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Once again, MIDI only sounds as good as the synth you are using. I'll add: - (1) Tone matters more to the musician and less to the audience member. After all, what you think is perfect tone, is your opinion. Take vocalists, does Doctor John have a good voice? John Lennon? Rod Stewart? Stevie Nicks? Bob Dylan? Most people say "no" but they sell a lot of records. How about guitar? Ask 100 guitarists what perfect tone is, and you will get at least 90 answers. Is it Hendrix? Slash? Walsh? Page? Van Halen? Joe Pass? Eric Gale? Jeff Beck? Clapton? Kenny Burrell? Emily Remler? Nancy Wilson? ______? And on which guitar or which stage of their career?
- (2) Expressiveness trumps tone as far as the audience is concerned. That's why people like Doctor John and Stevie Nicks sell so many records
- (3) It is possible to get more creative AND more expressive with MIDI tracks with the available continuous controllers (http://www.nortonmusic.com/midi_cc.html), ability to subtly shift note placement, ability to alter dynamics, add notes, change notes, and so on
- (4) So I must conclude that MIDI tracks, while with a good synth are only slightly inferior in tone to real tracks, can be made to sound more expressive and more musical. The musician may notice the difference in tone, the audience will relate to the difference in expression and favor a well made MIDI track -- this is why most of the professional musicians I know prefer MIDI over recorded loops
It really bugs me when people sell MIDI short. MIDI sounds bad only when people don't take the time to learn how to use it and/or if they are using a cheesy synthesizer. Much of what you hear on contemporary recordings, including bass, drums, piano, B-3, etc., are played by studio musicians on MIDI instruments. Remember, MIDI has no sound, it tells the synthesizer what the original player is doing with his/her fingers, breath, feet or whatever else the player uses to play an instrument. Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Again, never say never but...that would mean PG dropping the General Midi Standard.....
That in turn would cause no end of grief for the average user who just wants to put in some chords and hit
As I mentioned earlier the GM standard also only has a few midi controllers available and they are no where near enough to do what we're talking about here. Bob
Bob, I will respectfully disagree about a couple of your points.
PG would not have to drop the GM standard to improve its midi capabilities. As I have said many times all it would have to do is to increase its midi resolution and add more ports, much like in RB.
Second GM has the same midi controller capabilities as any other synth IF the MFG decides to utilize them all. Some do and some don’t. That’s the same for any synth, soft,hard, GM or not.
The GM standard is a good thing for many people, however that segment of the total PC music creating community apparently is in the minority, otherwise there would be a ton of MFG’s offering it. Many DAW’s and include a basic GM set, as do some hardware synths.
There are a couple of inherent problems with uploading a midi GM file. Let’s say you have a perfect sounding trumpet in your GM set and you have set its pitch bend range to +/- one half semitone. This adds life to your sound. You up load that file and someone else downloads it and plays it on their GM set. It can sound terrible because the trumpet sound is not the same and their pitch bend range is set at the normal +/- 2 semitones. That is why most GM midi files are note on and note off only. Controllers can make a mess of everything.
The main problem in getting the ideal GM sound set is the cost. A good brass section like Garritans J&BB cost $150 USD. Add a good string section, Garritans GPO4 is another $150. That’s a lot of money for a few sounds. Plus these two examples are at the lower price range. A very good sax Mr Sax T costs around $150 just for a tenor sax. Plus it needs Kontakt to run it, another $400. Good sounds cost a lot of money. The SD2 apparently the best overall deal for $400.
One last point is when was the last time anyone posted a midi file? It’s a thing of the past. We create midi files then convert them to wavs and/or MP3’s and upload the MP3. That way what you hear is what the composer hears.
Just my thoughts - MarioD
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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I'm finding that a good MIDI file playing a high quality sound source can be far more effective than a 'Real Track' that isn't quite what I wanted.
I'm working on a song that uses a repeated Bass riff for almost the entire song. I penciled in 4 bars in my MIDI editor and copied those 4 bars to the rest of the song. I output the track to Trillogy and it sounds incredible, much better than the RT's I tried for bass.
Sometimes the RT's can be perfect for the song - Sometimes you have to change the song a little to better fit the RT's - and sometimes the RT's don't work at all.
I am impressed with RB & RT's as VERY useful tools for working out arrangements and trying out ideas I might not have thought of.
The most useful change to me would be "Higher resolution MIDI" to improve "feel".
I think GM is the best MIDI standard for BIAB. I don't want BIAB/RB to try to be an all-in-one music workstation. The cost would have to go up and the bugs would multiply.
I can put MIDI into my Sequencer - I can edit it to my heart's content - I can send it to a soft synth with "Round Robin" playback and the sound I want.
I don't doubt that Peter Gannon & team will come up with exponential improvements to BIAB/RB/RT's - but I do hope that they don't leave out MIDI improvements. I would love to see MIDI versions of RT's - Maybe with an option to adjust Pitch Bend etc. to the synth being used.
Last edited by boydbob; 11/29/10 02:45 PM.
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Although I'm a huge fan of RealTracks, I'd also like to see the MIDI equivalent of RealTracks. That is, instead of pulling up complete styles, I'd like to be able to select MIDI tracks the same as RealTracks.
I'd think that most of the piano styles in the "Piano Pop" (set 70) and "LitePop" (set 84) would work well as MIDI. P_JONI seems to be about all I've been able to find on the MIDI styles. Similarly, many of the RealTrack bass styles should also work as MIDI.
I think RealTracks have shown that being able to create an arrangement via "mix and match" is a viable approach. While it's possible to create new styles which are a mix of existing styles, there's a real convenience of being able to select a single track via the RealTracks browser.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Quote:
<...>There are a couple of inherent problems with uploading a midi GM file. Let’s say you have a perfect sounding trumpet in your GM set and you have set its pitch bend range to +/- one half semitone. This adds life to your sound. You up load that file and someone else downloads it and plays it on their GM set. It can sound terrible because the trumpet sound is not the same and their pitch bend range is set at the normal +/- 2 semitones. That is why most GM midi files are note on and note off only. Controllers can make a mess of everything.<...> MarioD
The General MIDI specification is for pitch bend to be set at +/- 2 semitones. Any deviation from that is not GenMIDI.
There are continuous controllers that can be used to change the Pitch Bend range. In order, set cc100=0 cc101=0 cc6=n (where n=the number of semitones the pitch can vary). So if I want a full octave of pitch bend for say a bass slide at the beginning of the song in successive clock ticks I set cc100=0 cc101=0 cc6=12. At the end of the song I'll repeat the procedure and change cc6=2 to reset my synth to the GM standard.
And once again, for those new to MIDI, neither GM or any other MIDI has any sound. General MIDI simply specifies which patch (or program) number equates to which instrument. So for example, patch 33 will play Acoustic Bass on all GenMIDI synthesizers. It doesn't specify whether it should sound like an Ac.Bass with nylon strings, steel strings, with good fidelity or bad sounding. That's up to the synth manufacturer. The GM spec does say that the pitch bend should be set to 2 semitones but as noted, gives you the opportunity to change it.
Most if not all computer sound cards have lame MIDI synths. The sound cart itself probably costs from $10 to a couple of hundred for top of the line (most computers come with bottom-of-the-line sound cards installed). I've seen Dell cards for as little as $16. And the sound card does two functions, MIDI synth and sound wave (audio) reproduction. Since most computer users are not musicians and the MIDI sounds are used predominantly for games, the sound card company puts most of their engineering dollars in the audio reproduction aspect of the sound card so that YouTube, WAV, and other audio formats sound right. After all, that is what most computer users want. What kind of a MIDI synth do you think you are going to get for $16 even if it wasn't sharing duty with raw audio?
I have 3 hardware synths with General MIDI sound banks on them, and I can exchange files between all 3 plus the semi-lame VSC software synth and they will all play the same song, with the same expression, and the same pitch bend. The individual instrument sounds on all 4 are different.
With hardware synths and MIDI, I can expand my sounds. My SD90 has over a thousand different voices in it. Just for guitars I have strats, teles, 335s and many others, some with front or back pickup choices. If I don't like the guitar sound on a song, I can change it. Or even change the synth, the i3 and sc55 have some great guitar sounds. Even my lowly pre-GM MT32 has a couple of good ones.
Another good thing about hardware MIDI synths, is I don't need a huge hard drive to carry along my RealTracks. There are only two kinds of computer users. Ones who have had a hard drive failure, and ones who haven't had a hard drive failure yet!
I can keep expanding my voices without using up computer hard drive space.
I can mix the voices from a dozen different synths, taking the best voice of each for the particular song I'm working on, and there is no latency to speak of (different software synths have different latency specs so it's hard to blend them), and there is no loading of the computers CPU.
And when I get a new computer, simply plug the USB port to my synth array to the new computer, and I'm good to go.
And I can manipulate the continuous controllers to get more expression out of them than I can with audio loops.
There is one thing I'd like to see PG Music do in the MIDI department though. Change the MIDI resolution from 120ppq to at least 240ppq. A clickable resolution of 240, 480 or 960 wouldn't be bad either.
As you can tell, I'm a big MIDI fan. IMHO with a decent MIDI sound module, you can make your music MUCH more expressive, MUCH more varied, and MUCH better than you can with audio loops. Expressiveness trumps tone any day of the week.
Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I knew he's say that stuff at the end. And that he knew what he was talking about as far as midi is concerned.
However, one day, technology, storage space and processing will trump midi, for which development has ground to the proverbial halt. What the keyboard manufacturers will have then is a captive audience for new keyboards, because nothing will be compatible. I suppose (sigh), that's ok.
I don't just yet see the day my keyboard will trigger Realtracks, however through experimentation I have run the output through a voicelive and got some interesting results with harmonies. Don't hold your proverbial breath.
As said earlier.
If some enterprising chap took a particular sound module and optimized band in a box files so that it used midi and that module there is probably a good market for that implementation. Sacrifices have to be made though, because the average user is not going to go out and buy 4 external synths. And many want to 'play live'.
Thus the potential after'markets'.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Quote:
Although I'm a huge fan of RealTracks, I'd also like to see the MIDI equivalent of RealTracks. That is, instead of pulling up complete styles, I'd like to be able to select MIDI tracks the same as RealTracks.
This is already available for the RT's that have Real Charts implemented. They had to transcribe the RT note for note into midi in order to get the notation to display. The only thing is the velocities have been set to zero so you have to manually change that. There is a little trick to get the RT midi file to display and I don't remember what it is but someone may jump in who knows about that. If nobody does, start a new thread asking that question because I know for sure it's doable.
Afaik they don't use midi controllers for the RT's, they want the best acoustic sound they can get. Also for background info, they've been using live drummers to lay down the midi drums for years but there's some old legacy styles that still use sequenced drums. I think one of those cryptic symbols that are in the style name tells you if it uses a live midi drummer or not.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Hi Rachael,
don't know if BIAB has limitations,, but my PA800 keyboard uses midi styles, and the bass lines can sound brilliant.
Bit off topic, but currently I'm trying to find a way of mixing PA800 style tracks with BIAB style tracks in Real Band ie backing track recorded in keyboard, saved as midifile, then replace the odd track with a Real Track from BIAB.
best wishes
rikki
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Hi, that's a great idea being able to select midi tracks the same way as the Real tracks. What would also be great would be if the Real Tracks had variations like some of the Drum Real Tracks ie Nashville , where you can choose to use the sticks vari, or the hihat etc Bit more control over what gets generated mightn'd go astray? Quote:
Although I'm a huge fan of RealTracks, I'd also like to see the MIDI equivalent of RealTracks. That is, instead of pulling up complete styles, I'd like to be able to select MIDI tracks the same as RealTracks
Last edited by rikkisbears; 11/30/10 09:56 PM.
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However, I suspect you are complaining about the style of base playing used in the bass RealTracks - in other words the lines the bass player laid down. Here I might agree that the input chosen by the programmers seems to be quite limited. But is suppose it really is a question of individual preferences about how the bass player should play the lines.
I also have problems with the bass lines. I often wonder if they have been correctly programmed, because I cannot determine where '1' is by listening to the first note in the bar. In addition, there are too many grace notes and fills. I much prefer a straight four-in-the-bar walking bass but it is almost impossible to get this at slow tempos. I just like a more obvious bass player, which is what I find most real bass players do these days.
I will concede that there have been changes over the history of jazz playing and it took a long time for them to create quarter-note walking bass lines with a real swing feel. For a couple of decades after the advent of bebop, bass playing went off the rails and there are still some bass players who do not often start a bar with the root note of the chord.
Many frontline players, like me, listen to the bass player to 'hear' the chords and that is why I need that chord root note at the start of a bar. This is probably why I prefer Jodi Proznick to Neil Swainson. But I do wonder about that programming. Sometimes it seems to me that the lines slip a whole beat and that is why the first note is not obvious. Or perhaps the lines played for the recordings of RealTracks do not handle more complex chords. I really don't know what is the problem but sometimes I have to revert to old midi styles because I just can't tell where I am in a chord progression.
Apologies for digging up an old post but I couldn't agree more with Graham on this subject.
I find that for non complex chord patterns (like blues)the bass patterns are reasonably acceptable, but when I enter the chords for a song with more complex chord structures (eg Beautiful Love, Just Friends, Stella etc) I find the bass playing in RT's jumping all over the place . The new simple and very styles in the latest build have helped somewhat, but in most cases I still find myself going back to midi for the bass part as RT's are just too busy and unpredictable. Oliver Gannon's guitar comping and the drum parts are very tasteful, but Neil Swainson is definitely overplaying IMO. I realise some like this style so maybe a new jazz bass choice could be given...like very, very, very simple :-)
Until PG come up with a solution, I reluctantly will mainly use midi bass..
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Here's how I get beyond that .. I take the project to RB, and generate about 6 tracks of bass to pick through. You may be pleasantly surprised to find you have a good variety (a lot of the time), but all played on the same bass and recorded the same way so they fit together well. Then I cut/paste a bass track together using pieces I like. Either that or I just play what I want on bass ... depends on how lazy I'm feeling.  I can't expect the realtracks to play exactly what I want.. and I can't talk to the bass player .. but I CAN have him play it a few different times and comp a track I like. Use whatever tool gets the job done. just an idea
Last edited by rharv; 01/03/11 03:45 PM.
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I take a close look at the RT bass tracks, and i take a close look at the midi ones that i can generate. Try a few different bass samples, heck play the bass if needed.
Sometimes the RT bass works, sometimes the midi, sometimes the old jazz bass comes out and i muddle thru one my self.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Check out the Sonivox Acoustic Bass. Only $20 The demo track they have there sure sounds good. And you can download the app for free, and use it for three days, before having to pay the $20, to see how you like it. Not sure how it would be used with BIAB, since BIAB uses GM. However, if you create an arrangement with BIAB, and save to a MIDI file (saving any RT or RD you want as .wav files), then import into a sequencer program, in that you can assign any MIDI instrument you want, to any track. Quote:
Quote:
I plan to continue buying the upgrades but would like to see the midi playing catch up with the feel of RTs.
I never like to say never but, it's never gonna happen because of the General Midi standard. GM does not allow for all the nuanced control necessary to emulate a real player. This is why Garritan, the now defunct Gigasampler and a bunch of other high end samplers don't use GM. They've developed their own proprietary way of controlling midi in order to try to get where you want to go. In order to make Biab accessible to the masses PG is using General Midi. You can see by reading the forums, a lot of folks barely understand basic midi as it is. Throw Garritan's very technical midi control methodology at them and they will just throw their hands up and move on to something else. That tech is also very expensive. I was looking at a horn library last year that has unbelievable control over every aspect of playing a horn. Dozens of separate attacks in order to capture all the little ways a player blows into their mouthpiece. This is in addition to the sounds themselves. Think about how the sound changes on a sax just by how the player blows it, lips it, sings into it, hums into it, all kinds of stuff to get certain very famous sax sounds. That horn software with a DVD explaining how to control it cost $2,700. No General Midi there. The demo's were amazing though. I've heard some excellent acoustic bass programs too but very expensive. I think one I saw at NAMM a couple years ago was around a thousand bucks or so. Just for bass. Again, special controllers, special software and you need a degree in computer science to use it. This is far beyond spending a few hundred bucks on Biab for the masses.
Bob
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Some of the above suggestions are okay if you have plenty of time to create note perfect backings for a public performance. But if you have several hundred jazz tunes, any one of which you may wish to practice, I expect the bass player to 'be there' with the right lines when I push the Play button.
I have just spent too many hours going through some of the tunes I am currently playing with a real, real band and therefore need to practice at home. I have assigned the 'Simple' and 'Very Simple' bass lines to the jazz styles previously selected. The result is somewhat better sounding rhythm sections which are more helpful for practicing jazz. They also swing more.
Referring back to mal12345's post, I agree. The simplification and correction of the bass lines, even for 'Very Simple', does not go quite far enough. I think this is a programming issue rather than the way Neil Swainson would play naturally.
I analysed the base lines on a slowish tempo (088) "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You" (Hey, I'm a trombone player!) where I had previously selected the RealStyle 'Jazz Bal w Pno Fred Guit (85 RS)'. I substituted the new Neil Swainson 'Very Simple' bass. I found that the first note in a bar was much more often the root note of the chord. In 32 bars there were only 3 bars where the first note was the third, 2 bars where it was the fifth and 1 bar where it was a fourth (ouch). Most of the notes were quarter notes but there were 6 doubled notes (which could be eliminated) and two instances of triplets over a quarter note on the downbeat (these also could be eliminated, although Neil does use these in his playing quite a lot).
Looking at the lines, they jump around far too much. As I understand walking bass lines, you try to move through a bar so that you end up moving to the next root note (or whatever) with a small step (a tone or less) up or down. I also observe there is a tendency for bass players to ascend walking for two bars and then descend for two bars. Therefore over four bars of Dominant patterns D7 - G7 - C7 - F7, the bass might play quarter notes (ascending) D, E, F#, A, (down a tone but continue ascending) G, A, B, D, (descending) C, Bb, A, G, F, Eb, D, C. Unfortunately when you come to analysing the BB bass lines there is no small step progression to the next chord. Too often there are jumps at the end of each bar of more than an octave. The connections between bars are just not smooth and it spoils the walking effect. I suggest it is the way that RealTracks stitches the whole thing together, rather than the way that Neil Swainson would have played the lines. I took the trouble to listen to his lines on my own recordings of him playing with George Shearing and on some internet videos, and his lines are extremely logical and swinging. I would say that BB RealTracks misrepresents his playing. I would think that the jazz bass lines in RealStyles need a lot more programing by someone who knows how to walk through the changes - Like Neil does in real life.
I am only talking about jazz bass lines.
It is only the bass lines of which I am ultra critical. Again like mal12345 says, the piano and guitar comping is excellent. The drumming perhaps needs more styles within the jazz idiom (more 'hot' swing drumming). Plus overall a larger range of tempos is required. From 60 up to 360 maybe.
Oh Yes, and the bass printout did contain one bar of those three-note chords (a triad) that some people have been complaining about, instead of a single bass note.
And to get back on topic, the answer to the original question is 'not very!"
Grah Jive Talk
"Don't worry baby, they'll swing their arses off."
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Greetings, Well, it is possible to kill 2 birds with one stone (so to speak) Just use Celemony Melodyne! Take your bass real track audio track, put it into melodyne, move the notes wherever you want in pitch or time. It works so well, I now use it on almost all my Real tracks. In this way you can get midi like custom note input, but Real tracks sound.....It truly can't be beat!!! Give it a try, Ed Postscript>Here is a YouTube link to a demo of this technique> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe0nxkE28_4&feature=relatedAnd yes, for all those "haters" out there, this does make it super easy for anyone to change vocals, and any other instruments....but so did drum machines, Band in a Box, and Vocal Harmony boxes............
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Well put Graham, and on second thoughts, I agree it does seem to be a programming issue, not any fault of Neil Swainson. Like you I have hundreds of standards, and it would be impractical to change all the bass lines with Celemony Melodyne.
I guess we can only hope that this will be resolved...or at least improved in future BB updates. In the meantime, I will unhappily use my SC88 midi bass. Despite the poor sound, at least the bass lines make some sense...
Mal
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I've heard bass sounds that you couldn't tell from the real ting comming out of some of the better keyboards.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616
Expert
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OP
Expert
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616 |
I just re-visited a RT set I got long time ago, RealTrack #7. The bass player, Jodi Proznick, is much more laid-back than Neil Swainson. I love her Paul 140 (I think she is imitating Paul Chambers). The tempo stretches nicely from 100-200. Below that, the double-time does not seem to do a good job. I've hired her for this weekend. Sorry Neil. R
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Neil is hanging around Toronto, but we are all getting whacked with another snow storm. One of his good friends hauls his upright bass into the atrium at the Regional Cancer centre. I miss hearing him but I went there every day for 3 months and never want to see the place again. They have a ship's bell you ring when you 'graduate'. I rang it and can't do it again.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610 |
All this talk about which Real Bass is better than another really depends on your style of music. Most of the bassists I like to work with around the D.C. area play more like Neil. If you're into swing then of course you would like Jodi more. It seems to me that the more modern a player you are then you would prefer a more modern bassist. Later, Ray
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
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!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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Forums57
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