March 29, 2018 Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows - International Versions!

It's that time of year... our translations for the new 2018 version are here! Visit www.bandinabox.com to see all the different languages available for Band-in-a-Box®!

So far, our Band-in-a-Bo® 2018 German version has been released, but you'll see more translated versions released within the next few weeks!

Posted at 07:39 AM

March 29, 2018 User Showcase Song - Don't Bother Me (Classic Country)

Hi all. Wanted to try and write one of those mid to late 1960 classic country tunes.

So this is my effort. All comments welcome Rob.

https://soundcloud.com/ironbarkbob/dont-bother-me

****** Song Summary *************
Title: Dont bother me
File:Dont bother me.SGU
Key=D , Tempo 120, Length (m:s)=3:40
2 bar intro, 104 bar chorus, from bar 3 to bar 106. Repeat x1 chorus
Melody has 171 notes, Melody harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Soloist track has 1035 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
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: 2369:Strings, Rhythm PopCountry Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 3064:Vocal Oohs, Rhythm Pop3-part Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1504:Pedal Steel, Soloist, CountryShufflePaul Sw 120
RealDrums in style: NashvilleBrushesClassicShuffle: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes,

Vocal Myself
*******************

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=463983

Posted at 07:27 AM

March 29, 2018 Holiday Hours - Happy Easter!

Our Easter Weekend hours are:

Customer Service:
March 30th - Good Friday: 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8)
March 31 - Saturday: 8:00AM to 5:00PM PST (GMT -8)
April 1 - Easter Sunday: 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) (Also... April Fools Day - but our hours are no joke!)
April 2 - Easter Monday: 6:00AM to 7:00PM PST (GMT -8) (regular hours of operation)

Technical Service:
Closed. (Will re-open Monday, April 2 at 10:00AM PST)

All of our hours and contact information list here.

Posted at 07:20 AM

March 28, 2018 My Favorite Things: Band-in-a-Box Manual and Features - Blown Away!

Forum user DeaconBlues09 shared his thoughts to our "My Favorite Things" forum, which includes:

While I use BiaB for instructional purposes pretty much exclusively, I love messing around with various settings, tracks, styles, and functions, and have found myself blown away time and again at the sheer genius of this program and its algorithms.

Read his full post, and listen to his song created to demonstrate how adaptive Band-in-a-Box can be when you visit the Forum post.
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=464481

Thank you for your great feedback DeaconBlues09!

Join the conversation today... create your own Forum Account at http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=newuser.

Posted at 10:06 AM

March 28, 2018 User Showcase Song - A Wanted Man

Well, they say they are looking for classic country, and they don't want nothing but the hits so that's all we're writin'. The lyrics were inspired by the new bestselling book "The Many Lives and Loves of Tater Totts."

Herb said I should do a Lo Fi Version. Help me pick!!

https://soundcloud.com/david-snyder-gigs2/a-wanted-man

Special Lo Fi Version for Herb: https://soundcloud.com/tater-totts-radio/a-wanted-man_lo-fi-version

A Wanted Man
by David Snyder

Produced and Engineered by Tater Totts

Words and music 2018 by David Snyder/ASCAP, Day of Faith Records

Style is _SIMPLE.STY (Simple Country with Harmonica)

RealTracks in style: ~1547:Bass, Electric, CountrySwing Sw 110
RealTracks in style: ~~974:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in style: 2721:Guitar, Nylon, Fingerpicking SwingBrent Sw 110
RealTracks in style: 2855:Harmonica, Background CountrySwingJellyRoll Sw 120
RealTracks in song: ~373:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 165
RealDrums in style: NashvilleSwing8^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=464182

Posted at 09:36 AM

March 27, 2018 TIP: Saving Your Band-in-a-Box® Songs

Did you know... Band-in-a-Box® defaults to the "BB" folder when you first save your songs. It's a great idea to create your own custom folder for your projects, whether it be on your C drive, desktop, or as a subfolder within "My Documents" (to name a few) - that way you can always find your songs!

Tip: When running Band-in-a-Box® from your portable hard drive (UltraPAK, UltraPlusPAK, EverythingPAK, and Audiophile users), make sure you're saving your songs (or a copy of them) to your own folder not on the hard drive - that way you'll have a back-up copy if your hard drive isn't available to you!

Posted at 11:13 AM

March 27, 2018 Blog post: The lazy way to make harmonies with Band-in-a-Box and Melodyne Studio 4

Check our forum user Joanne Cooper's latest blog post, The lazy way to make harmonies with Band-in-a-Box and Melodyne Studio 4!

Joanne has announced her blog post to our forum - join the conversation: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=464303

Posted at 10:15 AM

March 27, 2018 User Showcase Song - Bound for Freedom

Bound for Freedom: https://soundcloud.com/dcuny/bound-for-freedom

Technical Details
Strummed Guitars - Native Instruments, Strummed Acoustic 1 & 2
Bass - Drums on Demand, Essential Bass (loops)
Drums - EZ Drummer, Nashville Basic Brushes
Horns - Zero-G, Brass Elements (loops)
Sax Solo - Band in a Box, Sax, Tenor, Soloist PopCountryMark Ev 085 #2019

Vocal Processing - Waves Tune
Mastering - Ozone 7 Elements
Effects - EZMix
DAW - Reaper

Notes
As part of my personal songwriting challenge, I'm working on incorporating various cool things that I've bought, but never gotten around to using, into my songs. This time, I started with the EZDrummer Nashville Brush kit - lovely sounds! I added the Session Guitars to that, which are my current go-to toy. As usual, I built the bass line using Essential Bass loops. It's probably not the best way to get things done, but I like the level of control. Then I went searching through my hard drive and found Zero-G Brass Elements loops, and went to town with those. Probably way too much horn, but whatever. Horns are cool. I tried adding some other horn elements using Session Horns, but it was sort of blah. Maybe next time.

Backing tracks completed, I worked out a melody, which I thought was fairly nice, but verse and chorus are a probably a bit too similar too each other. My daughter concurs, saying the song "sounds the same" all the way through. I thinned out the vocal on the verses, and went with a big harmony sounds, but it's still an issue. Lesson learned. I left a big hole in the middle to drop in a guitar solo from BiaB, and got to work on the lyrics. Speaking of lessons learned, did I bother to check the range of the song this time around? Of course not!
I'm not David Snyder, so writing lyrics ended up taking about a week. Since the song has a sort of bluesy Gospel sort of feel, I went in that direction and ended up with a song about the Underground Railroad. When it came time to fill in the bridge with an instrumental, I couldn't find any guitar solo that worked. I finally hit on the second to the last Sax soloist. The first solo one out of gate fit perfectly. The vocals are obviously a bit lower than usual - it's a comfortable range, but it tends to be a bit "tubby" and harder to carve out space in the mix for. My son's friend wondered how I got that cool distorted sound on the vocal. Turns out gain staging isn't something I excel at. Sorry about that. The ReLife plugin helped recover it a bit.

As always, feedback of any sort if appreciated.

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=464113

Posted at 10:12 AM

March 26, 2018 Band-in-a-Box® Delivery, Explained.

When you order Band-in-a-Box® directly from us, there is more than one way to receive your order!

For any Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase:
Download-only: $0
Installation DVD shipped: Canada & USA: $5 mail | $15 courier express or International: $10 mail | $20 courier express
Flash Drive: $10 + shipping fee (Canada & USA: $5 mail | $15 courier express or International: $10 mail | $20 courier express)

For any Band-in-a-Box® UltraPAK purchase:
Download-only: $0
Pre-installed portable hard drive shipped: Canada & USA: $15 courier express or International: $25 courier express

The Band-in-a-Box® Audiophile Edition is HUGE, and only fits on a portable hard drive. When ordered, this courier express option is chosen automatically. When you order your Band-in-a-Box® Audiophile edition, you'll still receive the download links for Band-in-a-Box®, and any Add-ons that are NOT the RealTracks that shipped uncompressed on the hard drive.

Posted at 01:43 PM

March 26, 2018 User Showcase Song - Angel in Your Dreams

Written using Band-in-a-Box 2016 for Windows

https://soundcloud.com/brad-stevens-uk/angei-in-your-dreams

Style is _ACFIDGS.STY (Slow Country/Folk w/ Fiddle)

RealTracks in song: ~572:Bass, Electric, Blues BB Ev 085
RealTracks in style: ~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085
RealTracks in style: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 624:Fiddle, Soloist George Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1756:Pedal Steel, Rhythm Pop8ths Ev 110
RealTracks in song: 2457:Strings, Rhythm CelticAir Ev 085
RealDrums in Song: SpoonsTradJig: a: Spoons b: SpoonsTradJig

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=451267

Posted at 10:30 AM

March 23, 2018 Video - Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows® - Installing from an External Hard Drive (Option 2) Tutorial

If you've purchased a Band-in-a-Box® 2018 UltraPAK, there are a few different options for installing the program for you. In this video, we go through the process of installing Band-in-a-Box® using "Option 2" for running Band-in-a-Box® from your computer hard drive, leaving the RealTracks and RealDrums on the USB drive: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=rChQCoa0TQY

For more detailed information, visit http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq51.htm#163

No matter how you install and use your Band-in-a-Box® hard drive, make sure you're saving your songs (or a copy of them) to your own folder not on the hard drive - that way you'll have a back-up copy if your hard drive isn't available to you!

Posted at 10:11 AM

March 23, 2018 User Showcase Song - Middletown

In 2016, over 64,000 people in the US died from opioid overdoses. ( painkillers, heroin, fentanyl) To put that number in perspective, that’s more Americans killed by opioids in 365 days than were killed during the entirety of the Vietnam War. Opioids in America are more than a crisis, they’re a national emergency.I read an article recently in the USA Today about the opioid crisis in Middletown, Ohio. Having lived some of my childhood in small Ohio towns, I had a connection to this type of town. I sent the article to Bud Merritt and then dove right in and started writing. He sent back some lines that formed the basis of the second verse and first pre chorus. Janice then added her brilliant harmony. Thanks to all that listen and comment.

Middletown (Tom & Bud Co-Write): https://soundcloud.com/tommyad/middletown

RealTracks in song: 1522:Bass, Electric, PopPower8s Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1038:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Rhythm NorthernRockBallad Ev065
RealTracks in song: 1037:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm NorthernRockBallad Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~2503:Piano, Acoustic, HeldChords 085
Royalty free loops

Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboard, Tom Adams
Harmony vocal, Janice Merritt
Recorded in Logic Pro X
Plug Ins : Nectar 2, Neutron 2, Ozone 8, Tonal Balance, Waves LinMB, Waves, L3-LL Multi Limiter, Scuffam Amps S-Gear, Waves Vocal Rider

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462350

Posted at 08:43 AM

March 22, 2018 Video - Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows® - Installing from an External Hard Drive (Option 1) Tutorial

Have you purchased a Band-in-a-Box® UltraPAK, which ships on a portable USB hard drive? Once received, there are a few different options for you: Run Band-in-a-Box® directly from the USB drive only, Install Band-in-a-Box® on your computer hard drive (but leave the RealTracks and RealDrums on the USB hard drive), Install Band-in-a-Box® AND RealTracks on your computer hard drive, or choose a Custom Installation!

In this video, we go through the process of installing Band-in-a-Box using "Option 1" for running Band-in-a-Box® directly from the USB drive: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=IgfnhQPM6F0

For more detailed information, visit http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq51.htm#163

No matter how you install and use your Band-in-a-Box® hard drive, make sure you're saving your songs (or a copy of them) to your own folder not on the hard drive - that way you'll have a back-up copy if your hard drive isn't available to you!

Posted at 01:36 PM

March 22, 2018 Bach Chorales - Article: “Musical Perfection”: Reflecting on the Contemporary and Timeless Bach Chorales

In his recent article, "Musical Perfection": Reflecting on the Contemporary and Timeless Bach Chorales, Frank Fortunato describes our Bach Chorales software as "a fun, interactive exposure to the Bach chorales, or to introduce the chorales to students in a more interactive way...": http://www.artsandchristianfaith.org/index.php/journal/article/view/47/45

Learn more about Johann Sebastian Bach and listen to choral ensemble sing some of Bach's most enchanting compositions with our multimedia software The Bach Chorales Volume 1 & 2, which includes a detailed history of the life and times of Johann Sebastian Bach and inspiring performances of his famous Chorales! www.pgmusic.com/bachchorales.htm

"...hours of personal entertainment using resources from one of the most timeless collections in the history of music."
-Frank Fortunato, http://www.artsandchristianfaith.org

Posted at 10:44 AM

March 22, 2018 User Showcase Song - Reinventing Bach

REINVENTING BACH - My take on a classic.
https://youtu.be/qAZ9AXRsKGg

Title: Reinventing Bach
Key=C , Tempo 190, Length (m:s)=2:49

Style is LHS44_1.STY*
Style MIDI Instruments are : Electric Piano #1 (5),
RealTracks in song: ~718:Bass, Acoustic, Samba Ev 190 (A:simple)
RealTracks in song: ~523:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 190
RealDrums: RealDrums in Song: SambaPerc^07
Soloist in song - 705 Flute Bossa Ev 140 (Bluesy)

In honour of J.S. Bach's birthday (March 21), I took this excerpt from his "Two Part Invention #1, Allegro" and gave it a little 'facelift' - Enjoy! cool

*This style is apparently only found within the 'Midi Fakebook' folder

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=463352

Posted at 10:23 AM

March 21, 2018 Video - Installing Band-in-a-Box® from the Flash Drive Tutorial

When you order directly from us, there's an option to have your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK installation files sent to you on a flash drive (instead of DVD).
(this option appears during the check-out process)

We've created this handy tutorial video to walk you through the installation process: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=6JF7fZS0iNQ

Posted at 02:03 PM

March 21, 2018 Guitar Riffs Solo Lesson - YouTube Find (EricBlackmonGuitar)

Check out EricBlackmonGuitar's latest video, QUIK LICKS #14 Guitar Riffs Solo Lesson EricBlackmonGuitar HQ, where he not only teached a great guitar riff, but he also repeats that lick over a Band-in-a-Box backing track... what a great way to show how Band-in-a-Box is ideal for backing tracks!

Video link: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=FXujDKmsKSw

Thank you Eric!

Posted at 10:29 AM

March 21, 2018 User Showcase Song - Missing You

I've been working on this for a week or so.

Here's the band:

Nashville even 8 drums
Bass 1522
Mando 1948 Andy
Steel 2541
Steel solo 1669 Paul
Fiddle 618
Synth strings 1943

Style is Songwriter Style ... which kinda pleasantly surprised me.

I'm on all guitars played through the MBS22 with the Tele. 2 crunchy panned left and right. one with fills and solo using the same settings as the crunchy stuff.

3 vox tracks.

Missing You: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=443134&songID=13706818

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462920

Posted at 09:55 AM

March 20, 2018 Band-in-a-Box® 2018 - Cleaned-up BB folder!

It's the first day of spring today, which means it's time to start spring cleaning!

We cleaned up the BB folder with our release of Band-in-a-Box® 2018. Over the years, this folder has been growing - there were up to 10,000 files in there! We've fixed this and put the files into various folders. This is done with a cleanup routine. The cleanup normally happens automatically during installation, but you can run it manually by selecting the main menu Help | Utilities | Run Cleanup routine.

The cleanup routine does the following:
-Moves Styles files (.STY/.STX) from C:\bb to C:\bb\Styles.
-Moves Soloists files (.ST2/.XT2) from C:\bb to C:\bb\Soloists.
-Moves various Demo folders to C:\Demos.
-Moves various songs and lessons folders to C:\bb\Songs and Lessons.
-Moves various files essential for running Band-in-a-Box to C:\bb\Data and C:\bb\Data\Lib.
-Moves various preferences files to C:\bb\Preferences.
-Moves tutorial demo songs, program manuals (.pdf), and the help file (.chm) to C:\bb\Documentation.

Posted at 09:58 AM

March 20, 2018 User Showcase Song - Addict

Lyrics and Music by Quekou

Realstlyes used:
735: Piano, Accoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Sw 060
569: Resophonic, Rhythm Blues Delta
571: Harmonica, Background Blues Monday Sw

https://youtu.be/lHfN8F_pxyM

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462858

Posted at 08:22 AM

March 20, 2018 Oliver Gannon Interview - Appointed to the Order of Canada!

Oliver Gannon (Peter Gannon's brother), was appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition for "his achievements as a musician" on December 29, 2017!

Oliver recently sat for an interview with CBC's Hot Air host Margaret Gallagher - read a summary and listen to the interview at
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/oliver-gannon-hot-air-1.4571326

'I don't know ... why they chose me. But I'm very glad and I'm not giving it back'
-Oliver Gannon

To be clear, and avoid any confusion, there are two brothers: Peter Gannon is the "Band-in-a-Box" PG Music guy, and Oliver Gannon is the jazz guitarist who just won the Order of Canada.

Posted at 07:36 AM

March 19, 2018 #Monday Motivation - Free Band-in-a-Box® Hard Drive!

Want to snag yourself a free Band-in-a-Box® hard drive? Tell everyone how much you love Band-in-a-Box® with your very own Band-in-a-Box® Testimonial video!

Submit your video, and when we use it on our website (and YouTube page) we will send you a FREE Band-in-a-Box® Hard Drive!

Learn more about how to submit your video testimonial here.

Take a look at the video testimonials we've already received at www.pgmusic.com/videotestimonials.php

Posted at 12:38 PM

March 19, 2018 User Showcase Song - Find My Way Back Home

Sometime back I did an instrumental I called "Sedona Sunrise". I took the melody from that song and added lyrics to produce this song about realizing we are headed the wrong direction and turning around. Hope someone likes it. Thanks for listening! Torrey

https://soundcloud.com/torrey-bliss/find-my-way-back-home

BIAB:
Drums - Smooth Jazz Poppy (Multi)
Bass - 1636 Jazz Funk Breezy
Piano - 912 Electric Rhythm Smooth Poppy
Guitar 1236 Electric Rhythm Smooth Jazz Poppy
Strings 2058 Rhythm Celtic Air
Organ - 2692 Rhythm Pop/Soul Mike

Me
Vocals
Lead Guitar
____________

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462714

Posted at 08:32 AM

March 16, 2018 User Tip - Custom Drum Shots

Have you ever wanted more control of the RealDrums generated within Band-in-a-Box? (example: with the same consecutive shot/hold/push)

Forum user Pipeline shared their steps in an incredibly detailed forum post to our Tips & Tricks forum - check it out: Custom Drum Shots.

Posted at 10:23 AM

March 16, 2018 #FunFactFriday - Team PG!

Did you know... Within Band-in-a-Box®, choose Help | About Band-in-a-Box, and you'll see more than just information on the program - you'll also see a complete list of Team PG - we're currently at 35 team members!

Posted at 10:14 AM

March 16, 2018 User Showcase Song - Fox Den

Some reggae/funk/blues for you. Peter gets the cool reggae vibe happening and Janice tries out her chic background vocal thing.

Listens and comments are most welcome!

https://soundcloud.com/mootsman/fox-den

Janice: lead vocal and BGV’s / FX: Nectar 2
Janice: Percussion (cajon) / FX: Neutron 2 & 140 EMT Reverb
Peter: Lead and rhythm guitar / FX: Whatever the man does smile
Bud: Production / mix / mastering

RealDrums: Reggae / track cut into small segments to work with cajon / FX: Neutron & 140 EMT Reverb
Handclaps: Six tracks (J&B and loops) / FX: 140 EMT Reverb
Bass RT 1157 / FX: Waves Bass Rider & Neutron 2
Piano RT 1160 / FX: Neutron 2, 140 EMT Reverb & Logic Direction Mixer
Guitar RT 1158 / FX: Neutron 2
Organ RT 1159: / FX: Neutron 2

Mixed in Logic Pro X and mastered via Ozone 8 adv

Thanks to PeterF, PG Music and my mix counsel forum friends.

Fox Den | © 2018 Janice & Bud Merritt

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461521

Posted at 08:59 AM

March 15, 2018 #TBT - Automatic Soloing in Band-in-a-Box® 7!

Band-in-a-Box® 7 included some great new features - like Automatic Soloing! This introduced program users to the powerful Soloist capabilities of Band-in-a-Box®, which also includes the Soloist Maker.

Automatic Soloing!
Pick any song or chords in any style, and choose a "soloist." Band-in-a-Box® then creates and plays a professional quality solo in the style of your choice. Previous versions of Band-in-a-Box created great accompaniment. Now you can hear sensational solos as well - showing you exactly what notes are played. Choose from "soloists" in the style similar to great Jazz musicians such as Django Reinhardt, John Coltrane, or Country/Pop soloists and others, or create your own soloists using the "Soloist Maker."

Soloist Maker
This module allows you to define your own soloists. For example, let's say you want to create a soloist in a style similar to the style of "John Coltrane" - the great Jazz saxophonist. The Soloist Maker allows you to define the parameters essential to Coltrane's playing, such as instrument range (i.e. tenor saxophone), extra legato playing, playing more on top of the beat than typical Jazz musicians, and playing straighter 8th notes than usual Swing 8th notes. Also, you can set phrasing options, such as how long the phrase should be and how much "space" to leave between phrases. You can also set how "outside" the playing should be. In the case of a John Coltrane style - you set that to the maximum! Then "turn him loose" and hear the soloist play over any song!

Review all of the features added with Band-in-a-Box® 7: http://www.pgmusic.com/pdfs/bbwin_version_7.pdf

Posted at 01:07 PM

March 15, 2018 User Showcase Song - Do Your Magic (On My Soul)

Finally got around to finishing this...it's a "sweatheart" duet..I'm linking the two adjacent lyric lines with homonyms--kind of lyric-writing challenge. My "girlfriend" is a freeland vocalist I hired from fiverr.com. BIAB tech details below...thanks for listening!

https://soundcloud.com/tanomusic/do-your-magic-on-my-soul
---------------------------
Style is one of the bossa styles
RT's: 1104 Nylon Guitar, 465 Bass, 708 Nylon-Elec Guitar, 2288 Acoustic Piano, 479 Trumpet Solo

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462102

Posted at 08:46 AM

March 14, 2018 User Showcase Song - I've Got A Girl

Hi All,

Back from a short break with a bit of Rock-a-Billy. This is a sort of tribute to
Sonny Burgess who sadly died in August last year at the age of 88.
He had his first hit in 1954 with "Red Headed Woman" and was still
giging almost to the day he died. Fabulous.

So, boogie on down... https://soundcloud.com/music-prof/ive-got-a-girl

The rhythm section
Drums - RD Country reduced 8s at half tempo.
Bass - Midi, played in from the Alesis Q49 keyboard
Rhythm guitar - RT 703 Accoustic guitar
Piano - Midi Supertrack New Orleans Boogie

The Brass Section
Trumpets - Midi, Edirol Orchestral
Saxes - Midi, Forte
Lead Sax - RT 716 Tenor Sax Boogie

Lead guitar - Fender Jazzmaster. (DI)
Vocals - Shure Unidyne 3.

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461602

Posted at 09:55 AM

March 13, 2018 #TechTipTuesday - Opening MIDI Tracks in PowerTracks Pro Audio

Open your MIDI file in PowerTracks Pro Audio (or RealBand), and you'll see the instruments separated onto their own track - an excellent way to hear all the instruments individually for that song, and a great way to learn!

There's no trick to it either - just use the File | Open dialog, locate the MIDI file, and click [Open].

Note: Type 0 MIDI files have all channels on one track, and should ask whether you want to separate them. If you accidentally chooses no, hit Edit - MIDI - Extract Channels to Tracks. Typically, Type 1 MIDI files have the instruments automatically separated.

Posted at 02:22 PM

March 13, 2018 Introducing RealPAK 14: Rock-Pop (RealTracks Sets 286-293)

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows we also released 202 NEW RealTracks, including 8 Sets (68 RealTracks) for Rock-Pop!

Learn more about these and listen to demos: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=oNi4pMA9ijc

RealPAK 14: Rock-Pop includes:
RealTracks Set 286: Pop & Rock Guitars with Brent & Joe
RealTracks Set 287: Pop Songwriter - Acoustic Guitar
RealTracks Set 288: Southern Pop Drums with Land Richards
RealTracks Set 289: Fretless Bass, Pop Keys, and Punk Drums
RealTracks Set 290: More Pop Percussion Singles
RealTracks Set 291: Modern Dancehall
RealTracks Set 292: Klezmer!
RealTracks Set 293: A Taste of Europe - France, Italy, and Sweden

Purchasing the Band-in-a-Box® 2018 PlusPAK, UltraPAK, or Audiophile Edition? These new Rock-PopRealTracks are already included!
Band-in-a-Box® 2018 Pro and MegaPAK customers interested in adding these to their collection can purchase RealPAK 14: Rock-Pop for just $79 at http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.realtracks.rock.htm

Posted at 11:10 AM

March 13, 2018 User Showcase Song - Charlottesville

Here's something new - this is called Charlottesville:
https://soundcloud.com/user-157357144/charlottesville

All BIAB Tracks:
1253: Bass, Electric, PopShiningHeld Ev 120
1262: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Ev 120
634: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopAmericanMuted Ev 120
RealDrums: MetalSlowTomGroove: a: Toms, b: Busy Toms

As always, thanks for listening.

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461427

Posted at 10:52 AM

March 12, 2018 Audio Edit Window Enhancements in Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows!

With Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows, the Audio Edit Window GUI has been updated to include a dedicated settings button and a Marker Mode button. Plus, editing features can now be applied to the entire track (if no specific region is highlighted).

We've also added the following items to the Edit button within the Audio Edit Window:

Paste (Mix) - This will mix the audio from the clipboard with the existing audio instead of overwriting it. You will be given the option to set the percentage of the existing audio to keep and the pasted audio to mix in.
Paste (Insert) - This will insert the audio from the clipboard to the current location, instead of overwriting the existing audio. The audio to the right of the insertion point will be shifted to make room for the new audio.
Delete - This will delete the selected region of audio.
Insert Silence - This will insert silence at the cursor. The duration of the silence inserted will be equal to the duration of the selected region.
Convert Channels - If the audio is stereo, this will convert it to mono. If it’s mono, this will convert it to stereo. You will be given the option to set the percentage of the left and right channels to include.
Harmonize - This will launch the Audio Harmony dialog, which can be used to harmonize the selected region of audio.
Transcribe - This will transcribe the audio to the Melody or Soloist track.
Fix Tuning - This will automatically correct the tuning of the selected region according to the key of your song. For example, in the key of C, if a C# is detected then it will be transposed down to C or up to D depending on which one is closer.

Posted at 12:49 PM

March 12, 2018 YouTube Find - Tools to Improve Your Music Composition

My secret weapon is Band-in-a-Box...
Brian Johnston

Brian explains why we're his secret weapon in this great article: Improving Music Composition Diversity

And he even created the following video: Tools to Improve Your Music Composition
http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=m3dDn-xlJTU

Posted at 10:23 AM

March 12, 2018 User Showcase Song - My Grandfather's Clock

I haven't posted anything for awhile so thought I'd better do something before I get too rusty. Recorded this with a cheap computer mic and edited and mixed with Audacity. Constructive criticism welcome as always.

My Grandfather's Clock : https://soundcloud.com/tmelvin-950716356/my-grandfathers-clock

Title: Grandfather's Clock
File:Grandfather's Clock_4.SGU
Key=E , Tempo 105, Length (m:s)=3:30
No intro. 88 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 88. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
No Soloist track.
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Style is _RCKBLLY.STY (Rockabilly Band w/ Baritone Guit)
RealTracks in style: 2421:Bass, Acoustic, RockabillySlapBoomChicka Ev16 100
RealTracks in style: 2424:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm RockabillyBoomChickaKevin Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 2423:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RockabillyBoomChickaBrent Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 2422:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm BoomChickaRootFiveBrent Ev16 100
RealDrums in style: BoomChickaEv16^01-a: Brush, Train, b: Rods, Train

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=459981#Post459981

Posted at 07:50 AM

March 09, 2018 Get to Know RealPAK 14: Country (RealTracks Sets 278-285)

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows we also released 202 NEW RealTracks, including 8 Sets (74 RealTracks) for Country!

Learn more about these and listen to demos: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=-zpa0BBoWYw

RealPAK 14: Country includes:
RealTracks Set 278: Shiny Vocal Oohs & Aahs!
RealTracks Set 279: Americana - Slow Groovin' 12-8 & 16ths
RealTracks Set 280: Americana - Gritty Blues & Rockabilly Swing
RealTracks Set 281: More 12-key Hi-Q-Tab Brent Guitar, 12-key Eddy Pedal Steel, 12-key Mike Piano, and 12-key Byron Bass
RealTracks Set 282: Country Songwriter - Guitar & Keys
RealTracks Set 283: Jelly-Roll Country Hamonica
RealTracks Set 284: "Canadiana" Old Time Guitar, Banjo, and Foot Stompin'
RealTracks Set 285: Celtic Piano & Harp

Purchasing the Band-in-a-Box® 2018 PlusPAK, UltraPAK, or Audiophile Edition? These new Country RealTracks are already included!
Band-in-a-Box® 2018 Pro and MegaPAK customers interested in adding these to their collection can purchase RealPAK 14: Country for just $79 at www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.realtracks.country.htm

Posted at 10:28 AM

March 09, 2018 User Showcase Song - Gotta Walk The Foot Log

Hello Friends,

Long time since I posted a new song. This is a little bluegrass with washboard ditty that I wrote for fun. The inspiration came from thinking about a friend's log cabin that was built by her great grandparents. The cabin sits on a hill overlooking a creek which has a foot log to get across it. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening.

Josie

https://soundcloud.com/josie-beck-songs/gotta-walk-the-foot-log

_________________________
The Doc Bluegrass style RT's were used with the addition of the new washboard.

This song was put together with BIAB and Realband. Mixing and final editing were done in Reaper where the lead vocal and background vocals were recorded.
_________________________

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=459796

Posted at 08:33 AM

March 08, 2018 User Showcase Song - "I'm So Good At Doin' It Wrong"

This is a co-write with one of my guitar students. I told her during a lesson recently that "You have to stop doing it like that... It's wrong and you'll just end up developing a bad habit", to which she replied, "Yea but, I'm so good at doin' it wrong". I said, "Well there's a song in that statement"! And off we went.

All RT's are listed below. Most all guitar parts are either my Tele (Trigger) or my Strat (Tichiwa), though there are a couple guitar RT's. I'm doing all the vocals as well.
As always all comments welcome.

https://soundcloud.com/user-813802595/so-good-at-doin-it-wrong

RD Rock SyncKick^02
RD TambourinePop8ths
RT 1717 Bass
RT 1718 Guitar
RT 1719 Guitar
RT 2367 Piano
RT 671 Organ B3

Posted at 03:36 PM

March 07, 2018 User Showcase Song - The Traveller

Latest song from Chris and Dave - The Traveller: https://www.reverbnation.com/blueattitudemusic/song/29298257-the-traveller

Realtracks used:
Acoustic Guitar: 692
Bass: 683

EZDrummer2: Drums and Percussion

I added three electric guitar tracks; two tele tracks and a strat for the intro lead and solo.
Mixed and mastered using reaper with plugins from Waves, iZotope, LMC, and S-Gear

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=460373

Posted at 09:35 AM

March 06, 2018 Artist Performance Set 8: Traditional Songs Sung by Béatrix Méthé

Add eight well known folk songs to your Band-in-a-Box® library with Artist Performance Set 8: Traditional Songs Sung by Béatrix Méthé. Songs include:
"À la claire fontaine" - Traditional French
"Amazing Grace" with an even 8ths feel - Traditional / "Amazing Grace" with a swing 8th feel - Traditional
"Danny Boy" - Traditional Irish
"Down by the Salley Gardens" - Traditional Irish
"Oh My Darling, Clementine" - Traditional American
"Oh Shenandoah" - Traditional American
"Star of the County Down" - Traditional Irish
"The Cherry Tree Carol" - Traditional Christmas Carol

Listen to demos of these songs here.

Artist Performance tracks use the Melody track to showcase Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks demos accompanying a live recording of a top artist performing the melody. These are great for listening or learning-from-the-Pros (since notation/tab shows for the performances)!

Artist Performace Set 8 is included in the 2018 49-PAK, and the Band-in-a-Box® UltraPAK or Audiophile Edition (both of which also include the 2018 49-PAK!)

Learn more about Béatrix Méthé: http://www.pgmusic.com/realtracks.artists.php?a=158

Posted at 10:23 AM

March 06, 2018 User Showcase Song - The Good-Morrow

How to put music to a poem from the early 17th century? Well, with a little help from BiaB…

John Donne wrote a beautiful poem called The Good-Morrow.

Not a traditional song, but it sounds familiar… Already thinking of new vocal ideas – guess I have to try them out in a couple of weeks or months ;-)

Here is what it sounds like today:
THE GOOD-MORROW: https://soundcloud.com/molsenhouse/the-good-morrow

BiaB tracks used:

Style is _SPECTER.STY

RealTracks in style: ~733:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 060 (A:in-2)
RealTracks in style: 936:Piano, Acoustic, Rehearsal Waltz Sw 140
RealTracks in style: ~993:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryWaltzGrittyPicked Sw 140
RealTracks in style: 2558:Cello, Background SlowSwing Sw 065
RealDrums: RealDrums in Style: BluesMondaySw8^02-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat

Original Forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=459318

Posted at 09:53 AM

March 05, 2018 Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows - Guitar Window Enhancements

New with Band-in-a-Box® 2018... within the Guitar Window, clicking on the black area to the left of the zero fret notes will delete the notes on just the channel of that string on the current notation time line rather than all notes at that time line.

Clicking on a note will delete the note from the Notation window if the note is currently highlighted. If no notes are highlighted in red, then clicking on a note will first delete any notes on the current notation timeline and channel before inserting a new note.

Learn more about Band-in-a-Box® 2018:

New features list: http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.new.htm

Video - Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows in less than 6 minutes: http://www.pgmusic.com/?vid=3Z8BM5_xpbk

Posted at 01:17 PM

March 05, 2018 User Showcase Song - It's Getting Away from You

It's Getting Away from You: https://soundcloud.com/user-708056370/its-getting-away-from-you

I created the music about a year ago. It took me quite a while to come up with a vocal and lyric for this.
Check out Anne-Marie's voice oohs coming in at 1.35 and the Zane Carney realtrack coming in at 1.50!

Specifics:

Style is _JPDISCO.STY (J-Pop Disco )
1759:Bass, Electric, Pop16ths Ev 085
2275:Synth, Rhythm DiscoElPianoA-B Ev 120
2281:Synth, Rhythm DiscoSynthGuitDelayA-B Ev 120
2273:Synth, Rhythm DiscoDigiBell Ev 120
680:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RockBritSoulful Ev 085
1256:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningGritty Ev 120
RealDrums: Soul70sEv16^1-a:ClsdHHtSn, b:BusyBss
Lead Guitar: Me (Squier Affinity Strat)

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=460247

Posted at 11:14 AM

March 02, 2018 Audio Harmonies Feature Enhancements in Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows!

With Band-in-a-Box® 2018 for Windows, you can now harmonize the Audio track with up to 4 voices with the new Audio Harmony dialog!

Choose one of the 4 harmonizing modes:
-The "Chords" mode will harmonize the audio based on the chords in your song. Choose a type of harmony from the "Harmony type" option. Choose either the intelligent mode, which allows you to select the number of voices, or one of the Band-in-a-Box harmony presets.
-The "Melody track" mode will add voices (up to 4 voices) to the audio, based on melodies in the Melody track.
-The "Soloist track" mode will add voices (up to 4 voices) to the audio, based on melodies in the Soloist track.
-The "Fix Tuning" mode will analyze the Audio track and correct out-of-tune notes according to the key of your song.
The Fix Tuning feature analyzes the Audio track and correct out-of-tune notes according to the key of your song. For example, in the key of C, if a C# is detected, then it will be transposed down to C or up to D depending on which one is closer. You can use the Auto-Transcribe feature to transcribe the Audio track to the Melody or Soloist track as MIDI data.

To access this feature, first open an audio file (WAV/WMA/MP3/M4A) or a Band-in-a-Box song file with audio. Then, go to the menu Audio or Harmony, and select Audio Harmonies, Pitch Tracking, Fix Tuning (Audio Edit).

http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.new.htm

Posted at 01:07 PM

March 02, 2018 User Album - "Out of the Box" with the Boydstun Brothers!

An entire album made with the help of Band-in-a-Box®? IT CAN BE DONE!

Jeff & Paul Boydstun, of the The Boydstun Brothers Band, have done just that with their latest album, Out of The Box!

Listen to the album at https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/boydstunbrothers3 - I couldn't pick just one favorite song, however I really like "Girl from the Rodeo", "You Want Me to Stay", and I found "Stranger Things Have Happened" a surprise on the album, but not in a bad way - you'll see!

Jeff & Paul had submitted their Video Testimonial to us last summer - learn more about them and watch their video at http://www.pgmusic.com/videotestimonials.php?t=36

Have you created an album with the help of Band-in-a-Box®? Tell us about it - post to the forum, or share your release information with marketing@pgmusic.com

Posted at 10:54 AM

March 02, 2018 User Showcase Song - The Day That I Won't Love You

A Work In progress - looking for constructive feedback. Thanks!

I attempted to write a lyric and music in the style of early Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller - simple, a bit sappy, cute love song. They wrote most of Elvis' early songs and a few of his later songs.The lead guitar was as close as I could get to Scotty Moore, Elvis' guitar player back then.

https://soundcloud.com/alananddi/the-day-that-i-wont-love-you

Title: The Day That I Won’t Love You

Style is ELVIS1.STY (Elvis1 - 50s Rock Shuffle-Blues), Key is F, Tempo is 145
Style MIDI Instruments are : Acoustic String Bass (33), Acoustic Piano (1),

RealTracks in song: 1015:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BluesRockCrispSteady Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 2975:Vocal Oohs-Aahs, Rhythm Pop3-part Ev 085
RealTracks in song: ~960:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryBoogieMuted Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 2496:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RockabillySwingBrent Sw 165
RealDrums in Song: NewOrleansShuffle^03-a:Snare , b:Flat Tire Hat, Shuffle

The Day That I Won’t Love You
© 2018 Alan D. David, BMI

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=456838

Posted at 10:15 AM

March 01, 2018 User Tip - Band-in-a-Box MusicXML to Reaper Notation & Chords

Forum user Pipeline shared a great tip to our Tips & Tricks forum regarding Band-in-a-Box XML files and Reaper - make sure you check it out!
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=459655

Reaper will import BiabXML and show the chords in the notation.
It will also export it to PDF, xml or mid.

It does what the BB chord window needs, zooms when you Ctrl+scroll mouse wheel...

Posted at 10:42 AM

March 01, 2018 User Showcase Song - Pier Pressure (Merritt/Adams/Jane)

A few years ago while working on a song together floyd and I discovered we share a birthday. (March 4th) In an unusual moment of clarity, I realized this week that it also serves as a code to live by. (March Forth!). We have posted collabs the past few years to celebrate. This year it is a little different. Bud Merritt had sent me some notes on a song he was working on using the words pier and peer. He wanted an island feel and I immediately thought to bring in floyd and turn it into a duet. I knew that both floyd and I have spent many wasted hours with beers in hand at the famed sunset celebration at the pier in Key West called Mallory Square, so we used that as the setting. With Bud’s OK we decided to use this as our annual birthday post. Of course Janice was willing to help out with harmonies. To make an already long story short, here it is.

https://soundcloud.com/tommyad/pier-pressure

https://tommyadamsmusic.com/music

Style is _ISLANDP.STY

RealTracks in style: ~~519:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1564:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm IslandJohn Ev 110
RealTracks in style: 1175:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 1177:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100
RealTracks in song: 2670:Pedal Steel, Background HippieTrainEddy Ev 110
RealDrums: RealDrums in Style: PopCalypso^1-a:Snare, Closed HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 1797:Piano, Rhythm IslandJohn Ev 110
RealTracks in song: ~2201:Guitar, Nylon, Background CountryBrent Ev 120

Recorded in Logic Pro X
Plug Ins : Nectar 2, Neutron 2, Ozone 8, Tonal Balance, Waves LinMB, Waves, L3-LL Multi Limiter

Original forum post: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=459749

Posted at 10:29 AM