FYI - I was at a nursing home Christmas party today, my aunt is a resident there. A duo was playing Christmas songs and tunes from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Two guys, one on a trumpet and flugelhorn and the other on a trombone. Both sang and played to backing tracks. After the gig I talked to them and asked what they were using for the backing tracks.They said iPro. I said I use Band-in-a-Box and their response was " that is to complicated".
I thought that was an interesting comment from two musicians. It was not about how dated the program looked but how complicated it was to create a song was using BiaB. That was their impression of BiaB.
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
Over many decades I’ve talked to other musicians about BIAB. I usually hear that they tried it and didn’t like the sound quality (from bad MIDI synths, never the fault of BIAB, and amazingly improved by RealTracks) but they didn’t try again, unless I demo it for them. That also quickly alleviates any doubts about how hard it first appears to be to learn. We musicians need to be evangelists.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I have often wondered how every year introducing 50+ new features - sometime twice yearly - might have made the program unwieldy to many. Let's see? 20 years of 50 new features adds 1000 new features, most of which potentially many users don't want, use or need. I think that model is a contributing factor to the suggestion that the program is complicated.
This year may be different because there are more feature improvements than new features. And that is something that many users have been begging for for a long time.
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.
I think the RealTracks sound very good but at the same time I have a feeling that there is something missing from them. I can't describe what I mean but I mostly get the feeling that it is not really right. It is like there is a level of "Edge" that is missing but I can't describe it.
I also think a major problem for new users are "How to find what they are looking for". (even very experienced users have big issues with this).
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.
… I also think a major problem for new users are "How to find what they are looking for". (even very experienced users have big issues with this).
I agree with this. It should be the next area for innovation. The ability to find RealTracks and Styles to match a song or sound could be improved.
Hi Matt and shlind. I found your comments so interesting. I too have trouble navigating the vast choices. But the filtering aspects of the unified picker seem to help greatly. What changes would you two propose to make things easier? I ask because I would love to be educated in better ways to search or understand how the process could be made better. Can you discuss this issue more? I think this is a really interesting issue.
... Hi Matt and shlind. I found your comments so interesting. I too have trouble navigating the vast choices. But the filtering aspects of the unified picker seem to help greatly. What changes would you two propose to make things easier? I ask because I would love to be educated in better ways to search or understand how the process could be made better. Can you discuss this issue more? I think this is a really interesting issue.
User shlind is correct; there are many discussions already about this, some that you can see and many others that were suggested behind the scenes during testing, and even some specific proposals that have been submitted by a small group of experienced users.
One specific answer to your request for an example is that the Sort function of the style and RealTrack picker should support sub-sorting within categories. We should be able to sort by Genre (like Jazz) then, keeping only those jazz entries, sort that further by tempo, then keeping that result in that tempo order, sort by Even or Swing feel, etc. Something like that.
Another specific request is to give BIAB a recording and ask it to find a few RealTracks or Styles that closely resemble the audio sample. We speculate this might be a feature where AI could eventually assist. There are other audio programs already with this ability, such as finding a similar drum beat.
And you are correct, the Multipicker is a great improvement! We are just suggesting possible next steps to make it even better. I'm not saying any particular person made these suggestions; it's been a team effort for decades. I do have quite a few of my suggestions that have been implemented, and so do many other users, but we get the best results when ideas are debated and refined. The Wishlist Forum is a good place for this to occur. This year, PG Music opened up the process more for suggestions (which we appreciate), and they sure received them!
Does that help explain? There's a lot more to it ... there's always more.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I think the RealTracks sound very good but at the same time I have a feeling that there is something missing from them. I can't describe what I mean but I mostly get the feeling that it is not really right. It is like there is a level of "Edge" that is missing but I can't describe it.
I also think a major problem for new users are "How to find what they are looking for". (even very experienced users have big issues with this).
I never thought of “edge” as being a constraint in BiaB styles, but I think you are on to something.
What if each BiaB style had a user-selectable “Edge Score”? This would allow for much easier style exploration plus a higher fidelity of creative control over your song.
Don’t think your song is edgy enough? Just increase the Edge Score and audition 😊
This might even reduce the “need” for over 7,000 styles to just a dozen or two, thereby solving the “It’s too difficult to search thru thousands of styles” problem.
I know there are anti-AI, or at least AI-ignorant folks here, but AI should easily be able to adjust the edge of a style if trained properly.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
... Hi Matt and shlind. I found your comments so interesting. I too have trouble navigating the vast choices. But the filtering aspects of the unified picker seem to help greatly. What changes would you two propose to make things easier? I ask because I would love to be educated in better ways to search or understand how the process could be made better. Can you discuss this issue more? I think this is a really interesting issue.
User shlind is correct; there are many discussions already about this, some that you can see and many others that were suggested behind the scenes during testing, and even some specific proposals that have been submitted by a small group of experienced users.
One specific answer to your request for an example is that the Sort function of the style and RealTrack picker should support sub-sorting within categories. We should be able to sort by Genre (like Jazz) then, keeping only those jazz entries, sort that further by tempo, then keeping that result in that tempo order, sort by Even or Swing feel, etc. Something like that.
Another specific request is to give BIAB a recording and ask it to find a few RealTracks or Styles that closely resemble the audio sample. We speculate this might be a feature where AI could eventually assist. There are other audio programs already with this ability, such as finding a similar drum beat.
And you are correct, the Multipicker is a great improvement! We are just suggesting possible next steps to make it even better. I'm not saying any particular person made these suggestions; it's been a team effort for decades. I do have quite a few of my suggestions that have been implemented, and so do many other users, but we get the best results when ideas are debated and refined. The Wishlist Forum is a good place for this to occur. This year, PG Music opened up the process more for suggestions (which we appreciate), and they sure received them!
Does that help explain? There's a lot more to it ... there's always more.
...I know there are anti-AI, or at least AI-ignorant folks here, but AI should easily be able to adjust the edge of a style if trained properly.
AI should ABSOLUTELY be used to enhance BiaB functionality in both search and stem generation, and probably more. Unfortunately (to me), the AI functions added to date have been bolt-ons only obliquely related to building a backing track. (I am obviously differentiating song deconstruction from backing track building, and biased to the latter)
We're in the dawn of a revolution in AI generated backing tracks, right?
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 never thought of “edge” as being a constraint in BiaB styles, but I think you are on to something.
What if each BiaB style had a user-selectable “Edge Score”? This would allow for much easier style exploration plus a higher fidelity of creative control over your song.
Don’t think your song is edgy enough? Just increase the Edge Score and audition 😊
This might even reduce the “need” for over 7,000 styles to just a dozen or two, thereby solving the “It’s too difficult to search thru thousands of styles” problem.
I know there are anti-AI, or at least AI-ignorant folks here, but AI should easily be able to adjust the edge of a style if trained properly.
One question Bass Thumper, who defines Edge? Edge for you may be different than mine. If you asked100 people to define musical edge you probably get 100 different answers.
Using AI as a search tool for Styles, RTs, and RDs in BiaB IMHO is absolutely necessary.
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
................................ One specific answer to your request for an example is that the Sort function of the style and RealTrack picker should support sub-sorting within categories. We should be able to sort by Genre (like Jazz) then, keeping only those jazz entries, sort that further by tempo, then keeping that result in that tempo order, sort by Even or Swing feel, etc. Something like that.
That would get a Big +1 from me.
Originally Posted by Matt Finley
Another specific request is to give BIAB a recording and ask it to find a few RealTracks or Styles that closely resemble the audio sample. We speculate this might be a feature where AI could eventually assist. There are other audio programs already with this ability, such as finding a similar drum beat.
Another big +1 from me
Originally Posted by Matt Finley
And you are correct, the Multipicker is a great improvement! We are just suggesting possible next steps to make it even better. I'm not saying any particular person made these suggestions; it's been a team effort for decades. I do have quite a few of my suggestions that have been implemented, and so do many other users, but we get the best results when ideas are debated and refined. The Wishlist Forum is a good place for this to occur. This year, PG Music opened up the process more for suggestions (which we appreciate), and they sure received them!
Does that help explain? There's a lot more to it ... there's always more.
Yes PGM did one heck of a job posting different improvement categories in the wishlist forum and then listening to the suggestions that were made. I hope they repeat the process in 2026
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
One question Bass Thumper, who defines Edge? Edge for you may be different than mine. If you asked100 people to define musical edge you probably get 100 different answers.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I totally disagree. I don't think anyone or any company can universally define edge in music. Is it the groove? The lead instrument? The chord progression? A great bass line? Is edge the same for jazz as for blues, new age, ambient, country. folk, etc? IMHO Edge is to generic of a term for music.
I think the way PGM does it now with listing a song title and have BiaB select styles is the way to go. But as I and many others have said improvements must be made in that area. YMMV
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
I have no idea how to define 'edge' for all genres. In jazz, I might say more edge is more use of chord substitutions, resulting in playing that sounds more 'outside'.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I have no idea how to define 'edge' for all genres. In jazz, I might say more edge is more use of chord substitutions, resulting in playing that sounds more 'outside'.
I call Edge Playing as 'playing in the cracks' (but that's only me). Peter Nero could do it. Oscar could do it - well, Oscar could do anything. Dudley Moore could do it.
It's an interesting term. I think that there are lots of interpretations.
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.
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac 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 100 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 Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. 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 Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
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