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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 110
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 110 |
I've got BIAB 2013 and it's a great update from the old version I was using. Only problem is it grinds my computer to a halt. I'm currently running on a Pentium 4/1GB RAM. I've tested it on an i3 and an i5 and BIAB ran fine. Really didn't notice much difference between the i3 and the i5. Anyone have any recommendations on which processor to go with in a new computer? Price wise, I'd like to go with an i3, but don't want to get stuck with something underpowered. Thoughts?
Thanks
Rich
Windows 10, 64 bit | BIAB 2019 PlusPak | Studio One 2 Artist
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,803
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,803 |
i7 as it will run BIAB 2017 for you as well.
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392 |
Quote:
i7 as it will run BIAB 2017 for you as well.
+1
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 615
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 615 |
I have always found (after 30 years in the Biz) that the best deal is the SECOND to the top-bin processor available. That would mean an I7, but not the fastest clock speed.
Jan - 12 Core AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
32GB DDR4
Win 10 64-bit
Samsung m.2 SSD Boot drive,other SSD internal and USB drives.
MOTO 2
Ketron SD4,SD1000
Yamaha RX-v381amp
VB-Audio virtual cables
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
I have always found (after 30 years in the Biz) that the best deal is the SECOND to the top-bin processor available. That would mean an I7, but not the fastest clock speed.
I think that's good advice.
The heavy duty experimenter may also want to look for an unlocked cpu as well.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
I've got BIAB 2013 and it's a great update from the old version I was using. Only problem is it grinds my computer to a halt. I'm currently running on a Pentium 4/1GB RAM. I've tested it on an i3 and an i5 and BIAB ran fine. Really didn't notice much difference between the i3 and the i5. Anyone have any recommendations on which processor to go with in a new computer? Price wise, I'd like to go with an i3, but don't want to get stuck with something underpowered. Thoughts?
Thanks
Assumiong that you are also running XP, installing another gig of ram may make it work. 1g is just about enough for the OS with current upgrading, leaving few resources for running programs such as Band in a Box.
I'm fairly certain that Realtracks and Realdrums load to RAM and play from RAM. This is just because I've noticed that disk activity stops at some point during the generation of Realtracks and from there on in I can hit Play over and over without causing the disk to spin.
I've got one laptop still going that runs XP on an Athlon Turion 64 processor. 2 gigs of ram in it and it will load and play Realtracks, but in a longer session will start to stutter after loading and generating several or more songs in a row. This seems dependent upon how many Realtracks are in each song and also is quite obviously will happen much sooner if Soloist Realtracks are involved. A reboot brings back smooth operation. I'm pretty sure that the reboot flushes the ram.
Of course, the dual core machine and the i5 machines just scream along when running BB from the USB drive.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869 |
an i3 is ( I think) adequate for BIAB. If you want to do serious music production using a sequencer you will need more. BIAB is also currently 32 bit. It will run on a 64 bit windows, but only those with compatibility mode (check this out).
The world is now 64 bit. Also think of RAM, though I believe BIAB won't access much of it (being 32 bit - (not sure about this) very minimum is 2 gig, but decent systems are 64 bit and minimum of 4 gig. Sound card too should be a musicians sound card - perhaps the MAudio 2496. This will mean that latency is low - the time between pressing a musical note on a keyboard and hearing it.
there are people here with better tech skils than I but thats the basics
Zero
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,471
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,471 |
Dual cores and triple cores here. (yep)
Quad cores at work and at Barry's.
They all seem to do fine. I'd check speed to be above 2gHz for the processor though.
More above the better.
I tend to think processors are not the bottleneck for most systems. As Mac mentioned; RAM is big, then disk/data buss are more suspect here.
You'd be surprised how often most processors are waiting/looking for something to do.
That said, RB and BiaB do push the processors during generation, but again I bet other parts of the system are what make the generation take longer, not the processor.
Just my opinion from personal observation.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 110
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 110 |
I'm finding when running Real Band, the CPU usage spends a lot of time in the 95% range.
Rich
Windows 10, 64 bit | BIAB 2019 PlusPak | Studio One 2 Artist
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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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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
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Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- 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)
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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