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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 225 |
While browsing around the Roland site, I came across this new product of theirs: http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1141&ParentId=18 , the BK-7m backing module--an all-in-one sound module, auto-arranger, etc. The concept is not new. I still have my old Yamaha QY70 (before that I had the QY10 and 20, never went beyond the 70), and the Roland PM-5, and haven't used them for years. There have been many newer ones since then. But this is the fanciest one I have ever seen. I am curious whether anyone here has tried one of them, and to hear your impressions of it. How would you compare for live performance--a laptop with BIAB, or this new Roland box? Not that I am about to go get one. They sell for about $1,000, more than many laptops with BIAB. (and a laptop could perform other functions as well.) Interesting though, and I would be curious to hear your review, if you have tried one of these.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,505
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,505 |
I'm not familiar with that unit, but I've messed with some auto-accompaniment keyboards before. There are pros and cons to both the keyboard approach and the BiaB approach of doing things. So everything I am writing about arranger keyboards I suspect are also about the BK-7 - but I'm not sure - if you are interested in the BK-7, further investigation is recommended.
The keyboards (and I suspect the BK-7) have great intros and endings, better than what you have in BiaB. But how many times can you use a great intro? I remember working out a cha-cha for ballroom dancers, "Cherry Pink..." and used this great intro from an old Roland auto-accompaniment keyboard. It was great. Then I decided to learn a cha-cha version of "The More I See You" so I used that same, great intro. But when the new song started, it sounded so much like "Cherry Pink" that I wanted to start the wrong song. So there are advantages and disadvantages to elaborate intros and endings.
The arranger keyboards often have more instruments than BiaB. This can make for much thicker background parts.
Also the keyboards work in real time. BiaB wants the chords entered before you hit the play button.
Real time allows the keyboard player to be more spontaneous in their arrangement, but the BiaB method has one great advantage that IMHO can allow the song played to be much more musical. And for me that's what it's all about.
First of all, the arranger keyboards usually have from 2 to 8 bars that they play over and over and over again with variations according to the chord you are playing. BiaB can have hundreds of different patterns and they do not come in the same order over and over again unless the style is programmed that way.
Second and most importantly to me, since you enter the chords ahead of time, BiaB knows which chord is coming next. So a smart style programmer can design patterns that only occur in certain musical contexts. A couple of examples would be the V chord in a typical ii-V7-I progression. Or a IV chord that resolves to the root when the IV is on an odd numbered measure and the root is an even numbered measure. There are dozens of "masks" in the StyleMaker that can allow the style writer to make musical patterns that only occur in the situations that are appropriate.
Third, BiaB can have multiple patterns for the same situation with different probability weights. So for example, if the style writer would create 5 different patterns for a V7 chord that resolves to the root when the root has a part marker on it (measure 1 of the next 8 or so), the writer can put the pattern with the most 'personality' with a low probability number that will surprise the listener every once in a great while and not over do itself.
For me, I like the BiaB approach better, because if the style is written well, the musical output can be more varied and more musical.
If I were a single act doing a "piano bar" type of gig, I might prefer the keyboard approach as it would allow the arrangements to be more flexible.
Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 928
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 928 |
Well, there really is a new BiaB-type software application.
It is called Songtrix and it is developed by the same company in Australia that produced Chord Wizard (a great application, by the way):
http://www.chordwizard.com/products.aspx
But Songtrix seems to be MIDI only and after Real Tracks, I'm never going back to MIDI.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,459
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,459 |
Not to mention ChordPulse, which is an excellent little MIDI sketchpad. Both programs have some interface ideas I really wish PG would look into -- like the Tab view, the vertical mixer, Chordpulse's pages, right-click context menu and preset progressions....
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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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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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:
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-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
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- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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- 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®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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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.
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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.
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