I have been with BIAB and I so agree it’s a mess. All they have done is rejigged the same stuff. My personal pet hate is the way that the loop function is so flakey and even when you have a couple of bars highlighted there is often no guarantee that the cursor follows on. Just one little click almost anywhere else and it’s lost its setting. This gets on my nerves every day and all I do is bung in a few chords for piano practice. It still can’t do this well, since 2007. Recently I went below deck in order to cover repeats, regretted it, so obscure and flakey. Will not be doing that again. Repeat functions like simple repeats, type one and two endings, del segno and so forth, should be the most easy thing to do. It should be a simple function of the interface. It’s not, it’s very tricky. I just won’t go there any more. Many just write the whole piece avoiding then.
The chord entry needs a total redesign. It’s not going to get one IMO, nor are all the back room windows. It still reeks of Win 95. No young person is going to have an interest, I run a Musicians Meet Musicians Group locally. If I mention Band in a Box they all go ‘whaaaot?..’ if I show them in my studio, you can see faces dropping as they look at the obviously ancient interface with the weird design, fonts etc. if PG were even to tart up the visuals this would help. Another lost opportunity in PG, is the fact that it’s crowning glory is real tracks. On the website all you see silhouettes , manikins. The WHOLE point of Biab is real tracks, without these they would be dead. I own a Nord Keyboard, if I go to their website I can find interviews with real artists and demos of them playing the keyboard. It sells the product. There is none of this to be found on the PG website, not even a picture of their session men and a bio. It. Criminally undersells the product. Frankly the site is almost unnavigable, full of unnecessary tosh that only the understand, megaplusextaproxtraplusaudioplhilicbonuspak jargon that must send customers away in their droves. They just do NOT get it and will not face facts. There could be a truly great product, but there is a mess.
I think you have to ask yourself Zero whether or not you are happy or unhappy with Band in a Box in your Music Making Toolkit.
Reading your posts I get the distinct impression that this software is not for you, such seems to be your grievances against Band in a Box and even PGMusic in general.
We can all think of improvements that can be made, but your posts seem to go beyond that. I for one, down through the years (as many others have done) have used Band in a Box for backing tracks for little songs that I have done, that has saved me a fortune in Studio Time, and got me in a few cases over 100k views on Youtube.
Overall Band in a Box is my favourite bit of software, It really has something for everyone, Often I just open it up and go the Artists Performance sets, or other option let it play its stuff and be thoroughly entertained by it.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
Zerozero, you must had soured cream put in your coffee this morning... Most of us (users) have some kind of annoyances with BIAB. It is normal, like with a family member Lots(!) of room for improvement, but not to see the progress team made in the past few years, that's simply being unfair and blind.
Fair enough. I realise my opinions are contentious but I still hold them. Missed opportunities and flakey programming everywhere. Most of PG customers are OAPs like me. We can all praise the small improvements and BIAb does some things well, irreplaceably well. It is also totally old skool
I've kinda been holding back from commenting too much until I've had a chance to actually use BIAB 2026 on some real projects. So far I can easily acknowledge that this represents substantial improvement to BIAB! But, I would also agree with ZeroZero on certain points.
Anyone can see that the main screen UI is dramatically improved. Once I switched to dark mode and changed the font from the "classic" BIAB font I felt the main screen UI looks as good or better than anything else out there!
I mean, c'mon, that is light years from where it came from, right?
---------- My suggestion to PGM for immediate implementation: In the next build for 2026, and in all of your marketing materials/presentations, set the default color scheme to dark and change the font to a common, modern Windows/Mac font.
What made me stop and go "WOW!" was DrDan's screenshot of the main screen UI AFTER he had modified it (DrDan's post )!
Out of the box, for me, it was still too reminiscent of older versions of BIAB. For something this cool, I think you should dress it up to look new and exciting without remnants from the past like the old font and background color. ---------- One of the main places where I agree with ZeroZero is, once you get past the beautiful new main screen UI you quickly remember you're back in Windows 95 territory!
There are so many of these "classic" Windows screens and dialogs, all loaded up with hundreds of obscure options and settings, that it makes my eyes roll whenever I have to go there. Thank goodness for folks here who know the program so well that I can usually just ask how to do something and I get a kind response with a roadmap to the option or setting I'm seeking. I fear new users or prospective younger users might be quite put off by this aspect. ---------- My suggestion to PGM for future implementation: You need to tame this beast! And we know it won't be easy because there are so many settings and options spread all over the place in this program. Maybe start by moving all non-essential stuff to a less visible area. And make the most commonly used settings and options easier to find. This is a tough one but if you can pull it off that will make the program a lot easier to use. ---------- My suggestion to PGM for near-term implementation: Change the screens and dialogs throughout the program to match the dark mode main screen UI. They will still be complex but they will look more modern. ---------- In summary, I am really looking forward to exploring the new main screen UI as it looks really beautiful and seems to offer significant workflow improvements! I think the PGM team deserves a big round of applause for this version. And I hope more UI improvements throughout are planned!
The dark mode has nothing to do with if a GUI is modern or not. It is the functionality of the GUI, i.e. how the user can work in the GUI that makes the difference.and makes it modern. And if it is configurable.
It is only a user preference. Some people like it (find it easier to work) in dark and some in light mode.
Some people have very hard to read and use a GUI in the dark mode. The problem with the industri and some developers is that they think that they know what is optimal for the user experience, but they don't! They think a modern GUI must be a dark GUI and some don't even provide an option to switch between modes. (It seems to be a trend thing rather than based on user experience)
I never buy a software with a GUI that only has dark mode and can't be switched to a light mode (i.e. too dark mode with no options to configure the intensity, colors of the text). Why? it is useless to me, many times I can't read the text (dark grey or dark colored text on dark background) and I know that many users have the same issues with dark mode. It is very different between users what is optimal för visability and it might be hard for many with no issues with the dark mode to understand that many people have big problems with this.
Otherwise I agree in full with JJJ comments above.
The good think about the new BIAB GUI is that the user can switch between light and dark mode as they prefere. So it is not an issue.Very good.
It is very important for software with a dark mode to have the option for the user to configure and select, fonts, intensity and color of the text so it will be readable against the dark background.
BIAB dark mode is not so dark so it will work fine. But the user need to be able to configure the color of the text eg green on dark can be very hard to read for some users.
Colors can be very pretty but the main issue in a GUI for the user is usability i.e. to be able see and read the text and information with ease. So for that purpose it is always better to use white text on grey background as default when in a dark mode and let the user configure other colors for the font depending on preferences. As an example in BIAB the tiny mixer box in the multipicker view is completely useless for me dark green text on black background. I can't read it at all in there (what a shame).
For the same reason as above I would like to be able to configure the colors for some of the text in the BIAB mixer and the track view (eg green on black background not very easy to read, especially not in the multipicker mixer view). I have not found any options for that, but maybe I have missed it.
BIAB 2026, Studio Pro 8, Song Master Pro, Win11 Home. i7-9700K CPU, 32GB, ESI MAYA44eX, ZOOM UAC-2, Guitar Pro 8, Transcribe, (EZKeys2, EZD3, SD3, EZBass, EZMix3) Amateur: fiddle, guitar, vocal, beginner on bass.
Notice this attachment below is also BIAB 2007 (updated to RealTracks in 2012)
It's a MultiStyle with 14 substyles of 7 soloists programmed to seamlessly flow between substyles and from one soloist to another every 8 bars Four drum patterns also alternating with Part Markers. This is a simple MultiStyle. BIAB is capable of creating much more complex arrangements than this.
Maybe show friends what BIAB can do. This SGU project can be turned into a completely different song arrangement in 33 seconds. Soloist instruments can be changed out with over four thousand different instruments, genres, or grooves.
How many know that BIAB can generate the equivalent of 264 tracks in a single render?
How many know that user recorded audio can be merged with midi or RealTracks in BIAB?
How many know that Artist Performance Files can have transcription and tab?
The dark mode has nothing to do with if a GUI is modern or not. It is the functionality of the GUI, i.e. how the user can work in the GUI that makes the difference.and makes it modern. And if it is configurable.
It is only a user preference. Some people like it (find it easier to work) in dark and some in light mode.
I agree with you and I think I needed to make a finer point than I made! IMHO, dark mode BIAB, with a better font choice, looks more modern than the default 2026 version or any previous version of BIAB (especially the old colorful icon versions!) And I agree 100% that this must be user configurable (and it is) since some people prefer light mode!
My main point was (or should have been) that PGM should present the product in the most modern-looking configuration possible to definitively distinguish it from past incarnations. I believe the chord sheet's default pale background and that old font detract a bit from the NEW UI stuff and remind me too much of the old BIAB. I just feel that a better approach would be to move everything forward and then allow full user config. And I get that there may be some benefit with old-timers that there are still familiar artifacts from the "good old days" but I was thinking more about new, younger potential customers. And maybe reviewers who have seen the old BIAB would be more impressed seeing what's possible in the new UI.
Nice video. Just a thought, but if I wanted to emphasize the new, modern look of the GUI to prospective buyers, I wouldn't show the legacy guitar window right up front. I'm sure it works perfectly, but WOW, is that ever dated looking. Better yet, I'd update the guitar GUI.
I know, I know: Work in progress...
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Nice video. Just a thought, but if I wanted to emphasize the new, modern look of the GUI to prospective buyers, I wouldn't show the legacy guitar window right up front. I'm sure it works perfectly, but WOW, is that ever dated looking. Better yet, I'd update the guitar GUI.
I know, I know: Work in progress...
It sure is and that drum window is from long time past
BIAB 2026 Ultrapack- Fender Studio Pro 8, Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio, Luna Pro
... It sure is and that drum window is from long time past
I might not be mistaken if I said it might have been from the last century
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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.
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.
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