Review : Band In A Box 2009
By Fred Grittner* 03rd July 2009

As a songwriter I have always looked for tools to enhance by creativity and productivity. Over the past 15 years I have used Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) by PG Music (www.pgmusic.com) as my primary piece of software when I arrange--and sometimes write--my music. For many of you reading these first two sentences, you might be tempted to chuckle and move on to another web article, dismissing the concept and results of an auto-accompaniment program. I cannot stop you but you might be surprised at what BiaB can do these days.

Although the GUI has not changed much in 20 years, Dr. Peter Gannon and his colleagues in Victoria, British Columbia have worked under the hood on BiaB, making dramatic strides in computer-assisted arranging and accompaniment.   There are many, many features that I am going to either briefly mention or ignore in this review (including ear training, instrument training, importing and analyzing MIDI files and Audio to work inside BiaB, basic notation, and lead sheets for printing), concentrating on an exciting technology that creates backing tracks that go beyond MIDI-generated sounds. When properly arranged and tweaked, BiaB arrangements using RealDrums and RealTracks are more “real” than anything generated by software these days. In addition, I will briefly take a look at a companion program, RealBand, which lets you use more “Real” instruments than BiaB inside a basic DAW.

Count-In

You have several options when you purchase BiaB. You can download the program and add-ons immediately, request the installation discs, or receive some of the packages pre-installed on an 80GB USB hard drive that allows you to run the program directly from the drive. Downloading is very convenient but I tested BiaB 2009 using the hard drive option.  It should be noted that BiaB does not write to the Windows registry, so installing, uninstalling or moving the program is a breeze. If you opt for the download disk options, you will install a series of exe files that write the program to your C drive. However, you do have the option to install the many gigabytes of audio files to another drive. (One more thing: the program is updated on a regular basis, so always keep an eye on the PG Music website.)
The first time you start the program it walks you through MIDI and audio settings for your hardware. If your MIDI sound source is a hardware module, there are many template files that simplify patch and drum map settings. It is likely that you will have to return to these menus to tweak a few things if you opt to use a VSTi to drive the General Midi sound set.

Intro

When you boot up BiaB you will view its venerable interface (Figure 1)--the basic features have remained the same but many more icons have been added as the program has grown in features. Some users and potential users are unhappy with the graphics and layout of the main screen (think Windows 3.1) but I have never had the GUI stop me from making music.

What we see each time we start BiaB is an empty chord chart--numbered bars in which to insert chords.  You can insert up to four chords per bar. Most standard chords are available including modal 5 chords, suspended chords, and most helpfully, slash chords (changing the bass note from its standard root note.)  Faced with the empty chord chart, I usually set an approximate tempo in the box right above the chord chart, which is next to the key signature menu. I set the tempo and key and then begin entering the chords to a song I have written or have started writing.

At this point BiaB is still dormant.  I click on the Style button in the left hand-corner right above bar 1 of the chart.  A Stylepicker window opens that discloses the styles you have purchased. There are thousands of styles available from PG Music, along with some good commercial third-party ones as well.  If that is not enough, you can create your own styles (very tedious) and make hybrid styles using individual instruments from any of the styles. The styles are grouped by genre and non-4/4 time signatures. The picker will place an asterisk next to styles that match the selected tempo. Typically there are 8 and 16 beat feel styles for you to choose from. A memo is given for each style that lists the tempo range for the style (it can be 30-40 bpm in many cases) and describes the instruments assigned to the style. Another thing to note is that over the years the styles have improved--MIDI pickups on stringed instruments helped the process.

Once I load a style I return to the main screen and click the play button. Within a few seconds I hear a two-bar drum count-in and then the music begins to play.  There are five instrument slots-most styles use all five slots. The slots are listed as bass, piano, drums, guitar, and strings.  However, aside from the drums slot, none of the sounds are hard-coded, so styles may have a banjo in a piano slot and a second guitar in the strings slot. In addition, you can substitute different sounds and override the program.  Each time I stop BiaB and then hit play, the song is recomposed, with different phrases being inserted and moved around with each play.

As the music plays it is important to use the style section markers to demarcate introductions, verses, bridges, choruses, fade-outs, and endings. Most styles have two sub-styles named A and B. (There are few styles with C and D as well.) The A sub-style is usually the simpler of the two, laying down the basic groove with perhaps a side-stick and a simple piano pattern. When you add an A or B marker in most styles, a drum fill will be triggered in the bar leading up to the marker. This is a convenient way to move from introduction to verse to chorus, shifting from a simple drum groove to a more energetic one in the chorus. Of course, if you don’t want drum fills and want to keep a simple arrangement you can choose to stick with just one A marker for the song.

I don’t usually get the perfect style the first time I hit the play button. I return to the Stylepicker, and while in this window, preview other styles.  When I find one I like I go back to the chart window and tweak the A and B part markers and the instruments.   I should also note that other styles can be inserted into the song as well as tempo and key changes. You can tell BiaB to have all or some instruments hold a chord, play a shot, or lay out for as many measures as you wish.  There are too many options to go into detail for this review, but I can say there is more than enough to keep an MIDI arranger busy, tweaking details. 

As for instruments, BiaB relies on the GM and GM2 specifications for calling up and triggering sounds. For many years I used Roland modules that were mapped to GM in BiaB. Several years ago BiaB provided soft synth users with the option of using a GM software module as the sound source. The program comes with the Roland VSC DXi  GM set that is pretty good but I have relied on Native Instrument’s Bandstand for my Midi sounds.  Bandstand automatically loads the sounds and provides a nice set of bread-and-butter sounds.  They certainly cannot compare with more expensive virtual instruments such as Sample Tank, Colossus, Goliath, etc., but for basic composition and arrangement purposes Bandstand is fine.
Here is an example of a MIDI-only BiaB file that I rendered to a stereo wav file in BiaB using the Roland VSC DXi sounds. I converted it to a 96k mp3 file:

At this point users can play in a melody via MIDI using the melody slot. I rarely do so--I reserve this work for SONAR.  There is also another slot named Soloist. When you click the large yellow button a window appears that lets you pick an instrument that will produce solo melodic lines to accompany the five-track band.  This is a fun option but I rarely use it; for me it takes too much time to edit and the MIDI phrases tend to be a bit busy.   Finally, there is a Melody button--you can have BiaB create a melody for your chord changes. This can be useful as a “prime the pump” compositional technique.  In addition, you can use Melody to generate a song from scratch, complete with randomly-generated and often bizarre title, a melody and chords. Again, the program will sometimes generate a chord progression that can be used to start a composition.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The world of MIDI that I have just described has been of great value to me as I write and record my original songs and help others produce their songs. Until a few years ago   I would export a Standard MIDI File from BiaB once I felt the arrangement was complete, bring it into Sonar, tweak the MIDI tracks, and then render them to audio tracks.  My workflow began to change when BiaB was upgraded to include what PG Music calls RealDrums. RealDrums combines stereo 1 to 8 bar audio tracks of performances by professional drummers, cut into various phrases, with a programming language that assembles a finished drum track based on the drum style--and sub-styles-- you select and the A and B part markers you lay down.  (Figure 2) RealDrums takes the style information and part information and within seconds it creates a track that would take me 30-45 minutes in SONAR or Acid. Think of RealDrums as an automated loop creator even though the files are much larger than typical drum loops packages.  The performances were recorded at several base tempos and then are stretched up or down based on the tempo of the song.  The nice thing is that in all but the rarest moment, a RealDrums track makes musical sense. And of course, the realism of well-recorded drum tracks is hard to match with MIDI-rendered audio tracks. It can be done if you have one of the top drum sampler instruments as well as time and patience and expertise. I don’t have the last three that is for sure.... One downer is that the files are supplied as WMA files. These are heavily compressed and for some the loss of 16 bit audio completeness may me a deal-breaker. PG Music has a solution I will discuss shortly.

My exports from BiaB included the MIDI tracks and a 16 bit stereo wave file of the RealDrums track.  I do have to admit that not all of my recordings retain the RealDrums track; sometimes I go back into my drum loops collection and assemble a track that fits the arrangement or the ambience of the complete recording better.  However, RealDrums work well--they are not drenched in reverb and there are many variations to choose from that move from hi hat to ride cymbal, from brush to stick, and from open hi hat to closed hi hat.  There are some very cool brush drum grooves in straight and swing time, including jazz grooves by drummer Terry Clarke that are very cool when mixed in with an acoustic bass and comping jazz guitar.  PG Music has generously provided a tutorial on how users can edit their own drums loops and create the programming text files to make custom RealDrums.  Note to drum loop companies--you are missing the boat on repurposing your loops for BiaB. You have the grooves, fills, intros, endings and such sitting on your hard drives. It wouldn’t take you long to figure out the programming and you would have a downloadable product for pop, rock, country, gospel, blues, and jazz that would surely attract customers.

Here is the same tune in the same style I used before, this time rendered with RealDrums and sounds from Bandstand:

The increase in realism that RealDrums achieved has been dwarfed by the introduction in 2007 of RealTracks. The beginning was modest--several instruments, including a pedal steel guitar recorded at 85 BPM--but the promise was great. The programmers sought to apply the same stretching technology that had developed for drums to guitars, bass, piano, B3 organ, sax, trumpet, trombone, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, etc.  Over the course of 2008 well over 100 instruments were released and the stretching techniques became better, with fewer artifacts.  Because there are so many holes to fill in the RealTracks universe we can expect to see many exciting new instruments. Unlike RealDrums, you cannot make your own RealTracks--but for heaven’s sake, who would have the patience to coordinate all the details of such a process. One thing to emphasize is that most of the RealTracks are designed for rock, country, bluegrass, blues, and pop.  The jazz instruments are wonderful but they are not yet as plentiful.
RealTracks work within the framework of the instrument slots. Instead of a MIDI instrument the style includes, for example, an acoustic bass, a jazz piano, a strummed jazz guitar, and a trombone.  One of the highlights of the recent release is the Freddy Green acoustic jazz guitar instrument. Load in a classic jazz or Broadway standard, then the Freddy Green style, and hit play. Pure heaven.

As with MIDI instruments, if you don’t like the particular RealTracks loaded in with the style, it is easy to choose another one. Just right-click over the instrument slot, which moves you to the RealTracks window.  (Figure 3) This window lists each instrument and its attributes in a spreadsheet. The information includes the name of the musician who played the parts and a capsule biography. Very cool and very nice to acknowledge these usually anonymous players.

As the arrangement comes into form you can also load RealTracks into the Melody and Soloist slots to increase your track count.  (You also can access RealTracks through the Soloist feature, which at times can add some spice to a backing track.) You have the option of exporting instruments individually one at a time or in a group export. Again, these are WMA-based audio files that are converted into 16 bit wave files. 
For a bit more audio quality you can fork out a considerable amount of money to purchase all of the RealDrums and RealTracks in their original 16 bit, uncompressed glory on a 500 GB USB drive.   Someday I probably will give them a try but for now I think the quality is fine. This is especially true if you mix in your own recorded instruments.  However, there are limits to how far you can go with these tempo-based loops. Artifacts and warbling occur when you go too far. I have found that the fingerpicked and strummed acoustic guitars are very sensitive to even minor tempo changes, while bass guitar lines can be sped up quite a ways with no serious effects. 

Here is the same tune I used before, this time with a different style that uses no MIDI sounds, just RealTracks bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and harmonica, along with Real Drums:

Where to Go?

With the RealTracks and RealDrums in good shape I can export the files and move them into Sonar as I have done in the past with MIDI tracks. However, PG Music has created RealBand, a mix of BiaB and its PowerTracks DAW. (Figure 4)  RealBand reads BiaB files, loads in RealTracks, and freezes them. In addition, you can punch in and out of the RealTracks in RealBand, recomposing just the sections you believe need some tweaking. Moreover, you can create as many RealTracks as you wish--there are no limits on how many tracks you can use.

As you can see from the screenshot, RealBand permits you to record your audio tracks and reduce them down to a stereo mix.  Despite the increased flexibility in using RealTracks, I am not sold on the graphics. Objects are not as crisp as I would like--the GUI limitations that I tolerate in BiaB are not as easily forgivable in a chord chart view/track view/mixer view setup.  So I am inclined to bring the files into Sonar or Logic (when I work on the Mac side of my Intel Mac) for working on the final product.

Tag Lines

I have encountered a number of musicians in person and online that turn up their noses at the idea of a computer program arranging and creating tracks. It is very similar to the arguments concerning whether a person who assembles a song with loops is doing anything particularly creative.  I think it depends on how you define creativity and what tools are privileged in making music. It is clear to me that a person who knows little or nothing about chord theory will have not much success with BiaB or enjoy the experience unless they fully explore the tools that BiaB provides.  There are a number of features within the program that assist people who may not know much about chord theory.  The melodist, chord builder, the importing of MIDI files and Wav or MP3 files can accelerate the learning process.
For many users of BiaB the program helps them construct backing tracks for  one-person gigs. Not the most hip thing in the world perhaps but a legitimate use.  For the songwriters who use it, the program gives them an opportunity to quickly test out an idea. I had a good handle on chord theory when I started working with BiaB back in the 90s but the chance to experiment with chord substitutions has helped me better understand what a single change in chording can do to help or hurt a composition. I have also benefited from being able to change the key to test out my vocal range for a particular song. The same goes for tempo--a shift of a few BPMs up or down can make quite a difference.

So, is BiaB going to replace musicians? Who knows? Back in 2001 I asked a drummer to add drums to one of my songs.  I gave him a demo with a rock track that included my guitars and vocals, along with BiaB bass and drums.  I didn’t tell him the source of the drum track. He called me up and said he wasn’t sure he could do much better than the drum track that was on the demo.  Things changed quickly when I told him it was a MIDI-generated track straight out of BiaB.  He started to pick apart elements that had gone unnoticed before.  This past year I sent a set of audio tracks from a song I wrote to a major studio with state-of-the-art equipment for an artist to sing over. While the artist replaced my acoustic guitars (which I did play!) and added a piano, he told me the engineer thought the bass, banjo, and fiddle sounded great  The bass and banjo were MIDI-generated through BiaB, while the fiddle was a RealTracks instrument I carefully edited. The engineer was quite surprised when he found out. 

I have since learned my lesson NOT to volunteer such information--not because I feel guilty or feel less a musician, but because for some listeners the knowledge distorts their experiencing of the music. The point is to present a song or composition as a complete work.  When I used a brush drum kit from a Roland module in the mid-1990s on my second album, the limitations of the sampled kit and my programming skills led a few listeners to tell me with some assurance that those were not “real drums” but a drum machine. As time has moved on and tools like BiaB and RealTracks and RealDrums have become available, I rarely hear such comments. Instead, I am asked “who was that banjo player you used?”

There is so much I ignored in BiaB but I wanted to focus on the startling technology that has been developed outside the eye of the mainstream music media. If at the end of this review you are even mildly curious, I would suggest you check out BiaB. It is one piece of software I can’t see myself ever doing without.

For this review I used BiaB on my Mac Intel Bootcamp partition with no problems. It can also be run on Parallels and VMware Fusion virtualization software if you are using a Mac.  However, the good news is that there is a new MAC version out now that runs RealDrums and RealTracks. I have had the MAC version for over a month and though it lacks many features of the PC version that I didn’t cover, the implementation of the RealDrums and RealTracks is outstanding. It takes a fraction of the time to generate these tracks. The same goes for rendering the tracks—a menu gives you the ability to easily render MIDI and audio tracks. I have stopped using BiaB on BootCamp and have gone native.

*Fred Grittner is a singer-songwriter living in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and www.fredgrittner.com