Two Band-in-a-Box Alternatives Compared
ChordPulse and JjazzLab are two of the best alternatives to Band-in-a-Box, and they work very differently. ChordPulse’s strength is its simplicity, and JjazzLab’s strength is its complexity. To compare them, I entered the same chord progression into each one and went through the features I actually use.
What I cover:
- Entering a chord progression in ChordPulse
- Entering the same progression in JjazzLab
- Arrangements, sections and variations in JjazzLab
- Splitting bars and changing inversions in ChordPulse
- Transposing
- Custom mixes
- Exporting chords to text and printing a song sheet
- Conclusion
The test progression goes up the diatonic chords of F (F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm and then E♭), all with F in the bass. In ChordPulse, you double-click to enter each chord. You can change the style in real time, and the lock function keeps the tempo the same when you switch styles. You can also split bars, change chord inversions and audition the result. To transpose, you click the plus button to move to any key. ChordPulse can export the chords to a text file for a lead sheet with lyrics, or print a song sheet with big chord names, and pressing M opens a mixer where you can save a custom mix for each style.
In JjazzLab, you type the chord names straight in, which can be faster if you know how to spell the chords. Its big advantage is arranging. You can build sections and switch between variations (Main A1, B1, C1, D1), increase the intensity, use the extended style creation wizard, and choose from thousands of styles online. It can also import MusicXML, Impro-Visor and Band-in-a-Box files. I couldn’t find a way to set one tempo across every style the way you can in ChordPulse.
ChordPulse is very light. I measured it at 20 to 60 MB of memory, and I don’t remember it ever crashing, but it only runs on Windows. JjazzLab sometimes uses around half a gigabyte, so it may struggle on a limited computer, but it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
My verdict: they are both excellent, and I suggest getting both. ChordPulse is great for songwriters and singers who need to try ideas and change keys quickly. JjazzLab is the better choice for arranging. Websites: chordpulse.com and jjazzlab.com.
More backing track help: How to Use JjazzLab, ChordPulse Video Tutorials and Band in a Box Alternatives.