Been playing around with different DAW-s and other softwares and VST-s but there are no real alternatives to what most keyboards even those really cheap Casios or Yamahas have that you could make a reasonably sounding backing track with just one or 2 fingers by pressing keys. Recently tried Band-in-a-box program. It has a huge library of styles but 99% of them sound like utter crap. Is there another alternative with better sounding styles more into prog-rock or deep house? Tried Jammer too but that does not sound convincing either. By sound I don't mean poor midi output rather a style. There are lots of great sounding midis out there that can sound even better when you use VST-s and Kontakt with them.

 

You need to step up from the toy "make-music-with-one-finger-only" software. Dive in. Get dirty. Be creative. Be original. There are lots of choices, once you decide to put some damn energy and thought into it.

Ableton Live, Cubase, Reaper, Logic, Reason, Pro Tools, Presonus Studio One, FL Studio, Digital Performer, Samplitude, Zynewave Podium, Renoise, Jeskola Buzz...heck, even MAX/msp.

 

I STRONGLY disagree. As long as BiaB has the style that you want to write in, the Real Tracks/Real Drums sound fantastic & can create some outstanding backing tracks.Just becasue it does not have the styles that you are looking for does not mean the rest "sound like utter crap"!

 

BiaB is crap. My dad's been using it for over 20 years. I remember trying to write with it when I was like 13... Styles are horrible and generic as all hell. It's like trying to write a song that's been written a thousand times before and trying to call it your own...

Any DAW will work as long as it has a midi editing setup that is to your liking and has proper options. Kontakt libraries are great grab some drum vsts and get at it. Personally I use FL Studio because I believe it has a better midi editor than any other DAW currently out [even though it could still be a little better]. Anyway with kontakt libraries there is a lot you can do just by going one note at a time, and chords aren't that hard to figure out. I'm pretty sure there are programs that let you find the chord and it'll save it to midi so you can import it into whatever daw.

I have heard for people not already familiar or without a lot of experience in DAW's that Ableton is easy to use. I can't figure it out but thats what they say.

In your case I'd stay the F away from Pro-Tools. One of the worst midi editors ever and the program is just a waste of money for how they are so restrictive on anything and how you'd have to use a vst-rtas bridge for vst plugins.

 

Take a look here:

http://www.ejay.com/us/

This software is made by genres.
It's simple and intuitive..if you are at firsts experiences try it.

 

ChordPulse is my Secret Weapon.....
Cheers from Germany....

 

Here's a simple solution that has worked for hundreds of years, take up music lessons.

 

Also, just playing/making music also works.

 

I often use my Yamaha QY-70 for a backing track but end up using it as just a guide track, creating more tracks while playing along with the backing track until I ultimately delete it completely.

 

Wrong again....it sounds like you folks have only tried out the Midi styles. Have you tried out the Real Tracks / Real Drums stuff?

BiaB is a GREAT way to work up demos,and to use to add parts to your originals like sax or steel guitar, IF that is your thing. *yes*

As for generic, I have not heard anything "original" on the radio or social sights for over 15 years....care to point out some of this "non-generic" stuff you speak of? NOT trying to be difficult, I am truly wanting to hear something NEW!!

 

learning music doens t sound a bad idea

 

I'll put this simply.

A: The burden of proof isn't on me to prove what it can't do. It's on you to prove what it can do.

B: I post original music all the time, which is different than anything out there. Never needed a program to write my parts for me, nor do I think it could write anything anywhere near any of my styles.

So not to be difficult, I just truly want to hear something new or original/professional sounding from BiaB.

 

lol.... I went to school for Jazz back in the 90's... Band in a Box Is a software for Musicians who want to improve their ability to improvise over chord changes. Sure you can create chord changes for the EDM or Hip-hop tracks... but that is not it's purpose. It is for Instrumentalists to improve there ability to perform live. I play guitar and Bass.. I practice my "IMPROVISING" to JAM TRACKS..... The target audience is not Producers... Its musicians.

 

If your intent to use "Band in a Box" for it's midi output... then you should consider using "Guitar Pro" there are nearly a million Guitar Pro midi file available for free at www.Ultimate-Guitar.com. You can export entire music scores to midi get entire band arrangements. It's free. Al you need is the Software "GUITAR PRO"

 

Cubase chord track combine with toontrack ezkeys youtube it

 

Don't know if it this will suit your purpose, but you might wanna try Xfer Cthulhu

 

+1 ChordPulse

 

I agree with those that have mentioned ChordPulse. A terrific bit of software all in a tiny little package.

I've also used Band In A Box on many occasions, and unlike some here I'm actually a big fan of it. I've always found that you come up with a lot of pleasant surprises when seeing what BIAB comes up with for an arrangement, as compared to what you may have started out with on your own.

The thing with BIAB is you can't really expect to get great results using it in an 'isolated' manner. You need to convert and export midi files from BIAB to another DAW and then substitute your own vst's for the sounds you want to use. I would agree that a lot of the "boxed" sounds in BIAB sound kind of crappy, but you need to use them as a starting point, not a finishing point.

Also, if you're going to take a BIAB arrangement and consider it a finished product, the result probably isn't going to be very good. You need to be willing to look at it as a starting point, where you then make your own musical substitutions within the arrangement. Without that, you might as well just be using canned loop sample packs. You need to be able to take it a step further. Maybe that's where you're missing the mark on the usefulness of something like BIAB.

 

maybe try magix music maker. it seems to have the same feature set as band in a box

 

I second the motion on guitar pro and there are other old school tab programs as well powertabs and tux is a newer replacement that will open a lot of the guitar pros and power tabs. What is really cool is when you find a song with drum parts that are bad ass because we all know you can modify these files and come up with parts to use in your own material and its a lot easier to get a groove going with a good drum part to play over. Just get to learning how you can export the midi files and then open them in your daw. Cut and paste and copy to extend parts you like by the bar its almost cheating.