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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 551
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 551 |
BIAB for Mac is way behind the windows version.
It seems clear that there are very separate “code branches” for each platform and so progress on OSX is slow.
wouldn't it make sense to put a pause on Windows development and apply “all hands on deck” to consolidating the code base
to allow better cross-platform development?,
Us OSX users for example don’t get ANY of the features for supporting plugins, Audiounits and the like. Nor the conductor features. It seems that
BIAB for OSX is written very much in parallel to windows.
i will be glad yo offer you my services to assist with rewriting this stuff.
I have much experience in working with C++ and REALbasic - which is a great cross-platform tool/IDE/language for writing app GUIs that work great on both platforms. I also have an in-house source code translator that i wrote myself, which allows me to convert REALbasic source code into pure C++, where i need the
extra performance edge, or features that RB cannot give me. If you PM me i will be glad to give you more information. And would be glad to offer my services to
help you unify your codebase once and for all.
I’m sure your current arrangement must be a right mess - not to mention that much of the BIAB GUI is just ugly and hasn’t been changed since the Atari ST !
MacOS Sequoia, M4 Pro Mac Mini , 64GB RAM 512GB SSD ,
BIAB, Cubase, Ableton, Logic Pro, SCALER 3, GigLad, AnyTune, Synthesizer V Pro,Vienna Ensemble Pro, Audiofuse, Fractal FM3, KOMPLETE 15, StreamDeck, iReal Pro
White beard, beer belly, bald patch
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22 |
Excellent post and points. The GUI, while being old and familiar, a bit like a favourite old shirt, could do with some modernizing.
Also, Mac users need features such as you've mentioned, but also full notation and lead sheet functionality. That is sorely needed for those who use BIAB either live or in a studio setting.
Yet we Mac users pay the same price for BIAB as Windows users. So surely, the least we can expect is the same full implementation of all features?
And I'd rather have the features catch up to the Windows version than see a drop in price for the Mac version. I'm happy to have paid for the Everything Pak on its own HD, but the more I play with it, the more I see missing from the Windows version that a friend and co-musician runs.
Imagine if Adobe put out the Mac version of Photoshop for the same price as the Windows version, but left out a whole bunch of features??? Same thing....
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Quote:
Excellent post and points. The GUI, while being old and familiar, a bit like a favourite old shirt, could do with some modernizing.
Also, Mac users need features such as you've mentioned, but also full notation and lead sheet functionality. That is sorely needed for those who use BIAB either live or in a studio setting.
Yet we Mac users pay the same price for BIAB as Windows users. So surely, the least we can expect is the same full implementation of all features?
And I'd rather have the features catch up to the Windows version than see a drop in price for the Mac version. I'm happy to have paid for the Everything Pak on its own HD, but the more I play with it, the more I see missing from the Windows version that a friend and co-musician runs.
Imagine if Adobe put out the Mac version of Photoshop for the same price as the Windows version, but left out a whole bunch of features??? Same thing....
1. The company is not a government organization. They do what they do to make money. If there was money in it then they would hire all the required people. Mac systems have not reached 10 percent market share, and it might be a long time for there to be 'more', especially now that Mr. Jobs has departed.
2. The software was orphaned by generations of Operating Systems which lacked any compiler for the software.
3. Mac software is a one trick pony as pertains to the operating system of the day. The Mac folks may re-write some drivers or other thing and hamstring your program. And Mac users want the software to be look and feel like everything else.
So I guess unless you understand and can code in Lisp or whatever it was the PC version was written in, the ability to write in C or Cplus or plus plus whatever is moot.
I'd suspect that if there are efforts to move forward in development, that modules are being ported one at a time for 64 bit computing platforms.
In the great timeline of computing evolution there will come a day when the hardware will query the software and adapt for it. Until that day, Mac will continue to try to offer a closed everything is here that you need shop. If they wanted an open source thing it would have happened long ago. Truth is they want things to be an app for their computer, their phone, and their player.
Hollywood here you come.
Perhaps if Mac users paid double the development team would switch gears, I don't know.
Free Enterprise is still alive anyway.
Perhaps someday Dr. Gannon will pen a memoir and we can all see the evolution of the software and the impediments that exist to make a cross platform piece of software that runs on windows, linux, and mac. Until then it is what it is I guess.
BTW, I spent most of my adult life running a Unix shop, and much of the software I wrote is still running Canada's largest chain of fitness clubs. My wife was a key component and I sold her with the company to the Good Life guys, and she's still there, 26 years and counting.
I wish she'd come home for supper. The candles are lit, the pasta is handmade and waiting...
4.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22 |
Staunch defence of PGMusic there, but I have not suggested they are a government organization, nor have I asked for anything free. Merely the same for our money as the Windows users get. Just on the point of market share - Macs are almost up to 10% - but that is of the total computer market. And of the 90% that is Windows and "other" (eg Linux etc), a VERY large proportion would be business computers. Not those who would buy BIAB for the most part. Yes, I know BIAB has traditionally been a Windows program, but in the music/multimedia world, Macs are a significant proportion. I suspect that the reason that the Mac version of BIAB may not (yet) sell as well as the Windows version is purely due to a lack of Mac users actually knowing that there IS a Mac version...! And perhaps some don't buy the Mac version because they know that several features are lacking compared to the Windows version. I know two people with Macs who run BIAB under Windows on their Macs via Bootcamp. They were amazed when I recently bought the Everything PAK Mac version! But they smile when they show me their lead sheets and notation etc..... 
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Sometimes there are reasons and reasons. A lot of people know alleged stuff, but that's it. Stuff. At the end of the day, when a business owner looks at the return, he or she says BINGO. Until then, you are, in the vernacular, SOL. That's as honest and as blunt as I can be.
No one, except those who wrote software for Mac, knows what really the impact was of these days when you got blindsided by Mac trying to lock up their platform. Who on Mac gets a 3rd party proggy to do graphics? No one!
Think in thru. Pretend to be business owner making a business plan. YOu'd go..MAC WhAT?
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 22 |
Try suggesting that attitude to the writers of programs like Reaper, Photoshop, Cubase, Reason, Ableton, and all the hundreds of plugins that work equally well on both platforms. Macs, with almost 10% of the TOTAL computer market, - is a LOT of Macs.... And of course, if we got an iPad version as well... I'm not sure why you're defending what is an obvious weakness in the BIAB stable - the Mac version costs the same as the Windows version, but lacks numerous features, some of which are game changers, like Notation and Lead Sheets. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Band In A Box. And I love the Mac version that I bought. But it wasn't cheap, and to find that mates with the Windows version can do stuff on their setups that I can't is somewhat galling. OK - I don't want to get into any arguments here - as I said, I love BIAB. I'd rather just ask nicely for parity with our Windows colleagues. So - no more from me on the topic.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 10
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 10 |
"Who on Mac gets a 3rd party proggy to do graphics? No one!"
This is far from correct. The Mac has long been the dominant professional graphics platform (and a huge force in the music creation world), from the days of Pagemaker, Quark, Freehand, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and many more. Those are still huge installed bases, and they are not shrinking. Yes, the graphics capabilities of an out-of-the box Mac are great. So are the music capabilities!
I've been using BIAB for 10 years and I'm somewhat frustrated at the lack of updating in the Mac interface, but I appreciate the many improvements that have been made to the program as a whole. Lead sheets are high on my wish list.
Allan Smith
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Well, leadsheets get a lot of flac in the Windows version, people want professional engraving right now. Even sooner. When it doesn't work the first time it's deemed broken.
So...
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,987
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,987 |
As a user of both the Mac & PC versions, I can understand some frustration. However, the Mac version usually comes out within 3 or 4 months of the PC version. (But of course, I'm one of those users that usually buys the upgrade within hours of its release, and then have my computer downloading all night, just so I don't lose any precious time with this addictive software!) Also, as I recall, the Mixer (which most people really enjoy using) was introduced in the Mac version. Us poor PC users had to wait almost 6 months to get it.  There are some things about the PC version that I do prefer, but the Mac version seems to be catching up. And I still don't know of any program that comes close to doing what BIAB does, at least for me. Steve
Steve Young Music"In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of." - Robert Schumann
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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!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
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Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
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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.
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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-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
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- 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
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Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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