BIAB Info On Current Program Requested

[Douglas Schuch]

Hey,

I have BIAB 2011.5. Yep - nearly 10 years old. I've use it some in the past, but not a bunch. However, lately I have been using it more. So long-time users - how much has it changed in 10 years? Will I be starting from square 1 (maybe not a bad thing as the old version was not very easy to figure out)? How easy is it to learn - I would have been totally lost if not for the instructional video by Rick Cambell!

I'm thinking about upgrading to the current Pro version. If I'm reading their sales pitch right, this will give me a pretty extensive selection of real tracks to work with. I am mostly using it to create blues backing tracks to record myself playing blues harp with, or blues/jazz/country style songs where I may use several instruments (psg, dobro, harmonica, etc). Most are not complex structurally - just a matter of getting the right instruments doing what I want.

Thoughts? Worth the upgrade (only $79)?

Thanks,

Doug

[Erv Niehaus]

I would go with the upgrade.
You never know what you're missing!
Erv

[Jim Fogle]

Douglas, I hope you will go for it. There are a lot of differences that you will appreciate.

Even though the ProPAK has the least amount of content, it's still likely more content than what you have now, depending somewhat on what package you purchased in 2011.

There are huge differences between 2011.5 and 2021 Band-in-a-Box.

One thing you should find is your existing content should sound better as the sound engine inside the program is new.

The time shift and pitch shift technology has been upgraded at least twice. The program will not need the + and - RealTrack variations your existing RealTracks presently have.

16 additional tracks, utility tracks, have been added to the mixer.

There are two Audio Chord Wizards that detects the chords, tempo and time signature of an audio file and fills out the chord sheet.

Getting the ProPAK allows you time to learn the program without the distraction of content overload.

You get the same Band-in-a-Box program in all packages. The difference in the packages is in the amount of content included.

For reference the UltraPAK+ and Audiophile packages include all available package content but does not include XtraStyles or bonus package content.

The difference between the UltraPAK+ and UltraPAK is some older instructional material.

The MegaPAK includes about 1/3rd the content as the packages above.

The ProPAK includes about 1/10th the content as the UltraPAK+ and Audiophile packages.

[Douglas Schuch]

Thanks for the replies Jim and Erv. Once I started using my old version, some of the tricks I once new came back to me, and so far it's meeting my needs. So for now I'm holding! I am sure I will revisit this again eventually.

[Jim Fogle]

Douglas,

You never mentioned if you have a Mac or Windows computer. The reason I ask is PG Music typically releases a new Mac program around June and a new Windows program around December. When there is a new release, that version will typically be on sale for about a month. The sale price is generally between 50 to 60 percent of the normal retail price. Also, even though you have 2011.5 you are still eligible for the upgrade price.

Another avenue to explore is purchasing from a distributor instead of direct from PG Music. Most online music merchants like Guitar Center and Sweetwater offer Band-in-a-Box. Sometimes you can find an older version that is still in the box at a deeply discounted price, especially just before or after a new version is released.

Finally, one international distributor, Joanne Cooper has a good reputation for offering Band-in-a-Box at a reasonable price. Her website is here: https://www.joannecooper.co.za/