I don't believe there's any way to make BiaB do count-ins anywhere but at the start.
You can set up a dedicated track for count-ins and create your own. For consistency of sound, turn off the built-in count at the start and add your own there too.
Edit: Set a MIDI track, write in the 'notes' for rimshots or claves or whatever, then freeze the track so BiaB doesn't try to rewrite it. You can, of course, use the same kit as the drums tracks, so the drummer does the count-in. You could also incorporate a fill.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 05/31/2502:07 AM.
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 .
I tried loading a drums realtrack to the melody track and add notation for drum ticks manually. Well, It cannot load a real or even any MIDI drum anything to the melody or soloist tracks. Or at least, I cannot get it to do this.
Then I tried using shots with all intruments except drums muted. But, the drums just mute along with the rest. I cannot get aven a songle intrument to mute without the drums and others also muting during 4 shots. Disaster.
I also disvovered that the 9/8 style only counts is 7/8 which confuses the start of the song and somehow it is not playing 9/8 either.
Until new revellations come along, I have stopped working on this.
Best regards Bernt
Last edited by berntd; 05/31/2504:14 PM.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
not that i ever use them but apparently RB handles 'odd' time signatures better than BIAB - I'm sure some RB experts can come along and help out.
if you move your project to RB it would be quite simple to create a bar of silence across the whole project and then add a count in on a new midi track using midi drums
maybe someone more expert in RB can help the OP out?
Hi Bob, I have so far never played with Realband. I have never understood simply what it was for :-( At the times I looked at it in the past, it seemed just a simplified duplication of BIAB ? Dunno.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
to explain all the many deep features of rb would take pages of typing. so best bet is to read the rb manual and look at the pg rb vids and faq's etc. many of the features in rb are unique as Bob alluded to....which i havent seen elsewhere.
one advantage of rb among many is the deep audio/midi editing and various tricks....BUT as rb is soooo deep with zillions of features ...its for the user who doesnt mind spending time with it....
i dont know exactly what your trying to do...but i would spend some time with rb....and see if its for you. unfortunately some folks want what i might term 'gimme now' solutions. in contrast rb i would term a 'spend some time with me and i'll reward you' type of music app. just like dating someone...some people want a commitment....this is rb...gotta make a commitment. its not for 'quickies'...lol. one thing i like about it is the 256 tracks so i have lots of flexibility doing things in it.
as i said just read the manuals/faq's and watch the vids and spend some time with it. ive shown it to big studios who knew nothing about it and the response often was 'wow we werent aware'....
happiness
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/01/2503:37 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
Well, all I (we 2 of us) ever do it enter songs from the Fake books or from our band scores into BIAB and then I practice with BIAB. Very much just like iRealPro. It bought BIAB for a practice tool where I can repat/loop passages, change the tempo and the key on the fly.
That's it. Can I spend n+1 hours learning Realband? Maybe but will it help me with the stuff I do as above? Dunno. I am a musician and this is a practice tool for me.
Best regards Bernt
Last edited by berntd; 06/01/2503:48 AM.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
(ps...love aussieland...this pomme always wanted to live there.)
i get what your saying...i'm a musician too. (done over 100 songs and more with pg products....some are in my sig.) but sometimes one needs to use a combination of tools to achieve what one wants done.
for example i use bb for certain things, rb for certain things and reaper for certain things. and sometimes i go (eg when i started useing rb).... 'wait a minute i can do xyz'....'wow'.
one issue for many musicians is the use of technology in doing their music. many have said to me... 'i'm a muso and dont want to futz around with computers and windows or macs/mac os whatever to do what i want'. i get it..i know it can be frustrating at times...yes...even for us techs. so my reply is the same...viz.. 'the more one can understand the technology, the more one will get out of it'. its just the way things are. in summary doing songs and useing technology can be both exacting and exciting.
thus one never knows what one can get out of a music application or technology untill one tries it. when i first tried Realband years back, initially i found it a slog. but...once i persevered with rb i started to go... 'wow i can do xyz...are you kidding me !!' and got excited the more i explored it. same when i started useing reaper and biab yonks ago.
RB user Rob Helms made a excellent point on these forums, he used the word 'familiarity' re rb for example. sooo....one never knows...you might find exciting uses for rb as you get familiar with it. frankly i wish i could use rb on the new mac mini m4 platform. it might push me over to the dark side...lol.
wishing you the best...and best to aussie too.
happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/01/2506:32 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
If you want to do what you described in the original post it would be worthwhile investing a little time in RB. If you open your song with RB you'll immediately see that with RB you can see all the tracks together and 'all tracks really are equal'. But if you are happy with BIAB and just this one instance is a problem you can do without, stick to BIAB. But I promiose getting to know RB pays dividends.
Well, all I (we 2 of us) ever do it enter songs from the Fake books or from our band scores into BIAB and then I practice with BIAB. Very much just like iRealPro. It bought BIAB for a practice tool where I can repat/loop passages, change the tempo and the key on the fly.
That's it. Can I spend n+1 hours learning Realband? Maybe but will it help me with the stuff I do as above? Dunno. I am a musician and this is a practice tool for me.
Best regards Bernt
For your particular task, I believe it can be done in BIAB.
I've attached a screenshot of a website for the song so you can check to see if it's the correct song. If it is, download the midi file and open/import it into BIAB. The midi file notes should play and sound correct Then you simply select instruments to make it sound good for your practice.
Another method is to save each section of the song into individual songs and use the Song Medley Maker to create a single song from each saved section and Medley Maker creates a new Chord Sheet merged from the individual songs. Song Medley Maker treats between the songs as transitions (0-16 bars in length) and creates appropriate chords of 1-16 bars. Caveats are the first 'song' must be 4/4 which could be silence so there's a short pause before the song begins in a transitioned 9/8 Second caveat is song length is limited by 255 bars. With repeats this can be extended. Description from PGM in the screenshot.
Also note in the Medley Maker description screenshot, PGM recommends not to use RealDrums in songs similar to what you're attempting. The time stretching is too extreme.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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)
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.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean