JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Music Theory and Education RE: Band in a Box software

Does anyone use this software-Band in a Box? Where do you ordered it from? Does it have drum licks that I can use to write melodies for my lyrics? Would you recommend buying this program?

Schantell,

Welcome to JPF. I have a friend who uses it. It's pretty interesting, you can design some nice sounding changes with it. It has drum licks, chords changes and fills, everything short of the lead vocal, and sounds fairly decent. Add your vocal with your lyrics and you have a good work demo. Some of my friend's Band in a Box demos are good enough to pitch, though others have an "odd" sound to them. All are certainly good enough for a work demo.

All the Best,
Mike

Band in a Box is much better now that they have added "Real Drums" to it. They have a program called "real Band" that works with it and is real samples of real instruments. They have as well a program called "Power Tracks" that you can use for recording. These programs all work together, or stand alone. As always though, the software is only as good as the hardware you're using and there are many threads on that subject.
Rick

The answer much depends on budget, application, musical ability and experience. I have just got the new BIAB but after messing around with it do not plan on using it much. It is possibly OK for someone who wants to produce music simply without having to play record and arrange. There are other more pro programs and plugins I would prefer to use. The pluses of BIAB is that you do not have to play an instrument to make music and it is pretty easy to use and user friendly. For the more serious musician and experienced digital recording enthusiast I would recommend Cubase or Protools. BIAB is a bit like painting by numbers in as much as you have to use a pre determined pattern and customize it to your needs as opposed to real artists who start with a blank canvas.

Here are a few band in a box tunes with mostly real tracks.

1.) Bluegrass -- Won and Lost: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6137590
(BIAB: fiddles, acoustic guitars, mandolins, drums, bass, banjos
me: vocals, acoustic guitar)

2.) Country -- Going Down To Poplar Drive: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6470939
(BIAB: Drums, Bass, piano, Pedal Steel, Harmonica, Rhythm Acoustic Guitar.
Kevin Emmrich: Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Colin Garvey: Backing vocals
Rob Stuart: Backing Vocals)

3.) 5/4 Jazzy Tune: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7517363 (this has real drums, but the rest is midi, except for my electric guitar part)

4.) Rock w/ Sax -- Clap of Thunder: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=5196787
(Kevin: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
PG Music/BIAB/RT: Drums, Bass, Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Saxophone )


Kevin (not a real artist)

It's a great app for demos where arrangements are not critical to the demo. I wouldn't do masters with it, though. My song, Somewhere To Ride, was done exclusively with Band In A Box. You can get a nice sound, but if you want "riffs" and such, you need to use live musicians, of course. Check out the General forum on the thread I started entitled, "I won An Award ! ".

I've wondered what the difference is between the Band in a Box Mega Pak and Ultimate Pak. Anybody know?

hey Don,you can google it and it explains what comees with each version.I'm not a musician but i have B.I.A.B. and it sure helped me get my lyrics to life.

I use BIAB 2008 and it really helps for doing basic arrangements and trying different things with progressions while you write. You can try your lyric in different styles to see if something works or not, or even just to simply give you a fresh feel to work with.

Most all of my home demo/worktapes are done with BIAB (listen to some of them at https://soundcloud.com/stream#play but I also add live instruments as well. Here is one that I did completely with BIAB with the exception of the lead guitar https://soundcloud.com/fredchoatemusic/80-proof-reality-home-demo . I create the progression within the software, save as a midi and then import to SONAR and use the midi track with the better sounding instruments within SONAR.

This doesn't sound far removed from the sequencing thracks and drum machines that pre-date the net. Certain synths have had it more then others.
Wouldn't do it for an outright song and prefer it all by hand.
But as something to get better aquainted with forms and for a site to understand where I am going, I have thought of having a site just for that.