Band-in-a-Box

Music creation software package

Band in a Box is a music creation software package for Windows and macOS produced by PG Music Incorporated, founded in 1988 in Victoria, British Columbia. The software enables a user to create any song and have it played by professional musicians playing real instruments. It does this by accessing a large database of real musicians' recordings that can be manipulated to fit any user's song. The user enters four basic keyboard inputs consisting of: chords; a key; a tempo; a musical style. The screen resembles a blank page of music onto which the user enters the names of chords using standard chord notation. The software generates a song typically played by four or five studio musicians to fit those specified parameters. The developers have enlisted musicians as supporting instrumentalists to build huge databases of phrases in many styles of music. The software retrieves and customizes groups of musical phrases that are appropriate for soloing or comping over a particular chord at a chosen key, genre and tempo. Band in a Box was first introduced in 1990 for PC computers and the Atari ST. The creator of the software is a Canadian, Dr. Peter Gannon, for whom "PG Music" is named. Early versions featured only MIDI data often emulating the phrasing of noted musicians. Gannon said, "We started out with Band in a Box as a MIDI program, generating MIDI and synth accompaniments." the older brother of company founder Peter Gannon. Oliver Gannon retired from PG Music in 2008.

Band In a Box used only MIDI until 1999, when digital audio was added. The latter allowed users record their vocals and instruments directly into songs. In November 2006, PG Music released "RealDrums", which was the first step in providing users with tracks recorded by real instruments. Gannon said synthetic sounds were decreasing in popularity and real audio tracks were becoming so much easier to record. Melodies and solos can be generated and these can be edited note by note in MIDI form. A guitarist can input any single note melody line (no chords) and the software can generate, as a learning tool, a Lenny Breau or Joe Pass style chord solo with chords that the user can actually reach that are shown on a screen window of a guitar fretboard. The user can specify just how close the chords must be, e. g., "within five frets".

In 2007, "RealTracks" was introduced, providing real musicians' recordings to be manipulated to fit any user's song— pianos, bass and guitars, as well as soloing instruments such as saxophones, guitars, and pedal steel, and many others, even double bass solos and vocal group "oohs and aahs". RealTracks has significantly increased the quality of the sounds produced since the sounds are, in fact, real instruments played by real musicians. As of 2017, over 100 session players and performing musicians have contributed to Band in a Box. which allows the prerecorded instruments to retain much of their natural sound when the tempo and pitch are varied. Software updates continue to widen the acceptable tempo range. Audio files can be exported from Band in a Box either mixed together or as individual tracks (one for each instrument) into any DAW for mixing, added effects and mastering. Songs created in BIAB can be burned to CD or copied to media playing devices.

The basic functions are relatively easy to master; but, as evidenced by its 675 page user's manual, there is a long learning curve to get the full benefit. The software user interface has been criticized as clunky or awkward. Reviewer Jeffrey Powers in a 2018 review said, "it looks like it came from the Windows XP era". Robert Renman at Master Guitar Academy praised the application but called the interface "quite intimidating". Added features have been grafted on the original application for years which critics say creates a "forest of hidden commands". Reviewer Jim Aiken said, "If I had to guess, I'd say the code base for this software is so multi layered that none of the developers is quite sure what's going on in all of its nooks and crannies." PG Music sponsors a forum which showcases thousands of original songs created by its customers. Peter Gannon said, "This really helps with visibility because people hear these songs and hear what can be done by a single songwriter using Band in a Box". Several versions of BIAB are available. Deluxe versions called "Audiophile Editions" are sold preinstalled on a hard drive and include studio quality uncompressed RealTracks files. Uncompressed RealDrums as WAV or AIFF files are also available for lossless audio use.