It's all about what you like. People I work in the office with that like dark mode apps also like the surrounding lighting to be dimmer too.
I'm the opposite and all about bright lights in the room and bright/light screens.
Everyone has their preference and I'm all about using whatever you want. Having a choice is awesome.
EDIT: Another "general" observation, polling about a couple dozen folks I see around me..... age 30s and younger tend to go dark mode and above that age, light..... me in the 50s trending to the light side.
Are we talking about BIAB, or the Forum software? There are some possibilities to change the color scheme in BIAB. But yes, it would be great to have dark mode as a choice, anywhere. I think this request would get a lot of support in the Wishlist, and that's possibly a better place to get PG Music staff to see the request.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I think we're talking about the forum software. Yes, a choice would be good. Firefox has a dark color scheme available through Tools > Settings, but not all websites adapt their scheme based on those settings.
Yes, the Wishlist is the place to go.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Forum and Biab, just like you have a dark mode option in the BBPlugin. There is too much eye strain spending nights on the PC looking at brilliant bright white.
"Peter Gannon is the Santa Claus. Can't wait for this to happen on this year's Christmas." LOL that's what I always say, the xmas wishlist.
I tried a lot of settings and add-ons but the PG website it stayed the same. I have seen dark mode theme options for the BB forum software some time back.
That's helpful. A few of us thought it was about the forum software (though that would be nice, too). For BIAB, you can make the chordsheet dark, using the Display Options and playing with the settings in the upper left. A number of us made our own color schemes a decade ago, and I used the one Allanah made. However, there are large parts of the new GUI (2018) that I'm not sure how to change.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
You have a high contrast theme setting to make most things dark but it's not as good as a dark mode as you have all the bright white borders. See in the pic the piano roll is still brilliant bright white.
I had a conversation with my eye doctor a few years back about computer screens and brightness. He said, that whole thing about blue light being damaging to your eyes? Not true. At least if we're talking about electronic screens. According to my doctor, and I fully recommend this myself, is to set the brightness of your screen properly in the environment they're in. Easiest way to do that is to adjust the amount of light in the room to your liking. Turn the brightness on your screen(s) all the way down. Slowly turn the brightness up until black text on white background is easy and comfortable to read.
Tl;dr Lower the brightness on your screens to save your eyes from strain.
My eye doc disagrees. She says it isn't so much the blue, but the UV that you don't see. But she adds that she works with computers all day.
If there is a dark mode in an app, and if it's well done, I'll use it. If not, I don't freak out. I just figure it's best to err on the side of safety.
My eye doc disagrees. She says it isn't so much the blue, but the UV that you don't see.
UV was an issue with cathode ray tubes, but neither electroluminescent nor LED backlighting tends to have that UV content. They tend to be a blue light at about 430-470nm and fluorescent coatings in the yellow and/or red areas. High colour rendition usually also has green fluorescence.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
My eye doc disagrees. She says it isn't so much the blue, but the UV that you don't see. But she adds that she works with computers all day.
If you are concerned about UV radiation then the sun is your biggest enemy. My point was that the blue light emitted from an LED screen is harmless for your eyes. There are some interesting studies made that suggest that blue light interferes with our circadian rhythm, but that's a slightly different topic.
<...snip...> If you are concerned about UV radiation then the sun is your biggest enemy.
I wear sunglasses outdoors.
We have a 3 days a week gig, outdoors, near the beach, but under a very big, blue canopy. I wear my sunglasses under there as well.
I've also surrounded my house with shade trees, mostly for the shade, but that helps with UV and short trips out of the house like to the mailbox.
Macular Degeneration runs in my father's family (one out of 6 siblings) so I make sure to take care of my eyes, and err on the side of safety.
It's nice to hear about UV in the LED is harmless, but I'll continue to use the dark mode when I can. I actually prefer it on pages where it is done well.
Andrew introduced a dark mode for the forum software recently. It's the only one I use now. It is much easier on the eyes, but sometimes can be a little difficult to read when posts contain user-added colored text segments. Regardless, it provides for a much better and clearer display.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available 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 Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
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 as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac 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 100 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 Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. 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 Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Norton Music
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean