Hi everyone,
I hope this is posted in the right forum ! I am just getting back into bass playing after a break and I need to practice at home before I start playing with other people to build up my technique again. I have been looking at practicing software and it looks like the best one on the market is Band in a Box. However when I downloaded the demo version I was a bit dissappointed as the program is a bit fiddly but more important than that - the electric guitar sounds and styles sound really weak. Ths is a bit of a problem as I mainly play rock. Has anyone else found this and is there a better product in the market ? or I am just going to have to buy an electric guitar and sample myself playing instead !

thanks

I agree that the quality of the band is a little thin....kinda sounds like a jewelry box. However, it is a fantastic tool for learning how to play. It sure beats spending hours trying to download songs from iTunes and find the matching music sheets on Cyberfretbass and BassMasta.

Anyhow.......FREE BUMP, STILL LOOKING FOR A GOOD ANSWER!

BIAB is the best on the market. Yes, the sounds are a little cheesy, but it's practice - it's not a rehearsal.

Buy a Mac and use GarageBand. That rock!

Sylvain

Thanks - looks like BIAB is the only way forward - I'll just have to live with the cheese !:)

Thanks - looks like BIAB is the only way forward - I'll just have to live with the cheese !:)

Seriously BIAB is a cheezy but very practical software but GB should not be overlooked!

SB

If you can afford it, get an upgraded version of BIAB with RealDrums. Makes a huge difference!

How does Band in a Box compare with Garageband? I'm thinking of picking up a Mac soon and wouldn't want to invest in BIAB now if Garageband is comparable and free with the Mac.

well, does GB let you type in chords as text, pick a stye and create an arrangement on the spot?


Edit: it looks like GB is more on par with something like Acid, a loop-based program than with BIAB

If you're seriously considering Garageband, you might want to go the extra mile and get Logic Express ($199). Logic Express is like Garageband on steroids. It looks and operates very similarly and even opens Garageband projects but has many more features you may consider desirable.

For one, it supports tablature in the score. You can even print the score with the tablature. The latest version of Garageband ('08) does support viewing and printing the score but not with tablature.

I've used Guitar Pro. It's pretty good. You gotta love the selection of tunes available for Guitar Pro; it is truly phenomenal. However, I find the interface a bit clunky. When I want to learn a new tune, I often find the Guitar Pro project for it (at ultimate-guitar.com). Then, I use Guitar Pro to export it to a MIDI file which drag into Logic. Then, I have it all: the music and the smooth interface.

I love Logic as a practice tool. I've got about 150 tunes in Logic projects for the sole purpose of practicing. I admit Logic is not for everybody and could be considered overkill for practice software but all the extra capabilities (music creation/arrangement/sequencing/experimentation/publishing/etc.) are probably items you will want to work with sooner or later anyway.

I've never used Band-in-a-box. That chord feature sounds intriguing. I should try it out.