Band-in-a-Box Xtra Styles Pak 9 Out Now $29 (until June 30th)

[Reid Rosefelt]

Get it HERE

The styles are divided into four categories. Each category has 50 styles, for a total of 200 styles, over 30 more styles than any of the other Xtra Style PAKs

• Rock/Pop 9
• Jazz 9
• Country 9
• Folk & Beyond 2

This goes for $29

There is also a $48 bundle that includes the above, plus Loops-with-Style 2 with 100 more loops and 50 more styles

You can also get all the Xtra Styles PAKs  PG Music has ever released (1-9)  for $199.

Note: These Xtra Styles require Band-in-a-Box® version 2020 or higher and use RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

I'm not sure exactly what "Loops-With-Style 2 with 100 more loops and 50 more styles" actually is. I don't see any demos, but it adds $19 to the cost.  I'm going to write them.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Reid Rosefelt

[Reid Rosefelt]

Here's Loops with Style PAK 2

And here's Loops with Style PAK 1 .   This is  discounted from $29 to $19 until June 1st.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Reid Rosefelt

[Greg]

FYI I see this on the PG Music Forum

 

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=599346#Post599346

 

Loops-with-Style PAK 2 is packed with 100 NEW Loops & 50 NEW Styles, including new gospel & folk categories!

Use these new Styles and Loops directly in your Band-in-a-Box® songs to access all their B substyle loops, or load these acidized loops directly into your DAW that supports acid info!

See how easy it is to load and use these Loops in Band-in-a-Box® 2020 and listen to the demos for these new Loops & Styles when you watch our latest video: Band-in-a-Box® - Loops-with-Style PAK 2 Overview & Demos:


Add Loops-with-Style PAK 2 today for just $19! Learn more and purchase here.

Haven't purchased Loops-with-Styles yet? Get the entire collection for only $29 when you bundle Loops-with-Style PAK 1 & Loops-with-Style PAK 2 for only $29! That's 100 Styles and 200 Loops for Band-in-a-Box® for just $29! Order now.

[Lizzie Foster]

Do these paks really add much?

[Reid Rosefelt]

7 minutes ago, Dzilizzi said:

Do these paks really add much?

IMO without the PAKS BIAB isn't very interesting.   It's the quantity of styles that makes it valuable.

Put in your chords and try out numerous arrangements quickly.

Quick experiments in genres and instrumentation.  And the more of the PAKs you have it just gets exponentially better. 

Once I'm happy with something,  I then drag it into my DAW and play my music around it.  Sometimes I even leave in a track or two, but mostly not.  They have some really nice backup vocals.

It doesn't work for all my songwriting, but often it works great.

I'm getting PAK 9.  Not so sure about these loopy things.  I haven't decided about that.

It's also really great as accompaniment for improvisation. 

[Grem]

12 hours ago, Dzilizzi said:

Do these paks really add much?

Agree with Reid, the packs are worth it. Makes BiaB much easier to use.  Because he's right about the quality of the styles, that makes a difference.

Now be aware, you can make your own styles. And if your good you can make some quality styles to. But I am not that guy. I use their styles.

I have one song that I use all the trks from BiaB. Sounds really good. Has a great feel too.

[Reid Rosefelt]

On this one, I was going to replace the BIAB guitar part for this Bohemian Violin improv, but then I just went, "Why? I could play something similar, but it won't be as good."

So I ask you, what guitar VIs sound as good as this?  That little chord at the end. 

And they've got a zillion more performances on numerous instruments if you lay out the $$ for the PAKs.   Not just pianos, bass, guitars, drums, but also cellos, mandolins, vocals, gypsy violins, celtic harps, saxophones, mandolins, harmonicas, synths, and a wide variety of percussion.  It's a really big list and the combinations are endless.  You can take all the "RealTracks" and combine them any way you want.  

 

[Reid Rosefelt]

In my opinion BIAB is better than most (or even all) of the vocal libraries that give you ahhs or oos.  Because you have to play them, and all you are playing is samples of separate notes.   And sometimes the legato is pretty awful and it isn't convincing at all.

But when you use BIAB it is an actual recording of background singers.  They just use an algorithm to pick what they're singing and add it to work with the chords of your song.  But it is as real as if you brought in singers and recorded them.  You get less control of what they sing, sure, but you make it up in realism. 

I have no issues with using BIAB vocals in any track.   

To get all the options for the singers, you need the PAKS, and you need to keep BIAB updated

[Lizzie Foster]

Okay, I'm buying the 1 & 2 bundle to try out.  I figure at $29, it can't hurt.  I do only have the MegaPak edition.  So hopefully these work. 

[Reid Rosefelt]

1 hour ago, Dzilizzi said:

Okay, I'm buying the 1 & 2 bundle to try out.  I figure at $29, it can't hurt.  I do only have the MegaPak edition.  So hopefully these work. 

I didn't buy their loops packages, because they are just... loops.  You can get millions of loops anywhere and add them to Band-in-a-Box.  They do add some styles with these PAKs, but they are styles-with-loops, which, after listening to the demos, didn't interest me.

If you want to see what I'm talking about you should buy two Xtra Styles PAKs. 

With the PAKs you get the performance of a real drummer, changing all the time through your song.  

If somebody has the loops paks and you disagree, please let me know. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Reid Rosefelt

[Grem]

Nice song Reid.

 

[Lizzie Foster]

5 hours ago, Reid Rosefelt said:

I didn't buy their loops packages, because they are just... loops.  You can get millions of loops anywhere and add them to Band-in-a-Box.  They do add some styles with these PAKs, but they are styles-with-loops, which, after listening to the demos, didn't interest me.

If you want to see what I'm talking about you should buy two Xtra Styles PAKs. 

With the PAKs you get the performance of a real drummer, changing all the time through your song.  

If somebody has the loops paks and you disagree, please let me know. 

Ah, got it.  This stuff never makes sense to me.  So probably a waste of $30.  Oh well.  

Okay, I will grab one and try it out. 

[Jim Fogle]

The XtraStyle PAKs sound significantly different from the normal Band-in-a-Box styles.  In part this is because the styles are created by a different person than the person that normally creates styles.

The XtraStyle PAKs are made by a person named Jareth.  Jareth has posted in the PG Music forum a few times and when he does, it typically is a post related to an XtraStyle.

The XtraStyles include effects, panning and instrument arrangements that really stand out when compared to a regular style.  For a beginner like me the XtraStyles are great learning templates.

Listen to the demos, they don't sound like PG Music songs.

[Lizzie Foster]

42 minutes ago, Jim Fogle said:

The XtraStyle PAKs sound significantly different from the normal Band-in-a-Box styles.  In part this is because the styles are created by a different person than the person that normally creates styles.

The XtraStyle PAKs are made by a person named Jareth.  Jareth has posted in the PG Music forum a few times and when he does, it typically is a post related to an XtraStyle.

The XtraStyles include effects, panning and instrument arrangements that really stand out when compared to a regular style.  For a beginner like me the XtraStyles are great learning templates.

Listen to the demos, they don't sound like PG Music songs.

That makes sense.  I swear most of the stuff I've come up with in BiaB sounds somewhere between polka music and a waltz, which is why I haven't used it as much.  You didn't know there was such a thing as polka-rock or country-waltz, did you?  Well, BiaB can do it!

[Reid Rosefelt]

Yes, Xtra PAKs are fully mixed tracks.  When you play with them a lot you discover that they just shuffle around the various Realtracks in different ways.  That's why you can't get a PAK that came out after the version of BIAB you own.  Each new one takes advantage of the new RealTracks.

Lately they come out with a new Xtra Styles PAK at the same time as the release of BIAB and another one in the middle.   So, for example, BIAB for Windows 2020 came out in December 2019 with Xtra Styles PAK 8 and now we have 9 in June.   There's usually only one between updates, but there's no reason why they couldn't bring another one out in the fall.

The way BIAB works you usually get two different styles of music in a Style.  But you can actually have many more if you roll your own.  Essentially you can make your own presets combining as many styles as you want and mixing them different ways.

You can add BIAB loops to them if you want, which might make sense with certain kinds of hand percussion.  And you can also take any loop style and turn it into a track with all RealStyles, if that makes sense. 

There are so damned many now....  You have to filter them to get anything done.   When I'm working on something I also have to favorite the styles I like or it is impossible to pick my favorite.

One tip:  A lot of people don't know that there are two ways to start a BIAB song.  You can just replay the current version or you can regenerate a new track.  If you have something you like you better be careful not to do the second thing, or the algorithm may create something you don't like as much. 

[Grem]

4 hours ago, Reid Rosefelt said:

If you have something you like you better be careful not to do the second thing, or the algorithm may create something you don't like as much. 

This^^^ in spades!!!

[bluzdog]

I just got thisl: 

Special Offer! Upgrade your Pro to the UltraPAK with Xtra Styles PAKs 1-9 and Loops-with-Style PAKs 1-2 for only $249! It's valid until June 30th. Is this a better deal than waiting for the next release sale in November? 

Rocky

[Lizzie Foster]

16 hours ago, bluzdog said:

I just got thisl: 

Special Offer! Upgrade your Pro to the UltraPAK with Xtra Styles PAKs 1-9 and Loops-with-Style PAKs 1-2 for only $249! It's valid until June 30th. Is this a better deal than waiting for the next release sale in November? 

Rocky

Probably not, since you can get Loops with Style paks 1-2 for $29 and Xtra Styles Paks 1-9 for $199.  So about $230 for it all.