the three phases i think were described by robert heinlein. phase one - the machine works but in a very clunky and inefficient way. phase 2 is where they build on bits and modifications that are designed to stop the clunkiness - a big flywheel to smooth out rough running for example. phase three is a streamlined, simple, better engineered version without the extra bits that just works as it should have done to start with.

strikes me BIAB is at phase 2. bits added to meet the wish list of extra mixer channels and so on. the slew of patches this time and bugs that need fixing is longer this year than i can ever remember. it seems it's getting harder to handle the bits built on.

BIAB will never reach phase three. it's not a DAW. it's an auto accompaniment program. a recent post by simon on aux sends in the mixer sums it up. you generate a BIAB track and then finish in a DAW. i use RB and it does everything the add on bits that BIAB keeps coming out with to add DAW functions do.

not everyone likes RB but it seems most of us use BIAB then finish off in a DAW.

i love BIAB and RB. pg music has great staff and a good support team and forums are informative and helpful.

i just wonder if BIAB would be better if PG concentrated on the auto accompaniment element and met some of the wish list requirements like breaking free of 3/4 and 2/4 time signatures, requested RealTracks etc instead of building on clunky bits to turn BIAB into a DAW.

after all, RB comes free with BIAB, and Reaper and Cakewalk are free too. maybe phase three has been with us all along? BIAB plus DAW not BIAB plus bolt ons.

however, after the rant i am going to upgrade to 2021 as soon as the patches seem to slow down.