Band-in-a-Box for OS X- To Buy or Not to Buy?

[Squire]

Hi,

I just noticed that PG Music released a version of Band-in-a-Box specifically for OS X. I've been waiting for this for some time. How is the program? Is it as good as people say? I'm looking for something I can play along with and do some basic composing. (I play tenor saxophone.) What about all the extra style sets? Are they worth it?

Thanks,

Squire



Product Description:
Band-in-a-Box is an automatic accompaniment program for Macintosh. You type in the chord symbols to any song, using standard chord symbols like C, Fm7, Cm7b5 etc. choose a style and press PLAY. Band-in-a-Box then generates a pro quality 5 instrument accompaniment of bass, drums, piano, guitar and strings in over 100 styles of music.

What's new in this version:
Includes many new and enhanced features. Band-in-a-Box version 12 is fully Mac OS X carbonized. We have a huge number of new and improved Styles, Soloist, Harmonies, and Song Demos, making your Band-in-a-Box program sound better than ever!

Product Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

[crees!]

No to Garageband?

[fingers]

Have never tried band in a box - but if your mac is up to it - GarageBand is pretty cool ;)
You can always import midi files into GB (http://www.macidol.com/tip.php?id=2) using dent du midi too!

[mikeyredk]

i wouldn't use it, they STILL use IE.

[Bruce Lee, PhD]

Hi,

I just noticed that PG Music released a version of Band-in-a-Box specifically for OS X. I've been waiting for this for some time. How is the program? Is it as good as people say? I'm looking for something I can play along with and do some basic composing. (I play tenor saxophone.) What about all the extra style sets? Are they worth it?


if you've never used BIAB before, you can download an older version from their website and try it out. it's a nice program for learning to improvise over chord changes; it's quite easy to enter the changes for a tune, tell it what style you want, and then solo over it. i wouldn't bother with the add-on styles myself.

it's not a tool for composition though. for that, you'll want something else: garageband, logic, protools, whatever fits your needs.

[thepannist]

Forget what everyone else says. GB isn't a BitB substitute.

As for the program, it is really good. I have only used it on Win 98, but during my years at Berklee, it helped out a lot. Still, if I had money, I would use the Aebersol cds, since most of the tunes you will be learning have been recorded on Aebersol.

For composing, it really isn't great. I would use a sequencer and really write something rather than using BitB to compose. Seriously. No composer in the world uses BitB to compose. They write on paper or in the sequencer.

But, if you are doing crazy stuff then it is worth it.

Chris

[Squire]

Forget what everyone else says. GB isn't a BitB substitute.

As for the program, it is really good. I have only used it on Win 98, but during my years at Berklee, it helped out a lot. Still, if I had money, I would use the Aebersol cds, since most of the tunes you will be learning have been recorded on Aebersol.

For composing, it really isn't great. I would use a sequencer and really write something rather than using BitB to compose. Seriously. No composer in the world uses BitB to compose. They write on paper or in the sequencer.

But, if you are doing crazy stuff then it is worth it.

Chris

Thanks for all the replies. From what I've learned, Band-in-a-box and GarageBand are two completely different animals. I was hoping the former could complement the latter. (I absolutely love GB, by the way.)

Chris, I was actually looking for something like the Jamey Aebersold practice tapes I used as a kid. Band-in-a-box doesn't cut it there?

Squire

[Bruce Lee, PhD]

Chris, I was actually looking for something like the Jamey Aebersold practice tapes I used as a kid. Band-in-a-box doesn't cut it there?

Squire

No, that's exactly what band-in-a-box is built to do. It's a programmable Abersold tape. The problem, I think, is that BiaB always has cheesy MIDI instruments playing. Not so much soul in the BiaB rhythm section... So it's more flexible, but never quite as nice as playing with an Abersold tape.

[gwangung]

No, that's exactly what band-in-a-box is built to do. It's a programmable Abersold tape. The problem, I think, is that BiaB always has cheesy MIDI instruments playing. Not so much soul in the BiaB rhythm section... So it's more flexible, but never quite as nice as playing with an Abersold tape.

I've only dabbled with it, but it sorta depends on the styles, some of which are quite cheesy, some of which are OK.

It's a YMMV situation; if it's strictly for personal, rehearsal use, then I think its perfectly fine. Anything else, well....you may be tweaking quite a bit....