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Hello Everyone Been Lurking around the forum a few day's trying to learn a little about BIAB system Before i purchase it this Really seems the way to go for what i want to do...and that's have an economical version of a Band...say a 2 piece Gig...outside of my 5 piece Band.. i Did a 2 piece gig in the pass with a keyboard player and we built a lot of our own music and also purchased some from a place called tri-tunes....they were all midi's...we would mute the melody line and get them in our key and sing along....being midi's most sounded like they were constructed on a carnival Ride if that makes sense...lol But the keyboard player i was working with Moved to another city and our 2 piece kinda vanished i had a bunch of our music as midi files and purchased a keyboard a yamaha mm6 had some of our songs on a flash drive and soon found out that using our old tunes wasn't going to be as easy as i thought....some sounded good.....but others sounded like it was playing the wrong instruments...and since the original songs were built with a korg 01w Board....i figured i had a clash with midi numbers being different on both keyboards....i play guitar...this was all new to me....lol Bought some software hoping to be able to change some song key's and change midi numbers...i got the sony studio 8 and 9 software...this didn't help me at all i feel i wasted my money....i found the area to change key's on the midi....would type in new key....and it wouldn't change it... so i'm hoping BIAB will be the answer to me being able to build some songs and do another 2 piece project again...i have a couple of questions if you guy's would be so kind to answer 1. some of the song style's i will try to build will be what's called swamp-pop this is kinda a blues feel type music and has some horn section work in them...can BIAB give me some blues feel music and Horn's? 2. After a song is Built can you store it on a hard drive and say play it through a lap top on a Gig? this is all i'll ask for now since i don't have the program yet.....but it looks to me this would be the way to go for a couple of musicians to get work in our depressed economy... thanks Randy 
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Hi, and welcome.
Blues feel, oh yes. Horn section is possible using MIDI but to my knowledge is not yet available in RealTracks. It has been requested on our Wishlist.
Yes, many users here gig with the program using a laptop, or else they create MP3s for use with an iPod or similar player.
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.
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welcome to the forum, Randy!
Sounds like one of the obstacles you've dealt with has been MIDI. PGMusic's suite of programs will let you use your existing midi, and there's plenty of help on the forum to talk you through the learning curve.
But the REALLY cool thing about this product is that you can bypass MIDI altogether now, and generate backing tracks for your solo act that can be played from your PC or even from an MP3 player.
If blues is (are?) your music of choice, Band In a Box comes with more blues styles than you'd have time to play on ten gigs. (not all swamp rock/ blues, but there are some of those too)
Keep reading the forum for the next few weeks and wait for an announcement of a new release. New releases are typically introduced with a temporarily reduced price. Early December is when the new version is usually released, so you're here at the rightr time.
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Swamp pop. LOL.
Swamp people, gator hunters, boar hunters.
The new reality show, Cajun jammers. Gotta work up the tune before the end of the show.
I can write it now, the fiddle player is hung over and his wife want's him to hunt gator. But he's got better things to do. Learn an old tune from some guy over yonder. Pole da boat. Eat jerky. Drink rum from a barrel. On the Bayou. Blow that jug brother...
Ok so now post a tune as a throw down, and maybe we come up with some backing track examples, what tune and what key?
I feel a request for a swampify button in the box...
John Conley
Musica est vita
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cajun, welcome to the forum and, particularly, to biab.
if a friendly, down-to-earth forum is important to you during the learning curve then/than you've come to the right place. it's like a big, happy family so check any ego or attitude at the door before kickin' your shoes off and layin' back. we all learn from each other so, very soon, you will be contributing to the synergy of the group.
again, welcome aboard!
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Hi Randy, Another welcome to the forum, this time from "just maybe" a neighbor as I am from South Louisiana. Lot of good people here always willing to assist and give free advice, but remember you get what you pay for  . Just kidding of course we have some very sharp and accomplished BIAB and for that matter even a more general knowledge on everything musical here, present company excepted of course. After reading your questions above and being very familiar with Swamp Pop I can tell you right now that the horn section you are looking for is not available in Real Tracks, but as Matt mentioned it is possible with midi. But the rest of the backing for those Swamp Pop tunes can be built with many of the blues/pop genre styles available. And yes you can store and play back, that is exactly how I use BIAB a couple times each week. PS: Where are you located? Later,
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Randy, welcome to the forum. I travel a lot with work and some road gigs so I am mostly a lurker on the forum. This forum is the best I have ever been associated with, the members are very williing to share their knowledge on any subject including BIAB! They have helped me out a number of times. BIAB is a very useful tool for me in a number of ways.
If I am doing a singles act it becomes my backup band.
When I have to learn either a guitar solo or a vocal (in the 16 piece swing band I also play in), I input the chords into BIAB burn it to a CD, then sing against it while driving. Works great.I am sure you will enjoy it. Gotta go back out and shovel snow, 5 inches yesterday, another 3 inches today!Hope the roads are better tomorrow as I have a swingband gig out of town.DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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Guy's
thanks for making me feel so welcomed Right off the Bat.....this makes me want to buy the BIAB program even quicker now....and i wanted it pretty bad before i came here....lol
Shout out to Danny in south La....hiya neighbor...Danny i was Born in Morgan city la...but now call Kaplan la home....its about 20 minutes south of lafayette la...married a lady from this area pulled up stakes from morgan city and here i am....lol been here about 13 years now...country living i love it..
this program is really amazing...i was listening to the accompanied Realtrack's and was floored....my Brother play's steel guitar out of this world and he is gonna freak when he hear's what the steel can do on here....and to boot it's paul franklin...one of his idols
we got to hang with paul a bit in st louis at a steel guitar convention and he and my brother hit it off....great guy and outstanding musician..
one other question...we talked a little about horn section's can mostly be done by midi
can i lay down my own horn section's into BIAB through an outside source...say like my keyboard or i have a GR-33 sythn i hook to my guitar.....just wondering..
thanks again
Randy
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Randy, Quote:
can i lay down my own horn section's into BIAB through an outside source...say like my keyboard or i have a GR-33 sythn i hook to my guitar.....just wondering..
You would want to use Real Band for that, but lucky for you it comes bundled with BIAB.
Check out some of the RB vids to see the possibilities.
http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.demos.htm
Last edited by bobcflatpicker; 11/18/11 11:33 AM.
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Is there a package that you can get all the Realtracks with it?....just went and listened to a lot of them with the links that were privided...simply amazing....my brain is going into over drive thinking what i'll be able to do with them....even original music going through my head now...and i'm usually a cover playing type kind of guy....lol
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Get the Everything Pak. You will not be disappointed. A great program and a great bunch of folks to hang with here.
Welcome aboard.
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check out the videos here including the user created ones http://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbwin.htm
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
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Cajun,
There is a learning curve with Biab. Once you "see" how to set up a song, chords, style, layout etc, you will find Biab is the perfect tool for creating backing tracks with. It is much more powerful then people realize. Watch some video tutorials while waiting for it to arrive. It is a hands on type of approach to using the basics.
The Real Tracks are incredible. You have great sounding musicians and riffs to accompany your chord changes and they "follow" how the changes are laid out in Biab. It is like hiring professional musicians to sit in on a session or make professional sounding backing tracks to play or sing along with.
Feel free to ask away here when you get stuck on something. We were all beginners at one time ourselves. Welcome to the forum.
Trax
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What they all said. Welcome, welcome, and -- while Trax is right, and there is a learning curve, it's not all that steep for the basic functions. Input some chords, pick a style, and click "play", and just that much will show you the beginnings of BIAB's huge potential. It's finding out all the details that is both fun and incredibly useful for your music, and this is just the best place to hang out online. 
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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i think i'll take silvertones advice and get the everything pak...my wife mentioned to go ahead and take the money from savings to go ahead and get the program...hot dog and i didn't even mention that...lol...i loves my wife..hehe
and get this...this must be a good omen...the wife an i had dinner at a place that usually has a one man Band....and i even sat in with the guy who used to have the gig from time to time...well guess what the other guy walked away from the gig to go down the street to make a few more bucks...and marko offered me the one man gig...haha
that will be an every friday night as long as i want at a mexican Restaurant.
i told him, marko...man i don't even have my music ready yet....he told me the gig is mine when i want it..
i hope PGMUSIC is open on saturday cause i'm ordering this program when i wake up
Randy
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Randy, Big sale starts in a couple weeks??? You may want to wait just a bit.
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Quote:
Randy, Big sale starts in a couple weeks??? You may want to wait just a bit.
Double ditto!!!
Don't buy now! It's just a few weeks. HUGE difference!
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ok...you guy's let me know when the sale is on...where will i get the best price..PG website or someplace else....i seen musician's friend sells BIAB also...but you guy's have been using this product for sometime...i'm sure ya'll will steer me to the best purchase point
thanks for the heads up jazzmandan
can't wait for the sale....i feel like a kid at christmas waiting on his favorite toy...lol
Randy
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Quote:
where will i get the best price..PG website or someplace else
The PG website.
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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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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®!
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!
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