....is this possible in RealBand, I know it's possible in BIAB ,( even thought it's not always a true transformation). Got a realdrum track that is really good, but there are a couple of little things about the mix that really bug me. Thanks again!!
By 'force', do you mean "Convert RealDrums to MIDI", or "use MIDI drums instead of RealDrums"?
You can certainly use a separate track for your MIDI drums and just mute the RealDrums track.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
You can also 'Force' to use MIDI drums from the RealDrums Picker (Generate Menu):
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Thanks VT for the reply. I've tried 'force to midi', but I can't get it to work. Nothing is generated when I try to force realdrums to midi. I'll keep trying. Thanks again!
Milt, I think you're misunderstanding something unless it's me, which is entirely possible.
Audio is not midi, midi is not audio. I've called this Bob's Mantra over the years.
The Real Drums are audio files that were recorded in a studio by a real drummer. There is no midi in them.
Midi drums are based on the style and have zero to do with any RD file which is why I think this is a point you may not understand. You don't convert an RD to midi. There is no midi information in any of the RD's. All you're doing is substituting one of the Biab midi drums styles for the RD but the resulting midi track has NOTHING to do with the Real Drum part.
What you can do is arm any empty track in Real Band, right click anywhere in that track and click on the appropriate item that allows you to generate a midi drum track. Almost forgot, you need to select a style first then right click and create the track.
You can also create any number of different RD tracks by right clicking on one empty track after another and mute the ones you don't want to listen to so you can hear the different ones individually and know what you have to work with. You can also mix newly generated midi style drum tracks with the RD tracks as well. Each separate drum track will have different fills in different places, different styles and all that. You might like one RD for the verse, a different one for a 4 bar bridge, maybe a midi one for a solo section whatever. You have 48 tracks so experiment all you want.
Hey, Bob. Yes I understand the difference between midi and audio, been using midi almost from its inception. What the ' force to midi' dialog implied to me was that there would be a strict interpretation of the realdrum audio to midi, (like a lot of software does now), not simply a substitution of a midi drum track in that style. Thanks for clearing that up. I use multiple tracks on single instruments often, probably to much. Thanks again!!
Yes, force MIDI drums, as Milt just stated, does not mean interpret the RealDrums to MIDI; it simply means to use the MIDI drum patterns defined in the underlying MIDI style instead of the RealDrums file.
I'm glad you figured this out Milt. Lots of folks don't realize that RealTracks and RealDrums are merely audio substitutions that sit on top of the tracks defined in some underlying MIDI style. It doesn't matter what style it is, as the RealTracks generate using a completely different engine than the MIDI style uses. However, if you are using a RealStyle (with all RealTacks) and you force MIDI drums, you will quickly find out that the drum patterns used in the underlying style may have nothing to do with and may sound completely different from how the RealDrums (as well as RealTracks) sound.
That's just the way it works. PGMusic decided early on to use the existing style system as the framework upon which to overlay RealTracks, RealDrums, and ultimately RealStyles.
Clear as mud?
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
It would certainly be really cool if there was the possibility of converting the real tracks that RB generates into their exact note for note midi equivalent. Yes, yes, yes..... that would open the door to being able to use really nice sounding samples for the instruments as opposed to having to use the audio as it was recorded. Especially if the audio had to be transposed and then shrunk or stretched to fit the requirements of the song. The artifacts generated in the process can seriously degrade the audio.
I've got quite a few examples I can point out in some of my earlier work. I have learned how to get around that or when I can't I switch to plan "B".
If you have Melodyne, you can, depending on the version of Melodyne, convert the audio into midi. I have the Editor version, but to be totally honest, I have not yet used it to do an audio to midi conversion. I should try that one of these days. I've seen the tutorials on it and I think the drums would be a superb way to use Melodyne in that fashion.
Note to self: plan to do this soon. Now I have 2 things I want to experiment with.... maybe if I have time today, it would be a great experiment to run.
EDIT: Several hours later.... ummmmmm... I must not be holding my mouth right because none of that worked.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 03/13/1609:24 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Guitarhacker, yes it would be great if BIAB and RB could do it. I have melodyne editor as well, but I have not tried the audio to midi funtion yet, I guess I should, looks rather daunting though. EDIT---I was able to use melodyne to convert audio to midi, but the drums all convert to the same note value. All drums were on middle C. One would have to go through the drum track and reassign all the notes--quite an undertaking, so, not much use for drum conversion when all the drums are on one audio track, but I must say the melodic instrument conversion is quite good. Did some crazy things with the lead guitar.
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)
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!
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.
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.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.