When I purchased BIAB around ~2000, it changed my songwriting. Here's how ...
I started writing again, and prolifically! *
It gave me a way to express my ideas, when previously it was just me and my guitar
It exposed me to a full band, and most know that playing with others is inspiring
It exposed me to genres I didn't normally work in, and thus broadened my options and inspiration
It gave me ideas in the demos and tracks that turned into songs
It motivated me to break out of my four-chord / four-bar trap to think of longer and more complex musical phrases
It helped me develop vocal harmonies using the Harmony track
It broadened my knowledge of chords and chord extensions
It introduced me to arrangement and production - initially using PowerTracks
Is your story similar or different?
* See my attached chart showing when I wrote each song or song part. I documented this a few years ago because, while I have many completed songs, I also have many verses, choruses, bridges or riffs still looking for a partner, so I listed each song with its attributes (genre, tempo, key sig, Style) in the hope I can one day mix'n'match. Fortunately, I kept original SGU and MGU files or MID output, or had hand-written notes that tied a song to the date written.
Andrew, interesting use of BiaB, and completely understandable. I use BiaB to bring a fuller backing track to the songs I write with my brother's lyrics. I'm not using the inspirational or educational aspects of BiaB much except by occasional accident. BiaB is certainly a Swiss Army knife with a dizzying array of blades...
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
I had several notebooks with songs and song ideas and no real way to record them to a professional sounding level. I was using cakewalk as a DAW and either having to play all the parts or build tracks using midi. Results weren't bad, but weren't pro either. Of course I was also in the process of figuring things out as well, so a lot of mistakes were being made.
BB opened the door to the creation of pro sounding tracks . I was using them to build the songs while still playing the piano and guitars, which are my main instruments.
I'm still using BB in this manner in the creative process of writing and recording.
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.
Hi Andrew, my story is very similar to yours. Like Herb I started writing songs and doing covers in MIDI. I started back in the late 1980's using an Atari computer and Dr. T's sequencer. I used a number of sequencers when I started using a PC, then DAWs when they became available. MIDI is still my main way of making music. The rest of my story is virtually identical to yours. Other than generating great backing tracks the main thing about BiaB for me it allows me to play in genres I generally wouldn't use. Without BiaB I doubt that I would be playing today.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Just thought I'd quickly chime in here to also say without BIAB, I would still be a completely frustrated vocalist with no expressive musical outlet. It's been awesome and not just in terms of being able to accompany myself and bring tunes to fruition. It's also been a very appreciated forum experience. When I think of other "environments" and how people treat one another, it deserves to be acknowledged how the culture here is so supportive and cordial. I've learned so much from the folks here. And if it were just that it would have been more than enough, but I also love hearing the original music of others instead of that stuff that all sounds alike out there. So Andrew, I'm really glad it's done so much for you and that we all get to see and hear your progress.
Like Herb I started writing songs and doing covers in MIDI.
Mornin' Mario....and all others.
The above is my story also. I had a 5' tall rack full of MIDI and signal processing modules.
I currently have 50 originals finished/recorded which averages out to (1) song a year since I started song writing back in 1974. I only have about 35 or so uploaded to Soundclick/Soundcloud. I can honestly say that 20 of those (all done with my collaborator-in-chief guitarist Ken Lasaine) 50 would have likely never been written if it weren't for such a stellar program to flesh out my song writing efforts. As like Herb, I started with Cakewalk 3.0 and still use today as Sonar X3 Producer. I love BIAB and am always impressed with it's abilities. Any "STYLE" I select to listen to in my genre of preference can always stimulate a song topic to flesh out. The vast majority of mine have lyrics and only 1/2 dozen + - are instrumentals.
Admittedly, even though I have a few topic titles written down, I've been in a creative deficit lately.
For me, the most important change was that I changed from a instruments-first person to a lyrics-first person. With BIAB, it's totally easy to find an arrangement that fits the lyrics.
We played in traditional bluegrass bands for many, many years (Bud on upright bass and Janice on guitar and mandolin). But unlike our bandmates we also listened to multiple genres including rock, country, big band, jazz and blues.
Bud had mixed since the mid 60's and discovering BiaB and the forum in 2011 allowed us to explore and create productions in the aforementioned genres ... something we never dreamed of. So to the topic, it certainly forced huge changes in our song writing!
And we met folks who have become true friends as mentors, partners and both. Our production time is more limited nowadays but the fun continues.
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
... I'm not using the inspirational or educational aspects of BiaB much except by occasional accident. BiaB is certainly a Swiss Army knife with a dizzying array of blades...
Thanks Ron - yes, I love the occasional accidents that occur with BIAB - as if you’re playing in a band and a band mate does something unexpected “Hey, what did you do there?”
Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
I had several notebooks with songs and song ideas and no real way to record them to a professional sounding level. ...
Hi Herb - I hope you still have those notebooks - I occasionally look through my own as a reminder of where I’ve come from.
Originally Posted by MarioD
... The rest of my story is virtually identical to yours. Other than generating great backing tracks the main thing about BiaB for me it allows me to play in genres I generally wouldn't use. Without BiaB I doubt that I would be playing today.
Thanks Mario! I honestly say I didn’t think consciously about genres until BIAB - I was in my own little world.
Originally Posted by BYOBand
Just thought I'd quickly chime in here to also say without BIAB, I would still be a completely frustrated vocalist with no expressive musical outlet. It's been awesome and not just in terms of being able to accompany myself and bring tunes to fruition. It's also been a very appreciated forum experience. When I think of other "environments" and how people treat one another, it deserves to be acknowledged how the culture here is so supportive and cordial. I've learned so much from the folks here. And if it were just that it would have been more than enough, but I also love hearing the original music of others instead of that stuff that all sounds alike out there. So Andrew, I'm really glad it's done so much for you and that we all get to see and hear your progress.
Hi Beth! I wholeheartedly agree about this encouraging and inspiring forum. I’m so glad you found BIAB and are able to put shape and form around your ideas so we can hear them.
Originally Posted by chulaivet1966
…I currently have 50 originals finished/recorded which averages out to (1) song a year since I started song writing back in 1974. I only have about 35 or so uploaded to Soundclick/Soundcloud. I can honestly say that 20 of those (all done with my collaborator-in-chief guitarist Ken Lasaine) 50 would have likely never been written if it weren't for such a stellar program to flesh out my song writing efforts. … Admittedly, even though I have a few topic titles written down, I've been in a creative deficit lately. …
Thanks Wayne! Hoping you find your spark of inspiration soon. It was good to hear that BIAB helped your collaborative efforts also.
Originally Posted by B.D.Thomas
For me, the most important change was that I changed from a instrumental-first person to a lyrics-first person. With BIAB, it's totally easy to find an arrangement that fits the lyrics.
Thanks B.D.! I tend to be music-first, but when I have gone lyrics-first, BIAB has been very helpful - but not enough to break me out of my stubborn ways! Your approach has certainly led to some impressive results!
Originally Posted by Janice & Bud
... But unlike our bandmates we also listened to multiple genres including rock, country, big band, jazz and blues.
Bud had mixed since the mid 60's and discovering BiaB and the forum in 2011 allowed us to explore and create productions in the aforementioned genres ... something we never dreamed of. So to the topic, it certainly forced huge changes in our song writing!
And we met folks who have become true friends as mentors, partners and both.
Hi J&B! I didn’t know about your bluegrass background, so good to hear BIAB opened up your horizons. I love hearing about the friendships through the forum. If ever the forum arranged a Zoom meet of members, I’d be there to meet people ‘face-to-face’ - but probably hard when we are all around the globe.
Thank you all for your comments and sharing your own stories!
I think band in a box has some paradoxical elements.
I think the more you know about music and learn about music and study music, the more band in a box starts to blow your mind as you begin to consider how much more you can learn from it, if you want to understand the power of complex chord progressions and how other people get the sound that they do.
It's literally a bottomless pit in that regard. You simply don't have enough lifetimes to live if you had ten or 20 or even 100 to learn all of the things that can be taught by studying band in a box solos, chord progressions, demos styles, instrumental approaches and variations, etc etc etc.
Because I've written songs and played songs and produced songs all by myself playing most of the instruments for decades before I even came into contact with band in a box, I definitely don't lean on band in a box to help me because I don't know how to do anything else. It's quite the opposite.
First, band in the box is more powerful than any music school I can conceive of and I took plenty of music classes from private tutors and as electives in college and stuff like that. If you want to learn a certain jazz soloing technique or comping technique or anything else from any genre, you can simply pull up a band in the box demo and play along with the notation sheet music right in front of your face and see how people do the things that they do. That's mind-boggling.
It's like being able to take guitar soloing lessons from Carlos Santana in your bedroom.
What's not to love.
On top of that the technology efficiencies that are created by band in a box and real band are astronomical.
Say I have written a song in the key of G and I want to record it and make the production process as efficient as possible.
I simply pick the tempo, find a style that is reasonably close, and create a G chord drone backing track for the entire song at that tempo.
Then I sit down in real band with my working lyrics and chords and play along and record with my acoustic and sing along as well to that G chord drone.
When I'm done, I start over from the beginning and just start typing in the right chords measure for measure along with the scratch vocal because I can tell what I'm doing now and I know what the chords should be.
4 minutes later I have a complete demo mocked up.
I can then start adding in as many of my own guitar tracks as I want til Kingdom come, lay down more vocals backing vocals, electric tracks, percussion, use the band in a box tracks, what have you.
But it cuts the whole production cycle grunt work down to about 10% of what you would have used otherwise.
That's only about 1% of what band in a box can help you with.
It just goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.
So in the end, band in a box is not for people who can't play, band in a box is absolutely for people who can play, and who want to up their game and explore infinitely new horizons.
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
… It's [BIAB] literally a bottomless pit in that regard. …
Hi David - thanks for sharing what BIAB means to you and also a small insight into your workflow - I’m assuming at least one of your workflows.
I think one of the beauties of BIAB is that one can approach it and use it from so many angles and/or for so many purposes. Like my own story, it is good to hear how BIAB has helped people to higher levels of creativity and musicality.
Writing in BIAB helped get me away from the muscle memory chord changes that saw me endless recycling ideas. Working in the key of A for example forced me to learn a couple of chords as well as changing my perspective.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I always find it so fascinating to see how other people use Band-in-a-Box, or what about it they have found the most transformative for their personal workflow. I've seen so many creative uses of Band-in-a-Box here during my time on the forums that I may not have considered otherwise, and I look forward to reading more from people who feel like chiming in about the ways the program has been a positive impact for them.
Writing in BIAB helped get me away from the muscle memory chord changes that saw me endless recycling ideas. Working in the key of A for example forced me to learn a couple of chords as well as changing my perspective.
I always find it so fascinating to see how other people use Band-in-a-Box, or what about it they have found the most transformative for their personal workflow. I've seen so many creative uses of Band-in-a-Box here during my time on the forums that I may not have considered otherwise, and I look forward to reading more from people who feel like chiming in about the ways the program has been a positive impact for them.
Thanks Ember! Like you, I've been given some new ideas about how to use BIAB that I otherwise wouldn't have considered. Andrew
Without BiaB, I would not be able to busk. I write the songs and then play them back with the Jukebox feature. What a great tool BiaB is for my music career. Donny
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
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.
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)
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.
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