I have purchased the 2015 Ultra Pak Plus...and the 2016 upgrade after.
However I was told that I should have bought the Audiophile version from a friend as the quality of the tracks are better.
Can someone confirm this for me, and what is the bitrate or quality difference?
I am noticing some tracks have a bit of a odd sound like a gloss or and overtone that happens when playing them. Not all but some, and I am playing the song at a very close to or exactly on the suggested tempo.
Tony, this comes up frequently and you should be able to find plenty of opinion in posts within the last two years. Some instruments show compression artifacts more than others. You need good equipment, a good listening environment and good ears to hear the differences. If you are producing commercial recordings, the audiophile version makes a difference.
The 'regular' version uses .WMA files. I don't know the specs but they seem to me to be comparable to a 198 MP3. The compression is about 11 to 1. The audiophile version uses files of 44.1, 16-bit, or in other words CD quality.
Regardless of audiophile or not, the farther you stray from recommended tempo and the Elastique algorithm works harder, the more you risk hearing artifacts. Also, try unchecking some of the speed-up options in Preferences, RealTracks. I have a fast i7 and I even turn some off to get the best quality I can.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Preferences, RealTracks. There are several over on the right. I'm not at a BIAB computer but you should see them. One says use +/- and one says Fast Generation, something like that. The Help for that dialog tells you how to check/uncheck the options.
By the way, the audiophile version runs slightly faster, which might not sound intuitive. The program doesn't have to first uncompress the .WMA files.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
my suggestion is its only really needed if you are a pro audio person but if your someone who is like me who is a hobbyist the standard version is just fine i got the 2015 megapak for a nice deal on ebay last year and it qualified me for a nice 159 buck upgrade (us) to the ultrapak with harddrive. so i will be happy with that for sure :-).
if you are really really picky with audio quality and have the money to spare no harm in the uncompressed version but i would guess for the average user the cost vs performance would not really big a problem.
I have purchased the 2015 Ultra Pak Plus...and the 2016 upgrade after.
However I was told that I should have bought the Audiophile version from a friend as the quality of the tracks are better.
Can someone confirm this for me, and what is the bitrate or quality difference?
I am noticing some tracks have a bit of a odd sound like a gloss or and overtone that happens when playing them. Not all but some, and I am playing the song at a very close to or exactly on the suggested tempo.
The audiophile version uses waves, whereas the "normal" version uses a slightly compressed format....WMA
There is very little noticeable loss in sound quality between them. The main reason to use the WMA is the space savings for the hard drive.
I've had the normal version for many years. It's a good sounding piece of software. I have had music placed in film and TV that was created using the WMA files in BB/RB... so the quality achievable is broadcast ready.
The odd sound..... you called it "gloss or overtone".... can come from a few things.
1. It can be in the original recorded sound if the recording wasn't done perfectly.
2. You can get artifacts from tempo changes from the original recorded tempo if the tempo is changed. The more the tempo changes, the more likely you are to get artifacts. You also have a pitch change happening. If the original file was in the key of C and you are playing it in any other key, it has to be transposed. This is the reason the real tracks are recorded several times and in various keys. However, they are not recorded in every possible key.... they have steps between them. So if the song is not in the same key, it has to be transposed to the key you are using. The further the transpose needs to be, again, the more likely you are to get artifacts.
Combine the artifacts from the pitch and the tempo, throw in the fact that perhaps the recording itself wasn't all that good to start with and you have a really bad sounding track. I've had this happen on several projects. My solution was to use a different track, and in some cases, switch to a different instrument. Yes.... you can easily switch from one bad sounding acoustic piano to a different one that sounds amazing.
I notice this more often with the more complex sounding things like acoustic pianos and acoustic guitars.
Hope that helps a bit
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.
It should do one or the other, as long as you are keeping close to the recommended tempo. And Herb is correct that rarely noises make it onto the original recording, so we report that to PG Music and they issue an update.
One other thing. Noise in a mix is cumulative. If you have a little noise on each track, but add many tracks, you may begin to notice it more.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
You might also want to check if the BiaB reverb module is set on and what the settings are. I render everything completely dry and there is assuredly a difference in the sound. It "might" account for some of what you are hearing.
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.... Be aware, the annual upgrade price will be more.
I think a lot of people might "upgrade" to the Audiophile version if there was a reasonable way to do your annual upgrades. Seems odd to have to re-purchase all your previously purchased wave files every year, not so bad on the USB drive price. They could release the new Audiophile Waves & program updates on a similar USB drive (let the end user do the transfereing to where ever they store their samples). I guess they make more from those with the Audiophile version forking out each year otherwise they would probably do that.
Remember, the Audiophile version also requires more space (a bigger drive). I think this year the Audiophile Hard Drive has USB3 capabilities, making it faster too.
There's more than meets the eye at first.
Plus the time to produce, the bandwidth for downloads .. they are more expensive to maintain all around.
I get your point, just wanted to point out a couple aspects you may not have considered. I just checked; it almost costs the same to upgrade the UltraPlusPak (WMA) version as the Audiophile (depending on years of previous version) .. doesn't seem too unfair to me. It actually costs more to upgrade the everythingPak (also WMA).
Last edited by rharv; 06/21/1612:55 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Thanks for posting the prices rharv. My recollection was that it was pretty good value to upgrade to the audiophile version this last release. Has the price dropped over the years? It seems to me that this version is getting more economical every new release.
I think they run special pricing for a limited time when they bring out new releases. I paid $199 each year for the past few years to upgrade Audiophile to Audiophile.
I also paid $199 to upgrade from Everything Pak to Audiophile. Probably while it was on special, but that's also a few years ago.
Last edited by VideoTrack; 06/21/1610:34 PM. Reason: Added everything pak upgrade info
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 Rharv. I didn't realize it is quite reasonable when compared to the the Ultra, which I get every year. Once you pay for the first upgrade to the audiophile it's not that much difference. Think I might look at doing that upgrade next time there is a new edition released.
This is my first year of using the Audiophile edition. I like it a lot. While the difference doesn't seem hugely noticeable, there's an extra clarity and fullness of sound that comes from having the original wav files. I've found it particularly so when using Ozone for professionalising the sound of the final mix.
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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.
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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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!
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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)
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