Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
#98406 12/20/10 11:58 AM
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 22
K
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
K
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 22
I recently upgraded to 2011 (after having a previous version which I never used) and am wondering where I can find a very basic tutorial about how to get started. I bought the EverythingPak that came with the videos but it seems that most of the videos describe the options...they really don't describe the how to's.

Any suggestions for the total beginner about how to get statrted without being overwhelmed?

Thanks.

Dave


Dave
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,576
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,576
There is an Intro to BIAB video on the PG Music website, here: http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.demos.htm

It's the sixth video. This one is for BIAB 2009, and it emphasizes RealTracks but it shows some basic operations.

I think many of us learned just by trying things to see what happens. Also, load the demo songs and study them, and use Help and FAQ to answer questions. If the answer isn't there, try us. If we don't know, PG Music has terrific support.

And, welcome to the forum.


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.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600
Hi Dave,

In addition to Matt's thoughts, there are also 20 tutorials (non-video) under the Help menu. I found these very useful when starting out.


All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Isn't there an icon for tongue in cheek?

__________________________________________________________

I'd get a picture of a really pretty girl and put it up as an avatar. You pretend to be her, you play the guitar and like country music best, and you live with your parents in a rural farmhouse where you have dial up and the second floor looks out over the chicken coop. You are 21 and play once in a while at the town hall, and were told you have perfect pitch. Act very naive. Blond is best.

Once you start to post here you won't need the manual. Guys are going to stay up late to see you post and be first to answer.

Throwing around stuff like.."thanks sooooo much for your help, I'll try that after the vet comes tomorrow, about 6:30 a.m. before I help Mom make bread, I hope I meet someone nice like you and fall in love, I don't thing age matters do you...?

____________________________________________

On the other hand there is the MANUAL, the TUTORIALS, and unless you are a Baptist preacher (second to the above thing), go with the book and the videos. (If you were unable to get a music director and a preacher you could get some excellent help here....)

Don't try and fake the Baptist preacher part, I wuz one, and can pre-millennial you faster than Moody's sermon would convert you from the 22 of July '89, the one where the guy got blackballded by the Oddfellers and the Masons....but NOT by...'whoops sorry I was going off on that memory...' and now for Ira Sankey..." WHOA

Sorry, I'd just read the.


John Conley
Musica est vita
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 22
K
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
K
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 22
Thank you very much for the comments. It's got me headed in the right direction.

Dave


Dave
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
I'm a geek of sorts, old one but ?

The videos are great introduction as Matt mentioned.

I found simply reviewing Biab tech support FAQ's. Read down all the questions and get very familiar with
what and where they are. Dont attempt to memorize or study them too much up front just review.
http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq20.htm is for 2010

This is FAQ's all the products. http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq.htm

Also as mentioned review the Help system a little. An when all else fails
review the Manual. Its in PDF format so can be easily searched.

Learn the basics of playing the demo's, Melodist songs, and soundtracks.
in this process things will start making more sense.

On top of all of this, time needs to be taken, many hours.
Not to discourage, but well worth the efforts.

And last but not least you couldn't ask for a better staff and members to help you.

Good luck, and enjoy,

Seeker


FrankB

Down The Street vs2015 12-03-2014
Win7, AMD QuadA8-5500,16GB,2TeraHD, Komplete 10
PG Ultra Plus 2016,Alesis 12USB, Sonar Platinum
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
C
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
C
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
Don't forget if you get stuck with a specific problem we have a tech support team available through chat (Live Help button, top right of this and most of our pages), email: support@pgmusic.com, and you can reach us toll free by phone at the numbers and times listed on the page below

http://www.pgmusic.com/contact.htm

Carson
PG Music Inc.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,576
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,576
+1

They're really good.


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.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
I still consider myself a rookie, but I have tried to break stuff down into small subjects such as melody, volume, repeats, holds, etc.. I didn't even know the difference between midi and audio when I started so I have been going pretty slow. I like the videos for ideas, but I have to watch them multiple times before the stuff starts to sink in. FWIW

Stan


Cornet Curmudgeon
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
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®!

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!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos

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.

Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!

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.

Holiday Weekend Hours

As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:

April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours

Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!

— Team PG

Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!

If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

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.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,274
Posts802,575
Members40,079
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
TboneBob, Balkanmytime, Cutta414, Hermann Jo, Schusterpech
40,079 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 125
zedd 111
rsdean 88
DC Ron 76
vicarn 67
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5