A Quick Way to Make Your Own Music
You may have heard about Band-in-a-Box from PG Music, Inc. It is the best tool I know of for quickly creating original music. Band-in-a-Box is designed to help you quickly generate musical accompaniments or complete songs. To make a song you just select a key, set the tempo, select a style and enter your chords. There is a Band-in-a-Box for Windows and a Band-in-a-Box for MAC. Band-in-a-Box is an affordable, effective tool for creating original music quickly for making practice tracks, backing tracks, or complete songs; and it costs much less than the other digital audio workstation (DAW) programs that I use.
Band-in-a-Box main window
The main entry window looks like a spreadsheet. Each cell has a bar number, and you enter your chords into the cells using your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard. After entering your chords you tell Band-in-a-Box to play your song and it generates the song based on the chords you entered and the style that you selected.
Band-in-a-Box can generate music in any genre by using the style sets. There is a large selection of styles covering country, jazz, rock, pop, hip-hop, world music and classical. You can even create your own styles.
Most Band-in-a-Box songs feature drums, bass, piano, guitar and strings. You can also have a melody track using any other instrument. The latest version of Band-in-a-Box includes a sequencer called RealBand. RealBand lets you create music with up to 48 tracks, and it fully integrates with Band-in-a-Box.
Finally, Band-in-a-Box lets you print lead sheets, complete scores and parts. Though I use Band-in-a-Box along with other notation programs and sequencers, you really don’t need to buy any other software if you have Band-in-a-Box. It is now a complete digital audio workstation (DAW). You can even use DXi and VST software instruments with it.
With Band-in-a-Box you can also record vocals along with your song and create a WAV or mp3 file for burning to CD. So you have all the software that you need to make your own music and make your own CD.
When I use Band-in-a-Box I export a song as a MIDI file and then import it into an external sequencer. I started using Band-in-a-Box before it included its own sequencer, so I am comfortable in using it with external sequencers. As my external sequencers I use Sonar and Propellerhead Reason, and I use Sibelius as my main notation program. I also use Notion for the quality of its playback.
If you don’t currently own a DAW, Band-in-a-Box is a good place to start. If you already own a DAW, Band-in-a-Box makes a great addition to your music making toolbox.
- Opera Noir: Alban Berg's 'Wozzeck'As he struggles with jealousy and poverty in this powerful tragedy, the psychologically disturbed title character endures ridicule from his superiors and undergoes bizarre medical experiments. […]
- First Listen: 'Cantique,' With The Music Of Arvo PartThe Estonian composer's evocative music has opened a window into a world of spiritual ideals and aspirations, and attracted many fans along the way. Hear Cantique, the new CD of Pärt's music, in its entirety. […]
- Turtle Island Quartet Re-Imagine Jimi Hendrix, With StringsThe group, led by violinist David Balakrishnan, has earned rave reviews for their jazzy take on traditional chamber music. Their latest album, Have You Ever Been ... ?, features interpretations of Jimi Hendrix compositions and continues to push the boundaries of classical fusion. […]
- Renee Fleming Sings 'Lucrezia Borgia'Acclaimed soprano Renee Fleming tackles the unforgiving title role, with Placido Domingo conducting, in a Washington National Opera production of Donizetti's steamy historical drama. […]
- Photo: Lucia MicarelliA Blog Supreme is on vacation. Until we return, we are periodically leaving you with some shots from The NPR Jazz Photography Pool on Flickr. Here, Scott Bump writes about capturing a great violinist on film at the Newport Jazz Festival. […]
- Nir Felder: Introducing The Next Big Jazz GuitaristThe Brooklyn youngster has already played with John Scofield, Joe Lovano and Jason Moran. With a debut album slated for early 2011, Felder recently stopped by WBGO's The Checkout to give host Josh Jackson a taste of what's to come. […]
- Photo: Anthony BraxtonA Blog Supreme is on vacation. Until we return, we are periodically leaving you with some shots from The NPR Jazz Photography Pool on Flickr. Here, Tom Wiebe writes about capturing the great composer on film last winter. […]