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Old 04-24-2015, 12:58 PM
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Default Band in a Box 2015

So I'm looking around on youtube for Sonar Artist tutorials and I ran into this program. Sounds kind of interesting to say the least?

Anyone ever heard of this? anyone own it? Thanks.

http://soundbytesmag.net/band-in-a-b...5-by-pg-music/
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Old 04-24-2015, 08:03 PM
mcasey329 mcasey329 is offline
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I have the 2014 version and it works for what I want to do with it. My guitar skill level is pretty low. I can strum a few chords and sing but my compositional toolbox for live music is pretty barren.

My songwriting (lyrics) far exceeds my playing ability and with BIAB (Band in a Box) I can type in chord progressions and then use all the different styles, keys, instrumentation, tempos until I find something that suits what the song. You still need to know the chords and types of progressions you want.

I have also used it for additional tracks to full out an original song. Usually my guitar and voice and the rest from BIAB. Send the generated tracks over to the DAW record the guitar and vocals, process and mix it a bit then bounce to mp3 and it's off to mom.

This is not something I use often but it is something that is used for songwriting and to a lesser extend recording something for my mom. She is in her late 70's and has some dementia showing up. All she wants is for me is to record myself and make her CD's.
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Old 04-24-2015, 09:05 PM
MarylanderX MarylanderX is offline
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BIAB is a great tool for practicing. Improvising is one of the most common uses and the main thing I use it for. I don't have the current version. Seems like I first bought it more than 20 years ago and did an upgrade or 2 along the way. I keep meaning to get the current version.
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Old 04-24-2015, 10:14 PM
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Originally Posted by MarylanderX View Post
BIAB is a great tool for practicing. Improvising is one of the most common uses and the main thing I use it for. I don't have the current version. Seems like I first bought it more than 20 years ago and did an upgrade or 2 along the way. I keep meaning to get the current version.
Its been around that long? WOW, never heard of it.

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This is not something I use often but it is something that is used for songwriting and to a lesser extend recording something for my mom. She is in her late 70's and has some dementia showing up. All she wants is for me is to record myself and make her CD's.
Today 11:58 AM
Its really great that you're doing that for Mom.

Do you guys think that its worth the price of admission?
I like the idea of creating backing tracks.
Thanks.
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Old 04-25-2015, 04:39 AM
paulp1960 paulp1960 is offline
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I have the 2013 version and I like it a lot. It's very powerful but it can be tricky to use.

There is an app called iReal Pro that runs on any tablet (Apple or Android) for about $15 that does something similar. I like that as well.
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Old 04-25-2015, 05:51 AM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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BIAB is much, much more than a simple chord player. It can generate solos in the styles of many different artists, for example. The feature list is almost endless as a learning tool. BIAB originated as a chord player, but evolved over many years. Did you know that BIAB was originally developed by a dentist (Peter Gannon, which is where the name "PG Music" comes from). His brother, Oliver, is/was a studio musician who has developed associated learning products for jazz guitar, as well as having much input to BIAB along similar lines. In fact, BIAB's real, strength stylistically has always been jazz, though it does do other styles too. These guys, and their company, is Canadian, something Canadians can definitely be proud of. Many, many musicians use BIAB. Look in the jazz guitar forums and that becomes quickly apparent. It is quite the tool for the serious as well as hobbyist musician. Look around the net and you will find lots of BIAB files and collections, such as the entire 5th Edition Real Book. There are companies that offer add-on products such as new styles and BIAB song files. It is a real cottage industry that has been around for years and is quite mature.

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Old 04-25-2015, 01:01 PM
mcasey329 mcasey329 is offline
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I agree that this is more than what I may have described. The solos it generates are far better than anything I could possibly do because I can not solo let alone solo in a every instrument that BIAB can. Want a Sax solo, got you covered, harmonica for something bluesy got you cover there too. Just about anything you could want is available. Bonus is, if you don't like the solo it generated and you ask the tool to generate another.

The worth is depending on you. For me it is. As a total techie this is a great tool to play with and learn from. Being older and more settled in life the cost wasn't a problem for what it does. Where you can get a something that will generate 5-6 tracks of good quality backing tracks and solos in a mater of minutes not hours?

I believe this could be just as useful to a singer who wants to sing a song in a few styles to see what works. There are as many uses and learning aspects as you can imagine.

Taking the tracks into a DAW (Reaper, Pro Tools, Logic) and using some plugins a person can come up with a really nice arrangement that most people would be hard pressed to say wasn't recorded in a studio.
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Old 04-25-2015, 01:19 PM
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Quote:
The worth is depending on you. For me it is. As a total techie this is a great tool to play with and learn from. Being older and more settled in life the cost wasn't a problem for what it does. Where you can get a something that will generate 5-6 tracks of good quality backing tracks and solos in a mater of minutes not hours?
Agreed. I got to thinking that I've spent more than the cost of this software for a good meal. I love technology! growing up watching black and white TV, this is just fascinating!
Thanks.
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Last edited by rrgguitarman; 04-25-2015 at 03:33 PM.
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Old 04-25-2015, 02:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rrgguitarman View Post
So I'm looking around on youtube for Sonar Artist tutorials and I ran into this program. Sounds kind of interesting to say the least?

Anyone ever heard of this? anyone own it? Thanks.

http://soundbytesmag.net/band-in-a-b...5-by-pg-music/
Hi rrg…

I used Band In A Box up through the 3rd version, and then an app came along for the iOS devices called iRealPro (it started life as iRealBook, then other names till they worked out the legalities).

It's basically a chart display app which also plays backgrounds like Band-in-a-box. The iOS version is $12.99 basic, or add $5 for the deluxe edition with additional Jazz styles. It now is available for iOS, Android, and Mac OS-X and is far more capable than my version 3 of Band In A Box was. Computer version is $20 & $5 extra for the 12 extra jazz styles.

It allows you to import or build charts, edit them, and play them back, (with piano, guitar, bass and drums) hange keys, tempos, beats, styles, and furnishes great built in instruments.

I switched and was never happier with it as a practice app. I lost any interest I had of going back to Band in a Box by the first update of iRealPro.

iRealPro doesn't make up solos, but that's what I want to do. I don't use it live, just for a practice tool.

Kind of depends on which use you want - and how many bucks you want to spend.



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Old 04-25-2015, 07:43 PM
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Quote:
It's basically a chart display app which also plays backgrounds like Band-in-a-box. The iOS version is $12.99 basic, or add $5 for the deluxe edition with additional Jazz styles. It now is available for iOS, Android, and Mac OS-X and is far more capable than my version 3 of Band In A Box was. Computer version is $20 & $5 extra for the 12 extra jazz styles.
I don't have any apple products or androids devices so I'm stuck with my PC.
Me and smart devices do not get along.

Quote:
It allows you to import or build charts, edit them, and play them back, (with piano, guitar, bass and drums) hange keys, tempos, beats, styles, and furnishes great built in instruments.
That's what appealing to me.
I went ahead and purchased it today.
One more toy to play with...I love it.

Thanks for all your input.
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Old 04-26-2015, 06:49 AM
MarylanderX MarylanderX is offline
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You inspired me so I upgraded my BIAB last night. I was quite a few versions behind, version 9 from 2000... They've made some changes in 15 years. I may have to actually look at the manual.
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Old 04-28-2015, 07:21 PM
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You inspired me so I upgraded my BIAB last night. I was quite a few versions behind, version 9 from 2000... They've made some changes in 15 years. I may have to actually look at the manual.
That is cool.
Does it come with a manual? I hope so because I'm starting from ground zero!
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