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#827407 11/03/24 10:59 PM
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Hello. I have iReal Pro which I find really unsatisfactory. The sounds are cheesy at best.
Sorry: I'm new to the concept.
I've seen it for $99 but also (presumably) upgraded versions for a lot more.
I just want to create tracks with an acceptable tonality and to dictate the chord changes. Is BIAB what I need?
I have Windows 10 currently.


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Teramiss #827408 11/03/24 11:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Teramiss
Hello. I have iReal Pro which I find really unsatisfactory. The sounds are cheesy at best.
Sorry: I'm new to the concept.
I've seen it for $99 but also (presumably) upgraded versions for a lot more.
I just want to create tracks with an acceptable tonality and to dictate the chord changes. Is BIAB what I need?
I have Windows 10 currently.
Firstly, welcome to the neighborhood.

Definitely, BIAB is a product that will deliver high-quality backing tracks based on your selected chords, music style, and instruments.
BIAB has two forms of backing music. MIDI and RealTracks. RealTracks generally provide a much more dynamic musical backing as they are actual music passages recorded on real music instruments by professional players. MIDI gives you flexibility in your arrangements also.

BIAB comes in several different packages starting of with the Pro version (which is entry level and has the least number of styles) right up to the Ultra-Pak and Audiophile versions which contain just about everything. The various packages are listed here.

This video shows some of the new features in BIAB 2024:

There are plenty of video demos at this page:
https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.videos.htm

If you decide on BIAB, then my advice is to go for the highest package that your budget allows.

Hope this helps.


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Teramiss #827424 11/04/24 04:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Teramiss
Hello. I have iReal Pro which I find really unsatisfactory. The sounds are cheesy at best.
Sorry: I'm new to the concept.
I've seen it for $99 but also (presumably) upgraded versions for a lot more.
I just want to create tracks with an acceptable tonality and to dictate the chord changes. Is BIAB what I need?
I have Windows 10 currently.
The "RealTracks" in BiaB are much better sounding that iRealPro. At AudioTrack says, they're real musicians playing real instruments. BiaB adjusts the pitch and time to match the key and tempo of the song and provided one doesn't try to stretch the tempo too far, it works superbly. Styles have optimum tempo information with them.

BiaB's learing curve is, of course, longer and steeper than iRealPro's, as BiaB is much more comnplex and powerful. For a simple hack-together for practicing a new song, I tend to use iRealPro because it's very straightforward to put in a set of chords and just repeat them. If I want to do something more, than I'll definitely use BiaB.

The entry-level version is the 'Pro' version. The difference between it and the larger copies is the number of styles and RealTracks in the bundle. Like many, I started with the Pro and later upgraded to the UltraPAK. There are a huge number of styles and RealTracks (thousands) to choose from in all sorts of genres.

There's a new release expected shortly ... in time for Christmas. As with most new software releases it will have new features and new bugs.

There are lots (and lots!) of songs in the User Showcase to give some idea what BiaB can do, though there will be some "me and BiaB" works and some quite produced and there are demos of styles and RealTracks in the product areas.

There's no try-before-you-buy option, though PGM are very good if you change your mind. Their support is usually excellent, too.


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[quote=Gordon Scott............................................

The entry-level version is the 'Pro' version. The difference between it and the larger copies is the number of styles and RealTracks in the bundle. Like many, I started with the Pro and later upgraded to the UltraPAK. There are a huge number of styles and RealTracks (thousands) to choose from in all sorts of genres.
.............................. [/quote]

I will add that the BiaB engine is identical in all versions of the software. The Pro version has the identical functionality as the most expensive version, i.e. it is NOT a cut down version. That is what Gordon was referring.


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Teramiss #827450 11/04/24 07:11 AM
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While I agree, the real tracks sound better, they are only about 1% as editable than the MIDI tracks are.

I find that with a good MIDI synth, I can get sounds 90% good as the Real Tracks, and I can edit them to the point where the actually work better. So if the RT isn't exactly what I want, I go back to MIDI.

I use a Ketron SD2 General MIDI synth to start with. Ketron has newer synths now, but I also have a dozen others, and they don't seem that much better in voice quality.

So it depends on how deep you want to go into the music.

A few simple edits:

If I make the song in MIDI, save it, and open it in a DAW, I can do simple edits like:

Change sounds
* That guitar sound might be better as a clavinet, or distorted guitar, or piano, or whatever
* That cymbal might be better as a cowbell
* That acoustic bass might sound better as an electric or synth bass

Move drum rolls around with a copy and paste

Get the shots and holds to sound like you want them to sound

And so on. There are literally thousands of things you can do with MIDI that you cannot do with pre-recorded audio tracks.

Fortunately, BiaB has both, so I can use Real Tracks when they are better and MIDI tracks when editing is a benefit.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫


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Agree 100% with 'Notes' ... I'd meant to say as much, but forgot whilst cooking and eating lunch, and he's also covered it better thanb I likely would have.

RealTracks are a great way to get something really good up and running quickly and they do sound good.

MIDI allows the things Notes mentions and allows the use of sophisticated sound engines like the SWAM stuff, Native Instruents, Spitfire, Indiginus and others. Most(?) people will do that in a DAW. MIDA also means one can use instruments that BiaB doesn't have ... I have things like Kora, Digeridoo, Rubab, Oud, Saz.

BiaB's 'default' built-in MIDI synth doesn't sound great, but can be substituted by others(*) or by an external synth.

(*) I use and BiaB ships with VSTSynthFont64 (oddly hidden away, see manual) and there are some excellent soundfonts around.

Mario ... thanks, yes, I was less that fully clear about "same engine".


Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
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Teramiss #827514 11/04/24 04:41 PM
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There are a few regular users here that have mentioned iReal Pro in previous posts., hopefully they can chime in.

Maybe search the Forums for that in the body of the posts.


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Teramiss #827545 11/04/24 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Teramiss
Hello. I have iReal Pro which I find really unsatisfactory. The sounds are cheesy at best.
Sorry: I'm new to the concept.
I've seen it for $99 but also (presumably) upgraded versions for a lot more.
I just want to create tracks with an acceptable tonality and to dictate the chord changes. Is BIAB what I need?
I have Windows 10 currently.
I understood that the O/P wanted to determine if BIAB would provide more satisfactory results than iReal Pro (which he already has), and he had indicated that the results were less than desirable. So I didn't think he wanted to continue with iReal Pro, but instead was seeking to find out if BIAB might produce better sounds.


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Teramiss #827551 11/04/24 07:25 PM
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Not mentioned is iReal Pro is a smartphone app that uses the the default midi patches of the smartphone to create the sounds you hear.
As others have mentioned, Band-in-a-Box has the flexibility to playback midi patches that sound more realistic than the default patches available in smartphones or operating systems. PG Music calls their custom midi patches Hi-Q patches. Band-in-a-Box can also use other, third party patches.
So if you stick with midi, you'll hear more realistic sounds than you'll hear from a smartphone.

Band-in-a-Box also accepts audio loops, audio files and can use special audio files created by session musicians called RealTracks. You can't get more realistic than audio files.

All play whatever chord sheet you create.

I forgot to mention Band-in-a-Box only runs on Windows or MacOS computers.


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Jim Fogle #827573 11/05/24 03:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Jim Fogle
Not mentioned is iReal Pro is a smartphone app that uses the the default midi patches of the smartphone to create the sounds you hear
I'm not sure that's correct. On iRealPro's website they say "We have done a lot of work to create a custom sound bank in iReal Pro to make the MIDI files to sound as good as possible ..." and in comparison with most built-in MIDI sound banks, I agree it's surprisingly good. The choice of styles is very limited, of course, so it gets very repetitive.

BiaB is much better in both respects.


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Teramiss #827595 11/05/24 08:13 AM
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Some simple edits if you export your MIDI to a sequencer. (examples are in 4/4 time)

Copy only the snare drum notes, only on the 2s and 4s, paste to another track, and move it to the high timbale. Then reduce the volume and move it a couple of tics ahead of the snare.

It will sound like a rock drummer who hits the rim and head on the backbeats to add more 'crack' sound

0r

Take the snare (and timbale) and everything else on the 2s and 4s and put them a few tics behind the beat. This makes the lister subsconsciouly wait for them, and it emphasizes the backbeat. Mostly done for rock, funk and blues. In a jazz swing, it's not unusual to push the 2s and 4s ahead a bit.

These two edits can add a lot of life to your song, and you can't do that with real tracks or real drums.

Just a couple of the thousands of edits you can do with MIDI.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫


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Originally Posted by Notes Norton
Some simple edits if you export your MIDI to a sequencer. (examples are in 4/4 time)

Copy only the snare drum notes, only on the 2s and 4s, paste to another track, and move it to the high timbale. Then reduce the volume and move it a couple of tics ahead of the snare.

It will sound like a rock drummer who hits the rim and head on the backbeats to add more 'crack' sound

0r

Take the snare (and timbale) and everything else on the 2s and 4s and put them a few tics behind the beat. This makes the lister subsconsciouly wait for them, and it emphasizes the backbeat. Mostly done for rock, funk and blues. In a jazz swing, it's not unusual to push the 2s and 4s ahead a bit.

These two edits can add a lot of life to your song, and you can't do that with real tracks or real drums.

Just a couple of the thousands of edits you can do with MIDI.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

<< "These two edits can add a lot of life to your song, and you can't do that with real tracks or real drums." >>

Sure you can edit RealTracks and RealDrums. In the before and after screen shots below of Bar 4 of a RealDrum - I edited a hit without issue. It's no different to also edit RealTracks.

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
Before Edit.jpg (202.41 KB, 75 downloads)
After Edit.jpg (199.28 KB, 75 downloads)

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Originally Posted by Charlie Fogle
Sure you can edit RealTracks and RealDrums. In the before and after screen shots below of Bar 4 of a RealDrum - I edited a hit without issue. It's no different to also edit RealTracks.
Yes, you can edit audio tracks. I do it all the time when I want to make the drums a bit less busy by removing beats, adjusting volume, or moving things slightly to shift the beat.

But MIDI is a lot easier to edit, for a number of reasons. For one thing, it's easy to select all the drum kicks or some other element, because they're all on the same MIDI note number. MIDI makes it much easier to replace one instrument with another, like Notes was suggesting. And you can swap out one instrument for another - for example, use a crunchier drumkit, or different sort of piano.

Audio is also tricky when you remove notes, because the track volume falls to zero at that point, which can draw attention to the edit.

But for minor tweaks, it's certainly worth editing audio.


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Teramiss #827617 11/05/24 11:04 AM
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We're getting here into a lot of quite deep detail.

I suspect we may well be going far further than the OP wants or needs to know at this stage.


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dcuny #827622 11/05/24 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by dcuny
Originally Posted by Charlie Fogle
Sure you can edit RealTracks and RealDrums. In the before and after screen shots below of Bar 4 of a RealDrum - I edited a hit without issue. It's no different to also edit RealTracks.
Yes, you can edit audio tracks. I do it all the time when I want to make the drums a bit less busy by removing beats, adjusting volume, or moving things slightly to shift the beat.

But MIDI is a lot easier to edit, for a number of reasons. For one thing, it's easy to select all the drum kicks or some other element, because they're all on the same MIDI note number. MIDI makes it much easier to replace one instrument with another, like Notes was suggesting. And you can swap out one instrument for another - for example, use a crunchier drumkit, or different sort of piano.

Audio is also tricky when you remove notes, because the track volume falls to zero at that point, which can draw attention to the edit.

But for minor tweaks, it's certainly worth editing audio.


No question that editing midi is easy for a number of reasons. It is. Easy isn't the goalpost. Easy, easier, easiest or similar wasn't mentioned. Editing RealDrums beats and RealTracks can't do the editing was mentioned. I said RealTracks and RealDrums can be edited. You've validated the statement.

Midi is easier to edit, but using BIAB to edit audio is better for a number of reasons.

BIAB can edit midi or audio without exiting the program so the user retains 100% of all of BIAB's features, midi and audio including generating, partial regenerating, Thousands of styles are available for changing RealDrums and RealTracks. No sequencer or DAW can do all that.

Midi doesn't make it much easier to replace one instrument with another. For changing midi patches-(Instruments), that's a breeze using Bar Settings Menu.

It's also a breeze to not only change a single RealTrack, but the BIAB Mixer has a sub-menu that allows up to 10 additional RealTracks to be own that same track and play either simultaneously or sequentially; With Volume settings and panning per instrument. If all 24 Mixer Tracks fully utilize that feature, 264 RealTracks can be used in a single render of a song project.

With BIAB, you get that other 10% that midi lacks in your production. UserTracks, Artist Performance File, and Playable RealTracks aren't discussed much in the forum but they are valuable tools for getting exactly what I'm looking with audio rather than midi. I love midi and I start nearly every project with either a midi style or midi file. They are everything Notes says they are.

My only point is that RealTracks and RealDrums can be edited and are very useful for making complex arrangements and are not just useful tweaking.


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Originally Posted by Gordon Scott
We're getting here into a lot of quite deep detail.

I suspect we may well be going far further than the OP wants or needs to know at this stage.

I'm not sure that's correct. The OP question's "I just want to create tracks with an acceptable tonality and to dictate the chord changes. Is BIAB what I need?"

You've replied that <"The "RealTracks" in BiaB are much better sounding that iRealPro. At AudioTrack says, they're real musicians playing real instruments. BiaB adjusts the pitch and time to match the key and tempo of the song and provided one doesn't try to stretch the tempo too far, it works superbly. Styles have optimum tempo information with them.">

I don't see anything deep about correcting that RealTracks and RealDrums can also be edited even if editing midi is easy.


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Originally Posted by Charlie Fogle
Originally Posted by Gordon Scott
We're getting here into a lot of quite deep detail.

I suspect we may well be going far further than the OP wants or needs to know at this stage.

I'm not sure that's correct. ...
And you may well be right.

It does depend a huge amount of what Teramiss wants to achive. I'm not so sure that any kind MIDI or RealTrack editting is necessarily part of what's wanted. At this stage we don't know and we've yet to se any feedback on what we've said so far.

Last edited by Gordon Scott; 11/05/24 03:05 PM.

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Originally Posted by Gordon Scott
It does depend a huge amount of what Teramiss wants to achieve. I'm not so sure that any kind MIDI or RealTrack editing is necessarily part of what's wanted. At this stage we don't know and we've yet to see any feedback on what we've said so far.
Agreed. At this stage we may have scared the O/P off with so much detail cry .

I understood they just wanted to know if BIAB could provide better music results than iReal Pro. I read it as a very high-level question, and certainly not a deep-dive under the hood to see "how to" and "how many" fine-tuning adjustments were possible.


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With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!

Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.

Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.

Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!

And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.

The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

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