Band in a Box Alternative JJazzLab (FREE Software) - Installation and Overview

[@hanshahn5195]

You are 100% right! I am an avid jazz guitarist and I use Jjazzlab to study jazz standards, find new voicings or prepare for my next rehearsal with my musician friends. I have established a close relationship with the editor of this software JEROME. I submitted various suggestions to him which he integrated wonderfully into Jjazzlab. For example the window "Memo" in which you can type or copy text like an arrangement or lyrics of a song. Since the last version, Jerome has added the possibility to create links in this same Memo window giving a direct and immediate access to all files (text, image, sound, video, url). Moreover Jerome has included a database of chord diagrams in the "notation" window - a real joy for learning new chords such as Bb7#9. Having acquired a good knowledge of Jjazzlab I would be glad to communicate with you - but how? Bravo for your very simple, clear and educational video. friendly snah

[@GuitarBasement]

Thank you. Please go to my website https:\\www.guitarbasement.com and select any page, then scroll down to leave a comment. I'll be happy to respond from my email.

[@goldcoastj]

I found JJazzLab through this video. Thanks for that. Hope we see more tutorials like this one!

[@GuitarBasement]

Currently got a few other things on my plate, but I'll keep it in mind to do more. Thanks for the push!

[@d.h.granneman6890]

Indeed a nice alternative for BiaB. Thanks!

[@FausColinoAlonso]

Lo conoci por la version 1 y me gusto bastante para mis practicas con la guitarra, la gran variacion que tiene es un gran punto a favor.Luego lo deje al cambiar de pc y segui con chordpulse como siempre.Abra que probar esta version 3 a ver que trae de novedades.Gracias.se agradecera nuevo video de uso.

[@GuitarBasement]

Gracias por verlo. Intentaré trabajar en el video pronto.

[@DjStatusss]

I have vocal song synth done it’s flat need to add drums, bass. Electro pop commercial dance . Band in box captain melody epic, arcade, unison? Who? Plug-in? Txs

[@Predictor13]

How well explained the installation and test video

[@GuitarBasement]

Thank you.

[@tomide6405]

Thanx man!!!! Anyone know where to find a jazz stand. pack?

[@francoisBonin-phils]

Thanks for the Video , its very much simpler in Linux , just had to switch to GM.sf2 font and it works fine with the internal player.

[@GuitarBasement]

Francois, I wish I even knew what that meant! From time to time I keep trying to get into Linux, but I usually just end up saying "forget it." Glad it works well for you.

[@francoisBonin-phils]

@@GuitarBasement i know , its not that simple ,BTW , for me the only con of jjazzlab , is that you can't try (hear)a chord before applying it , and for people like me who knows only little about Harmony , its essential.

[@harrythuillier]

Looks great - I've done all the steps but there's nothing coming through my speakers even though other programs work. Is there somewhere to configure audio output? Thanks

[@harrythuillier]

Figured it out sorry - in virtual midi synth my output audio was set to the wrong audio - sorted now and sounds great thanks

[@GuitarBasement]

Great. Glad you fixed it.

[@johnsonguitarsongtutorials4887]

hi great video. Problem for me is the drum fills and ends ,Can't activate them. please help?

[@GuitarBasement]

Thanks! Are you saying that you can't get the section variations working? To add an A section variation, click and hold the letter A under the 1st chord then drag it to the area below where you want to place it. Then with that section selected, in the left panel select one of the variations. Under fill there should be a drop-down menu, mine says always, random, random_rare, break. Is that what you are saying doesn't work?

[@jezebabe]

Useful video, thanks! I have just downloaded v4 of JJazzlab which now embeds a built-in synth (based on Fluid Synth). I'm just wondering if you know how that compares to Virtual MIDI Synth, which sounds great to my ears? Thanks

[@GuitarBasement]

Glad it was useful. Actually no I don't. Can't you select the synth to compare them? It's been a while and seems I am out of touch with jJazzlab developments. Looks like I'll have to make time to download and try v4. Thanks for letting me know that it's available.

[@angeloszois9673]

Very informative video. It is possible to pass the result to a DAW as MIDI for more processing, each channel (bass,guitar,drums,etc) separately of course ?

[@GuitarBasement]

Not in real time, but sure, you can output a midi file from jJazzlab to import into a DAW or Notation program. It puts each instrument on its own line or track.

[@TanvirXia]

Thanks for the gift, bro. Subscribed. Salute from Bangladesh! 🤘

[@GuitarBasement]

The gift? Not sure what you mean, but whatever it is, you're welcome.

[@TanvirXia]

@@GuitarBasement The gift=JJazzland 😄 I was using chord pulse but the soundfont was boring. thanks again for rescuing.

[@GuitarBasement]

@@TanvirXia Haha, okay. Glad you were able to discover that through my video.

[@PITISAX]

How can I subdivide 3/4 measures into three beats? Thank you

[@GuitarBasement]

It's been so long since I used jJazzLab, I'll have to watch my tutorial again! I'm guessing that you would just have to search for one of those Yamaha style files that was already written that way.

[@BecerraSteven]

I dont have band in a box or any program for chords. Would you recommend this program or band in a box ? If you only had to pick one program.

[@GuitarBasement]

Years ago I had a copy of BIAB that I got from eBay. I found out it wasn't legit when I tried to upgrade it! TIP: Contact the software provider of any software you buy on eBay and check if your serial number is good. It it's bad you may be able to get a refund. I enjoyed using BIAB but never really felt that I mastered it and found it quite convoluted. I heard that the interface has changed very little over the years but it is a powerful software. The issue for me is that when I am in a creative mood I don't want to be putting effort into figuring out software. That inspiration will be gone very quickly. That's why I like jJazzlab and also ChordPulse. I use ChordPulse even more when I want to make a quick chord sequence and try different styles. It literally takes minutes. jJazzlab is very cool too and is quick to use once you know it. A huge advantage too is that it uses Yamaha arrangements that you can find on the web and also comes with many when you download it. If I was stuck on an island and you were going to give me one program I would pick BIAB because I would have plenty of time to mess around with it when I wasn't looking for food. But then if I wasn't on an island I would download jJazzlab and send them a donation, then also get Chordpulse for a fraction of the cost of BIAB. They all have their uses, and those programmers of specialty programs need our support for what they do for all of us. Thanks for the interesting question!

[@sergioguardado6733]

thanks man! nice software, great explanation

[@GuitarBasement]

Thanks! Now that they have a newer version, a lot of the installation part may be easier and the first part of this vid may no longer be necessary.

[@pregadormarcelox]

onde eu consigo baixar temas de jazz

[@nigelthomas2437]

This looks great but are there any other style other than jazz, such as rock or country?

[@GuitarBasement]

Yep. You get about 140 styles preloaded, but then you can load whatever Yamaha styles that you can find on the web.

[@pregadormarcelox]

i need standard themes of jazz please help me

[@tedysamsi8488]

How to install in sbc base Linux Raspberry/orange /beaglebone 32 bit

[@GuitarBasement]

As President Obama used to say, "That's above my pay grade!" Sorry can't help with that.

[@berjayamall421]

Is it possible to enter / open our midi file to jjazzlab?

[@GuitarBasement]

Interesting question. Midi isn't one of the options to import, but it does have musicxml. Out of curiosity I tried importing a MIDI file into MuseScore, then exporting that as an xml. Then I imported the xml into jJazzLab but it only showed a C chord. Who knows what the issue there may be, but I guess the simple answer is no.

[@rodrigogalli1422]

thanks man! greetings from argentina

[@GuitarBasement]

You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by.

[@MeanMaoriMean555]

That was cool! Thanks for share Sir. 🙏

[@GuitarBasement]

My pleasure!!

[@wayneranson8763]

Greetings from Western Australia. It would be super helpful if you reproduced some of the tutorials in English. Keep up the good work!

[@GuitarBasement]

Greetings Wayne, that might be useful for me too because I would have to learn more about it. I'll see what I can do.

[@wayneranson8763]

@@GuitarBasement thanks for that. I was about to go down the Chord Pulse path until I found it had no options for fills. I am struggling a bit trying to get my head around JJazzLab but I find there are no decent tutorials for dummies like me! Hope to see something in the future from you. Cheers

[@atrothe]

Thanks for this.

[@GuitarBasement]

My pleasure.

[@ernestoalaimo]

Thank you so much!!

[@GuitarBasement]

My pleasure.

[@AbdullahGhamdi]

Nice channel 👍🏻

[@GuitarBasement]

Thank you 👍

[@LittleRichard1988]

I prefer these free alternatives to Band in a box because they sound just like older versions of Band in a box and BIAB was originally general midi back in the day. I personally use Chordpulse and it still sounds very professional played through my Roland SC-88 Pro. To me these are meant to sound like general midi. So this has Yamaha styles? do you mean this has styles from Yamaha keyboard?

[@floridaguy1955]

Hi there. Yes, the styles are from Yamaha Keyboard. I am a tenor sax player and just loaded the software yesterday. How you ADD styles (Google it and you will find many) is confusing. I had gone to options then Rhythms and select the import button. However, I see on this video that where you change the style there is an ADD style button. I will try that.

[@stevenuttley]

That's interesting. It strikes me initially that this is potentially more flexible than BIAB. The Real tracks are great in some ways but not as flexible as the midi you get here. If you want to import into a DAW or even a score editor then it seems to me that midi is usually a better option if you want to make adjustments because it's much more malleable than audio. This also takes up way less space so it's great for a laptop or an older machine.

[@justlive1651]

Donated but still no code ?

[@GuitarBasement]

I didn't take long for me to get the code. Did you try contacting them? There may only be one or two people running the project.

[@andrelionel9521]

JJAZLAB very good

[@alzahraniabdulrahman]

Band in box 2050 is same as 2000 , no change no improvements in their interface. Also they are not listening 🙉.

[@brianmason9803]

Setting up this software seems to be an absolute nightmare!

[@GuitarBasement]

Haha, it might seem that way. You kind of have to pick a time when you are not flustered like I often get! Just decide that "I'm gonna spend perhaps an hour or so and if I get this to work then great! The actual process doesn't take that long but you want to just take your time to make sure that you follow the steps and understand what's going on. It's really made more complicated by Microsft not having good MIDI drivers. I haven't installed this for a while and I believe they have a new version now. It's really not THAT complicated if you take it one step at a time. If you really can't get it to work, post another comment and either I or someone else may be able to help.

[@brianmason9803]

@@GuitarBasement That sounds reasonable. Do you think this particular setup video is enough to get me started?

[@GuitarBasement]

​@@brianmason9803 Based on previous comments, others have found this helps get through the installation. However, installation may be more simple now with the new version. It seems that they have a MIDI driver embedded in the program now. Perhaps just give it a try and it may be really easy. I'll be interested to know how it goes. When I get chance I'd like to load it myself.

[@LosoIAm]

Many thanks for a great video! ChordPulse is OK but JjazzLab is better; I am going to evaluate the software first and will make a donation (there's no such thing as a free lunch; i.e. the only free cheese is in the mousetrap).

[@GuitarBasement]

Haha, yes. I agree, there are more possibilities with jJazzlab, but I like ChordPulse too because it's sooo simple to just throw chords down and have something playing in minutes.

[@LosoIAm]

@@GuitarBasement I was very fortunate to have acquired the very last copy of SuperJAM 2.0 (CD edition) on e-Bay; I am very sad that Microsoft has not done anything to it, other than using the interface for DirectMusic Producer. DirectMusic Producer is sort of a re-incarnation of SuperJAM but there are some missing features (e.g. return to last starting position) that would have made it a great product. In my humble opinion, SuperJAM (by Blue Ribbon Software) is the best accompaniment software. I am still running it on Windows XP in VirtualBox.

[@CHRISTWARD]

IN ENGLISH WOULD BE GREAT SINCE THAT IS THE LANGUAGE I SPEAK. THANK YOU FOR THIS INTRODUCTION BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM HERE.

[@GuitarBasement]

Well, it looks like I need to get to work on that soon. Thanks for the nudge!

[@franlopez7880]

Sound 👎🏻....superficial

[@lasu7712]

You are too tall...

[@Albertfiddler99p]

wtf is this ???