The Steel Guitar Forum

Posted: **20 Dec 2003 7:13 am**

Is Band-In-A Box the best program of its kind out there or is there a better (cheaper) program that I should look at. The only thing I use it for is to practice licks or breaks I am working on. I can easily speed it up as I become more proficient playing.

Thanks

Steve Schaefer

Posted: **20 Dec 2003 9:13 am**

Steve, I use BIAB in some of my MIDI stuff along with JAMMER, another music generator. When I get the BIAB and/or JAMMER parts like I want I convert them to MIDI files, put 'em in Cakewalk and cut and paste the parts I want to save and edit them with Cakewalk. I have some pretty good sounding tracks.
Woody Woodell

Posted: **20 Dec 2003 9:47 am**

BIAB is about as good as gets for general backup tracks. They just came out with a new version: "2004". And just before Christmas too. Why do they do that???
Woody,
I've got the basic "Jammer" also. Do you have their upgrades? They were always a little too expensive for my tastes.
Erv

Posted: **20 Dec 2003 6:13 pm**

I started w/ver 7 in 1996 and they "get me" nearly every year w/a new version. Cheaper?
What would do that any cheaper? $88. or $49.
for the up grade? I just got the upgrade this year & am happy w/it even though I have yet to try all the bells & whistles! I like the "on-screen" page! Way to go pgmusic!
(This is not a paid commercial !)You ought to hear the tune Woody did w/BIAB that I heard. Way beyond anything I ever was able to do! I do have over 2,000 tunes, mostly old standards.....maybe 400 or old country from my pickin' days.[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 20 December 2003 at 06:20 PM.][This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 22 December 2003 at 06:51 PM.]

Posted: **22 Dec 2003 12:55 am**

Woody, do you have a website address for Jammer? I cannot seem to find it with Google.
Thanks

EDITED: Found it! Thanks anyway.
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Peter den Hartogh-Emmons 1978 S10 - Fender Artist S10-Remington U12-Hilton Volume Pedal-Gibson BR4 lapsteel-Guya "Stringmaster" Copy-MusicMan112RP-Peavy Rage158- - My Animation College in South Africa

[This message was edited by Peter on 22 December 2003 at 02:52 AM.]

Posted: **22 Dec 2003 4:16 am**

I just picked up the upgrade and it has a lot of nice new features to it. The main screen is much easier on the eyes and they have more odd time signature support.
All of the MP3 files on my web site were all done using BIAB for backup and Power Tracks for the recording.
BIAB is the best bang for the buck IMO.
You can check out the files under the time line page at www.gwixon.com
George

Posted: **22 Dec 2003 4:22 am**

I have an older version of JAMMER and never did get an upgrade although I did purchase some additional band styles that they came out with after I got into MIDI.
My latest version of BIAB is version 7.
I have an old computer which I kept years ago when I upgraded, which has Windows 3.1 on it. I use an older version of Cakewalk because it's simpler (for me) to cut and paste tracks in the track pane. Once I get it mixed and everything, I transfer it to my newer computer which has a late version of Cakewalk Home Studio. My new computer has Soundblaster Live! MP3 which came with an additional about 500 sound fonts from EMU, which I believe is Creative's parent company. It has all sorts of trumpets and saxes and everything with different expressions, all sorts of guitars, even 12 string guitars, it's incredible.
So I can then use the patches I want and it works pretty good for me.
Woody Woodell

Posted: **22 Dec 2003 7:47 am**

I recently burned a couple of CDs with backup tracks. I was lost as how to do it. I went into BIAB and did some scouting around. I found out that I could convert the BIAB midi tracks to wav files, store them in BIAB and then pull them up to burn the CD. Am looking forward the the 2004 version. My first version of BIAB was for DOS. The next version was set up for Windows. They just keep getting better and better and ------.
Jammer is made by Soundtrek out of Duluth, Georgia. There phone number is: 800-778-6859.
Their web site is www.soundtrek.com
I have the Jammer Pro, version 3.0 but the last time I was contacted by them, they had come out with a version 4.0.

Erv[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 22 December 2003 at 07:51 AM.][This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 22 December 2003 at 07:52 AM.]