Band in a Box is clever, very clever, but you need to make the effort to use it well. There is a manual but I feel from what you wrote that you would not feel like getting all the useful stuff that is in it. The manual is 400+ pages, but put the effort in and you will soon end up with music that you are more than happy with. I think some people think that Band in a Box is some sort of magic software where you press two buttons and out pops a hit song.You get out what you put in, simple as that. I am 65 and have pretty much found my way around the software, producing many songs that have a professional feel with a little extra tweaking in Logic. Stick with it, it really is worth the effort.