PG Music’s Band-in-a-Box is a great program. Sadly, it is languishing on the Mac side. After not updating it for about 4 years, the updated it to version 12 to add Mac OS X support. The Windows version was updated to 2004. We are now almost into 2006, and the Mac version is not going to be updated this year. Instead, PG Music did a maintenance release of the existing to allow the use of new styles. No new features, nada. You’d think PG Music would have been working on a new version to add support for Garageband. Or perhaps the ability to use Garageband software synths. Nope. Just new styles.
I really hope they get another Mac programmer there to get this program rolling. When you compare the PC version and the Mac version, there is a HUGE gap.
Sir D (eric_), please cut down on the cold medicine. You just said in an earlier post there is a new band-in box vers 2006 fr windows… not as you stated so elequenly (but wrong): “The Windows version was updated to 2004.” …(and because I have been drooling over the idea of getting a powerbook for 2 years but know I’ll just get a windows on steroid model from tigerdirect for a third of the price–(takes breathe). If any of the “halo affect from ipod” 5.5 million new apple users want to get into it –get on the apple .com forum or just email me c/o/ eric_dano@jazz-sax.com (just kidding … oops! Tyquil alert…) .com for past and future work creating files to can be downloaded as midi or biab friendly files …. (what’s good about .ra or apple’s quicktime? in any case ….. play well brother! signed Zed, he who needs more comments and files re band-in-box especially from “closet” users who only admitt to Cakewalk or Reason. Come -on don’t be a deadbeat.
I balame the cold medicine because you alerted us to the pg music, inc upgrade in the first place. And you are so right so much of the time it’s funny to catch you with your pants down, for once. I therefore will not tease all apple users out of respect for you
BTW, Sir D, how about an icon link to donate to jazz-sax witha nice PayPal-ish button? Better yet — set-up a little non for profit Jazz-sax trust so we can deduct any contibutions to Jazz- sax
I made one error, which was that the Mac OS X version of Band in a Box arrived the same time the 2005 version for Windows did. Band in a Box 12 for Mac is essentially 3 years behind as the Windows version has gone from 12 to 2004, 2005 and now 2006. The mac version was release a year and a half ago. It lacks a LOT of the features of the Windows version(s), the most useful would be using AU instruments to save songs. Even Finale has gotten on that boat.
My pants were not down, perhaps unbuckled.
I did have a donate thing around here somewhere, if you search on it I’m sure you can find it….I’ll check into it. I’ll be releasing more Band in a Box things soon from Weiskopf’s Intervallic Improvisation book and Coltrane book, plus, I’ll have at least one new solo up and perhaps another big band arrangement….PLUS a bunch of updates to old things like the Zinn Regimen…
Replying to myself, I think the most important features LACKING in the Mac version are: