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Topic: Still the best program for backing tracks? |
Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2024 9:09 am |
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| It's time to upgrade some older equipment. New laptop is in place, and looking at what programs are available to create backing tracks. I'm familiar with BIAB, but the ancient version I have (2007) must have been improved tremendously. Before I jump on the 2024 version, has anything come on the market that is better sounding? I've heard some nice sounding tracks generated from iReal Pro, but it claims to be jazz oriented. I'm open to suggestions! |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 Jan 2024 6:31 pm
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| You might still be able to snag a 2023 version of BIAB at Sweetwater. It’s about 40% off the price of a 2024, and there is plenty to keep you busy. I have iReal Pro, too. There is no comparison as far as sound and versatility. The learning curve is steeper for BIAB, of course, but it is worth it. It’s a great compositional and practice tool, and the sound quality is good enough to do backing track gigs at the local restaurant or wine tasting room. |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2024 6:00 am
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| Thanks, Fred. I checked pricing, and 2023 and 2024 look to be the same price. Is the mega pack or ultra pack really worth the additional money? |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2024 7:17 am
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Roger,
Heh, I guess the joke’s on me. Looks like the price for the v2024 has been dropped.
You’ll have to ask somebody with the “ultra-mega-hecka pack”. It depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. I just opted for the regular unleaded version since I am new to the program. I will say it’s fairly intuitive to use at the basic level. I have used Jammer midi music creation software for a long time, so the BIAB process is not totally unfamiliar, but I have my hands full in the bells and whistles department. |
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Dale Rottacker
From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2024 8:01 am Re: Still the best program for backing tracks?
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| Roger Crawford wrote: |
| It's time to upgrade some older equipment. New laptop is in place, and looking at what programs are available to create backing tracks. I'm familiar with BIAB, but the ancient version I have (2007) must have been improved tremendously. Before I jump on the 2024 version, has anything come on the market that is better sounding? I've heard some nice sounding tracks generated from iReal Pro, but it claims to be jazz oriented. I'm open to suggestions! |
Someone here on the Forum gave me BIAB in 2009 I believe so it was older than that. But sadly I didn't/don't know enough about music notation symbols and all the other things that go along with making tracks, and it didn't help that I'd just taken an 8 year break/divorce from music and marriage, that I I found myself overly frustrated to continue with BIAB.
Wally Moyer told me about iReal a few years ago and for 20 bucks thought it was a steel, especially considering the hundreds+ $$'s for BIAB. Since BIAB, with iReal, I've learned mainly by trial and error to make my own tracks from scratch or alter existing tracks.
iReal may be more geared towards Jazz, but there are also a BaZillion other types/genre's available there, from Ballad to Jazz to Bossa, Rock and Country. and with a little manipulation you can mix different styles together. I'll admit that there is some hunting going on if you want to add Rhythm guitar or Cowbell  and some of the quality of them could be better. That said some of that can be enhanced within your DAW. If your hearing Piano, Bass, Drums and sometimes Rhythm in anything I've posted it was done on iReal. Like I said the quality, especially of the Rhythm could be better, but then guy playing steel to those tracks could be better too.  
_________________
Dale Rottacker, Steelinatune™
https://www.youtube.com/@steelinatune
*2021 MSA Legend, "Jolly Rancher" D10 10x9
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*1977 Blue Sho-Bud Pro 3 Custom 8x6
https://msapedalsteels.com
http://rittenberrysteelguitars.com
https://www.telonics.com/index.php
https://www.p2pamps.com
https://www.quilterlabs.com |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2024 10:32 am
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Your productions are very good, Dale. I have enjoyed many of them.
Forumite Chris Woitach also has done a few videos of himself playing his steel along to iReal tracks. They sound very good, and of course he is a very accomplished musician.. If you have a DAW with its own general midi sound engine, yeah the instrument sounds can be enhanced. BIAB has the real audio tracks right there in the program though. The possibilities seem almost dangerous. |
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Jim Fogle
From:
North Carolina, Winston-Salem, USA
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Posted 28 Jan 2024 10:56 am iReal Versus BiaB
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Roger, One HUGE difference between iReal Pro and Band-in-a-Box is what devices the programs support. iReal Pro works with the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Macintosh computer and Android smartphone. Band-in-a-Box works on Macintosh and Windows computers.
If you are a user of Apple products then iReal Pro is likely to be the better choice as you already have the hardware. If you want to play with your music while using a smartphone running the Android operating system then iReal Pro is the only choice.
If you use Windows computers then I would choose Band-in-a-Box. You can run the Android version of iReal Pro on a Windows 11 computer but even the iReal Pro website doesn't seem too enthused with the idea.
The Windows version of Band-in-a-Box includes RealBand which is a DAW program that can load and read Band-in-a-Box files.
All the Band-in-a-Box's packages include the same Band-in-a-Box program. The difference between the packages is the amount of content each package contains. The Pro PAK contains a little less than 10 % of the available package content. The Mega PAK contains about 33 % of the available package content. Both the Ultra PAK and Audiophile packages contain 100 % of the package content. The Ultra PAK contains lossy audio content while the Audiophile contains both lossy and lossless audio content.
I started with the Pro PAK. Since the program is the same in all packages I spent my time learning the program and didn't worry about the lack of content. A little over a year after purchasing the Pro PAK I believed I had learned Band-in-a-Box well enough to want more content so I upgraded to the Ultra PAK.
You did not mention if your new laptop uses the Windows or Macintosh operating system so I thought I should point out that makes a difference.
The Ultra PAK is the sweet spot when purchasing Band-in-a-Box
_________________
Remembering Harold Fogle (1945-1999) Pedal Steel Player
Dell laptop Win 10, i3, 8GB, 480GB
2024 BiaB UltraPlus PAK
Cakewalk by Bandlab software & Zoom MRS-8 hardware DAWs
Zoom MRS-8 8 Track Hardware DAW |
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Norman Evans
From:
Tennessee
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 11:07 am
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| Thanks, Norm. What did you use from the ultra pack that wasn’t included in the basic model? |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 12:18 pm
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| The Windows version of Band-in-a-Box includes RealBand which is a DAW program that can load and read Band-in-a-Box files. |
Just to expand on your comment, Jim - BIAB for Mac also includes the DAW plugin, and works with just about any Mac-compatible workstation, including freebies like GarageBand. It’s a great feature, and I know you have a lot of insight on it.
There seems to be plenty that can be done in BIAB alone for me, but I can see why pros and avid home recordists would want a fully functional recording app to integrate with it. I just hope PG Music keeps the production/post-production functionalities separate. |
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Norman Evans
From:
Tennessee
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 1:20 pm
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Roger, I don't know what's included in the basic model. I know there are a lot more styles in the Ultra PAK than basic. I don't know if the style I used on this track is in the basic model or not. I think the extra styles may be the biggest difference.
Here's a link that shows what you get with each one.
https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.htm#suggestion |
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Jim Fogle
From:
North Carolina, Winston-Salem, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 4:54 pm
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Look at the Windows RealTracks Sets webpage (link below) and you'll see there are currently 448 RealTrack sets. Each RealTrack set likely has about 10 RealTracks so there are about 4,480 RealTracks.
The Pro PAK and Mega PAK do not have any RealTrack sets! Instead individual RealTracks are pulled from one or more RealTrack sets then combined to create a RealTrack Band.
Some users list the RealTracks they used to create a song linked to in the PG Music User Showcase. They pull RealTracks and combine them to make a band whenever they create a song. This is the same action PG Music is doing to create the bands in the Pro PAK and Mega PAK.
One issue many new users have is they get overwhelmed by the amount of content they must wade through to find the RealTracks that are perfect for their song project. They end up concentrating on the content and never learn how to use various tools that are available within the program.
One advantage to starting the Band-in-a-Box journey with a Pro PAK or Mega PAK is content is limited. A user can concentrate on learning the program and becoming proficient with what they have.
Link: https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.222newrealtracks.htm
_________________
Remembering Harold Fogle (1945-1999) Pedal Steel Player
Dell laptop Win 10, i3, 8GB, 480GB
2024 BiaB UltraPlus PAK
Cakewalk by Bandlab software & Zoom MRS-8 hardware DAWs
Zoom MRS-8 8 Track Hardware DAW |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 6:26 pm
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| If RealBand is as you describe, Jim, then BIAB pro/mega pak is a massive improvement. I would much rather start creating and editing a song with a full band of Real tracks than start from scratch, auditioning each part. It’s almost as easy as Jammer was, but with better sounds. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 10:13 pm
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| Jim Fogle wrote: |
Look at the Windows RealTracks Sets webpage (link below) and you'll see there are currently 448 RealTrack sets. Each RealTrack set likely has about 10 RealTracks so there are about 4,480 RealTracks.
The Pro PAK and Mega PAK do not have any RealTrack sets! Instead individual RealTracks are pulled from one or more RealTrack sets then combined to create a RealTrack Band.
Some users list the RealTracks they used to create a song linked to in the PG Music User Showcase. They pull RealTracks and combine them to make a band whenever they create a song. This is the same action PG Music is doing to create the bands in the Pro PAK and Mega PAK.
One issue many new users have is they get overwhelmed by the amount of content they must wade through to find the RealTracks that are perfect for their song project. They end up concentrating on the content and never learn how to use various tools that are available within the program.
One advantage to starting the Band-in-a-Box journey with a Pro PAK or Mega PAK is content is limited. A user can concentrate on learning the program and becoming proficient with what they have.
Link: https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.222newrealtracks.htm |
That's good advice Jim. Also worth mentioning is that you are not stuck with the Real Tracks that are generic to the style. You can mix and match them. I agree with the other folks that say there's so much to choose from. Finding the right style is the hardest part, but you can often combine tracks to get what you want an save it as a hybrid user track. Actually, I've found some bugs in certain styles where the parts will go into the wrong beats for a couple bars. It's easy enough to copy a part that's good and paste it in. I do that within the DAW. I also edit the MIDI parts as needed.
When I'm track surfing. Whenever I find a track that has possibilities, I save it as a favorite. After awhile it get easier to find a suitable track. Another thing you can do within your DAW is copy two identical drum tracks, and then you can EQ them separately to favor the lows in one and the highs in another..... it gives you a way to mix the drums more like kick vs. snare if you don't have all the different drums tracks that you'd have in a pro studio.
RC
RC |
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Joe Bill Moad
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 26 Sep 2024 10:02 pm Roger I just bought the Mega pack last week and it is Great!
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Roger
You can get a discount on the 2024 right now. Call their 800 number and ask for Nicolas who is very helpful and knows any question you might ask! I asked him if they matched prices as Sweetwater’s prices were a lot cheaper than BIAB prices. He gave me a 15% discount and we are off and running! I have Logix Pro Recording and mixing software and it will work with it also. This software is perfect for newbies and Pro Steelers alike!
Good Luck!
Jbm
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Don’t Worry About The Mule! Load The Wagon! |
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