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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2022
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OP
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Hello community,
Here an user of BIaB Ultrapak+ 2021, 2022, 2023 and now considering 2024... Possibly the Audiophile version, I am still debating what to get.
I learnt from different pages that the Audiophile Edition contents (Real Tracks, Real Band) can be directly accessed from the 2.5'' HDD delivered, there is no need to copy to a faster 3.5'' HDD or much faster SSD.
To what extent this is working well? Do I need to back-up the delivered HDD locally or can I download any missing file from the server if accidentally deleted (as in Ultrapak+ versions)?
Finally, how large is the audio contents of the included .wavs on disk? I mean approximate GBs. If it is smaller it is easier to put in my existing disks, if larger I'll need to consider to use directly... but then I must know how to deal with back-ups.
Sorry if this information is somewhere in the forum or FAQs, but I could not find it. I only got the information that the HDD delivered is 2.5'' USB3 and 4TB (but I have no clue if contents are 1TB or 3.5TB).
Thanks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Firstly, welcome to the Forums. The Audiophile drive storage contents are as follows: ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=26912&filename=2024-01-06_10-20-10.jpg) I run the program directly from the Audiophile drive (after having performed a minimal install of the necessary files to the computer itself, which is one of the setup options).
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I’ll look for the size of all the RealTracks and RealDrums in my 2024 audiophile version, but right now I can say they take up a very high percentage of the total space. All the WMA files are also there; they take up roughly 1/11th the size of the corresponding WAV files. The audiophile version used to run on a 2 TB drive. With BIAB 2024, it goes just over so it now requires a 4 TB drive.
Yes, BIAB runs fine from that drive.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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OP
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Thanks a lot both for your help, this is exactly what I needed to know.
@ Matt Finley, there is no need to look for more information, it is clear. ~1.85TB (just above 2e12 bytes), ~1/12 of which is WMA and a small part (probably 2....60GB, I do not care at all) for the smaller files.
I'll make a decision before the deal expires
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I moved the slightly over 2T+ content to a 2T (slightly under) M2 drive but in order to do it I had to hand select and copy the RTs (about 95%)
It took like a day to do it that way.
I run two version from the Task bar. The full one (slow) and the fast one (95%)
I will try moving the drums to a separate drive from the RT someday to see if I can get a little better solution.
Studio One (latest version), Win 11 23H2 , i9 -10940X 3.3 GHz, 32GB Mem, a 4K 40" monitor, PreSonus Studio Live III Console as interface/controller. secondarily test on Reaper, Cakewalk, and S1 on Surface Pro 3 Win 10 (latest versions).
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Finally I bought Audiophile... well, not exactly: I bought OmniPAK! I will receive it next week, but I already downloaded the WMA version to try the new features in BiaB standalone and VST3 plugin.
Deciding between WMA and uncompressed WAVs was not easy. Because I think it depends a lot on the type of track. I think sharing what I found could be useful for BiaB users. Very summarized:
1) For real drums (no pitch stretching, and cymbals sound much better in WAV than in WMA), there is a real gain. None will notice in a car or in music shared through WhatsApp in a cell phone. But there were projects where I decided to substitute the drums at the end... just to have some contents beyond 14 kHz : )
2) For organs, some synths, even pianos the differences I expect are less. But it is nice to have higher quality. Especially if the other tracks sound well.
3) For some guitars, especially overdriven guitars... well some of them sounded really bad to me. Even inside a car or through WhatsApp + Mobile. The "voicing" was so different depending on the chords. I suspected this had to fo with pitch-shifting on an instrument "with a strong voicing" (like human voice, we can hear formants). Then someone helped me to run a render of these guitars with the Audiophile version... and as I suspected it was equally bad. Unusable for me.
But then reading the manual of the 2024 software (I was serarching for something totally unrelated) I realized that there might be an easy solution: The DI version of the suspect tracks is available!
So there is no problem, the strong voicing in the overdriven guitars is coming 90% from the FX chain + amplifier + CAB. This takes really bad the pitch shifting. But pitch-shifting the clean guitar (not so problematic) and then applying the "channel" (any VST combination of my choice) this 90% of the voicing is not altered by the pitch-shifting. This converts my "unusable guitars" (same with WMA or Audiophile version) in something really nice and flexible.
Once I could improve by leaps and bounds some guitar tracks (really the weakest link of the chain even in the WMA versions), I was totally motivated to go to Audiophile version. Well... OmniPAK!
To hear what I mean you can listen to anything with some variety of chords in style: _PUNKRK1.STY (Punk w/ Held and Muted Guitars)
If you solo Real Track 2585:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PunkHeldPlus Ev it does not matter much if it is WMA or WAV.
This one is not much better: 2584:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PunkMuted Ev 165
Using the DI version and any guitar amp VST (in my case I quickly tested a preset from Guitar Rig 6 that sounded similar to the original track).
My advice: Use DI + guitar channel emulation (after pitch shifting!) and not "amplified" or any overdriven Real Tracks. The cost is like 4...10x more processing power (it added like ~2.1% CPU load in my old 6-core computer, who cares?).
By the way, this works exactly the same with sampled guitar libraries. Add, combine the multiple notes first, then apply FX or amplifier. Never get a chord like the addition of a few overdriven samples. Instead first sum the clean samples, then overdrive them with any model of the amplifier / FX chain.
I hope it helps. Looking forward to receive my OmniPAK. I'll need to finish the other project before I start playing again with BiaB
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Congratulations on your upgrade.
You might enjoy comparing notes with the article I wrote about the differences between the audiophile and ‘regular’ versions. It’s the first post, a sticky, in the Tips and Tricks Forum. Your observations about Direct Input instruments are valuable.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 56
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 56 |
Congratulations on your upgrade.
You might enjoy comparing notes with the article I wrote about the differences between the audiophile and ‘regular’ versions. It’s the first post, a sticky, in the Tips and Tricks Forum. Your observations about Direct Input instruments are valuable. I did indeed! It was very useful. Thanks! Then Thomas S helped me rendering some tracks, this helped a lot. And then looking at the 2024 manual... I found the unexpected availability of the DI version for reamp! So, problem solved!  First "play" (with pitch-shifting), then reamp. And it gives me the flexibility to decide which kind of guitar channel I am using (including my Helix Native that emulates my Helix pedalboard for live gigs!). I mean, once the weakest link of the chain was improved it is worth it (for me) to get Audiophile level.
Last edited by parapente; 01/12/24 01:20 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2006
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PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
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...plus, by choosing to go with the OmniPAK Audiophile Edition, you also receive all of the XPro & Xtra Styles Sets! Don't forget to check out the other programs that will be in your OmniPAK - you might stumble on a program that you never thought you needed!  -Callie
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 56
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 56 |
Yes! I bought OmniPAK to have all Xtra Styles after 11 (I already have 1....11) and the pro styles. I knew some of the VERY old music teaching programs and I have some limited interest. But I installed all the contents and I found lots of really good stuff, at least for me:
Songs and lessons PAKs, loops & riffs, instrumental studies, "modern" MIDI styles (normally released as bonus PAKs), fakebooks...
Now I understand better the different contents and the way they are released, it is not trivial.
Totally worth it for me to pay the extra for OmniPAK. Actually what I am enjoying now is the program and VST new features and the contents you mention because I'll receive the HDD in 1 week (so I cannot render anything in "Audiophile quality" yet).
Thanks for the tip.
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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!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
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