|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
The Apple DLS synth is capable of loading other Soundfonts besides the default one from Apple. This is done by placing SF2 soundfont files into the following location: Code:
~/Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks/
Once you have done that, then the DLS synth is able to use them. When I use the DSLsynth AU plugin that is provided by Apple, there is a pulldown box to select which Soundfont I want to use, and there they are. In Digital Performer I am able to use the DLS synth this way. Is it possible with BIAB to use these alternative soundfonts somehow? The reason is that its the easy way to render an audio file of the song directly in BIAB, but would prefer the improved soundfonts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 590
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 590 |
Interesting. I used core midi to play through Kontakt (piano sounds mostly), but never managed to render the sounds from within BIAB.
Drag&drop to garageband take care of that, but it would be cool to be able to do it in BIAB.
Any good HQ GM soundfonts out there?
iMac M1 24" 16GB/1TB/ Sonoma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Here is a bit more information. First check out this primer on the Quicktime DLS player: http://testtone.com/developers/apple/dls-music-device/review So the interesting thing is that on the Mac you can have many banks of sounds available to load into the Quicktime DLS player, but you can also configure it to stream from disk rather than loading the whole thing into memory first. When the quicktime DLS player is used from say, garageband, or just about any DAW will recognize it as one of the AU plugins and you will see these options to choose an SF2 soundfont bank and optionally to stream from disk. Unfortunately BIAB does not provide that interface currently. However there is still one more way to override the sounds and use them with BIAB. Quicktime can play both soundfont SF2 files and DLS files. The default soundbank used by quicktime is a rather small 2MB GM soundbank (no wonder it sounds cheap), its in DLS format and located here: Code:
/System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component/Contents/Resources/gs_instruments.dls
You can convert Soundfont banks into DLS banks using a Windows program called Extreme Sample Converter. Unfortunately that program is not free. I do not know if there is another way to convert SF2->DLS maybe so. In any case, if you convert a GM SF2 bank into a DLS bank and move it into that location, then that will be loaded by default by any program that is using the quicktime DLS player, including BIAB. However, since you can't configure streaming, it may take a long time to load. I found that this worked with BIAB, but for a 60MB soundbank (which sounded a lot better by the way), it took a couple of minutes for BIAB to start up, presumably because it was trying to load this 60MB DLS file into memory somehow and it took a while. It did seem to play fine. If PGMusic would consider improving their support for the DLS player, to choose banks and to select the streaming option, it would open a lot of possibilities. There are many SF2 GM and GS soundbanks out there, they are used a lot in the karaoke world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
The Finale Notepad program (free), also includes a GM soundfont bank that it uses with the DLS player. You can install that free program and move the soundfont later, the soundfont is called synthgms.sf2 and its about 41MB.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944 |
Great info Dewdman! Thanks
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360 |
There are ways to access different QuickTime dls synth sound banks, assuming that BIAB is written in some variant of C+. It would have to be written into BIAB. The function would look something like below, and I'm not sure how well it would work. Although it's been many years since I've actually done any coding, I have used this in attempting to write some AU synths many years ago. I am assuming this call has not been depreciated and still works. Quote:
// On OS X there are known places were sample banks can be stored
// Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks - so you could scan this directory and give the user options
// about which sample bank to use...
if (argc > 1)
bankPath = const_cast<char*>(argv[1]);
require_noerr (result = CreateAUGraph (graph, synthUnit), home);
// if the user supplies a sound bank, we'll set that before we initialize and start playing
if (bankPath)
{
FSRef fsRef;
require_noerr (result = FSPathMakeRef ((const UInt8*)bankPath, &fsRef, 0), home);
printf ("Setting Sound Bank:%s\n", bankPath);
require_noerr (result = AudioUnitSetProperty (synthUnit,
kMusicDeviceProperty_SoundBankFSRef,
kAudioUnitScope_Global, 0,
&fsRef, sizeof(fsRef)), home);
}
Update: Here is the link I was searching for when I posted the code snippet above, this explains how to change banks with the DLS synth.
http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#technotes/tn2283/_index.html
Hopefully this helps.
- Jay
Last edited by JayO; 03/06/13 04:31 PM.
MacPro 5,1/12 core@3.46GHz -- OS X 12.7.6 -- ATI 7970 -- 32 Gig RAM -- Crucial 500GB OS SSD -- Samsung EVO 1TB Audio/Sample SSD -- BIAB 2025 -- Logic Pro X -- Cubase Elements 14 -- Too many plugins
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Quote:
Great info Dewdman! Thanks
And by the way, the SF2 included with Finale Notepad sounds rather good. Its a great improvement over the 2MB one included with Quicktime. I also like the synerGiS one I bought years ago for my pc, I'm not sure if you can even buy it now.
FluidSynth is not too bad, but the one from Finale Notepad is very well crafted. The more I research this, I'm finding a lot more GM soundfonts out there, so there is a lot of possibility with this.
One thing I'm not sure about is whether the Apple DLS player is considered GM or GS. When I use CoreMidi to route the midi over to my DAW and host the DLS player there as an AU, then BIAB now provides a lot of GM/GS control and it would be interesting to know which are applicable to Apple's DLS player (which was actually licensed from Roland as I understand it).
But at any right, the preference best of all would be for BIAB to provide the capabilities to access the full capability of the DLS player, then we could load different banks, stream from disk, and render the audio right in BIAB, together with any applicable real tracks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944 |
Hi Dewdman, When you get the Finale Notepad SF2, does it (or can it) replace the Apple DLS, or does it require higher bank patches to access it? Also, if you've added something like the Finale Notepad SF2, does a program like Band-in-a-Box take longer to bootup (because it is pre-loading whatever SF2 are in the folder)
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Finale Notepad installs the SF2 file in its own folder, not in the standard place. Then Finale Notepad is using some kind of soundfont player under the covers the same way BIAB does with quicktime player, except they are hard coding their program to load their SF2 from some other custom location. So no, installing Finale Notepad will not effect performance of BIAB at all, as is, BIAB would continue to use the 2MB dls file from Apple. If you want to use Finale's SF2 file with BIAB you would have to go copy it to some other places. Method 1:Copy the SF2 file to Code:
~/Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks/
That still would not work directly with BIAB. but if you open the Quicktime DLS player as an AU plugin in your DAW, then you would see that bank available on the pull down list, and could choose it, then route midi from BIAB to the DAW and play it that way. Method 2:First convert the SF2 to DLS format. Then overwrite the gs_instruments.dls file with this one. At that point, yes it would take longer to startup BIAB because it would be loading a 41MB dls file when starting the program and it would be used for playback. Future Method:If BIAB were modified to allow us to select other SF2 banks, just like the DAW's do, then you could have it load the small 2MB from apple when starting up BIAB, but we could opt to load a different bank, IN STREAMING MODE and choose whichever sf2 file we want that is currently located in the path mentioned above. The in streaming mode part should avoid long load delays I think.
Last edited by Dewdman42; 03/07/13 11:21 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
I'm not at all sure how to access the Quicktime synth programmatically, but I think you are probably 90% there already since you're using it in BIAB, its just a matter of providing a dialog to assign which sf2 file to use and a few options like streaming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360 |
Sorry, a little bit off topic but... Just curious Dewdman, have you tried re-naming your SouldFont (or DLS file) and put it in place of the default "gs_instruments.dls" file ? I was wondering if that fixed the MIDI low volume problem that Apple has had since 10.6 ? If you were not aware there was a bug introduced in 10.6 which cut the MIDI output volume drastically. I am on 10.7 and the problem still exists, and I am told it is still not fixed in 10.8. Google search for "OS X low MIDI volume" for more info. Myself I went back to using my external SoundCanvas, since Apple hasn't fixed this yet, and I got tired of updating all my existing work for the new MIDI volume settings. If anyone interested in helping to get this issue resolved, I would suggest filing a bug report with Apple. I know I have reported this several times, with each OS update, maybe if enough people report it they will fix it. https://bugreport.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/RadarWeb.woa/wa/signInSorry about going OT, but I was hoping this may be a workaround for the low volume problem. - Jay
MacPro 5,1/12 core@3.46GHz -- OS X 12.7.6 -- ATI 7970 -- 32 Gig RAM -- Crucial 500GB OS SSD -- Samsung EVO 1TB Audio/Sample SSD -- BIAB 2025 -- Logic Pro X -- Cubase Elements 14 -- Too many plugins
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Also just found this interesting utility that runs on OSX which can be used to edit SF2 and DLS soundbanks. Its not free. I have no idea how well it works, but it looks very interesting for compiling your own custom GM soundfont that could then play right from within BIAB. http://sonicamigos.com/polyphontics/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Quote:
Sorry, a little bit off topic but...
Just curious Dewdman, have you tried re-naming your SouldFont (or DLS file) and put it in place of the default "gs_instruments.dls" file
Yes if you look above in several posts I mentioned that possibility. That will work, however BIAB takes a long time to startup if the replacement dls file is larger than 2MB.
Quote:
I was wondering if that fixed the MIDI low volume problem that Apple has had since 10.6 ?
If anyone interested in helping to get this issue resolved, I would suggest filing a bug report with Apple.
I know I have reported this several times, with each OS update, maybe if enough people report it they will fix it.
https://bugreport.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/RadarWeb.woa/wa/signIn
Sorry about going OT, but I was hoping this may be a workaround for the low volume problem.
Sorry I'm not familiar with this bug, if its there I doubt its related to the actual samples in the dls file but somehow related to the quicktime dls player or midi volume settings perhaps.
One question, have you tried opening up the Apple quicktime player in your DAW as an AU plugin yet? Maybe you just have to load it there and adjust the volume setting? The actual apple quicktime dls player has a volume level setting and a reverb level setting, its accessible when using a DAW to load the au plugin that way. However, I'm not sure what happens when a program like BIAB uses this component directly, bypassing that configuration screen. Its possible that the default level is too low or something of that nature and the problem is not really a bug, but rather that all the many different programs out there, including BIAB, are not giving you access to adjust it. I'm just theorizing here, I don't really know for sure. For all I know there could be a hidden pref file setting somewhere too for this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 22 |
Yea I see many posts all over the net. Sounds like this problem started with Lion (which I don't use, I'm staying with SL for a number of different reasons, this only adds to the list.
The work around most people mention is to use the AU version of the player. Under the covers I would think that its the same engine being used in either case, however I think this comes down to two different ways the player is being used programmatically. One way, the old way, references a quicktime player as a "midi device". This is undoubtedly what BIAB is using now also. A lot of software is. And apparently this API does not expose or document how to do certain things, like set the volume level for example. I'm willing to bet this API also does not provide a way to "stream" the soundfonts or to select alternative SF2 banks.
The other way to use the component is by using the DLSMusicDevice AU plugin which is provided by Apple and seems to use the same underlying engine, except through the AU interface. That means that software wishing to use it will have to force their software to deal with AU hosting instead of using a simple midi interface, which is undoubtedly quite a bit more involved. That is how we access it when using the DLSMusicDevice from within a DAW or GarageBand.
So this is sad news all the way around. First it means that in Lion the quicktime DLS player pretty much sucks. A lot of people are complaining all over the place and many software creators are upset about it too. I have heard different theories about what is causing it, but nobody really knows and the simple midi interface API does not expose all the controls necessary to override this built in behavior. Maybe someone can find some hidden pref file somewhere to configure it, but it seems like a lot of people already tried to sleuth this out and didn't find a solution.
but the other sad news is that as far as BIAB is concerned its not going to be possible, I don't think, to configure streaming or use other soundfont banks within BIAB unless they wrote a considerable amount of code to handle AU hosting to host the DLSMusicDevice instead of using the simple API that is used now.
I hope that makes sense.
Well anyway for me here its still possible to load in a better DLS file by replacing gs_instruments.dls, it just takes a while to start up BIAB. And its still possible to host DLSMusicDevice in another AU host or DAW of some kind. Fortunately for me I'm not on Lion or ML so I don't have the volume problem mentioned. I really don't know what to say about that...it sounds like Apple really screwed up a lot of people with that design change and hasn't shown any interest to correct it.
Are BIAB users on Lion and Mountain Lion having this problem with midi playback through DLS?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944 |
>>> I was wondering if that fixed the MIDI low volume problem that Apple has had since 10.6 ? If anyone interested in helping to get this issue resolved, I haven't noticed any problem. I just had a listen on Mountain Lion (10.8) and Snow Leopard (10.6.8). If I understand the bug description correctly, the MIDI is supposed to be quieter on Mountain Lion, and this should affect all MIDI programs using the built-in Apple DLS synth. But I just tested, and the MIDI volumes sound identical to me, both in absolute volume, and relative to the audio (RealDrums) in the song. -I used a MIDI style (ZZJAZZ.sty), and had the drums replaced with RealDrums JazzBrushes#1 - so having a mix of RealDrums and MIDI would expose a bug, as we would hear the drums too loud on Mountain Lion. But they sound the same to me. Here are the audio renders: Snow Leopard (10.6.8): http://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/jazzu/misc/Snow_Leopard_ZZJAZZ.m4a Mountain Lion (10.8.2): http://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/jazzu/misc/MountainLion_ZZJAZZ.m4aHere are the same two files in a ZIP http://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/jazzu/misc/MountainLionAndSnowLeopard_BiabFiles.zipThese renders are of the demo song /Applications/Band-in-a-Box/Songs/ZZJAZZ.MG1 Volumes are flat at 90. They have MIDI bass,piano, and trumpet melody. And RealDrums for audio. If there is a bug, the Mountain Lion one should be sounding quieter, in relation to the drums.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,360 |
Hey Peter,
I couldn't find the files in your Dropbox folder, but I do believe you.
It depends what version of SL you are running. The bug was introduced somewhere around 10.6.5 IIRC.
I forget the version numbers, but the final version of SL (10.6.8 I think) had the bug, so the volume would be the same as later versions.
If you were to do a comparison between Leopard and Snow Leopard you would hear the difference.
I do a lot of background music for a friend's video business, so I re-use a lot of old work as starting points, and then build on them.
The change in volume messed up a lot of my earlier work, and rather than change all my earlier stuff I just went back to my external sound module.
My thinking was when Apple fixed the bug, I would have to go back and change everything back again, so I never bothered.
- Jay
MacPro 5,1/12 core@3.46GHz -- OS X 12.7.6 -- ATI 7970 -- 32 Gig RAM -- Crucial 500GB OS SSD -- Samsung EVO 1TB Audio/Sample SSD -- BIAB 2025 -- Logic Pro X -- Cubase Elements 14 -- Too many plugins
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944 |
Thanks Jay,
Yes, I am using 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard), so maybe that's why it sounds the same as Mountain Lion. Anyway, the MIDI balance sounds good to me. Does the MIDI on Biab with the older versions sound "too loud" or about right - in comparison to audio?
MIDI is always quieter than audio (Windows or Mac). This is because MIDI synths need to be quiet, because they need to be prepared for a huge number of notes, and don't want to distort.
btw, I fixed the links above. The fixed ones don't seem to work right either, so I put them in a zip, which does work.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 60 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until December 31, 2025. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49. Browse the full contents of each package and listen to demos here.
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,256
Posts790,088
Members39,846
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean