Hi. New user here. My wife is the music teacher. I do recording but am new to computer software recording and things midi.
The main issue with our first project was a built-in repeat (with a 3 on it) that I had a hard time getting rid of. Finally made it go away but can't seem to remember how.
Any suggestions as to how to setup so that when starting a "new" song there are no repeats already there?
Band-In-A-Box defaults to a chorus definition of starting at bar 1, for 32 bars, with 3 repeats. Next to the tempo designation on the screen, you will see those three numbers: 1 - 32 - 3. Just click on the "3" and change it to "1" and your song will only play one time through.
I don't know of a way to change that default, but it only takes a second to change the number. Likewise, you would probably have to change the 2nd number, as well, to correspond to the length of your song, so it isn't too difficult to do.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Also, note if you have an intro, say 8 bars, then you would have the first box say 9. This can be very useful if the first part of the song is not just a simple intro but a completely different part from the rest. You could have the chorus start at bar 51 if you wanted to and use the first 50 bars as an extended section as opposed to just an intro. The chorus starting at bar 51 could be say 40 bars long so box 1 would be 51, box 2 would be 40, have the choruses repeat as many times as you wanted as indicated in box 3. Then you still have 1st, 2nd endings within the choruses and a tag or coda for the end. Biab is very flexible once you learn it. This means you could create an opus with a long first section with an intro as part of it, multiple repeats in the middle using choruses and 1st/2nd endings and a third section could be an extended 30-40 bar tag or coda going to a final ending. With all of this plus some creative thinking on your part you can create pretty much any song form you need in Biab. This is an extreme example, some people working with something that complex would not use any choruses or repeats, just do the whole thing as one long aong. This is referred to as "unfolding" the song. The only thing is there's a hard coded 255 bar limit. If you really need more bars than that, then you move it into Real Band.
Chris or Deanna, don't forget, there is also a Loop checkbox to the right of the song name. It is checked (on) by default, and you may want to uncheck it.
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.
Brand new to all this PC software thing, I had the same question making me crazy for the last couple days. Great to the point answers with some extra bonus points in the other replies as well, great to have a place to go and listen to folks that have done it and know. Thank you to everyone. J-J
If something isn't making sense to you and you want answers, don't hesitate to ask. There are a lot of people here who will jump in and try to solve the issue.
The latest version of BIAB seems to have a default of 5 choruses, not 3. I almost always practice a song 3, maybe 4 times.
I know I can change the number of times thru manually, but I have literally 1000's of bb songs from previous versions and it is a pain in the neck to have to change the number of choruses for every song I have made, and then save the changes.
Does anyone know ho to change the default settings?
The latest version of BIAB seems to have a default of 5 choruses, not 3. I almost always practice a song 3, maybe 4 times. ... Does anyone know ho to change the default settings?
Can you advise what the latest version that you are using is? (I have never seen a default of anything other than 3 choruses, that's why I'm interested to know the version you are using.)
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.
As a workaround, you could create a song with the parameters you want and save it as a template. Even better, if you know how, make that song read-only.
Then, each time you want to create a new song, open the template and Save As to give it a new name when you save it.
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.
Good call, Andy. If looping is on, then this is probably the reason the 5 choruses was mentioned. I never have looping on.
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.
.. our first project was a built-in repeat (with a 3 on it) that I had a hard time getting rid of. Finally made it go away but can't seem to remember how.
Any suggestions as to how to setup so that when starting a "new" song there are no repeats already there?
...or quick way to remove? Thanks.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so not sure if this helps (but it drove me nuts years ago)
On the main screen is a Choruses option. It defaults to 3. This may be how you made it go away before and don't recall now. Change the number for Choruses. In the below image I right-clicked the number 3 .. in 2018 and previous versions this option may have appeared differently.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Just to clarify slightly. Normally the number of choruses for a song is set by the menu option rharv has described. The menu option I mentioned lets you override this setting for all songs as they are loaded. By default it sets the number of choruses to 5, but you can change that.
Then there is a separate "loop" tick box. This loops the whole song, intro, number of choruses, tag etc. until you tell it to stop.
You don't need this loop to be on for the first menu option to take effect, in case that is what you thought videotrack was suggesting.
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.
It is highly unlikely that a week will go by where I don't pick up something that I don't know about BIAB from someone on these forums BIAB is such an incredible piece of software with immense possibilities and capabilities lurking under the hood... I'm still enjoying learning after 13 years! (And except for the times I've been in hospital, I've used it for at least a couple of hours pretty much every day during those 13 years.)
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