Band In A Box: Pro or MegaPak?

**Joe_Guitar** · 11-18-2016, 03:56 PM

Was just watching some Jimmy Bruno vids on YouTube and saw Band in a Box.

Never heard of it before.

Just wondering if this would be a good piece of software to use as a backup band for soloing over changes? I'd just like to indicate the chords for the progression I want, and get it to generate a backing track - which I think it will do?

If so, what should I buy? Just looking at Pro or MegaPak. Does the Pro version have enough RealTraks and styles? OR do I need the MegaPak version? I would like to use it for bluegrass as well.

Anyone here using it and can provide any recommendations? Or should I be looking at something else?

Thanks
Joe

**kris** · 11-19-2016, 07:01 AM

Great soft for jazz guitarists!!!

**MarkRhodes** · 11-19-2016, 09:44 AM

Lots of people here use BIAB.

**Artpulis** · 11-19-2016, 09:56 AM

Joe, that's exactly how I use it. The Pro has all the stuff I need, but I'm just learning and don't have a lot of need for a lot of instruments. I just want to learn to hear the chord changes when I practice both solo and melody lines. Not cheap, but a great too as far as I'm concerned.

**grahambop** · 11-19-2016, 12:56 PM

You can buy individual styles separately, a less expensive way to add any extra ones you need e.g. Bluegrass.

**voxss** · 11-19-2016, 02:20 PM

228 jazz guitar solos with standard tunes...ive come to love them...just ignore the tempos...play at your own speed...theres other ways of learning jazz guitar...Really lol...heres the list.....BIAB File Name Based on Changes to BIAB Graded Level
GS001 Manha De Carnaval/Day In The Life Of A Fool Easier
GS002 East Of The Sun Easier
GS003 I Didn't Know What Time It Was Easier
GS004 Rosetta Easier
GS005 Pennies From Heaven Easier
GS006 Sunny Side Of The Street Easier
GS007 Nice Work If You Can Get It Easier
GS008 In A Mellow Tone Easier
GS009 Man I Love Easier
GS010 A Foggy Day variation w/bridge ??? Easier
GS011 Lady Be Good Easier
GS012 Girl From Ipanema Easier
GS013 It Could Happen To You Easier
GS014 How High The Moon Easier
GS015 You'd Be So Nice Easier
GS016 I Love You Easier
GS017 Ain't Misbehavin' Easier
GS018 Alone Together Easier
GS019 Wave Easier
GS020 Someday My Prince Will Come Easier
GS021 Satin Doll Easier
GS022 Sweet Georgia Brown Easier
GS023 Bb Blues w/variation Easier
GS024 Corcovado Easier
GS025 Autumn Leaves Easier
GS026 Stella By Starlight Easier
GS027 Honeysuckle Rose/Scrapple Easier
GS028 Rhythm Changes Easier
GS029 Green Dolphin Street Easier
GS030 "Take The ""A"" Train" Easier
GS031 My Funny Valentine Intermediate
GS032 When Your Lover Has Gone Intermediate
GS033 It's Only A Paper Moon Intermediate
GS034 Our Love Is Here To Stay Intermediate
GS035 A Foggy Day Intermediate
GS036 This Will Be My Shining Hour
GS037 My Romance Intermediate
GS038 Have You Met Miss Jones Intermediate
GS039 Advanced
GS040 Like Someone In Love Advanced
GS041 Just Friends Intermediate
GS042 Shadow Of Your Smile Advanced
GS043 It's You Or No One Advanced
GS044 Blue Skies Advanced
GS045 I Concentrate On You Advanced
GS046 All The Things You Are Advanced
GS047 Rhythm Changes Advanced
GS048 I Remember You Intermediate
GS049 There Will Never Be Another You Intermediate
GS050 How About You Intermediate
GS051 My Funny Valentine Easy
GS052 When Your Lover Has Gone Easy
GS053 Confirmation Easy
GS054 Once I Loved Easy
GS055 I'm In The Mood For Love Easy
GS056 Old Devil Moon Easy
GS057 Lazy Bird Easy
GS058 Georgia Easy
GS059 KTOBCTOI also 119 Easy
GS060 I Thought About You Easy
GS061 Where Or When Easy
GS062 It Don't Mean A Thing… Easy
GS063 Moonglow Easy
GS064 Fly Me To The Moon Easy
GS065 Don't Get Around Much Anymore Easy
GS066 All Blues Easy
GS067 Hello Dolly Easy
GS068 Blue Skies Easy
GS069 Bluesette Easy
GS070 A Night In Tunisia Easy
GS071 Darn That Dream Easy
GS072 Deed I do???? Easy
GS073 All The Things You Are Easy
GS074 Perdido Easy
GS075 On A Clear Day Easy
GS076 Triste Easy Bossa
GS077 Love Walked In Easy Swing
GS078 Yesterdays Easy
GS079 Back Home In Indiana/Donna Lee Easy
GS080 Just In Time Easy
GS081 That's All Intermediate
GS082 Airegin Intermediate
GS083 All Of You Intermediate
GS084 Am I Blue Intermediate
GS085 Blue Moon Intermediate
GS086 There Will Never Be Another You Intermediate
GS087 There Is No Greater Love Intermediate
GS088 Jeannine Intermediate
GS089 Jordu Intermediate
GS090 Intermediate
GS091 If I Should Lose You Intermediate
GS092 Speak Low Intermediate
GS093 Algo Bueno Intermediate
GS094 Blue Bossa Intermediate
GS095 Easy Living Intermediate
GS096 Bye Bye Blackbird Intermediate
GS097 Four Intermediate
GS098 Joy Spring Intermediate
GS099 Laura Intermediate
GS100 Colors of Chloe???? Intermediate
GS101 Falling In Love With Love Intermediate
GS102 I Should Care Intermediate
GS103 In Your Own Sweet Way Intermediate
GS104 Alice In Wonderland Intermediate
GS105 Just Friends Intermediate
GS106 Up A Lazy River Intermediate
GS107 Cherokee Intermediate
GS108 Dolphin Dance Intermediate
GS109 Doxy Intermediate
GS110 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me Intermediate
GS111 My Funny Valentine Chord Solo
GS112 When Your Lover Has Gone Chord Solo
GS113 Confirmation Chord Solo
GS114 Once I Loved Chord Solo
GS115 I'm In The Mood For Love Chord Solo
GS116 Old Devil Moon Chord Solo
GS117 Lazy Bird Chord Solo
GS118 Georgia Chord Solo
GS119 Same as 59 Chord Solo
GS120 I Thought About You Chord Solo
GS121 Where Or When Chord Solo
GS122 It Don't Mean A Thing… Chord Solo
GS123 Moonglow Chord Solo
GS124 Fly Me To The Moon Chord Solo
GS125 Don't Get Around Much Anymore Chord Solo
GS126 All Blues Chord Solo
GS127 Hello Dolly Chord Solo
GS128 Blue Skies Chord Solo
GS129 Bluesette Chord Solo
GS130 A Night In Tunisia Chord Solo
GS131 Darn That Dream Chord Solo
GS132 Deed I do Chord Solo
GS133 All The Things You Are Chord Solo
GS134 Perdido Chord Solo
GS135 On A Clear Day Chord Solo
GS136 Triste Chord Solo
GS137 Love Walked In Chord Solo
GS138 Yesterdays Chord Solo
GS139 Back Home In Indiana/Donna Lee Chord Solo
GS140 Just In Time Chord Solo
GS141 Satin Doll Advanced
GS142 Night And Day Advanced
GS143 Lullaby Of Birdland Advanced
GS144 Girl From Ipanema Advanced
GS145 Advanced
GS146 I Hear A Rhapsody Advanced
GS147 How Long Has This Been Going On Advanced
GS148 Wave Advanced
GS149 It Had To Be You Advanced
GS150 On The Street Where You Live Advanced
GS151 Falling In Love With Love ????? Advanced
GS152 Easy To Love Advanced
GS153 Deed I Do Advanced
GS154 Days Of Wine And Roses Advanced
GS155 Come Rain Or Shine Advanced
GS156 Bb Blues Advanced
GS157 Am I Blue Advanced
GS158 I'll Remember April Advanced
GS159 All Of Me Advanced
GS160 After You're Gone Advanced
GS161 Yesterdays Advanced
GS162 Autumn Leaves Advanced
GS163 Back Home In Indiana/Donna Lee Advanced
GS164 Tenderly Advanced
GS165 Tangerine Advanced
GS166 Summertime Advanced
GS167 Stella By Starlight Advanced
GS168 The Song Is You Advanced
GS169 Just In Time Advanced
GS170 On A Clear Day Advanced
GS171 I'm In The Mood For Love Comping
GS172 My Funny Valentine Comping
GS173 When Your Lover Has Gone Comping
GS174 Once I Loved Comping
GS175 My Funny Valentine Comping
GS176 When Your Lover Has Gone Comping
GS177 My Funny Valentine Comping
GS178 My Funny Valentine Comping

**Alastair** · 11-19-2016, 03:26 PM

I use BIAB extensively for practice and performance. IReal Pro is a free app that might do you for just basic practice, but BIAB's real tracks and flexibility are worth the price. In addition to inputting your own changes you can download hundreds of songs (mostly jazz but a fair number of pop, bluegrass, etc) from an unaffiliated user forum. For use in a performance setting, I recommend also getting the BIAB iPad app, which sits unobtrusively on a music stand.

**mercosound** · 11-19-2016, 08:35 PM

I've been a BIAB user/fan for a few years now - great program. The sound quality of the rhythm tracks is very good, and the versatility of the program is impressive.

**Joe_Guitar** · 11-20-2016, 08:33 AM

Thanks for all the great replies.

Guess I'll buy the Pro version and go from there.

Thanks again,
Joe

**henryrobinett** · 11-21-2016, 09:56 AM

I just bought the pro version. Let's see how it goes.

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**grahambop** · 11-21-2016, 10:36 AM

The only thing that annoys me about BIAB is that it does have a habit in the Real Tracks jazz styles of randomly playing dominant 7 chords as Altered 7ths. There does not seem to be any way of controlling this. Obviously it sounds ok a lot of the time, but now and then in a chord sequence you really need a straight 7th chord and you get an Alt, sounds weird.

In the older MIDI versions you could control this, but not any more it seems.

**Artpulis** · 11-21-2016, 02:01 PM

I've been looking for BIAB files, and just ran across this site. Great resource!

Just Chords: BiaB Resources

**Artpulis** · 11-21-2016, 06:05 PM

Another great source. I now have about all the BIAB files I may ever need

RealBook - Phillips Music

**grahambop** · 11-22-2016, 04:19 AM

Originally Posted by fuzzthebee

As a compromise, I usually put 9th or 13th in these cases. It seems to lessen the frequency. One funny thing I've noticed with the Kenny Barron piano parts, they often have 13b9's being voiced when you type in 'altered'. So, if you don't want that natural 13, you have to specify #9,b13 or whatever you want.

I've tried the 9th thing, I'm not convinced it makes much difference.

Also when you want a specific chord, you can't always get it. Try putting the 7#9 chord at the beginning of Goodbye Porkpie Hat. It rarely plays it.

Although for some reason the 'smooth jazz' style electric piano does play that chord! So this stuff must be built into each style somehow.

**voxss** · 11-23-2016, 03:00 AM

to supplement BB grab these.. WES transcriptions....In this second installment of great jazz guitarists for Band-*-in-*-a-*-Box, Stelios Panos brings us 100 great transcriptions from Wes’s repertoire. ......Django In A Box Wes

**voxss** · 11-23-2016, 03:07 AM

nice video here on how to use the WES FILES........from STELIOS........Django In A Box Free songs

**henryrobinett** · 11-24-2016, 03:26 AM

I know there's potential there but at first blush I think it's kind of terrible. I need to figure out how to better customize some of these tunes. Like changing some of the chords. I resent manuals.

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**voxss** · 11-24-2016, 04:31 AM

i agree some the backing on the WES tracks are IFFY..the transcriptions are awesome...some the tracks with the puncutated silence i need to sort out...

**henryrobinett** · 11-24-2016, 11:41 AM

I meant BIAB in general. I just bought BIAB. I haven't checked the Wes stuff yet. Sorry if I confused you. If not, carry on.

**grahambop** · 11-24-2016, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I meant BIAB in general. I just bought BIAB. I haven't checked the Wes stuff yet. Sorry if I confused you. If not, carry on.

Hi Henry, it's worth checking out the keyboard shortcuts which should be somewhere in the manual or the help. For example typing cj will give you Cmaj7 and typing ch will give you Cm7b5, it can save some time typing! I think you can type c7alt too to get a generic alt7 chord. There may be others, I haven't used it for a while.

There also used to be an option where you could just type in C, Cm, C7 etc, then select 'Jazz up the chords' and it would add all the 'jazz' extensions, don't know if that's still there. (although I prefer to type exactly what I want).

I think there's also a command to copy the first 8 bars to the next 8 bars, handy for setting up an AABA form quickly.

**henryrobinett** · 11-24-2016, 04:43 PM

That's great. Thanks graham. Is there a way to edit songs I opened by editing the lead sheet? I haven't spent a lot of time trying but I didn't figure that part out.

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**grahambop** · 11-24-2016, 04:53 PM

I haven't used the notation editor if that's what you mean. I have only used the chord input layout (i.e. where it just shows the chords and nothing else).

**grahambop** · 11-25-2016, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by fuzzthebee

Speaking of the 'smooth jazz' style - I've discovered a trick to have the smooth jazz electric piano combine with a more straight ahead rhythm section.

It involves putting the straight-ahead bass and drum tracks into a DAW. Then in BIAB, you swap the regular piano for a smooth jazz electric piano part and reduce chord duration and tempo by 1/2. This is necessary because the smooth jazz styles are based on a 16th note swing. You'll have to adjust the length of the count-in, too. Now you are ready to drag the electric piano part to the DAW. Presto. Easier than it sounds, really.

As it happens, I have done this too! Actually I think I did it all in BIAB, not sure how exactly.

**Guitarzen** · 11-25-2016, 08:56 PM

Probably too late for the OP, but BiaB always has a great sale around christmas time. So for those of you who might be thinking about buying it...wait till the christmas sale. It's usually a pretty significant savings on all of the bundles. And yes, BiaB is absolutely essential software for jazz improvisors. Probably on sale now for black friday...

**Joe_Guitar** · 11-26-2016, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Guitarzen

Probably too late for the OP, but BiaB always has a great sale around christmas time. So for those of you who might be thinking about buying it...wait till the christmas sale. It's usually a pretty significant savings on all of the bundles. And yes, BiaB is absolutely essential software for jazz improvisors. Probably on sale now for black friday...

Hi Guitarzen,

i bought the pro version of it last week from musicians friend. Had a coupon and it ended up being somewhere around $87.

Joe