Customer Reviews

Band in a Box 2007

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a great piece of software if you play any kind of a musical instrument or are a vocalist and want to practice playing songs with a virtual band. You just type in the chords, select a style and tempo and the software comes up with an arrangement in that style. Depending on which style you pick there will be different instruments in the arrangement. There are around 200 built in styles in various genres such as jazz, latin, country, pop etc. The arrangements are surprisingly good, especially if you can send the midi to an external keyboard. The software was very easy to install on Windows XP.

I'm using it to work on practicing jazz standards on the piano but playing them the way I would in a band situation which is very different from the way I would play them solo. I have been able to quickly enter the chords of the song by typing in their names (eg Em7b5), pick a style and have band in a box come up with an arrangement. I then mute out the piano part and play along with the program to try out different ideas for comping. If I want to practice soloing I just mute out more instruments. I would expect that it would be equally useful for many other instruments. I also use it to print out fake book type lead sheets and have found the transpose feature to be very useful as it transposes the chord symbols along with the music.

Band in a Box allows you to record an audio or MIDI track on top of an arrangement so you can play back and see how you sound but it isn't a multitrack recorder, for that you would want to buy some different software. What it does best is to allow you to practice playing in a band without requiring the rest of the band to be there.

As an intermediate-level musician and songwriter with computer skills to match, I've found BIAB both easy to delve into and deep enough to grow into. My background is as a singer/songwriter uni-instrumentalist...I play, rather simply, the acoustic guitar. I also have a good understanding of computer recording. That said, here's my review:

You don't have to have a programmer's understanding of computer technology to install and operate the program. The user interface is quite intuitive and the manual written very clearly. I had the basic functions of the program figured out in one session, enough to satisfy. It IS a rather deep program, however, and I am sure I will continue to be able to explore and enjoy it's features for some time to come.

Musically, you don't have to be a composer to use it. If you have a basic understanding of chord progressions and know where to place them, you are ready for this. I've not found a chord or chord variant known to music that BIAB cannot handle. It will even suggest alternatives in a number of ways to turn your three chord basic structure into something fresher.

I've used it now to create completely new songs, as well as to provide accompaniment to songs I'd already written on acoustic guitar. For the price, I don't think this would be a bad piece of software at all for a beginner just learning music. Indeed, the musical lessons and games bundled with the basic software are great tools in and of themselves for entry and intermediate-level musicians. The real meat of the program, however, seems more geared to those with a little experience at least.

Essentially, BIAB makes a 'band' of usually five pieces...drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, and strings...with options for creating more solo lines in it's soloist, melodist, and harmony functions. It does this from a 'style' you select from the many that come bundled with the operating software or others you can create or purchase as add-ons, and from the chords you input.

Since it's midi, key and tempo changes are easy and natural sounding. And since it can save songs as both BIAB project files and stereo midi files, using it in conjunction with computer-based softsynths or outboard midi-capable devices such as keyboards and synth modules, will give you royalty free arrangements with sounds much beyond your soundcard's GM or GM2 sounds.

The ability to score parts and print or save to graphic is a just one of the many features that will help communicate with others or learn parts you can play yourself. Midi files also travel easily over the internet to musical partners around the world. I've done it.

BIAB also accepts midi and audio input/recording into your project, so you are able to play along with the basic band...even sing along. You do need a basic understanding of computer recording to accomplish this, but the interface and help files/manual are more than adequate for a beginner.

I found no real glitches in a pretty thorough workout, although there are natually areas where I think it could be improved. Be aware that the main window for BIAB is quite large and not everything fits even on a 17" monitor, but floating and docking windows, programmable by the user, make almost every function no more than two or three clicks away.

I could rave on...but let me end by just saying I love this program. It's breathed fresh life into songwriting and has become a partner in creativity with me, much as my guitar has been for years. There is no level of user from a beginner to advanced musician who couldn't get something valuable from using it. My advice to those purchasing the program for or as a beginner is go with the basics...they are plenty and more than enough. For those with more experience, get one of the bundles advertised on thier website and you'll appreciate the much larger variety in styles BIAB is capable of emulating. I didn't, and wish I had.

Happy music making.

Especially for the beginner, now you can have a rhythm section to back you up. You can change the key, follow the notes on screen, change tempo. And your accompaniment never tires, always is on the beat, and always in tune. This is extremely valuable for anyone learning jazz. This is probably the best single investment that a jazz student could make.

Amazon does not have an entry for the current Mac version of this program, so I am submitting my review here. PG Music offers for sale separate tutorials that feature the current Windows version - it looks to be somewhat less cluttered, and therefore improved. Some specifics below regarding interface may have been addressed for Windows users.

When I describe BiaB as the EMACS of music software, I mean it to be both complimentary and critical. EMACS is a powerful text-based editor, etc., in UNIX, but it is also cumbersome and difficult to learn, especially for point'n'click types like me. Similarly, BiaB is an amazing music generation environment. With it, you can type a few chords (or even have the program do it for you!), and it will generate a whole band worth of accompaniment in a wide variety of user-selectable styles that generally sound quite realistic, and even a sometimes decent melody if desired. Users have control over a large range of options for the output. This is an expert system that captures a vast amount of musical knowledge and experience, and has features too numerous to list.

OTOH, the overall interface feel is abysmal. I will list just a few examples that illustrate the design philosophy: lard up on features at the expense of ease of use and consistency with modern interface conventions. 1) There are two different menu items for setting preferences, each having about three dozen options - one has a button which opens yet another preference window. This is an obvious application for a single tabbed dialog box organized on functional themes. 2) If you are working on a song and double-click a BiaB document in the Finder, BiaB will replace your song with the new document without asking about saving your current song. Poof, just gone. Unbelievable. 3) The chord entry interface is a little like a spreadsheet. It sometimes works like one too (tabs, arrow keys, select, cut, paste), but if you want to erase the contents, selecting then backspace/delete does not work. You have to select, hit the space key, then return. 4) Windows can be resized but the cells do not follow, so the cells on the right are clipped. 5) To play music, hit the intuitive cmd-A combination and to pause, the equally intuitive backspace key. Key shortcuts cannot be remapped (as far as I can tell).

I have been an irregular BiaB user since its very early days. It has always been an interesting, amusing program with a frustrating interface. There have been a few meaningful improvements recently, like the style picker, but it is still not an easy program to use as a whole. In 2006, my expectations for a solid user experience are higher. Programs can be difficult, complex, and hard to learn, and still be pretty well designed - BiaB isn't one of them.

Other improvements are possible but I would strongly recommend a complete redesign of the interface. Unfortunately, one gets the sense that the GUI and the music generating code are not well factored - the style editor interface looks like a direct port from a 512x320 Atari program (and it doesn't refresh properly on a laptop). I'm complaining mainly about the ease of use, not the visual appeal.

The other negative consideration is that the styles (I have all of them) have a distinct bias towards "jazzy" sounds. There is an option to tone down manually existing jazz influences (like 13b9 chords), but the unchangeable default is to incorporate them. That means that the music has a consistently "lounge lizard" quality, even for supposedly rock/pop styles. Sometimes that's desirable, but other times you might want a more sparse and/or driving sound with only basic chords. If you can struggle through the paleolithic style editor interface, you can make your own.

On balance, I consider this to be a powerful, maybe even invaluable, tool for composing and improving playing skills, but it's not for the faint-hearted.

I've only had BIAB for a month and already I have written a handful of compositions. I've only scratched the surface, but I am hooked. I have tried all sorts of software and most of them were either too complicated, too elementary and dinky sounding or they just wouldn't work with the pc soundcard I had. The BIAB worked great right out of the box and it sounds fantastic. All you have to do is tell it where you want chord changes and the "band" takes off adding fill-ins and riffs just like a real band. Better, actually, than a lot of the musicians I have played with over the years - and, the best part is there's no worrying about no-shows or complaining and griping from this band. It will make suggestions for changes and if you don't like them, it won't sulk and pout or leave practice early. It is great because it can be used at different levels of your experience or need. I use it just for backup, but you can add melody and solo parts by typing on your keyboard if you don't have a plug-in keyboard or instrument. You can also place music notes on the staff with your mouse if you prefer. The possibilities just go on and on.

The only negative I found is the guitars all sound very unreal, like rubber bands stretched across a tin can but all the software I have ever seen has the same problem. So far it appears the guitar can't be imitated with MIDI sounds unlike most other instruments. Since I play guitar that really doesn't bother me because with this product I can add my own guitar parts by recording on the audio tracks provided.

I write songs mostly as a hobby, but occasionally I perform publicly with a friend who plays bass. Now we can add accompanying instruments and become a whole band by burning a cd of what we need to add for each performance. For example, we do the vocals, rhythm guitar and bass, while the BIAB adds the drums and either keyboard, strings, brass, or any of a myriad of other available parts.

This product is a no-brainer if you love music but don't want to have to study for a week before you can use the product. The tutorials are easy to follow, but it does have an exhaustive manual if you crave the technical stuff. The bonus items that come with the 2007 BIAB are very nice, but a little too advanced for me just yet. For instance, there are real drum add-ons, if the MIDI drums don't suit your taste. But that is the beauty of this software - you can get a lot more complex if you want, but you don't have to get complicated to get a solid sound right off the bat. I'm happy with the elementary stuff but it will be fun to continue learning and making my backup band more lifelike as I go.

One of my buddy musicians told me about this program the other day. I saw him playing with it and immediately wanted it. I have now purchased it and have had it for a few weeks.
First of all, it is a great program with nearly endless potential. I use it primarily for improvisation practice and singing. The rhythm section is of course always right on time.
There was a minor learning curve to the program and many options I may not never use but it is nice that they are there just in case. You never know what the future may hold.
I've gotta say that this program is great and with no bugs. If you want to take the time to learn it you can get more than the small investment you put into it.
Thanks to PG Music for making a great and useful product for musicians.

I recieved this Band in a Box from my husband for Christmas. I had been introduced to it at the college during a Jazz Combo class I am taking. It seemed like it would be very helpful for learning to solo and things of that nature.
I find that there are TONS of things in the program that I can't understand how to use. I have read the manual for specific things to try to do and the manual isn't very reader friendly.
I find the program to be very entertaining though, and I am glad we got it.

Simply put, this is a kickass product. I dig the "big piano" which helps with left hand / right hand position. Since I purchased this item, my playing has improved 10-fold over the last 3-months. Now I realize I went too long playing solo. A backing band is what I needed and now it's what I got when I come home from the old day job and plunk the ebony and ivories.

I started with Band In A Box in the 90s when it was on DOS Diskettes. It has been my co-writer ever since. Each upgrade has taken it to new levels.

Band In A Box is like having musicians on call 24/7. And now with the "Auto Chord Wizard" I can let Band In A Box figure out the chord changes to any song within minutes.

This is an excellent software, I use it almost dayly as backing for my practice. I play jazz-guitar, and wether I want to practice improvising or comping this is a fantastic resource. I just type in the chords and choose an appropriate style. The program will produce excellent bass and druming, the 2007 version includes "real drummer" with the drums based on recorded playing of real drummers. This is an important improvements over older versions. The piano, guitar and string is OK, while if you add a melody line that is goint to sound very MIDI-like, not like live music, but sometimes it is still useful to have the melody playing.

For soloing and melody playing the comp is very good. I do not buy book/CD with backing tracks anymore. Even when I want to practice comping, it is important to have at least the bass and rythm to get an idea of how the comping sounds with a full band. Also in this respect is this software excellent.

Beware though that this is a rich program, and a such it contains much more features than you are likely to ever apply. With this rich set of possibilities, the downside is that it may be difficult to figure out how to do what you want. On one occation I sent an e-mail to the support, and got a swift and very helpful response.