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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 9
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 9 |
question I am looking at upgrading I have band in a box 2019 not wealthy but which is the best upgrade 2020 mega pak or ultra pak?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,860
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,860 |
Hi. This link describes the various packages and gives a direct comparison between MegaPak and UltraPak. The main difference is in the number of RealTracks. The basic program is the same in each. https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.htm
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,352
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,352 |
My recommendation is usually to got with the highest package that you can afford.
The Mega pak has > 500 RealTracks while the Ultra pak has > 2,900 RealTracks as well as the 2020 49 pak.
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,384
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,384 |
You really don't have BIAB unless you have all the real tracks which come with the Ultra. Just one man's opinion. 
Dan, BIAB2024, SoundCloud Win11, i7(12thGen), 32GB, 1TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD), 2TB Libraries, 1 TB(WD-Black), 2TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD)Data, Motu Audio Express, Keystation 61, SL88 Studio, Reaper
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,220
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,220 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,781
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,781 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S I agree with Lloyd. I work mostly on the MIDI side of BiaB. I rarely use RTs at all. On occasion I do use the RT charts if they are available. There are many different workflows you can use with BiaB. It is a very powerful and versatile piece of software. Just my opinion.
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.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,122
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,122 |
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses plus different ideas about how to use Band-in-a-Box.
RealTracks include many different instruments played by professional session musicians. If you have a need for many different instruments you'll want the UltraPAK or Audiophile.
If you're more interested in midi the MegaPAK will serve you well.
If you want to learn the program and what it has to offer the ProPAK or MegaPAK works for you.
Jim Fogle - 2024 BiaB (1111) RB (5) Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,094
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,094 |
I'm on the MIDI side of the fence myself.
I can export the MIDI files and then edit to make them better...
I can add song specific licks and kicks. I can change chord inversions. I can make the song play notes in chords that BiaB does not play.
I can do simple things too, like change the piano to a rhodes or a clav, a strat sound guitar to a les paul or a banjo, a cowbell to a ride cymbal, a string section to an organ or chorus, the acoustic bass to an electric bass, or whatever.
The fact is that MIDI is thousands of times more editable than audio. I want to play with the music, be an active participant, and take the very good output of Band-in-a-Box and make it better.
A good MIDI sound module can sound 90-99% as good as a real instrument, but expression to me is more important than the finer points of tone.
I'll use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but more often than not there is something I want to change about it, so I go with MIDI.
If I want to passively listen to others play music without my participation, I'll put on a CD.
But I need to emphasize that there is more than one right way to do this. My way is the best for me, and may or may not be best for anyone else.
Notes
Last edited by Notes Norton; 08/15/20 02:55 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,095
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,095 |
I agree with Notes there's certainly more than one way to create quality music with BIAB and everyone needs to determine the work flow and tools that work best for them.
I straddle the fence between MIDI and audio and use both for their particular strengths they bring to a BIAB song. Edited MIDI files can and do make songs better and audio can really close the gap to making a song sound realistic and commercially viable. Nearly every song can benefit by containing both elements.
There are multiple ways to add song specific licks and kicks using audio, change chord inversions and then use MIDI to make the song play notes in chords and other things that BIAB doesn't play or MIDI is the better choice over using audio.
I believe that over time, MIDI is now only tens or a hundred times more editable than audio. Band in a Box has sufficient audio editing tools to complete many audio editing and arranging tasks that most users normally and unnecessarily export out to a DAW to do. But it's super easy to transfer BIAB tracks when the DAW is the best editing, arranging and production tool. But often, it's more beneficial to edit from BIAB rather than a DAW so features and tools that are exclusive to BIAB can be accessed and utilized. Techniques like programming the Chord Chart to see and anticipate instrument changes, panning and volume automation, muting and unmuting tracks, smooth transitions, fade ins and fade outs are professional studio quality when done in the BIAB project and don't have to be addressed when the project is moved to a DAW.
I use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but on occasion, it's not. When there is something I want to change about RealTrack audio, I edit the audio itself or sometimes combine it with Other RealTrack audio or MIDI most times without leaving BIAB. Done correctly, editing and arranging tracks in BIAB is indistinguishable from manually doing the same in a DAW.
In many cases, I think editing audio from within the BIAB program is vastly underrated and underused. This is true is such areas as the updated Melody's feature and it's 10 channel sub mixer and the two versions of User Tracks where the traditional User Track is not as broken as it's thought to be and the User Artist Performance Track which isn't broken at all. Loops are easy to create and can be made from MIDI or audio and even MIDI and audio combined. The BIAB Mixer can export stems and sub mixes quickly and easily and even if they are exported out for use in a DAW project, reduce mixing time and tracks in those projects.
BIAB Ultra Pak+ 2024:RB 2024, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,520
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,520 |
This gets to really be a question of money. Less than $300 for everything they sell in 2020.
This is a lot of stuff for that amount of money.
After other software, computers, guitars, pianos and other music stuff I own BIAB is not a material amount of money.
Real Tracks for me are useful in many ways. They are a tool to learn new stuff from pro musicians and fun to mess around with for recording.
Midi is every serious musician's go to tool if you use a keyboard. The thing I like most about midi is the vast amount of really good VST's that exist today....many for free and some I own that cost more than BIAB. I could never own enough real drums to get all the sounds I get from VST's. Even if you are a pro drummer playing on the best pro kits, you are likely to trigger a VST from your kit.
Also it depends on what skill sets you have and what other software you use. I can edit in standard notation with a greater degree of precision just because I have better skills there than in midi editing. There is a serious time cost to standard notation not the least of which is learning to read, and of course learning to use a notation software program.
I don't think is is very easy to know what someone will find very useful unless they take a chance and buy the top of the BIAB line of products.
I would never dream of trying to tell you how to spend your money. I would tell you I have never been unhappy with all the stuff I have acquired from PG Music.
Good luck,
Billy
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment
If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
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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.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
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."
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!
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