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All is in the title. I would love to hear music stories from members here.

Have you used tracks in a genre which is not the one you usually compose with only because the track was great ? Can you elaborate about the kind of 'alien' tracks you used in such a way ? And was the result good to you ?

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Regularly!

I often load a style and the chords for the demo song and then just let creativity take over. Whether or not it's a favourite genre is immaterial.


MY SONGS...
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You bet - here I did a cinematic arrangement and performance just by stumbling onto a great BIAB style and vibe.

https://soundcloud.com/dan-hoch-784636941/river-winding-take-1-0


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Thanks all for your replies. I love to read those stories. Thanks MusicStudent that was a beautiful song!

When I listen to the demos I am like "oh I wouldn't have thought about such a genre to use in my compositions but this gives me an idea!". So I can't wait to try!

Btw, is it ok to purchase BIAB as a full downloadable option instead of ordering the external drive ? I have enough space on my pc and it would save me to wait a few days to get BIAB. Once I have all the downloadable files I guess that in any case I can copy them on my external drive and leave the RT there if I want to have a minimal install on my own drive ?

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Not only RTs but MIDI as well. I can't tell you how many times I have a MIDI style selected only to find something completely different that sounded better. BiaB is great for expanding your interests in many different genres.

PS - it is also great for spending a ton of time listing to different styles! Been there- done, oops I mean still doing it!


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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Originally Posted By: Angelomusic
Btw, is it ok to purchase BIAB as a full downloadable option instead of ordering the external drive ? I have enough space on my pc and it would save me to wait a few days to get BIAB. Once I have all the downloadable files I guess that in any case I can copy them on my external drive and leave the RT there if I want to have a minimal install on my own drive ?


Everything UltraPak and above includes the external drive AND the download ability. When I upgrade, I download all the files immediately so I can jump right in on the PC. I use the external drive when it arrives by mail to use BIAB straight off my laptop.

When you do the install on your computer you can save all the RT and RD files to another drive. For me, main program is C:\bb and the RT/RDs are on D:\bb (a larger disk I use for media). In your case, you could use the external hard drive for these when you install the RT/RDs.




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Originally Posted By: sslechta
Originally Posted By: Angelomusic
Btw, is it ok to purchase BIAB as a full downloadable option instead of ordering the external drive ? I have enough space on my pc and it would save me to wait a few days to get BIAB. Once I have all the downloadable files I guess that in any case I can copy them on my external drive and leave the RT there if I want to have a minimal install on my own drive ?


Everything UltraPak and above includes the external drive AND the download ability. When I upgrade, I download all the files immediately so I can jump right in on the PC. I use the external drive when it arrives by mail to use BIAB straight off my laptop.

When you do the install on your computer you can save all the RT and RD files to another drive. For me, main program is C:\bb and the RT/RDs are on D:\bb (a larger disk I use for media). In your case, you could use the external hard drive for these when you install the RT/RDs.


Thank you so much for your help ! smile

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The PG Music Xtra Styles paks have amazing examples of using a RealTrack from unexpected genres. While you could find these yourself, it would take a great deal of effort.


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Totally - happens all the time. I'm constantly in the Style Browser, marking down my favorites so I can find them later. Here are a some of my top fave styles:

_BRITJON.STY (British Blues Invasion Piano) - Composed - this was a blast
_BLUGRSF.STY (Classic Bluegrass with Fiddle) - Working on it
_JZFUNKP.STY (Jazz Funk Groovin') - Composed
CC_COLV.STY (Adult Contemporary w/ 3 RealTrac) - Composed
HANK_G.STY (Country Honk, Acoustic Guitar)- Composed

I'd never composed a country song before - I really had no clue how the chords and progressions worked, but within a couple days I had one created. It was pretty cool. This may be off topic but the other thing that I like to do is try to jam along with the demos on random styles just to get a feel for the music and what fits with it, so sometimes I'll pick things way out of my wheelhouse and try to stretch my musical sensibilities.



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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
The PG Music Xtra Styles paks have amazing examples of using a RealTrack from unexpected genres. While you could find these yourself, it would take a great deal of effort.


Thanks Matt. I always wondered what was the point of Xtra Styles Packs when we already have so many packs with BIAB (supposing that I buy the Ultrapack for instance). What is the difference between the RT and styles provided with BIAB and the Xtra packs ? What do they bring ?

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Originally Posted By: EdZ314
Totally - happens all the time. I'm constantly in the Style Browser, marking down my favorites so I can find them later. Here are a some of my top fave styles:

_BRITJON.STY (British Blues Invasion Piano) - Composed - this was a blast
_BLUGRSF.STY (Classic Bluegrass with Fiddle) - Working on it
_JZFUNKP.STY (Jazz Funk Groovin') - Composed
CC_COLV.STY (Adult Contemporary w/ 3 RealTrac) - Composed
HANK_G.STY (Country Honk, Acoustic Guitar)- Composed

I'd never composed a country song before - I really had no clue how the chords and progressions worked, but within a couple days I had one created. It was pretty cool. This may be off topic but the other thing that I like to do is try to jam along with the demos on random styles just to get a feel for the music and what fits with it, so sometimes I'll pick things way out of my wheelhouse and try to stretch my musical sensibilities.




Wow that's so cool! I can't wait to have my BIAB and for sure I will listen to those styles! Funny you mentioned country because while I love listening to it (tbh I have only recently developped a liking of this style) I would be totally unable to compose or play any! But your example gives hope and motivation. Thanks!

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Country is easy, or so many will tell you. (Hint: it can be but doesn't have to be. A secret, many country musicians like jazz too!) "Three Chords and the Truth" is an often quoted description that originated with country music songwriter Harlan Howard in the 1950s.

Most songs contain elements of multiple genres so whatever genre label is attached to a RealTrack likely isn't the ironclad rule you think it is. Many of the RealTracks are available with and without effects applied so even if a guitar RealTrack is drenched in reverb there maybe a guitar only variation that you can add amp and cabinet sims and effects as desired.


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Originally Posted By: Angelomusic
Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
The PG Music Xtra Styles paks have amazing examples of using a RealTrack from unexpected genres. While you could find these yourself, it would take a great deal of effort.


Thanks Matt. I always wondered what was the point of Xtra Styles Packs when we already have so many packs with BIAB (supposing that I buy the Ultrapack for instance). What is the difference between the RT and styles provided with BIAB and the Xtra packs ? What do they bring ?

They bring a massive savings of time, and a level of expertise that most of us don't have. But if you have an ultrapak, you can spend all the time needed to explore all the permutations hoping to get something as good. Let's see, for the math folks out there, how many would that be, given five or so RealTracks per style, and thousands of styles?


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Originally Posted By: Jim Fogle
Country is easy, or so many will tell you. (Hint: it can be but doesn't have to be. A secret, many country musicians like jazz too!) "Three Chords and the Truth" is an often quoted description that originated with country music songwriter Harlan Howard in the 1950s.

Most songs contain elements of multiple genres so whatever genre label is attached to a RealTrack likely isn't the ironclad rule you think it is. Many of the RealTracks are available with and without effects applied so even if a guitar RealTrack is drenched in reverb there maybe a guitar only variation that you can add amp and cabinet sims and effects as desired.


I agree with Jim a lot of cross pollination can take place.

Somehow this week listening to styles I found something that took my fancy. I loaded the style and added some chords. I noticed the drums were really unusual pretty good with lots of fills. When I looked at the mixer panel I see I have a Drums 1. And lower down a Drums 2 track. (Never seen this before). Anyway the Drums 1 is a normal 4/4 track but the Drums 2 is a Waltz drum track. It works, but I really don’t know how this came about. Not something one would normally do in “Country Music”.

Tony


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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."

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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!

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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

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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

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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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