when you say you have an arrangement in the works, are you using Band in a Box exclusively to "drive" the sounds, and/or another DAW, and/or NI's hardware?
I am willing to go overboard and get the whole Collector's Edition at $899 (50%) off, but am wondering if I can then simply use the sounds within BinABox (part of my workflow also includes the DAW, Mixcraft).
I am also considering getting the hardware bundle that they are offering, but rarely compose on a music keyboard.
Tom Marvan Dunbar7376 San Diego, CA
Band in A Box Audiophile 2022
MSI GE66 10SFS 15.6" Laptop (Model GE66048) Intel Core i7 10th Gen i7-10750H 2.6ghz 32GB DDR4 RAM 2666mhz 8GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 1920 x 1080 Full HD LED 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe
when you say you have an arrangement in the works, are you using Band in a Box exclusively to "drive" the sounds, and/or another DAW, and/or NI's hardware?
I am willing to go overboard and get the whole Collector's Edition at $899 (50%) off, but am wondering if I can then simply use the sounds within BinABox (part of my workflow also includes the DAW, Mixcraft).
I am also considering getting the hardware bundle that they are offering, but rarely compose on a music keyboard.
Hello Tom, Thanks for asking. My current project is EZKeys2,EZBass,EXDrum3, Session Guitars Mint and me on my Strat. So no BIAB in this arrangement (so far). But BIAB is not far from all my work since even if it is not present, it is likely that it provided some spark of inspiration along the way.
I can tell you that Kontakt VI's works in BIAB. So yes, you will likely be able to use the "sounds" in BIAB. However, IMO, BIAB lacks the features to do final arranging, mixing and mastering needed for final production. So while I may start in BIAB, I always end up in Reaper.
I have worked hard over the past years to increase my composing on a keyboard. I can tell you the NI hardware keyboards can be a great investment in your long term music plans. So even if you are not a pianoist, playing chords/pads or driving a synth or kontakt instrument engine has permitted more of me in my music.
And finally, although you did not ask... while I have no problem recommending the Collectors Edition, I can't help but think that is a crazy amount of new-software to buy at one time. The way NI sells these packages makes it no more costly to buy-up over time instead of all at once. So unless you have your eyes on something specific, may be best to slow down a bit. The Stand and Ultimate Editions are a life time of sounds. But if you have more money then you know what to do with it.... have fun.
When I write a song, I usually do so on my guitar, but will occasionally compose on my Yamaha keyboard to work out sax and piano solos, that sort of thing. I'll then plug in a chord progression in BandInABox and choose a style, bring in the instruments, and do 80% of the arrangements in there.
The 2023 version of BinB is amazing in its ability to edit and regenerate audio. I may also add some sparse effects, but generally I then import the whole thing into Mixcraft 9 Pro, a very handy little DAW. From there I add my vocals and guitar(s), additional effects, production and mix.
I am contemplating where to insert the Native Instruments part in my workflow. My initial thought was to replace some of the string sounds in particular that Band In a Box offers, even some of the MIDI, with the NI sounds once I bring it into my DAW. Of course, the NI sounds would offer a lot more in terms of variety, not just of straings.
While the current sale offers a discount on the NI software and hardware each separately, there is an additional compounded discount when you get both, as the hardware comes with a lesser tier of software, and so adding the Collector's Edition in my case is now considered an upgarde rather than a brand new full software purchase.
I do not have money to burn, but with the discounts, I am lucky to be in a position to afford it, and I don't think any piecemeal pricing down the road will beat it. Finally, sometimes I just like to derive inspiration by experimenting with sounds, so it would be nice to have the whole NI palette without restrictions.
Thank you again for your input. I would love to hear some of your tunes when they are ready.
Last edited by dunbar7376; 06/05/2310:13 AM.
Tom Marvan Dunbar7376 San Diego, CA
Band in A Box Audiophile 2022
MSI GE66 10SFS 15.6" Laptop (Model GE66048) Intel Core i7 10th Gen i7-10750H 2.6ghz 32GB DDR4 RAM 2666mhz 8GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 1920 x 1080 Full HD LED 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe
Only one problem neither Band in the Box nor Realband are compatible with Kontakt 7 .dll given that it is VST3. So, what really new cannot be used on my favorite DAW, just the stuff I had before investing in Complete Collectors Editions.
Only one problem neither Band in the Box nor Realband are compatible with Kontakt 7 .dll given that it is VST3. So, what really new cannot be used on my favorite DAW, just the stuff I had before investing in Complete Collectors Editions.
I think you are correct! Kontakt 7 will not load in BIAB. I didn't even notice since I have Kontakt 6 on my machine which still loads. I am not aware of any new Komplete stuff which actually needs Kontakt 7 since I see my new stuff in Kontakt 6.
But this whole VST3 thing in BIAB needs to be addressed.
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!
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.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.