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Want to get into recording music. Where to sta #643581 02/22/21 09:05 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Feb 2021 Posts: 1 A alecdavis47 OP Newbie
OP alecdavis47 Newbie A Joined: Feb 2021 Posts: 1	I am a singer and I want to start writing and recording my own music, but I have no idea where I should start. If you could offer any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #643591 02/22/21 11:43 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 1,192 Sillie Con Valley, California Mike Halloran Expert
Mike Halloran Expert Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 1,192 Sillie Con Valley, California	Do you have Band-In-A-Box? BIAB 2023 Audiophile, 24/60 Core M2 Mac Studio Ultra/8TB/192GB Sonoma, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer 11, LogicPro Finale27.4, Dorico5, Encore5, SmartScorePro64, Notion6, Overture5

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #643594 02/23/21 12:27 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 1,987 Essex England Bob Calver Expert
Bob Calver Expert Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 1,987 Essex England	it would also help if you told us whether you are a guitarist or keyboard player as well as a singer, whether you want to produce backing tracks for live performance or go straight to burning cds or releasing tracks on youtube and spotify. just let us know and we can offer detailed advice.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Bob Calver #643615 02/23/21 03:31 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY MarioD Veteran
MarioD Veteran Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY	Another question would be what do you know about music? Do you know chord progressions? The circle of fifths? That is very important if using Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) although you could just copy chords from a song into BiaB and write your own melody and lyrics. If you are just starting out and do not have any music knowledge then I would purchase a beginners book like one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Dummies-Michael-Pilhofer/dp/1118990943 Buying a music program will not make you a musician anymore then buying a drawing program will make you an artist. The more knowledge you have going into these programs the more you will get out of them. YMMV 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

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #644893 03/03/21 08:11 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC Guitarhacker Veteran
Guitarhacker Veteran Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC	"Final Jeopardy theme music playing" while we wait on a response from the OP....... You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Guitarhacker #644912 03/03/21 09:32 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY MarioD Veteran
MarioD Veteran Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY	Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker "Final Jeopardy theme music playing" while we wait on a response from the OP....... Don't hold your breath! 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

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653117 04/25/21 12:02 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Hello everyone! I have the same question as the OP because I need to sing on my tracks. Been trying to understand BiaB and am slowly making some headway. To answer the questions y'all asked the op, I have BiaB and RB; the songs will go on Soundcloud, maybe Youtube; my keyboard is a Yamaha DGX 660 (can't actually play properly because I have bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome--still, I can manage a single line melody and do my writing at the keyboard); and I'm familiar with chords, chord progressions, and modes. My computer is Windows 10. So... been watching the youtube tutorials on working with MIDI files and RealTracks and honestly, I feel utterly inept at this point--can't seem to replicate anything, so if it worked once, it doesn't work again. Gotta be operator error. It's taking a while for things to gel because this is my first foray into digital music. I also haven't figured out how to bring in an audio file. Do I have to start the song the same way by typing in all the chords? Do I bring the audio recording in as a Utility Track or put it in the Melody Track? And what do I do about the count-in; how much time do I allot to silence before the audio starts? Do I choose the style before I bring in the audio or after? There must be videos for this, right? I'm still in the very beginning stages. I've been using a Zoom handheld recorder for years. No idea at all how to record directly into my computer. I normally take my recording to Audacity, reduce the noise, and set the volume. Surely I can do that in RB? But I have no clue how. I have other questions too. Some of my work is intrumental only and I don't need any kind of backing track. How do I bring that into Biab or RB? The tracks are already MIDI because I wrote the songs on the computer. Do I have to start with chords; will the program error out if I start by bringing in multiple MIDI files and then let the chord wizard find the best fit? These songs were written for my theory and comp classes so they're for chamber ensembles and school bands. They can be altered to fit the available voices in BiaB; it's the music more than the instruments which matters to me. Oh, and is the proper term for voice "patch"? Because I'm baffled how to use the patches, too. Do I have to choose MIDI patches only? Sooner or later I'm going to find videos on all of this, I know, but right now I'm bottlenecked trying to figure it all out. Hoping y'all can help me to understand. If you have links to videos I would so appreciate it. (Already seen Henry's video on bringing in a MIDI track and I understood part of it. wry smile Probably have to watch another few times.) Thank you, everyone. My jazz arranging teacher said he made backing tracks with BiaB and people kept coming up to him after his gigs and asking where he hid the bass player. He thought BiaB would give me the sound I was searching for. Took me years to be able to get it, so it's beyond frustrating to not be able to make it work properly. If I hadn't seen a couple long-time posters mention the steep learning curve, I probably would have returned it the first week. Pretty grateful for these forums and everyone who posts here! Most sincerely, Totally Baffled Newbie Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653124 04/25/21 01:02 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY MarioD Veteran
MarioD Veteran Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY	Cathie, it sounds to me that you are trying to learn everything at once. I suggest that you learn one thing at a time. Learn how to type in chords and pick a style in BiaB, I would start with RealTracks (RTs). Learn how to change RTs. Then learn how to bring that song into RealBand (RB); I suggest that you record in Realband and not in BiaB. Once that is down then do the same with MIDI. I would stay with the included Coyote sounds, then later you can learn how to use plug-ins, both effect and better sounding VSTis. Then attack whatever you want to learn do next. Just get comfortable with one procedure before trying others. BiaB and RB are very powerful pieces of software thus there is a learning curve. Just remember we all started out like you. The biggest benefit of PGMusic are the kind and very knowledgeable people on these forums that are glad to help. I hope this helps and good luck. 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

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta MarioD #653142 04/25/21 03:59 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Thank you, Mario. I can do the chords and styles and have been using RealTracks, but I haven't tried to change them yet. I suppose I'm frustrated and impatient because I've already waited so long to be able to get a polished sound. sheepish smile Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653143 04/25/21 04:40 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Oct 2016 Posts: 1,563 Central Ohio edshaw Expert
edshaw Expert Joined: Oct 2016 Posts: 1,563 Central Ohio	That's good advice. How about setting some time aside just to play and have fun with it? Years ago, I played along with popular records transferred to a multi track recorder, not to make recordings but to learn how to play piano and guitar. The process was (1) choose a song I liked, (2) make a tape of it. (3) get the chords and lyrics from https://www.chordie.com/ (4) play along. At the time, I had a vague idea of how songs were structured, but learned a lot in a short time. Then I got band in a box. That changed everything. I started learning about lead sheets, progressions, and mapping. After a couple of thousand songs, I had become conditioned to "think" in 16 bar patterns and 1-4-5 chord progressions, taking some of the guesswork out of it and also eliminate time wasted trying to fit a 5 bar thought into a 4 bar rhythm line. Last edited by edshaw; 04/25/21 04:42 PM. Link: www.soundcloud.com/ed_shaw (Feel Free to Use) https://drooble.com/edward.shaw/hymn/index.htm Biab for WIN 2020 -- Win 10 64bit -- Reaper/Audacity Zoom R-16 -- Tascam DP-03-SD -- SoundTap -- Crescendo --

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653151 04/25/21 06:01 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 1,192 Sillie Con Valley, California Mike Halloran Expert
Mike Halloran Expert Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 1,192 Sillie Con Valley, California	Originally Posted By: Cathie … So... been watching the youtube tutorials on working with MIDI files and RealTracks and honestly, I feel utterly inept at this point--can't seem to replicate anything, so if it worked once, it doesn't work again. Gotta be operator error. It's taking a while for things to gel because this is my first foray into digital music. … Most sincerely, Totally Baffled Newbie Hello, TBM, We all started somewhere, knowing nothing. To build on what the others have suggested, follow one beginning video and learn to do one thing: Create a simple track with chords and a melody. Next, use that one skill to create 10 or 20 simple tracks. As soon as you're bored with that—and you will be—time to learn something else like add bass and simple percussion to 10 of those tracks. Now create 10 new short, simple 4-part tracks. When you get bored with that… Soon enough, you'll be able to think the music you want to make in terms of BIAB. Then watch out! BIAB 2023 Audiophile, 24/60 Core M2 Mac Studio Ultra/8TB/192GB Sonoma, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer 11, LogicPro Finale27.4, Dorico5, Encore5, SmartScorePro64, Notion6, Overture5

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653208 04/26/21 04:00 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY MarioD Veteran
MarioD Veteran Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY	Cathie, one other thing I should mention is that you do not need to learn everything about BiaB. Decide exactly what you need and focus on those sections first. I have been using BiaB for years but I only use maybe 20% of what the program can do. My workflow is to sketch out a song in BiaB then transfer everything to my DAW as that is where I do most all of my work. Others use BiaB a lot more than I do. But even after using BiaB for years I am still learning things it can do. BiaB can seems overwhelming so just take it one step at a time. 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

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653236 04/26/21 07:34 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC Guitarhacker Veteran
Guitarhacker Veteran Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC	Cathy.... All good advice so far. Yes, absolutely take a few weeks or longer just to get familiar with the software. Play around with it. Watch the video tutorials and ask questions. Learn how it works. I'm going to tell you how I use it. I start with Band in a Box (BB) and type in the chords and use copy, paste, insert, delete, to get the song like I want. Select a style that used real tracks. Set your key, tempo and build the song structure. Save it and close it. I use BB to make the song structure with the tracks it provides in that style. That's all I ever do in BB. While I can record audio, I never do that in BB. BTW.... I only use the features that I need. I estimate that I use about 10% of what it is capable of but that 10% does what I need and want. You can open REAL BAND (RB) and find the file you created in BB and open it in RB. THis works both ways. BB>RB and RB>BB. You should now have the file in the proper song structure, key and tempo as well as style. You can now add live tracks to RB. Arm the track, be sure it's audio, and record the vocals. Use as many tracks as you need to add or import anything you want and need in the song. I take it a step further at this point and use RB to generate additional real tracks for my project and then I export all the tracks to my DAW software, SONAR. It's there that I add my live tracks and do the mixing. However, for you, for now, you can do this in RB just as easily without adding another software program to learn. If you are just getting started, don't expect to learn it all in a few weeks. You should however, be making decent sounding recordings in a few months depending on how quickly you pick things up and apply them properly. You can always ask questions and people here are willing to help. There's a lot of really knowledgeable folks here when it comes to this program. BTW: Welcome to the neighborhood. You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653331 04/26/21 06:16 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Thank you Ed, Mike, Mario, and Herb. I really appreciate your encouragement! Thank you for the welcome, Herb. Guys, BiaB doesn't seem like play to me. It's not fun at all. And I don't mind the work--but I need the thrill of accomplishment at the end and right now I feel hopelessly mired in the muddle... not even the middle, the muddle! rueful smile I've got it down about chords and styles. I know to set the chorus to 1 and how to toggle back and forth between a and b, how to set key and tempo, how to use the song form dialogue. I'm not very good with the bar settings yet, but I know how to access them. It's fine by me to have RT or MIDI accompaniments, and I know I can chage the MIDI tracks through the notation window (haven't needed to do that yet). And I've discovered there are some RT which cannot be changed even by so much as muting one instrument... which kinda shocked me. But even that doesn't matter so much... and maybe, seeing this written out, I know more than I thought I did. That helps to ease the angst, knowing I've made some progress. What's really tripping me up is bringing in my own MIDI track(s) of parts I've already written for the song I'm working on. I have riffs and fills that I really want to keep, and for some songs I have background vocals that can come in as MIDI because they don't have lyrics. I suppose my questions about bringing in an audio track can wait until I get a handle on successfully bringing in a MIDI track. Herb, thank you for sharing your workflow. I followed most of it, but one thing confuses me. What does "Arm your track" mean? How do you do so? Again, I thank you all for shedding some light on this. I truly appreciate your kindness. PS--Simon asked what build I'm using and told me where to find out. I've just seen the tutorial link there so I've bookmarked that page. Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653375 04/27/21 03:51 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY MarioD Veteran
MarioD Veteran Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 20,784 Hamlin NY	Bringing in different MIDI parts could be done via the Utility tracks but I have never done that. But I have added extra MIDI and audio tracks to a BiaB song via my DAW. IMHO you should do this in a RealBand. You could import your MIDI tracks and move then to exactly where you want them. You could also have many audio tracks if need be. I do not use RB as I use Studio One Pro and I could help with the basic stuff but there are RB pros here who are more than willing to help. Some things are easier and better to do in a DAW. 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

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653411 04/27/21 07:49 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2020 Posts: 308 H Henry Clarke Journeyman
Henry Clarke Journeyman H Joined: Apr 2020 Posts: 308	Hi Cathie !! I don't usually get too deep into the forum from the technical music perspective because a lot of guys here really know their music theory. I on the other hand have a totally different approach not only to music but also to using the program. I also focus entirely on vocals and lyric writing/song structure. I've had BIAB for quite a few years and would throw money at it (fortunately I easily had the resources :-) and leave it on the shelf because every style was either old Jazz or country. Over the last couple of years it's gotten closer to what I like so I use it more. Nothing wrong with those old styles but they did nothing for me. I just wasn't interested. Also I barely read music. Most of the chords I use are purely intuitive. It come's from my background where I grew up in those old soul groups of the 70's and 80's where EVERYTHING was done by ear, the musicians were amazing, and you better know your harmony note !! If you told the guy in the RnB or Church band about the circle of fifths he'd just laugh at ya :-) My progress with BIAB started by doing something simple. Purchasing sheet music songbooks, typing in chords from the book and experimenting with styles. Now because I knew the songs I typed in I had instant familiarity with how the music should sound. That for me was the easiest way to get started. From there I moved on to samples, MIDI, chord substitutions, Audio Chord Wizard, etc.. The reason why I think this approach may work for you. 1. Because you have familiarity you have with the songs you type in from the songbooks (you know the melody, lyrics, etc...). 2. You'll gain a faster sense of accomplishment (keeps you inspired to do more) 3. You won't get too caught up in adding features and you can move toward them as you see fit taking the time to experiment and see what works (lowers the frustration level significantly). That's just my recommendation. A "layered" approach. Last edited by Henry Clarke; 04/27/21 07:51 AM.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653590 04/28/21 10:48 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC Guitarhacker Veteran
Guitarhacker Veteran Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,324 Middlesex, NC	Originally Posted By: Cathie What's really tripping me up is bringing in my own MIDI track(s) of parts I've already written for the song I'm working on. I have riffs and fills that I really want to keep, and for some songs I have background vocals that can come in as MIDI because they don't have lyrics. Herb, thank you for sharing your workflow. I followed most of it, but one thing confuses me. What does "Arm your track" mean? How do you do so? Arm your track simply means to turn on the recording function for a track. You should be able to copy and paste the midi in..... or convert it to audio by freezing it and import the audio. In a DAW, (such as Real Band) you can use as many tracks as you need. So.... if all you need is one section in a solo, or a few fills, use volume automation (envelopes) to bring those parts in and out. What's on the rest of the track doesn't matter. I've got a few projects with 5 or so lead guitar tracks and in the entire song, I might use 5 seconds of a given track's audio. The only thing that matters is what you hear in the speakers and NOT what you see on the screen. You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653636 04/28/21 06:35 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Oh my GOSH I am so frustrated today!! But let me start out by saying thank you. Mario, honestly, I'm wondering if I should just start out working with RB. If the learning curve is gonna be this steep and if I'm gonna need to move to the DAW anyway, I'm not at all sure what the benefit is in starting in BIAB. Henry, hello!! I've learned from your youtubes, thank you! I'm not a newbie to music theory, just to BIAB. But I will tell you that finding the right style to match what's in my head has proven ridiculously difficult. It shouldn't be this hard. Thank you for the explanation, Herb. What I hear in the speakers has me ready to tear my hair out... because last night it was the drums only, with nothing frozen or muted... The whole style played again after I turned BIAB off and let it sit for a while. Tonight it's the style choice I made three styles back, with what is now supposed to be a solo guitar still playing a boogie piano.... I haven't done anything different and I have no earthly idea why BIAB is stuck on this boogie piano....maybe the Great Dragon wants a boogie piano in my song and is interfering from the ethers... facepalm Anyway, I've kept at it long enough for tonight. Think I'll take a break (before I start cussing at the computer!) and try again tomorrow. Thank you all!! Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653646 04/29/21 01:32 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2013 Posts: 8,095 South Carolina C Charlie Fogle Veteran
Charlie Fogle Veteran C Joined: Apr 2013 Posts: 8,095 South Carolina	< I also haven't figured out how to bring in an audio file. Do I have to start the song the same way by typing in all the chords? Do I bring the audio recording in as a Utility Track or put it in the Melody Track? And what do I do about the count-in; how much time do I allot to silence before the audio starts? Do I choose the style before I bring in the audio or after? There must be videos for this, right? > < Some of my work is instrumental only and I don't need any kind of backing track. How do I bring that into BIAB or RB? > This is a video to get you started with opening and using an audio file in BIAB, what track to place it on. It explains what happens with the count-in and when to select a style. For live instrumentals that you record, record and save the audio on your PC where you can find it and import the audio file you recorded following the same steps as the demo song was imported in this video. Everything else in the tutorial will be the same. Using the Audio Chord Wizard Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 04/29/21 01:35 AM. 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.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Charlie Fogle #653865 04/30/21 12:24 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Originally Posted By: Charlie Fogle This is a video to get you started with opening and using an audio file in BIAB, what track to place it on. It explains what happens with the count-in and when to select a style. For live instrumentals that you record, record and save the audio on your PC where you can find it and import the audio file you recorded following the same steps as the demo song was imported in this video. Everything else in the tutorial will be the same. THANK YOU!! I actually found a style today, in the last place I would have looked: punk rock. Can you imagine me and my ballad-y voice singing to a punk rock beat?! Leaves me utterly bemused, but there ya go, it works with the song. Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653874 04/30/21 01:07 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000 Posts: 21,631 Mi., USA rharv Veteran
rharv Veteran Joined: May 2000 Posts: 21,631 Mi., USA	One of the most valuable pieces of advice (IMO) using BiaB is to experiment with different styles Once you learn how to combine different styles it becomes even more mind boggling That's why a lot of power users say to always get the ultrapak; more styles/realtracks You might assume you'll won't use them, but as you discovered, it can sometimes be surprising what you end up using Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta rharv #653883 04/30/21 02:30 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 2,626 J justanoldmuso Veteran
justanoldmuso Veteran J Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 2,626	CATHIE. heres what i recommend. heres what i did when i upgraded to biab/rb 2020. i spent a month before starting on a new song doing the following. 1. i set up a new windows file called example styles i liked. and without disturbing the biab dir's i copied every style i liked out of the thousands available to this new dir. 2. i like those lined yellow pads lol. i made a page for each real trak type eg sax or drums or bass or whatever. with a vertical line down the middle. 2 column headings. real trak id no and comments. thus when i'm looking for my fav acoustic gtr or mando or whatever RT i just go to that page. saves lots of time. in summary the yellow pad contains all my favorite RT's with comments. the above IS lots of work to set up in a 3 ring binder , but i just find its lots of help when i'm deciding which styles and RT's to use in a song. as i said took me a month of methodically going through every single style and RT. hth oldmusao New Song "PRETTY GIRL" for my wife...Dec 2023 (my vocs....mixed for good earbuds.) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs/prettygirlrbfinalcalfsongsdec2023mp3 (and rock song THE STALLION and bluegrass song... BANKER MAN....90 songs useing bb/rb.)

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #653899 04/30/21 04:42 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Oh wow!! rharv and oldmuso those are great ideas! Now that I've finally found something that works with my song, I'm not so stressed and I might just start a new list of styles as I come across them. I know BIAB has a way to mark favorites because I see that option to open one's favorites list--but I'm old-fashioned enough to like handwritten lists. As a matter of fact I have an old columnar pad which would be really useful, room enough for the name of the style, the instrumentation, the genre, real or midi... I was going to use it to make a garden seed inventory but I think it just got hijacked by the Inner Songwriter, lol... Thanks again for the terrific ideas! Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta Cathie #653932 05/01/21 01:00 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 2,626 J justanoldmuso Veteran
justanoldmuso Veteran J Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 2,626	CATHIE. my lovely wife is heavy into the garden. and, as any gardener knows ; to create a wonderfull garden is lots of work. SAME WITH SONGS. they are lots of work also, irrespective of tools used. (actually unlike my wife i'm a lousy gardener lol.) all i can advise is to keep at it. ive done loads of songs in my life, which brings me to a major point. dont fret starting off whether other people like it or not. if YOU love it. and are proud of it , thats whats important. otherwise youll drive yourself crazy with song analysis. ive chased around that particular mulberry bush too many times by over analysing this or that. another thing. keep a seperate note pad for all a songs details. i keep a seperate 3 ring binder for all my song details. ie the song lyrics/settings/key/bpm/style used// fx used on which traks etc etc etc. ie intricate details about the song. in addition, irrespective of the biab built in metronome, i always start off first 4 bars with a RD drum beat. which doesnt appear in the final song. (its a point of reference only for later lining up traks in my daw imported from biab and other software i might use.) in ending let me say , in writing songs sometimes less is more. for example this week i was doing a new song idea and testing it out, and realised i was over complicating. so i started the song off with a lonely piano RT , before the whole band slammed in; and i went "yeah thats it". often songwriting is lots of tricks cathie. remember to take breaks also. biab and rb are very deep. best. oldmuso ps an idea starting out songwriting. dont spend a ton of dough on "gear". because your perception of what tools you need will change over time. Last edited by justanoldmuso; 05/01/21 01:02 AM. New Song "PRETTY GIRL" for my wife...Dec 2023 (my vocs....mixed for good earbuds.) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs/prettygirlrbfinalcalfsongsdec2023mp3 (and rock song THE STALLION and bluegrass song... BANKER MAN....90 songs useing bb/rb.)

Re: Want to get into recording music. Where to sta alecdavis47 #654004 05/01/21 09:14 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA C Cathie Apprentice
Cathie Apprentice C Joined: Apr 2021 Posts: 125 Wichita KS USA	Thank you, oldmuso. Up to this point, I've put the heavy work into actually writing the song. The work for song productiuon is certainly a flower of a different stripe... or maybe it's spotted. Got me. rueful smile All I can do is keep on trying. Thanks again for your tips and tricks; I truly appreciate it. Love is always worth the risk. HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.

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PG Music News

April 12, 2024

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

April 09, 2024

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

April 05, 2024

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.

April 04, 2024

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

March 28, 2024

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."

March 15, 2024

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!

February 21, 2024

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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