Yes, this can all be done. I believe the Installer will walk you through the options. A minimal install puts the minimum needed on the C: drive. Then you can copy the Realdrums and Realtracks (etc) to the other drive and point BiaB to that drive in Options-Preferences if you want to do it manually. Same with RealBand
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Hi GML, Congratulations on your purchase of the UltraPAK +.
You may want to ask your question in the +++ Band-in-a-Box for Mac +++ forum section. I'm sure your question will get more views and better answers than your thread will receive here.
It will also be helpful to state what operating system version your Mini Mac is running.
Rharv is correct. The main program can go on your boot drive, what you called the 1TB HD. The RealTracks and RealDrums (which take up much more storage space) can go on the SSD internal drive. The installer can make this distinction; you do not need to move anything manually afterward. For specific instructions, Jim is correct that the Mac forum would be a better place to get that help. Most of us use the Windows version.
You didn't ask this, but you could decide to install all of BIAB on the 2 TB SSD drive. If your 1TB drive is a hard drive, BIAB will work best on the 2TB SSD.
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.
If you simply follow the installation prompts, it will do all the work for you, and since you have the hard drive version, just let it do the "minimal" installation.
That ensures that only the absolutely required software files are installed on your C drive. All the huge audio files and other things remain on the factory hard drive. It will know where to go look for them when they are required.
This is how I have been installing this program ever since I got my first hard drive version many many years ago. The tracks will load into memory and it literally only takes a few seconds to do so.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Herb, you and I disagree on some stuff and this is one .. putting the rest of the stuff on an internal drive has its benefits. I just update my internal E:drive and everything works faster, plus I have the external as a backup
/I don't disagree with him wanting the content on an available internal drive //it IS a little more work but has its benefits //it is both possible and beneficial on some systems
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Herb, you and I disagree on some stuff and this is one .. putting the rest of the stuff on an internal drive has its benefits. I just update my internal E:drive and everything works faster, plus I have the external as a backup
/I don't disagree with him wanting the content on an available internal drive //it IS a little more work but has its benefits //it is both possible and beneficial on some systems
Maybe I missed something but I answered based on the assumption the OP has two internal drives. The boot drive is a spinning drive and the other, larger drive, is s SSD. If true, BIAB should run best if it’s all on the internal SSD.
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.
Yeah, except my response had nothing to do with SSD or not, I was simply stating having the RTs (and such) on an internal drive, as opposed to external USB drive, has its benefits .. and you still need to do a minimal install to C: regardless The external shipped drive then becomes your backup
Last edited by rharv; 08/03/2405:01 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
I agree having the RealTracks and RealDrums on an internal drive will perform better. I’ve had that setup for ten years. I installed an internal drive just for that.
Your comment raises a question for me. I agree that some files such as the PG fonts do get installed on the boot drive regardless of any other decision. But I think a minimal install can be performed to a drive of your choice. Likewise I know the RealTracks and RealDrums can be on the same or different drive of your choice. Potentially this could involve three different drives.
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.
I don't disagree that using an internal HD would be best as far as speed goes. I have a secondary drive that's essentially a storage drive. I could put the files there but I'm not in a big hurry and a couple of seconds is not an inconvenience to me.
But yeah..... with a 2TB secondary internal....there's plenty of room to install the complete program and let it rip.
To the OP: certainly, install the files on the 2TB and roll with it.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I agree that some files such as the PG fonts do get installed on the boot drive regardless of any other decision. But I think a minimal install can be performed to a drive of your choice.
Correct - fonts and the plugin are always installed to the system drive, regardless of where you want to install BB. These don't take up much space though, under 1gb.
Originally Posted by Matt Finley
Likewise I know the RealTracks and RealDrums can be on the same or different drive of your choice. Potentially this could involve three different drives.
Four in fact - it's possible to have your system drive contain only the fonts and plugin, a second drive for the BB app, a third for RealTracks, and a fourth for Drums. Not that I'd necessarily suggest doing that though.
Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
a couple of seconds is not an inconvenience to me
Precisely.
In my opinion, I find it easiest and best to have BB and the Realtracks all installed into one location - either install everything to internal, or everything to external. The speed boosts from having the app on internal storage vs USB typically are only noticeable in program launch time - once it's running there isn't much difference (except if you're using USB 2.0 or slower). The downside with having BB/Realtracks/Drums in different locations is that the operating system sometimes changes the mount point for external drives - this isn't a problem if you run everything from the external or internal as BB simply accesses the files from the same folder the app is in, but once they're outside of that folder if the path changes then BB suddenly won't be able to find your RT/RD's.
In practice this doesn't happen that often, but it's happened to me often enough that I prefer everything in one place.
Yes. The way to avoid that last problem is to assign a higher drive letter to the external drive. Mine is drive P (for PG Music).
There's no way to do that on Mac though, which is what GML is using.
The problem on Mac is that drives mount into a folder under /Volumes, such as "/Volumes/Band-in-a-Box". If you plug in two hard drives with the same name, they'll both show up on your desktop and in Finder with the name "Band-in-a-Box", but one will be mounted in "/Volumes/Band-in-a-Box" and the other in "/Volumes/Band-in-a-Box 2". In addition I've noticed this happen without multiple drives, where the OS for some reason doesn't remove the old mount point before the drive is re-mounted.
This isn't nearly as big a problem as on Windows, but still happens often enough.
but one will be mounted in "/Volumes/Band-in-a-Box" and the other in "/Volumes/Band-in-a-Box 2". In addition I've noticed this happen without multiple drives, where the OS for some reason doesn't remove the old mount point before the drive is re-mounted.
Is it feasible to coerce the name using a partition manager or similar? I do that on Linux so I can see what drives are present but not yet mounted.
I just plugged in my 2023 drive and it appears as device "Audiophile" on mount point /media/Audiophile. "Audiophile" is the partition label for my partition /dev/sdd1
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Is it feasible to coerce the name using a partition manager or similar? I do that on Linux so I can see what drives are present but not yet mounted.
I just plugged in my 2023 drive and it appears as device "Audiophile" on mount point /media/Audiophile. "Audiophile" is the partition label for my partition /dev/sdd1
Renaming the drive from the Finder or Disk Utility changes the mount point right away, though I think this was not the case in some older versions of Mac OS. There isn't any way to set the mount point from the GUI, probably only from Terminal.
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!
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Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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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!
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!
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!
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 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.
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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!
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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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