I mostly use The Drummer in Logic Pro, or either EZ Drummer. Tried to use BB to build a drum track and didn't fare well at all, the navigation of the styles is a pain, as well as making any modifications to the track, to change fills, etc etc.
Too bad, because these Realdrums sound killer, and certainly are superior in sound to the aforementioned programs. But for speed, BB totally loses out. It only really work for a very short backing, if you do anything more involved, for example an instrumental track of several minutes, it takes too much fiddling because it's difficult to make modifications.
On rare occasions, I get lucky and get a really good sounding drum track to use with my other tracks in Logic. But it only happens when little to no mods are necessary, which is rare.
I keep dreaming of the day when I'll be able to use BB for all my tracks except my own recorded performances. Got a mountain of tracks to record, solid ideas accumulated over years. As it is, I have to record them without BB and use that mainly just to try an arrangement quickly, but not to record the tracks with.
I keep hoping, PG Music....certainly BB has a ton of potential. I just wish I could involve this software a lot more in my recorded tracks, than I do.
Last edited by ghgtu7yrtfg6e67u; 03/16/2605:06 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.)
I have tried most of the things mentioned before, including cutting and pasting in the DAW. Yeah, who wouldn't think of that. None of that eliminates the fiddling, the simple fact is that one cannot easily modify the realdrum track without doing a lot of work. For example a particular fill might not fit in well, so you need to make it shorter or longer, and that's not the only problem , for the fill might be inappropriate even if the right length. There isn't an easy way of trying different fills. I have the previous update with the function that regenerates only that realtrack for that bar, and that didn't work well either.
Compared to the Logic Drummer, it snags behind, painfully. It's ok if you want to have a bit of fun and record very few tracks, but for those of us with more tracks than we can count, it's a painful experience, I timed using realdrums and the Logic Drummer for the same project, and the latter won by a huge margin. It's even faster than the otherwise excellent EZ Drummer by Toontrack.
Have you used BIAB’s audio time-stretch editing inside the Audio Edit window. According to the current Band-in-a-Box User’s Guide, the feature is described like this:
“There are some handy features for stretching or shrinking regions of audio.”
<< Here’s the relevant explanation from the manual, translated into plain English by Chatgpt:
When you:
Select a region of audio Hold down Ctrl Click and drag with the mouse
BIAB creates stretch boundaries marked by those orange triangle markers. The area between the markers gets time-compressed or time-expanded. The manual explains three behaviors:
Click and drag within the selected region One side gets longer while the other side gets shorter Useful for moving timing around inside a phrase Click outside the region and drag into it The region becomes shorter Audio is compressed Click inside the region and drag outside it The region becomes longer Audio is stretched
The manual specifically says these tools are useful for:
“quantizing beats” “correcting mistakes in a recording”
So those orange triangles are essentially transient/stretch anchors that define the area being elastically time-edited. >>
I've never found need to use the feature, but it's there and may help your editing workflow in BIAB.
I use RealDrums all the time & what I can't do in BIAB I can do by cutting & pasting in Reaper...no problems and no hold up.
There's a trick to copy/paste RealDrums within the BIAB program. Saves a bit of time from having to import/export simple cut/copy/paste between the DAW and BIAB
The background: RealDrums aren't RealTracks in BIAB. So, in the Audio Edit Window when you attempt to copy or cut a region, a pop-up message tells you there's no RealTrack to edit and asks if you want to select one. Most folks select no and move on to an alternative copy/cut/paste method.
The trick is to tell BIAB there is a RealTrack on the Drums track. So, select Yes next time, and from the selection pop-up window, select any RealTrack, Then you can copy or cut the highlight region and paste it elsewhere. Once the paste is complete, Right click on the Drums track, from the menu, select Track Actions\Revert track to Style instrument and this will restore the original RealDrums to the track.
What happens: BIAB sees the Drums Track as a RealTrack which it treats as audio and allows the Audio Edit Window to perform the task.
The caveat is it's EASY to inadvertently screw up and either convert the Drums to audio or worse, generate the temporary RealTrack and replace your existing drums.
Also, I only cut or copy on the Drums Track. I paste to a separate track because BIAB now recognizes the highlighted region as audio, not RealDrums or RealTracks. Use separate tracks and you shouldn't have any issue.
Sorry, I can't help myselft but jump in with my 2Cents. I find BIAB RDs are great if you don't want anything special from your drummer. They sound fine and there is nothing faster. They enter and exit all on their own and the canned fills fit the bars automatically. But... if you want the drummer to follow your song, instead of a BIAB demo, well then you have to spend a little time in which case, I find EZDrummer 3 fantastic!!! Just one man's opinion.
Sorry, I can't help myselft but jump in with my 2Cents. I find BIAB RDs are great if you don't want anything special from your drummer. They sound fine and there is nothing faster. They enter and exit all on their own and the canned fills fit the bars automatically. But... if you want the drummer to follow your song, instead of a BIAB demo, well then you have to spend a little time in which case, I find EZDrummer 3 fantastic!!! Just one man's opinion.
You are not alone Dan. If you want a drummer to follow your song MIDI is the way to go. Good MIDI drum sound sources are not that expensive and drums are one thing where MIDI excels. One can easily edit MIDI and there are some great MIDI drum loops available, check out GrooveMonkee.
I arrived early to a restaurant. The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?" I said no. "Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Have you used BIAB’s audio time-stretch editing inside the Audio Edit window. .
Sorry, but why would I need to stretch audio? All I am trying to achieve is easily creating a drum track with the right fills and the right dynamics (softer, harder, etc according to the sections.).
I understand. I wasn’t suggesting that time stretching is required for basic drum track creation or for choosing fills and dynamics.
I mentioned it because in your second post, you said “a particular fill might not fit in well, so you need to make it shorter or longer,” and BIAB’s Audio Edit time-stretch feature can sometimes help with exactly that situation when working with audio-based material.
For users who only want to assemble drum parts with suitable fills and section dynamics, there are definitely easier workflow approaches inside BIAB. I just thought the Audio Editor feature was worth mentioning since many users may not realize it exists.
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.
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.
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