I seem to remember that it was possible to permanently write the Melody track harmony to the Soloist track. I don't have that opeion in BB 2026 although the help details implies that I can. I don't want the Melody midi mixed with the harmony. Any ideas please?
If I copy to the soloist track I haven't achieved what I wanted. The harmony will be part of the midi in the Melody track and I will have the original Melody on the soloist. I could use RB to split them but it seems a lot of trouble. I recall that the solosit track was an option for the destination in the past.
It still is. Use the Utility tracks. When you have the harmony the way you like it, copy it to a Utility track. Do this as often as you need to do to build your song.
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.
If I want to have melody harmony, on it's own without the melody itself, there is now way to do it (well not that I can see) If I harmonise then this harmony will be availble as the song plays but I don't know if this is actually stored anywhere. To materilais this harmony requires my to have it on the Melody track.
If I want to have melody harmony, on it's own without the melody itself, there is now way to do it (well not that I can see) If I harmonise then this harmony will be availble as the song plays but I don't know if this is actually stored anywhere. To materilais this harmony requires my to have it on the Melody track.
When I tried adding Harmony to the Melody track myself,,,, It put it on two different channels on the melody track....
SO... Using the Edit pulldown menu Select: Copy Special / Copy-MoveTracks. Select the Melody track. Uncheck all of the channels and, then check one to move (leave other unchecked), Under MIDI pick "Move to Destination Track" under AUDIO pick "Do Nothing"... and select the destination track uou want, such as Utility 1.
I've attached a screen shot, hopefully it will appear below.
So something that might be handy to know is this technical note in Chapter 9 of the manual about the Soloist in regards to harmony:
Quote
The Soloist has its own separate channel and settings. But when the Soloist uses a harmony, it becomes linked to the Thru Harmony channels and settings. Since we are already using 12 of the available 16 MIDI channels in Band-in-a-Box, we didn’t want to use up another 2 channels on dedicated Soloist Harmony channels. So, if you want to hear a Soloist with harmony, use the THRU Harmony settings. In other words, wherever a Thru harmony is selected, the Soloist track will use the Thru Harmony settings.
With that in mind, my clarifying question becomes: are you trying to record your own MIDI for the harmony or are you trying to have Band-in-a-Box generate it for you? And if you want it separate from the melody and on the track that's dedicated for the soloist in particular, then the Soloist dialogue may be your answer as it has its own harmony options. Find the SOL button, then the second option in the drop down which is Open Soloist Dialogue to choose MIDI or RealTracks Soloist.
Otherwise, you can do what the others have mentioned in regards to copy/moving tracks around for the different parts until you build-up the sound you like. There is also the option of changing your channels under Options | Preferences | Channels temporarily, but that's not personally an option I like using only because I am forgetful and often don't remember to change it back.
You mentioned—and correct me if I am misunderstanding—that the process you are using requires the harmony be on the Melody track in particular. Is that because you used the Melodist feature or generated it to the Melody track already? It may be helpful for us to know exactly how you created the Melody/Harmony and what each of your steps were so that the best method for what you're trying to achieve can be isolated. Having the full picture can be really useful information. Though generally speaking I do find that the Copy/Move options the others mentioned is the quickest and fastest way to move things around.
Last edited by Ember - PG Music; 04/03/2611:59 AM.
Thank you Ember for all the detail you have provided. I found the whole harmony fearure a bit tricky. I am using BB to generate harmonies. What I'm doing, or ttrying to do, is to create 3 or 4 part harmonies of my melody. The harmonies will be used be differnt instruments in orchestral piece. I use BB quite a lot but not constantly and each time I come back for a session I feel I'm back on the learning curve,
Thank you Ember for all the detail you have provided. I found the whole harmony fearure a bit tricky. I am using BB to generate harmonies. What I'm doing, or ttrying to do, is to create 3 or 4 part harmonies of my melody. The harmonies will be used be differnt instruments in orchestral piece. I use BB quite a lot but not constantly and each time I come back for a session I feel I'm back on the learning curve,
I am glad that the copy/move track option will work for you. I find that's the easiest way to move things around to different tracks. For what it's worth, I wouldn't feel too discouraged—all programs have a learning curve. I've actually been trying to learn more about the latest version of Photoshop after easily a decade of not using it and I'm finding things have changed/been retired/don't work how I remember. We've all been there. The forums here are a great place to get the support as we learn or re-learn things as we go along with newer versions.
I think what I wrote above got lost (Use the Utility tracks. When you have the harmony the way you like it, copy it to a Utility track. Do this as often as you need to do to build your song.) but it really is the key to building arrangements in BIAB. I’m a pro composer and arranger. Since recent versions of BIAB gave us more than the Melody and Soloist tracks, then one Audio track, I can stay in BIAB a lot longer now before I move to my notation program and DAW. As for the learning curve, I look at it this way: I’ve used BIAB commercially for 34 years and I’m glad I can learn something new about it every day because it’s that powerful.
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've had a play around with the Harmony features, and something seems to be wrong. I've used the Harmony quite a few years ago and saved it to separate MIDI tracks using the ABC settings found under the "Edit" menu in the Harmony window. That no longer seems to works the way that I remember. I write up my results for PG Music and pass them on to the development team.
In the meantime, I'll keep having a play around and see if I can understand it a bit better.
--Noel
P.S. Just to clarify... Am I interpreting you correctly in that you would like BIAB to write the harmony in such a way that each line of harmony can be printed on its own music stave?
Hi Matt, I couldn't agree with you more. There are so many features and so many ways of achieving a particular task before getting the tracks to a DAW. MIDI, XML handling are particulary helpful for me in getting between MuseScore, Live and Reaper.
Noel, that’s good you checked. At one point I knew how BIAB used the 16 MIDI channels. Channel 4 for melody etc. There were I think four channels (perhaps 12-15) that could be used for the harmony that BIAB generated, and there were something like 120 of these preset harmonies (ex. SuperSax). There was a setting to output this BIAB-generated harmony to separate tracks. Beyond that I don’t know. I’m not yet sure what kind of harmony we are talking about here.
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.
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!
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.
![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=32455&filename=harmony for separate channels.jpg)
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean