The Real Book Series for Band-in-a-Box is now complete! plus A 50% off sale on another great jazz collection
I'll keep this short and sweet:
1) The sixth and final edition of the world-famous Real Book series is here at last! Over 400 classic to modern Jazz and Jazz pop standards. Check out the songs and the free samples here: https://www.nortonmusic.com/fake53.html - You'll want to add these great songs to your Band-in-a-Box collection.
2) SAVE $22.50 on the great Real European Jazz collection from Sher publishing. Check out the songs and the free samples here: https://www.nortonmusic.com/fake41.html - Over 175 fresh new jazz tunes with a European accent are just waiting for you. We provide the sgu files and Sher provides the book. **** Book review from Lani Stone: GREAT BOOK! Some of Europe's hippest music. Not the "same old, same old." Many of the players are well known, some are new to me. Even if I don't recreate the tunes, the different chord progressions are mind expanding! Tired of the American Standard Songbook? You're going to love this fake book.
Plus, if you buy both, the discount grows to $24.50. And if you want the book, too, there are links to discounted prices on Amazon.
Have you missed any of the other Real Book disks and/or books? Check these out, along with the free samples here:
I just bought your Beatles fakebook disk. Before buying I read your "README first" page https://www.nortonmusic.com/fake.html and saw that "Norton Music Fake Disks contain chord progressions only..." which is what I wanted as that's how I intended to use the SGU files the songs are delivered as - i.e. open in BIAB and try different band styles / instrument substitutions. I purchased, downloaded and in BIAB (2020) I opened "You've got to hide your love away". All the styles were midi styles. I tried changing the guitars to Realtracks. None will play except one of them, for a couple bars in the chorus. Am I doing something wrong? There was nothing on your site I saw that led me to believe these wouldn't work. Love to get this fixed as I'm around $44 lighter. Grateful for a remedy
I'm sure Notes Norton will assist you to resolve this. Send him a PM perhaps, referencing this thread.
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 just bought your Beatles fakebook disk. Before buying I read your "README first" page https://www.nortonmusic.com/fake.html and saw that "Norton Music Fake Disks contain chord progressions only..." which is what I wanted as that's how I intended to use the SGU files the songs are delivered as - i.e. open in BIAB and try different band styles / instrument substitutions. I purchased, downloaded and in BIAB (2020) I opened "You've got to hide your love away". All the styles were midi styles. I tried changing the guitars to Realtracks. None will play except one of them, for a couple bars in the chorus. Am I doing something wrong? There was nothing on your site I saw that led me to believe these wouldn't work. Love to get this fixed as I'm around $44 lighter. Grateful for a remedy
Should be possible to pick a few Realtrack guitars that fit the Timing and Rhythm of the song and put those on the Utility Tracks, the Eye icon near the Mixer Patches, click on it and add a few Utility tracks, then pick your Realtrack guitars, you can always mute any tracks in the Norton style that you don't want.
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
Thanks for your purchase, and sorry you are having a problem.
Yes, everything is in MIDI. Why? 1) If the style is in MIDI, the BiaB bot will recommend a Real Style 2) But if the style is Real, the BiaB bot will NOT recommend a MIDI style. Therefore, assigning a MIDI style is the only way to get a recommendation for both Real and MIDI.
As for why they aren't playing when changing to Real, that's a mystery.
I just tried it on my copy of BiaB, and they are playing just fine.
What is my thinking? It's a very simple 12 bar blues song, with nothing fancy, no shots, no pushes, no melody, or anything else fancy. It was made/saved in BiaB with one of my MIDI styles, which your computer probably doesn't have, and it should revert to zzjazz.sty. So the only variable would be changing to the default style when loading something with a Norton style.
Let me know if you can change this to a Real Style and if it plays or not.
I have some other ideas, but this would be my first troubleshooting step if it happened on my computer. So let me know and we'll go from there.
Last edited by Notes Norton; 02/28/2607:13 AM. Reason: Typo. I'm TYPO-Man -- writing all wrongs :D
I tried changing the guitars to Realtracks. None will play except one of them, for a couple bars in the chorus.
Notes, he is trying to use a Real Track!
Midi plays fine with new RS, but does not swap the midi for RTs (which it should. right?). When I then try to substitute a single RT for piano, the Piano track after generation is blank.
I understand that lingyai is trying to substitute a real track for a MIDI track.
I see no reason why he cannot, and nobody else has ever reported this problem with any of my fake e-disk sgu files.
I don't have 2020 anymore, and I suspect it might be a bug in his version, but I want to rule out any possibility that it might be my sgu's fault before I involve PG Music. The techs at PG have enough work, so I want to make sure I'm not wasting their time.
If the little test I suggested fails, I have one more test in mind that I think would completely eliminate my work.
On the other hand, if I find out it's something I did, I'll do my best to fix it.
I ran your little test with current 2026 and it does not appear to be working. It is not just your test file, I have other old .sgu midi style files which also have this same issue. Just sayin...
I ran your little test with current 2026 and it does not appear to be working. It is not just your test file, I have other old .sgu midi style files which also have this same issue. Just sayin...
This is very confusing. I just ran your test file. I replaced the MIDI bass and piano tracks with RTs and everything was fine. I also tried an old 2006 SGU and it worked fine there also. I wonder if this is machine and/or RT specific?
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Confusing, yes indeed - this is BIAB after all . I fully agree that are a lot of potential options for configuration issues here. Midi is playing, it plays with a midi style or a real style. What is not playing is audio on a real track when you allow the midi style to auto substitute. Mario, your picutes do not show if there is any Audio on the Audio track which is what the objective is. My picture shows that I placed a RT piano on the piano track and there was no wave in the Tracks view. If I force the style to change to all RTs it works. Its the auto substituion which failes to switch to real tracks.
Confusing, yes indeed - this is BIAB after all . I fully agree that are a lot of potential options for configuration issues here. Midi is playing, it plays with a midi style or a real style. What is not playing is audio on a real track when you allow the midi style to auto substitute. Mario, your picutes do not show if there is any Audio on the Audio track which is what the objective is. My picture shows that I placed a RT piano on the piano track and there was no wave in the Tracks view. If I force the style to change to all RTs it works. Its the auto substituion which failes to switch to real tracks.
I am sure it is something simple here.
Hi Dan, Well I am confused again, probably my age old eyes and brain again! I thought that the OM could not get RTs to play when they replaced MIDI tracks.
Originally Posted by lingyai
.................................... I purchased, downloaded and in BIAB (2020) I opened "You've got to hide your love away". All the styles were midi styles. I tried changing the guitars to Realtracks. None will play except one of them, for a couple bars in the chorus.
In both of my tests the RTs did play and they played exactly what was shown in notation. BUT like you proved the audio tracks so not show in the tracks view. That happened in both of my tests. IMHO that is a major bug.
In another test I set the tempo to 40 BPM and replaced the bass and piano tracks with 140 BPM RTs. They also played but didn't sound so good ( :D) and again with no audio track views. Thus picking the wrong BPM RTs is not the issue.
I think the OP should clarify. Also I hope others try to duplicate the issue(s)
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
In both of my tests the RTs did play and they played exactly what was shown in notation. BUT like you proved the audio tracks do not show in the tracks view. That happened in both of my tests. IMHO that is a major bug.
Ya, but when the tracks do not appear in track view, we are not hearing audio - it is just midi playing at that point. Thanks for helping confirm the issue. .
In both of my tests the RTs did play and they played exactly what was shown in notation. BUT like you proved the audio tracks do not show in the tracks view. That happened in both of my tests. IMHO that is a major bug.
Ya, but when the tracks do not appear in track view, we are not hearing audio - it is just midi playing at that point. Thanks for helping confirm the issue. .
I am not that familiar with this portion of BiaB. I was looking at the Audio Edit view and not the track view. I took an all MIDI style, copied the piano track 2 times, and in the bass track used a Sax RT. In one piano track I used a piano RT and in another track a guitar RT. No RT track showed in the track view. BUT when I hit regenerate the audio tracks showed and they played; see pic. Apparently you must hit regenerate for the audio to show and play. I have the SGU file if you are interested in hearing it.
Would you confirm this?
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Yes, the track view will show a green name for the instrument, but will not show the actual waveform or play the RT until it is "generated". However, it should regenerate automatically with this type of change when you hit run. But otherwise, what ii is doing is anyones guess here. We should not be seeing this discrepancy with substituting a midi style with a style containing RTs or just by replacing a midi track with a RT - This simple function has worked effortlesslly for years as Notes indicated . I will alert the developers about this thread and ask them to help prioritize a fix. Dan
Yes, the track view will show a green name for the instrument, but will not show the actual waveform or play the RT until it is "generated". However, it should regenerate automatically with this type of change when you hit run. But otherwise, what ii is doing is anyones guess here. We should not be seeing this discrepancy with substituting a midi style with a style containing RTs or just by replacing a midi track with a RT - This simple function has worked effortlesslly for years as Notes indicated . I will alert the developers about this thread and ask them to help prioritize a fix. Dan
Yes, I totally agree. Thanx for both alerting the developers and for helping me understand more about BiaB. I've never changes MIDI to RTs before today so this have been an education for me!
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I just remembered what Notes and the OP said, "... I purchased, downloaded and in BIAB (2020)". Makes me nervious that our assumption that there is a problem with current 2026 may be missing something yet. Nevertheless, the developers have been alerted.
I just remembered what Notes and the OP said, "... I purchased, downloaded and in BIAB (2020)". Makes me nervious that our assumption that there is a problem with current 2026 may be missing something yet. Nevertheless, the developers have been alerted.
It would be really nice if someone who has replaced a MIDI track with a RT in previous versions of BiaB would chime in, however maybe that person doesn't exist.
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Well, 10+ years ago, when I was a hardcore jazzer, I did this hundreds of times. Am obviously a bit rusty, but when I just tried to convert a MIDI jazz track to a RealStyle, it worked like I remembered: The MIDI backing instruments are replaced by RealTracks and the MIDI melody, if present, is preserved as MIDI. There ARE some weird volume disparity issues that I can't explain, but I'm using a different VSTi now than I was then, too, so that might be related...
Please ignore this if not helpful.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Thanks, DrDan for alerting the developers and to Ron, Mario, and others for helping.
I wish the OP would rejoin the conversation, as it might help with his personal situation.
I'm not much of a RealTrack guy, I prefer the editability of the MIDI tracks. I just check to see that they are working with my efforts.
With MIDI I can export to a sequencer/DAW and change instruments, chord inversions, drum kits, drum instruments (for example, rimshot to clave), individual notes, and so on. Plus I can make my own intros/endings, change the groove, add song-specific figures and/or kicks, eliminate/change/remove drum rolls, and so much more.
For me, expression is much more important than tone, and I can manipulate MIDI files to get more or more personal expression out of the music.
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
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Nevertheless, the developers have been alerted.
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