On 8/8/2011 4:47 AM, singvocation wrote:
> Hi,
>
[snip]
> So this brings me to consider buying Band In A Box - i would be
> grateful if you guys could shoot me a line or two about what you
> think i should know before i spend the monies.
>
[snip]
There are several things you should know before deciding which version
to buy, in my opinion:
1) if you have a midi module or keyboard that produces sounds you like,
don't buy the largest, most expensive version of BIAB, because you'll be
paying for lots of "real instruments" you won't use. Buy the version
which includes all the styles but only some of the "real instruments."
2) BIAB works best for creating original versions of arrangements, but
for truly personalized final versions, many people save the BIAB
versions as midi files and then they import them into a sequencer such
as ProTools or Cubase or Sonar or MasterTracks or the included RealBand
program which comes with BIAB. Then in the sequencer program, they add
additional lines or edit the BIAB created piano/bass/guitar/strings
lines so that nobody else,s version would ever sound the same.
3) BIAB will generate the piano, bass, drums, guitar, strings parts for
you based on which style you select for your song. You enter the chords
onto a spreadsheet type of grid. BIAB as a program is built to accept
only 4 chords per measure, but it does allow these 4 chords to be pushed
(played early) by a 16th note's worth or an 8th note's worth. In order
to use 8 chords per measure you should investigate Bob Norton's
"Expanded Styles" which he has designed so that you use 2 measures in
BIAB for every single measure in your song, and then you set the tempo
to double what you want, and things sound great and you've got 8 slots
for each of your original measures so you can use 8 chords per original
song measure. And if the tempo you want is 120beats/minute, you set
BIAB to play 240beats/minute using the expanded style. You should also
check out Bob Norton's many other styles he offers for sale (along with
styles by others) at www.nortonmusic.com -- these aftermarket styles can
bring much additional value to your installation of BIAB.
4) BIAB does not play diminished triads although it will play fully
diminished 7ths and half-diminished 7ths.
5) although BIAB does have a notation module, it's not very elegant and
does not produce printed output that you'd want to share with other
musicians. For that you might consider less expensive versions of
either Finale or Sibelius to use along with BIAB.
6) Repeats in BIAB sometimes work great, sometimes, they don't -- for
really complicated song forms it's often best to use copy/paste and
create your song in straight-through form, writing out all the repeated
sections to get things just right.
7) BIAB is a terrific program and I feel it is perhaps the best program
on the market in any category (music, business, word processing,
spreadsheets, whatever) at doing what it claims it can do (for it's core
purpose -- all the recent bells and whistles are a whole other story of
awkward kludges and terrible workarounds). It produces excellent
accompaniments, and if you use external midi devices which are GM
compatible or can be put into GM mode, it is very easy to use and you
can get a song entered and be playing it in under 5 minutes, for typical
pop-song forms.
If I haven't answered all your questions, please feel free to ask -- I
hope others on this list will chime in with their thoughts to help you.
--
David H. Bailey
dhbailey@davidbaileymusicstudio.com
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