[Harp-L] Band in a Box

[Tony Eyers <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have been using Band in a Box for about 10 years. I buy the upgrade 
each year. Like most on this list, I think very carefully before 
spending on gear. Band in a Box always gets my money.

My recommendation for newbies is to set aside a block of time, and get 
as far through the tutorials as possible. You don't have to understand 
the whole thing. In particular, if you can

- enter chords (e.g. a 12 bar)
- choose the final bar (e.g. bar 12 for a blues)
- choose the key
- choose the tempo
- choose the style (or "band")

then you will have enough to be very entertained. The quality of sound 
will depend on your midi setup, however most new soundcards are pretty 
good, so you may not need to do anything. Also, Band in a Box (or BIAB) 
provide Roland SoundCanvas, which gives decent midi sounds.

BIAB also has a button which creates WAV or mp3 files of the current 
song. Perfect for creating busking tracks. In fact, busking is my main 
practice outlet (I have young kids, those similarly disposed will 
understand). The BIAB tracks turn busking into worthwhile paid practice 
(I made $50 this morning, for example)

Also, BIAB has introduced "Real Drum", which are .... real drums. The 
midi drums have always been decent, the real drums are great. I 
generally don't bother with horn or electric guitar sounds, midi has not 
quite got these right, in my view. However, bass, acoustic piano, drum, 
and increasingly, acoustic guitar sounds are very usable.

Also, don't think that you need to be a computer head to get value from 
the package. BIAB is made for musicians, like us.

I still remember the thrill when I first grasped what BIAB could do. It 
has helped me enormously. Those of you getting into it: invest the 
effort learning how to drive it. You'll never look back.

Cheers,

Tony Eyers
Australia
www.harmonicatunes.com