About to pull the trigger; old user (back when it was delivered on floppies). I've been reading up; love the idea of the conductor. I'll be using this live, and I'd like to use the Conductor to open/close chorus loops.....if its working.
I read thru the new features/build notes & such, searched here a bit, but I didn't see anything since spring of '11. Anybody have anything to report?
Sorry Jazaddict, the Conductor function does not work reliably (at least for me) with Real Tracks and PG seems to remain silent on the subject. I'm a long time BIAB user and fan, upgrade at every offering (now at version 2012 build 349)and use it weekly in a live standards-based jazz setting. Being able to change the number of choruses on the fly would be terrific, but the Real Track sounds are so incredibly good for jazz please don't let this relatively small issue keep you from using this great program.
Thanks for info John. Thats zzzzzactly the reason and venue (sax here) I intend to use BIAB for so I'm disappointed that BIAB support isn't responding. I've been shopping around and the Real Tracks/Drums really out-do the competition, so I'm gonna go for it.
I did a solo/duo gig w/ a Roland MC50 years back. Foot switch looping control, auto-loading sets, great box. Lotta gear though...lotta work. BIAB looks faster, easier, and with softsynths and REAL T/D great sound, so I've decided to do the solo gig again.
I'm lookin into Ableton Live (although I'm a $onar user :-/ ) for the looping thing when the venue calls for it. BUt I'm gonna sing & play guitar too, pop, some country, and jazz when the venue is right, and the open solo thing isn't right for every audience. We'll see....but I'm gonna do the BIAB thing...if they fix it, then all the better.
Hi Peter. We spoke on the phone in the late 90s, remember? Thanks for checking in.
Apparently the Real Tracks are not being properly governed by the conductor's loop commands and play out of position after loop-exit, and there's a pause or gap that interrupts the playback as described in this thread:
Considering I haven't purchased & used yet I'm a bit unclear on the specifics beyond what are reported here.....the long & short is I'd REALLY like to use a footswitch to send the note commands to BIAB songs to shut off the looped solo section while playing live.
Raintalk.....Thx for checking in....so you're saying that the 2nd chorus will repeat indefinitely in spite of the "repeat 3 times" setting until you hit the numpad 1?
Have you tried this with any Real Tracks?
I guess I'll have to quit talkin about it and get my hands dirty here; ya pays ur money & takes ur chances.
To demonstrate that Conductor does not work with real tracks create any 32 bar "standard" type song. Create and configure for a small tag ending. Pick pretty much any jazz type style.
Set drums, bass piano for Real Tracks (mute the rest for simplicity).
Set to (say) 3 choruses.
Hit Play.
Let song build and play and get somewhere in (say) chorus #2. Bring up Conductor window and select button #5 (Last Chorus). A small yellow window appears alerting that the next chorus will be the last chorus.
The next chorus (depending on style selected) will usually sound like a last chorus (simpler drum, no bass walk) but the song will not actually take the tag ending, but it will abruptly end after playing the number of measures in the tag ending.
Thx fellas. I'm satisfied that I'll be able to get the loop functioning in some capacity. Maybe Peter will act on John's specific example . I saw a 3 pedal USB on ebay for $35 straight from Hong Kong ...sc new eggs looked the same....ya never know . Thanks for the feedback.
I'm not current with the Conductor but I used to use it a lot. It works best when your song is simply one chorus with no repeats or tags because you're going to do that manually anyway. I found it was easier to make a different version of my songs just for use with the Conductor and put them in a separate directory. I still have the original versions I created in the fake book style with repeats, 1st/2nd ending and tags. That version is good for printing out fake charts but not so good for the Conductor. Think of it like big band charts. Some have repeats but most don't. They just run for 5, 7 or 10 pages because all of the the sections while similar, are not exactly the same. Drives me crazy as a piano player because I'm used to 1 or 2 page fake book charts.
Just put part markers where you want the jump points to be and it should work fine. Example, put a marker where you want to loop the intro because I like to vamp some intros, then the verse or chorus starts when you hit the numpad, same for the solo section, maybe a bridge and the ending. Now there's no formal "tag", it's just wherever you decide to put a marker. I also soon learned the hard way to keep the numbers consistent from one song to the next. For me 7 is always the ending for example.
Wow. Great tips Bob....thanks a lot. Between all u guys I have good idea what works and what doesn't. I'm pretty excited to get rollin with these nice sounding Real Tracks.
I have the conductor looping as I'd like it to......the thing I didn't get was that its a "Real Time" control of the song.
SO..... While the song is playing, say in chorus 2, I hit the "Chorus" button under the "loop" section of the conductor, the current chorus loops continuously as expected. While playing still, I hit "off" under "loop" and the next chorus is number 3 (you can often hear it go to the A part), and then it tags & ends.
So yay. I'm unclear on zzzzactly how the rest of the buttons work, but THOSE two buttons do what I want.
I am using 2018 with the conductor and i find 2 things:
1: if you jump to a section of the song too early after starting it seems to be still processing and either wont jump or may be play incorrectly after jumping.
2: there seems to be general instability at times using conductor where pausing may lock up the system or jumping may start playing the wrong part or the correct part but with the wrong instruments playing.
it is not all the time and will work well for a lot of the time but it is not consistent. this is not an issue in my home office/studio but is a real concern if I want to use this feature live.
Are there some tricks to making the conductor function more stable or am i best to export to a DAW like Ableton to gain this higher level of live control functionality?
stuthebassman69, firstly, welcome to the neighborhood.
BiaB can commence performing a song before all of the song has been generated. It's done this way so that as soon as enough of the performance is known it can start playing while the remainder of the song is 'constructed' behind the scenes.
Your issue may occur if you attempt to move to a part of the song that has not yet been finalized.
A workaround is to check the Playback Generation item in Song Settings, and see if that makes an improvement.
Let us know if this helps in some way.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Answering Peter's question, "What about using it with Real Tracks isn't working for you?"
What doesn't work for me is: if I have a file that is using a Real Tracks style, when I hit the qwerty key for, say, section 2, it doesn't jump to section two.
Last edited by jimlucas; 03/29/1812:53 PM.
Jim Lucas - 2023 BiaB (1006) Ultra+ PAK Audacity and Reaper Laptop: Samsung U2BB94DJ i7 64bit Win 10 build 19041, 8GB ram 225GB HDD
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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