Band in a Box 2014..

With User tracks (make your own style) and new looks.

I ordered the 2014 version.  You've been able to make MIDI styles for some time now, but this new version (not yet received) allows you to make your own REALTRACKS.  It will be interesting to see what that will do with all of these loop collections I've gotten over the years.

Man I like BIAB 2013 for sketching out a style after the song structure is pretty final.
 
Not sure what the new stuff would do for me though. I'm a simpleton.

Starise
 I tried getting the band in a box last year and they would have none of it. The drummer needs to loose weight, me too.  2014 probably won't be much different.

May I suggest a bigger box?

I have been looking at this but still don't get the jest of it yet. (dim bulb here) Is there a direct interface between biab and X3 or can you export/import audio/midi tracks created by biab 2014 and use Sonar as the mixer?
 
Would a first time user be better off starting with the small pro package, megaPak, UltraPlusPAK, or EverythingPAK?
 
It doesn't look like it gets discounted much.

rtucker55
I have been looking at this but still don't get the jest of it yet. (dim bulb here) Is there a direct interface between biab and X3 or can you export/import audio/midi tracks created by biab 2014 and use Sonar as the mixer?
 
Would a first time user be better off starting with the small pro package, megaPak, UltraPlusPAK, or EverythingPAK?
 
It doesn't look like it gets discounted much.

No interface between BIAB and any DAW. It's a standalone program. However, one you have an arrangement you can export individual tracks (sometime audio and sometimes MIDI depending on the style) that can be brought into SONAR for manipulation/use.
 
Hard to say what is best for any first time user as some may be intimidated by the biggest and best and others will feel cheated by the basic version.
 
You're right, it does not get discounted much and if you skip versions you can see that generally costs a few $ more (look at pricing of 2012->2014 vs 2013->2014).
 

BiaB comes with a plug-in mode where BiaB and Sonar can be on  at the same time. The best way to do this is to have BiaB using MME drivers and Sonar using ASIO. You can then easily move both MIDI and/or audio tracks from BiaB to Sonar.
 
I start most of my songs in BiaB then finish them in Sonar.

1989 was a good year in my life. Hopefully it will bring back some good memories.
 
Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks for the link Jerry! It looks pretty simple. Now if I can find a copy of a multi ASIO server plug so I can run Sonar and biab at the same time I should be in business.

I use the audiphile versions and 2014 is on its way to my doorstep. It is incredible as well as a bit embarrassing.

I wonder if there will be aftermarket real track packages with this feature that allows you to make your own. Similar to the Notes Norton package of aftermarket MIDI styles.

WSS

I am just trying to get the whole biab thing sorted out. man, this is one kind of a program! looks like you can spend ages with it and only sratch just a bit of it.

I am more about writing songs than producing them I suppose, I play guitar and sing, but I have songs that need strings and piano and I struggle with trying to create those parts, so I'm hoping BiaB will help me get all of the music out of my head and into a digital file.  To be able to give BiaB a chord progression and a song structure, and then let it construct the instrument parts you specifiy...what?  No way!  Way!  I'm excited.  C'mon Santa!  Let the learning begin....   

I have been using BiaB for a number of years now so here is my take on your questions:
 
1-this is totally dependent on your system specs, ie on my system realtracks load very fast.
 
2-I have never seen this. There can be some added notes to a chord as many players do this intentionally. For instance you put in a 7^th chord you may get a 9^th or 13^th depending on the style you have chose. This is especially true for jazz styles. There is a flag to either jazz up or jazz down chords but sometimes this still happens. In MIDI this is not a problem as you just edit out or in whatever you want. If you have Melodyne Editor you should be able to do this with realtracks also.
 
3-this is true. I haven’t see the 2014 version but from what I have read on the forum this is still true for the GUI. Fortunately the PGMusic forum members are extremely nice and will amswer any questions you have.
 
I will add that music reading musician or one with some chord knowledge can get started in BiaB very rapidly. In fact you can start making music with it without reading the manual. The problem comes in when you get deeper into the program. The terminology and placement and execution of many functions are not logically placed IMO. However once you get that down things fall more rapidly in place.
 
I hope this helps.
 
-edited for typos-