I saw this thread, and although it's a bit old, I wanted to comment. I use BIAB and really like it. Nope, not the best thing since Fender invented the Telecaster, but a pretty nice program. There are sample cuts on there, many of them, for non-musicians to play around with and see what they can do. But a somewhat decent musician can use it as a very effective tool.

The more advanced (and more expensive) versions offer tracks composed from samples of real musicians that sound pretty danged good. There's an indigenous algorhythm that can manipulate those samples to comply with the timing, chord pattern, etc., entered by the user. Yes, there is midi, too. Like most things, it depends on the skills of the user.

I'm just saying it's a great tool for a lot of people. For others, maybe not so good. It all depends on the needs and skills of the user. Here's one I did using BIAB. Everything except the lead guitar track (that's me) is BIAB.

For what it's worth:

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12070799

Also, the two songs i recently posted on the MP3 Forum were done using BIAB backing tracks.

Mac...you're a damned good musician and composer. I **ALWAYS** enjoy your work!!!!!

Al