May 31, 2017 The Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac Special Ends Today!

Order your Band-in-a-Box 2017 for Mac by end-of-day on Wednesday, May 31st and SAVE on most upgrade packages and receive a Free Bonus PAK of Add-ons that includes 4 MIDI SuperTracks & 4 Instrumental Studies!

Or upgrade to the 49-PAK and get ALL 24 Bonus UNRELEASED RealTracks, 30 MIDI SuperTracks, 18 Instrumental Studies, and 59 re-discovered RealStyles & MIDI SuperTracks!

View all your Band-in-a-Box for Mac purchase options at www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htm.

Posted at 01:17 PM

May 31, 2017 User Showcase Song - It's All Catching Up With Me Now

Haven't posted a song in a while. This is an original I just finished. Any comments about the mix/master is appreciated.

Posted at 01:15 PM

May 31, 2017 User Tips - Recording and Mixing Using RealBand

Forum User Joanne Cooper has shared her latest blog post, Recording and Mixing a Single Acoustic Guitar Track Using RealBand. If you've ever read one of Joanne's blog posts, available on her website https://www.joannecooper.co.za, you know how informative these posts can be!

So, be sure to check out her newest blog post, where she shares with the reader the process she uses to record and mix her acoustic guitar track using RealBand!

Posted at 09:58 AM

May 30, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® Version 2017 for Windows Build 465 Available!

Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Windows customers can install the latest patch update (Build 465) here: www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#465

This is a cumulative update patch, which works from any 2017 build.

Summary of changes for Build 465 (since 464) (May 30, 2017):
Fixed: Some hints in the Chord Builder were not showing transposed notes, and a % symbol was showing instead.
Fixed: Random sections of RealTracks will not be generated if guitar chord diagrams is enabled, and the Notation window is open while RealTracks are generating.
Fixed: New lines for sections on the chord sheet were not allowed when the song had repeats.
Fixed: The number pad hot keys for step advancing in the notation window did not work.
Fixed: Guitar bend amount could be garbled, and tab font may have been the incorrect font, with some foreign languages like Japanese or Chinese.
Fixed: When looping an entire song, and starting from, say, bar 17, the notation would later get locked on bar 17 when the song loops back to the song beginning.
Fixed: When printing to a PDF file, or to a printer, bends, slides, hammers/pulls could show up within the margins including the "H" and "P" showing up in the margins.
Updated: PDF Manuals.

Posted at 03:07 PM

May 30, 2017 #TipTuesday - Mixer Window

If you've ever been working on a song in Band-in-a-Box where you've adjusted the sliders in the Mixer Window, and just aren't happy with all your changes, we've got some great news for you!

New with Version 2017... instead of closing the song you're working on and starting over you can choose to double click on the slider - it will set the value back to a default value!

Posted at 10:55 AM

May 30, 2017 User Showcase Song - Hug Me, Kiss Me, Love Me

Been a long time since .......
My commitments playing lead guitar in a group of ol´Shad´s fans and tenor in a barbershop quartet have hold me off the computer.
Add to this that I´ve worked on some more difficult songs that I have not been able to make ready and you know why I have been off.
It went so far that I had to do this easy tune to see if I still can pull it off!!!

The Style chosen is: COURAGE.STY
and the instros are:
bass 2610, piano 2728, drums RD:s blues rock shuffle,
guitar 1585, organ 2729 and the Synthpad used is
1801 Synth Pad Pop Shining

Recorded with Mixcraft 7 pro, reverb and compressor used

Posted at 10:29 AM

May 29, 2017 Our Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac Special is Almost Over!

Time is running out! Our Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac special ENDS ON MAY 31, 2017!

Purchase before then for Bonus PAKs and special pricing - up to 50% off Upgrade purchases!

Every Band-in-a-Box for Mac package* purchased during our special comes with a FREE Bonus PAK, which includes:

4 MIDI SuperTracks:
Accordion, Rhythm GypsyJazzCompCory Sw 220
Piano, Rhythm SoulJazzMike Ev 130
Piano, Rhythm BluesShuffleMike Sw 130
Organ, Rhythm BluesShuffleMike Sw 130

4 Instrumental Studies:
Bass, Electric\Funk\Soul Funk, Sw 120
Guitar, Electric\Blues and Rock\Punk Rock Soloist, Ev 165
Guitar, Acoustic\Folk\2-part Fingerpicking, Ev16 075
Piano, Acoustic\Country\Bent Note Rhythm, Sw 110

You can also choose to Upgrade to the Bonus 49-PAK for just $49 and get ALL 24 Bonus UNRELEASED RealTracks, 18 Instrumental Studies, 30 MIDI SuperTracks, and 59 Re-discovered RealStyles & MIDI SuperTracks.
(These 49-PAK add-ons are not included in any other package.)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK at www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.bonuspaks_2017.htm.

Find your Band-in-a-Box Upgrade package here: www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htm

*Note: The $49 Pro Upgrade does not include the Bonus PAK.

Posted at 10:53 AM

May 29, 2017 User Showcase Song - Across the Rio Grande

Band-in-a-box tracks used:

Drums Nashville 8ths – Side stick
Bass Electric Pop Half Notes EV 85 - 518
Acoustic Guitar Strumming EV 85 - 362

Recorded in Logic 8

Additional tracks overlaid: Piano, Synths, Guitars, Harmonica,

Posted at 10:35 AM

May 26, 2017 User Showcase Song - Reunion

This is my new song of the classical or ambient genre.
I think "Reunion" is a good and proper title for the song.

I hope it is enjoyable for you.

Posted at 09:30 AM

May 26, 2017 Holiday Hours - Memorial Day (USA)

Monday, May 29th is Memorial Day in the United States.

Since we are located in Canada, this will not affect our hours of operation.

Customer Service:
6:00AM PST to 7:00PM PST

Technical Support:
10:00AM PST to 5:00 PST

Posted at 09:27 AM

May 26, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac Build 175 Update Available!

Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac customers can install the latest patch update (Build 286) here: http://www.pgmusic.com/support_macintoshupdates.htm#2017_175

Summary of changes:
Added: The RealTracks Settings dialog now has a choice of low/medium/high for Elastique stretching quality, instead of just high quality on or off (high quality disabled meant medium).
Fixed: The "Select Hi-Q MIDI Patch Plugin" menu item should be available to the Melody, Soloist, and Thru tracks.
Fixed: Audio Unit plugins would be erased from the exclude list while booting up Band-in-a-Box.
Fixed: Plugins on the Thru track should not be removed when loading a style or song.
Fixed: Sforzando and Amplitube should not be listed in the Plugins dialog unless they are installed.
Fixed: Keyboard input might stop working after using the Preferences dialog.
Fixed: Clicking on a mixer piano would send the event to the default synth, rather than the plugin on that track.
Fixed: Options > Return to Factory Settings... would cause various problems (eg. the chord sheet would be squished to the left)

Posted at 07:50 AM

May 25, 2017 Get Inspired with Band-in-a-Box® Radio!

Are you new to Band-in-a-Box and interested in hearing what other program users are creating with the program? Visit our Band-in-a-Box® Radio page! www.pgmusic.com/bbradio.htm

Here you can shuffle through all of the User Showcase songs that are shared on SoundCloud without ever leaving our website. Categories include: Recent, Featured, Country & Folk (1, 2), Jazz (1, 2), Rock & Pop (1, 2), and Song Requests.

Like what you hear? Each song playing includes a link to the original forum post, so you can leave a comment if you'd like! Found an artist you want to hear more from? There is also an option to visit the Artist SoundCloud page!

Want to share your own Band-in-a-Box creations? Make sure to post them to our User Showcase Forum!

Posted at 02:16 PM

May 25, 2017 Time is Running Out! Act Now for Special Pricing for the Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series with Quinn Bachand!

We're offering all three volumes of the Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series with Quinn Bachand! for the special price of $29 - Offer Ends May 31st! (reg: $49)

Watch the trailer...

Quinn has not only mastered Celtic guitar (he did so at a very young age), he is also an expert on jazz and gypsy guitar! Quinn is a great teacher, and knows all the theory and terminology to describe what he is teaching. These videos included in the Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series are highly recommended. There are 3 volumes, each one hour long ($19 per volume). Quinn cover techniques, chord theory, voicings and walks you through 17 "must-know" tunes. This is for the intermediate-advanced guitarist, and covers Celtic guitar styles (some folk and old-time covered as well).

Learn more & order it for Mac here.

Learn more & order it for Windows here.

Posted at 01:42 PM

May 25, 2017 User Showcase Song - How Life's Supposed to Be

Hi Forum friends. Here is a silly song about my favorite subject: retirement. That has been my favorite subject since the day I started working. I never got the mix to sound quite right but here it is anyway. I'd love to hear what you think.
Take care. Greg

Posted at 12:53 PM

May 24, 2017 The Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac 49-PAK

Add the 49-PAK to your Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac purchase to receive ALL 24 Bonus UNRELEASED RealTracks, 18 Instrumental Studies, 30 MIDI SuperTracks, and 59 Re-discovered RealStyles & MIDI SuperTracks for just $49!

Listen to the Demo files for the Bonus RealTracks, and learn more about the MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, and Rediscovered RealTracks/MIDI SuperTracks when you visit www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.bonuspaks_2017.htm

Attention Mac Band-in-a-Box® 2017 Audiophile Customers! If you purchase your 49-PAK at the same time as your Audiophile Upgrade purchase, we'll make sure you receive the AIFF files for the 24 additional RealTracks pre-installed to the Audiophile hard drive!

Video - Vonus 49-PAK Overview

Posted at 12:49 PM

May 24, 2017 YouTube Find - Morning Morning, Featuring Band-in-a-Box®!

YouTube user harddaysnite recently shared an original tune created using Band-in-a-Box®... and it sounds INCREDIBLE!

YouTube Video - Morning Morning

Posted at 12:21 PM

May 24, 2017 User Showcase Song - We'll Keep the Stars

Here's a new song I thought would be easy to mix and release. Guitar, voice and some sweeteners. Sure didn't turn out that way but it's a step forward, I reckon. Comments and suggestions welcome.
Realtracks for bass and organ. Mixed in Logic Pro X with the addition of acoustic and electric guitars, resonator and blues harp.

Posted at 11:21 AM

May 23, 2017 User Showcase Song - En pensant aux Beatles

"En pensant aux Beatles" by forum user Chris37:

I've written this piece trying to respect the musical spirit of The Beatles.

RD PopCountry16ths^04
RT 701 Electric Bass
RT 800 Electric Guitar
RT 365 Acoustic Guitar
RT 378 Acoustic Guitar
RT 2687 Solo Electric Guitar
RT 2334 Strings
RT 2364 Electro Flute
HiQ 074 Flute Sample

Posted at 03:04 PM

May 19, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac - Special Upgrade Pricing Until May 31, 2017!

On April 20 we released Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac with over 80 new features, 202 New RealTracks, and more!

To celebrate this release, we are offering special pricing on Upgrade packages (up to 50% off!) until May 31st!

Find the upgrade package for you when you visit www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htm

Posted at 02:08 PM

May 19, 2017 User Showcase Song - My Sad Story

Key=D , Tempo 120, Length (m:s)=2:28
Style is _JJSHUFL.STY (Laid Back Country Shuffle w/ Aco)

RealTracks in style: ~539:Bass, Electric, Pop Sw 120
RealTracks in style: 2124:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryShuffleJohn Sw 120
RealTracks in style: ~372:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 120
RealTracks in song: 2534:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, HeldChords
RealTracks in song: 1115:Fiddle, Background CountrySwingChops Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 1504:Pedal Steel, Soloist, CountryShufflePaul Sw 120
RealDrums in style: NashvilleBrushesClassicShuffle: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes,

Additional Real Tracks

609 – Resonator Guitar
610 – Mandolin
618 – Fiddle
1116 - Fiddle
1283 – Electric Guitar Soloist

Completed the instrument track completely within Band in a Box.

Posted at 09:33 AM

May 19, 2017 Holiday Hours - Monday, May 22nd

We're celebrating Victoria Day on Monday, May 22.

Our hours for the long weekend will be:
Customer Service:
Saturday, May 20: 8:00am - 5:00pm PST
Sunday, May 21: 8:00am - 4:00pm PST
Monday, May 22: 7:00am - 6:00pm PST

Technical Support:
Closed (will re-open Tues, May 23 at 10am PST)

Posted at 09:29 AM

May 18, 2017 #TBT - Customer Feedback Comic Strip

We love hearing feedback from all our customers - and really appreciate it when they add their own personal touch! Like this comic strip we received in August 2015 from Avalina Kreska with the note "Just my way of saying thanks for producing such awesome software."

Click here to see the comic strip.

Thank you Avalina!

Posted at 01:54 PM

May 18, 2017 User Showcase Song - Something's Movin'

I recently have posted some older tracks but this one is fresh. I feel the RealDrums in the BIAB program are the best sounding drums one can use in their project!(For me at least) They alone are worth the price of admission! For this track I used only RealDrums from the program and played all the other instruments myself. This is a Blues/Rock track that deals with some heavy subject matter, but was inspired to put together over the last couple of weeks. Lyrics are in YouTube video. Thanks in advance for listening and may God bless! Torrey

BIAB
RealDrums FunkSanFran
RealDrums Smooth Jazz Ballad

Me
Vocals
Bass
Percussion
Organ
Synths
Guitar (All tracks using a Carvin solid body through GR5)

Posted at 11:50 AM

May 18, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® Version 2017 for Windows Build 464 Available!

Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Windows customers can install the latest patch update (Build 464) here: www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#464

Added: The RealTracks Settings dialog now has a choice of low/medium/high for Elastique stretching quality, instead of just high quality on or off (high quality off meant medium).
Fixed: Chord sheet fonts were limited to a maximum size that would not quite fill the cells. This would cause superscript extensions to sit too high above the roots.
Fixed: Elastique stretching items were missing from the RealTracks Settings dialog.
Fixed: If pasting a single line of text into a layer using the layer context menu, nothing would be pasted.
Fixed: If pasting multiple lines of text into a layer, the last line would be skipped.
Fixed: Shift+Arrow keys were not working to highlight regions on the chord sheet.
Fixed: The "Select Hi-Q MIDI Patch Plugin" menu item should be available to the Melody, Soloist, and Thru tracks.
Fixed: The Help button in the MultiDrums dialog did not do anything
Fixed: The media player in the Hi-Q patch dialog did not have a volume control.
Fixed: The number pad keys 0, 1, 2 would trigger looping features are inappropriate times (eg. when in the song memo, or when selecting the chorus ending bar, etc.)
Fixed: The visual metronome would take over the StylePicker window when playing song demo.
Fixed: When running Band-in-a-Box with factory settings the floating mixer would appear in the top left corner of the screen the first time it was opened.
Fixed: When the "auto-resize" is enabled for the floating mixer, stopping playback should only move it back to the maximized position if it was in that position prior to playback.

Posted at 09:32 AM

May 16, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac - Toolbar Modes #TipTuesday

Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac offers you more control over your toolbars!

With the redesigned GUI in Band-in-a-Box® 2017, there are now 3 modes for the toolbar! To switch between them, use the the Mode Selector buttons (located at the top left of the screen).

The three modes are:
1. Smaller, configurable toolbar with tabbed interface.
There's a [CUSTOM] tab in this mode that lets you select buttons you want to see in the order you want!

2. Taller toolbar with fixed on-screen Mixer, useful for people with hi-res screens.
All your buttons are there!

3. DAW Mode.
This makes a small screen, always on top, useful for drag and drop of files to your favorite DAW.

#TipTuesday Want a faster way to switch between your custom toolbar and the taller toolbar? Just select Cmd-T!

Posted at 11:33 AM

May 16, 2017 User Showcase Song - Sunny Day

Thanks for listening and commenting

Song summary:
572 Bass Blues
2157 Piano, Electric Vintage
Drums: Blues Rock and Roll
2158 Guitar, Electric Funky Groove
1718 Guitar, Texas Blues Rhythm
2636 Guitar, Soloist Country Blues
Loop: Percussion
more cowbell

Posted at 11:00 AM

May 15, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac - Special Audiophile Upgrade Option!

Are you currently using a Band-in-a-Box® 2016 Audiophile Edition hard drive? We have a special upgrade price just for you!

During our Mac special, which ends May 31st, registered users of a Band-in-a-Box® 2016 for Mac Audiophile Edition can purchase the 2017 Audiophile Upgrade for only $199! This limited-time offer is available at www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.audiophile.htm or by calling us directly. www.pgmusic.com/contact.htm.

The Band-in-a-Box® Audiophile Edition ships pre-installed on a high-speed USB 3.0 hard drive. This package is similar to the EverythingPAK, however it includes the uncompressed AIFF files for the RealTracks & RealDrums - perfect if you're looking for the highest level of lossless audio!
Note: Due to the large size of these files, the Audiophile Edition is not available for download.

To review all the different Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac packages, visit www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htm

Ordering your Band-in-a-Box® 2017 Audiophile Edition for Mac, and you're interested in adding the 49-PAK (which includes 24 Bonus UNRELEASED RealTracks, 18 Instrumental Studies, 30 MIDI SuperTracks, and 59 Re-discovered RealStyles & MIDI SuperTracks)? If you purchase your 49-PAK at the same time as your Audiophile Upgrade purchase, we'll make sure you receive the AIFF files for the 24 additional RealTracks pre-installed to the Audiophile hard drive!

Posted at 01:25 PM

May 15, 2017 User Showcase Song - At Apollo Bay

I thought that it was probably time for me to introduce a bit of local scenery into one of my songs.

I live in Melbourne (Australia). It is located on the northern end of a pretty large bay called Port Phillip Bay. Around the edges of this bay are many local (sub)bays and beaches. One of those bays is Apollo Bay. It is a popular holiday location for locals and tourists.

The BIAB Band
RealTracks
519: Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 120
522: Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 120
405: Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120
2201: Guitar, Nylon, Background CountryBrent Ev 120
1542: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopBelieve Ev16 065

Realdrums
NashvilleEven8^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
TambourineEven8ths: a: Tambourine b: TambourineEven8ths

**Realtracks and Realdrums generated by the Audiophile edition of BIAB/RB

Posted at 11:21 AM

May 15, 2017 Special Pricing - Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series with Quinn Bachand Until May 31!

We're offering all three volumes of the Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series with Quinn Bachand! for the special price of $29 until May 31st! (reg: $49)

Anyone familiar with our RealTracks will recognize the name Quinn Bachand - his RealTracks collection includes the Celtic guitar, Bodhran, Irish Bouzouki, and banjo!

Watch the trailer...

Quinn has not only mastered Celtic guitar (he did so at a very young age), he is also an expert on jazz and gypsy guitar! Quinn is a great teacher, and knows all the theory and terminology to describe what he is teaching. These videos included in the Celtic Guitar Video Master Class Series are highly recommended. There are 3 volumes, each one hour long ($19 per volume). Quinn cover techniques, chord theory, voicings and walks you through 17 "must-know" tunes. This is for the intermediate-advanced guitarist, and covers Celtic guitar styles (some folk and old-time covered as well).

Learn more & order it for Windows here.

Learn more & order it for Mac here.

Posted at 11:08 AM

May 12, 2017 YouTube Tutorials by EricBlackmonGuitar!

Check out this helpful tutorials created by EricBlackmonGuitar:

Video - How To Play A JAZZ GUITAR Improv SOLO Starting With ONE NOTE

You'll notice Eric using Band-in-a-Box backing tracks within his YouTube lessons!

Learn more about endorsing artist Erick Blackmon at www.pgmusic.com/endorsers.php?e=6.

Posted at 11:36 AM

May 12, 2017 Xtra Styles PAKs for Band-in-a-Box®

Get inspired with Xtra Styles PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® and RealBand!

Xtra Styles PAK 2 for Band-in-a-Box®:
Over 160 professionally mixed RealStyles in 4 volumes: Rock-Pop 2, Jazz 2, Country 2, and Bluegrass and World 2, $15 each. Get the All Xtra Styles PAK 2 (4 volumes) for only $49!

Xtra Styles PAK 1 for Band-in-a-Box®:
Over 160 professionally mixed RealStyles in 4 volumes: Rock-Pop 1, Jazz 1, Country 1, and Singer/Songwriter 1, $15 each. Get the All Xtra Styles PAK 1 (4 volumes) for only $49!

Want them all? The All Xtra Styles PAK 1 & 2 Bundle is the package for you with ALL 8 volumes (325 RealStyles) for the special price of only $98!
Includes all 325 RealStyles from PAKs 1 (released summer 2016) AND 2 (released December 2016), for Jazz, Country, Rock-Pop, Singer/Songwriter, and Bluegrass & World.

NOTE: All of the Xtra Styles in Volumes 1 & 2 work with any Band-in-a-Box® 2016 or higher UltraPlusPAK, EverythingPAK, or Audiophile Edition with a 2016 49-PAK.

Listen to all the Xtra Styles demos here.

Purchase your Xtra Styles PAKs at http://www.pgmusic.com/xtrastyles.php.

Posted at 10:55 AM

May 12, 2017 User Showcase Song - Wrong Turn

Usually when you hear the phrase " unintended consequences " it is about something bad. Not necessarily the case. Many thanks to all that listen and comment.
Royalty free loops
RealTracks in song: 2535:Guitar, Electric, HeldChords Gritty
RealTracks in style: 1264:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopShiningA-B Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1851:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningGrittyA-B Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1259:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningRockA-B Ev 120 Held
RealTracks in song: 1948:Mandolin, Rhythm PopUpliftingAndy Ev16 120

Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Tom Adams

Posted at 10:41 AM

May 11, 2017 #TBT - Band-in-a-Box® Demo at Musikmesse 2015!

Take a look at this "action shot" of Tobin when he presented a Band-in-a-Box® 2015 for Windows Demo at Musikmesse 2015!

View image - click here!

We love demoing Band-in-a-Box® at Trade Shows - thank you to our German Distributor M3C Systemtechnik for hosting us!

Posted at 01:33 PM

May 11, 2017 User Showcase Song - It's Up To You

This is one we write about five years ago for a contest about self-empowerment. That's the only time we've ever entered a song in a contest. Came in second place and won $200.00. Now we can afford a "full" tank of gas!

It's another one for which we don't have the tracks but it's obviously a BIAB cut. We'd mentioned to some of the long-time users about our computer blow up a few years ago in which we lost about a dozen folders with the files to BIAB cuts. This is one of them. We also had them on a memory stick/thumb drive, but it fried too as it was plugged in when the computer turned right on a left turn arrow. We now also save everything on a separate external USB drive as a back-up.

That's "not" me (Alan) playing the lead guitar - it's a BIAB track.

And a special thanks to everyone who has supported us through our litany of medical issues over the past couple of years, plus our son's death two years ago. We sincerely appreciate it.

Posted at 12:17 PM

May 10, 2017 Purchase a Band-in-a-Box Keychain Today!

Did you know... for just $5 you can add your very own Band-in-a-Box® keychain to any order you place with us!

When placing an order for any item on our website, our shopping cart will offer to add this item to your shipment.

You can also purchase it on its own, here: www.pgmusic.com/bb_keychain.htm

Or, if you are purchasing a DVD installation of our products, you can choose to have the files shipped to you on a flash drive for only $10 more - and it will include a Band-in-a-Box keychain!

Posted at 02:08 PM

May 10, 2017 User Tip - Don't forget to adjust Reverb, Pan, and especially Tone!

Long-time Forum User Matt Finley recently shared his thoughts & tips within our Band-in-a-Box for Windows forum, where he discusses tone, reverb, and pan in Band-in-a-Box (and why should experiement with altering their values). Read more about this within the post: Tip: Don't forget to adjust Reverb, Pan, and especially Tone.

Great tips Matt - thanks!

Have a tip of your own to share? Click here to create your forum account and join the conversation!

Posted at 01:34 PM

May 10, 2017 User Showcase Song - The Real Me

OK, so this is my second post. This is a song I wrote some years ago, but never formally started doing it until recently. There is so much to learn and explore with BIAB, DAW's, and the current state of technology. It's mind boggling... I got a little more ambitious on this song, and used a lot more tracks. I used Real Band tracks for the bass, drums, and one of the rhythm guitars. Rock Brit Driving EV16 for the drums, 1827 Bass Pop Modern Groove for Bass, and 680 Guitar Electric Rhythm RockBrit Soulful for the guitar. My friend Steve Waters played lead and rhythm guitar and I played acoustic. There's a bunch of vocal tracks too. If I had a snare drum I would add some in to a few places, but I don't have one, and since I updated my OS, my midi controller is no longer supported, which I never really understood MIDI anyway, so I'll do without it for now. Dang it, it's hard to be a singer songwriter these days... I swear, you have to be an engineer, an arranger, a producer, a promoter... thanks for listening, and any comments/suggestions are more than welcome.

Posted at 12:38 PM

May 08, 2017 The Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac PlusPAK Upgrade Option!

Are you currently using the Band-in-a-Box® 2016 UltraPlusPAK or EverythingPAK for Mac, and interested in upgrading to the 2017 version of Band-in-a-Box®? Of course you can choose to purchase the $149 UltraPlusPAK Upgrade from Version 2016, but what if you aren't interested in a new hard drive? That's where the PlusPAK comes in! This is the ideal upgrade for any Mac 2016 UltraPlusPAK or EverythingPAK user looking to add the newest features of version 2017 and 202 new RealTracks (Sets 254-277).

The PlusPAK is available as a download, on DVD, or choose to receive your installation files on a flash drive for an additional $10!

The PlusPAK upgrade option is on sale for only $99 until May 31st! Learn more: www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.pluspak.htm

Posted at 12:01 PM

May 08, 2017 User Showcase Song - Love Story Playing with You

There are many pop songs made by quoting the famous classical melody.
I also tried to make such a song.
I quoted the melody in the C part of this song.
If you are a classical connoisseur, I think you will immediately know which part of which song I quoted, but I will not write it here now. I will make it later.
If you know which song of which composer, please comment.
Any comments encouraged.
Have at it.

Posted at 11:12 AM

May 05, 2017 National Cartoonist Day - Pat Marr's Band-in-a-Box® Video Testimonial

Happy National Cartoonist Day!

Do you know any Cartoonists? We do! Forum user Pat Marr shows off some of his skills with his Band-in-a-Box® Video Testmionial: www.pgmusic.com/?vid=XF2ebkIFXnM

All of the Band-in-a-Box® Video Testimonials we've received so far can be viewed at www.pgmusic.com/videotestimonials.php.

Interested in creating your own Video Testimonial? We'd love to see it! There is detailed information on this process here.

Posted at 10:31 AM

May 05, 2017 User Showcase Song - One True Heart

A simple love song.

The Players:
RealTracks in style: 366:Bass, Electric, Country Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~364:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~~1676:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~~369:Pedal Steel, Background Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1841:Synth Pad, PopModernGrooveHigh Ev16 075
RealTracks in song: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 2335:String Quartet, Rhythm PopHall Ev 085
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2254:Piano, Rhythm CountryBalladJohn Ev 120
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2100:Piano, Rhythm PopModernGrooveSync4s Ev16 075
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven8^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat

Harmonies: the janettes (featuring Janice Merritt)

Posted at 10:01 AM

May 04, 2017 #TBT - Japanese Band-in-a-Box® 6.0 Program Manual!

Look at what we came across during some recent spring cleaning: The Band-in-a-Box 6.0J Program Manual - image

What a blast-from-the-past! This older Japanese version of Band-in-a-Box was available in 1996!

Posted at 01:48 PM

May 04, 2017 User Showcase Song - One

This song has a simple message, kind of a reminder to myself also: small thoughtful words can be of great importance to someone and one true fan is more valuable than number of listeners or likes in the social media.

Thanks again to Miira for her great vocals. At first I thought that this song would not fit her voice, but she managed to sing so well that I don't have to look for another singer.

RealDrums: Rock Modern Sync
RealTracks:
Electric bass: #1849
Acoustic guitar: #793
Electric guitar: #2448 (DI+Amplitube 3), #2444, #795, #796, #2756
String quartet: #2334
Acoustic piano: #1422

Vocals: Miira (audio harmonies used in chorus parts generated by BIAB)

Mixed in Adobe Audition 2017

Video edited in Premiere Pro, animations done in After Effects, chord video naturally exported from BIAB

Posted at 10:35 AM

May 04, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® Version 2017 for Mac Build 173 Available!

Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac customers can install the latest patch update (Build 173) here: www.pgmusic.com/support_macintoshupdates.htm#2017_173

Summary of changes for Version 2017 Build 173:
Changed: Update patches are downloaded into "/Band-in-a-Box/Data/Updates" instead of "/Band-in-a-Box/Data".
Updated: 2017 PDF full and upgrade manuals.
Fixed: "Memo:" should not be showing in the Titles dialog.
Fixed: A mixer patch description would be blank for RealDrums on non-drums tracks.
Fixed: Band-in-a-Box might crash if user clicks on any of the main menus while booting up.
Fixed: Blues chords were showing up when importing xml.
Fixed: Choosing to save a song would ask to "save as", as if the song file did not already exist.
Fixed: Drag and drop from Master to MIDI quadrant would fail with errors.
Fixed: For some cases of opening or saving a file (eg choosing VST plugins), the file dialog would not open in the right directory.
Fixed: If running Band-in-a-Box in a language other than English, automatic updates should not report available English update patches.
Fixed: If you select a song in the Titles dialog then sort by something, it jumps to the top and loses your selected song.
Fixed: If you type in random words in the filter in the Titles dialog it shows up with lots of entries.
Fixed: In the notation window regular advance in editable mode should advance to the 1st or 3rd peg of a beat that has 4 pegs on it.
Fixed: Program could freeze when saving to xml.
Fixed: Program would crash if attempting to save xml to root of hard drive.
Fixed: Small omissions/typos in Artist Bio's.
Fixed: Step advance issues in the notation window.
Fixed: The [Defaults] button in the Titles dialog reveals a whole bunch more hidden empty columns.
Fixed: The [Save list] button in the Titles dialog doesn't function.
Fixed: The [Show all] button in the Titles dialog doesn't work. It deletes the text but doesn't show you all the songs available.
Fixed: The extended RealDrums patch descriptions were not displaying on the mixer.
Fixed: The 'F3' hot key symbol did not display in some popup menus.
Fixed: The menu item "Insert Current MIDI chord" should display command+return as the hot key instead of control+return. Both work, but control+return is impossible to do with one hand on a standard Apple keyboard.
Fixed: When opening an XML file, the current song would be erased if the user clicked Cancel in the file open dialog.
Fixed: When you select a style with your cursor or keyboard and hit return, the StylePicker closes but your selected style wasn't chosen.
Fixed: Whole song was not saved to xml.

Posted at 10:09 AM

May 03, 2017 User Find - Which Key is the Saddest (video)

There are happy songs, sad songs, suspenseful songs... the list goes on-and-on!

Watch this video (found by forum user pghboemike), which discusses which key is saddest. Take the knowledge with you and transpose one of your existing songs and hear how happy (or sad..) it sounds! https://youtu.be/6c_LeIXrzAk

Great find pghboemike - thanks for sharing!

Posted at 01:44 PM

May 03, 2017 Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac Bonus PAKs!

During our Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac release special we're adding a FREE Bonus PAK (which includes 8 Add-ons) to your Band-in-a-Box purchase*!

The FREE Bonus PAK includes:
4 MIDI SuperTracks:
Accordion, Rhythm GypsyJazzCompCory Sw 220
Piano, Rhythm SoulJazzMike Ev 130
Piano, Rhythm BluesShuffleMike Sw 130
Organ, Rhythm BluesShuffleMike Sw 130

4 Instrumental Studies:
Bass, Electric\Funk\Soul Funk, Sw 120
Guitar, Electric\Blues and Rock\Punk Rock Soloist, Ev 165
Guitar, Acoustic\Folk\2-part Fingerpicking, Ev16 075
Piano, Acoustic\Country\Bent Note Rhythm, Sw 110

Looking to add even more to your purchase? Add ALL 24 Bonus UNRELEASED RealTracks, 18 Instrumental Studies, 30 MIDI SuperTracks, and 59 Re-discovered RealStyles & MIDI SuperTracks with the 49-PAK for just $49!

To learn more about all these Add-ons visit www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.bonuspaks_2017.htm.

*Note: The $49 Pro Upgrade does not include the FREE Bonus PAK.

Posted at 01:22 PM

May 03, 2017 User Showcase Song - Sunny

Some great stuff on here lately. Here's a little sketch about a girl and a beach.
Thanks for listening!

Posted at 10:45 AM

May 02, 2017 YouTube Find - Don't Take Your Love From Me

W recently came across Ian Boyter's YouTube Channel, and it's filled with some great videos of his performances - a lot of them use Band-in-a-Box backing tracks!

Watch the video: www.pgmusic.com/?vid=w9JZSez_YBM

Posted at 10:14 AM

May 02, 2017 User Showcase Song - Borderline Blues

For this tune, I decided to work with another producer, Rob Meulman (of Rob and Anne-Marie :)) because he was interested in doing that, and I wanted to see what he could do!

My idea was to get as close to a David Bowie sound as I could, and Rob was the man behind the production, so this is a David Snyder song with the Rob Meulman sound. Hope you like it.

Music and Lyrics copyright 2017 by David Snyder
David Snyder, Vocals and Electric Rhythm "Fame" Guitar (Fill)
Produced and Engineered by Rob Meulman, the Netherlands

****** Song Summary *************

Style is _RAPROCK.STY (Rap Rock)

RealTracks in style: 641:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockThrash Ev 085 (B:sync)
RealTracks in style: 1759:Bass, Electric, Pop16ths Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 2583:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Punk Ev 165
Loop in Style: Other\Scratch - noisescratch100b ev16.wav
RealDrums in style: UrbanPopEv16CitySlick^2-a:bps, b:KSn
(Brent Mason Rock Solo)

“Clara Kontakt” Backing Vocals

Posted at 09:46 AM

May 01, 2017 User Tips - Options for Mastering Your Band-in-a-Box Album

Forum User Joanne Cooper has released 9 full albums, and wants to share with everyone what she has learned in the process with her latest blog post, Options for Mastering Your Band-in-a-Box Album - make sure you check it out! While you're there, take a look at the Blog Archive - Joanne's blog posts are always well written and informative!

Posted at 01:01 PM

May 01, 2017 Customers Love the NEW Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Mac!

We've received some amazing feedback about the new Band-in-a-Box® 2017 & 202 new RealTracks!

"Every one of the new RealTracks sounds fantastic."
"What a surprise upon seeing and trying the new interface!! Just one word WOWWWW!!!"
"It is amazing 'the heights' to where PG Music has taken BIAB."
"Natural Arrangements Feature: Whatever magic this does, I'm hearing better voice leading in the guitar and piano on my Bossa Nova song with advanced extensions. I'm really liking this!"
"A big BRAVO to everybody in your team!"
"What a sensational spread. Most impressive. Thank you!"
"Love the dual layer chord view! How great is that. I like being able to see two alternative notations together (especially Nashville and standard notations)!"
"I am amazed at improvements which now makes it the best multi-tasking music program available!"
"Band-in-a-Box is my main go-to software for quickly creating music."
"The Band-in-a-Box musical output is hands down better than all the rest!"
"I am impressed with the new RealTracks, to say the least!!! Can't wait to get creative with this excellence!!!!"
"These RealTracks are an incredible achievement. Like the others above me, 'Wow' was the first thing that sprang to mind!"
"The new RealTracks are are stupendous!"
"I like what I am hearing!!! Awesome stuff, PG Music!"

What's your favorite new feature? Let us know in the forum, or feel free to post your comments to: www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.comments.htm

Posted at 12:30 PM

May 01, 2017 User Showcase Song - Drifting and Sliding

I did this song back in January after one of our many snow storms this year. I want you to imagine driving and pirouetting down the road while trying to make it to your destination on time. :-)

Song includes:
****** Song Summary *************
Title: 011007Country12-8-90BPM
File:082916.SGU
Key=F , Tempo 90, Length (m:s)=3:01
No intro. 64 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 64. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
No Soloist track.
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for RealDrums Changes,
Style is _CRYSTAL.STY (Ctry 12-8 Bal w PedSteel (65 RS))

RealTracks in style: 533:Bass, Electric, 12-8 Crystal Sw 065
RealTracks in style: ~~527:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Hank Sw 085
RealTracks in style: ~~530:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 085
RealTracks in song: ~689:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 085
RealDrums in style: Nashville128^01-a:SideStick, b:Ride
Real Tracks: RT2295 Baritine Sax Ev16 Slow Pop
Real Tracks: RT1757 Acordian Rhythym Pop8ths
Real Tracks: RT1111 Fiddle Background Country

Posted at 12:11 PM