can't imagine using all that at the start.

Any suggestions on what basics I should install for now? Later, I'd like to export the material, pull it into something like Reason, add more guitar and vocals, and have fun. This looks pretty complex so I want to start small.

Thanks for your help.

John

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Hi John,

Welcome to the forums.

"Starting small" is a great way to learn BIAB and how to drive it effectively.

As for the installation, most of those 29GB will be Realtracks -- these are audio instrumental tracks that BIAB uses to create backings.

My advice is that if you have the space on your computer to install all of them, do so. The Megapack does not contain the full complement of all available Realtracks thus to get the best from this package, it will be best to have everything at your fingertips.

Regards,
Noel




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Greetings and welcome to the forum Boss 281,

The Band-in-a-Box (BiaB and RealBand programs are the same for all packages. The difference between the packages is the optional content. The MegaPAK you purchased has a lot of content but is still way less than half of all the content available.

Program windows such as the StylePicker, SongPicker, RealDrums and RealTracks picker list ALL content so many new users become frustrated as they try to select content with the N/A (not available) tag in the listing. Concentrate on learning the program by using the content you have and don't fret about what you don't have.

PG Music has some free video tutorials you may find useful. I'd start with the beginner videos listed +++ HERE +++.

Groove 3 offers a video tutorial series on Band-in-a-Box. Although the video for Band-in-a-Box for Windows was made in 2015 and the one for Mac was made in 2014 the information is still valid. Groove 3 offers a monthly subscription service (ALL ACCESS) to view any video they offer or you can purchase and download a video series. Take a look at the sample video and series description +++ HERE +++

If your experience is like mine I think you'll discover the devil is in the details. If you know the chords and tempo of a song you'll find creating a song file that sounds pretty good is relatively simple. Taking the next step and getting the song to sound like you want can be frustrating.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

Styles determine if the timing is 3/4 or 4/4. 3/4 and 4/4 are the only times available. Anything else will be an emulation that might sound right but will not properly notate.

Styles load the initial instrumentation. There are eight tracks and you can change the instrument on any track without changing the style.

Each bar or measure can have up to four chords. Chords are entered in half measure groupings where beats 1 and 2 are one group in a bar and beats 3 and 4 are the second group of a bar. An example of a bar with four chords would be entered as a,b (tab) c,d. You advance between groups using the tab button or point and click with the mouse. You can enter just one, two or three chords in a bar by leaving the unused beat blank. For example a bar with chords on beats 1 and 4 would be entered as a (tab) ,d.

Last, please use the forum as a learning resource. We love to help!


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PG Music News
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."

Happy Easter! Holiday Hours...

2024 is well underway - it's already Easter Weekend!

Our Customer Service hours this weekend are:

Friday, March 29: 8-4
Saturday, March 30: 8-4
Sunday, March 31: closed

Regular hours resume Monday, April 1st - no joke!

Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!

The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!

There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.

If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.

We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!

Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.

Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

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