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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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OP
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Here's the comparison between my old Win 7 box and the new one. First the specs on the old one. It's an Athlon Phenom 6 core with 4 gigs of ram and a 1 TB hard drive. It took between 2 and 3 minutes to initially open Biab from a cold boot and after that if I closed and reopened Biab it took maybe a minute to reopen. Then once open it would take 15-20 seconds to render a 5 instrument Real Track song including the Real Drums.
My new SSD machine with 16 gigs of ram as described in my sig opens Biab in 4 yes, FOUR seconds! I just rendered a 5 part RT song in the same time, FOUR seconds. All I can say is WOW.
I just installed Sampletank 3 so the next thing is to start using that with some Biab midi styles and see how that goes.
Those who complain about how long it takes Biab to open or render songs really should consider upgrading to an SSD Win 10 machine if money allows.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 145
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 145 |
Very valuable info, Bob!
I use a Pentium 4, Quad core, 2.66 GHz, regular 500 GB disk drive, and 4 GB RAM. BIAB takes about the same time to open and render as you described with your old system. At least now, I know BIAB is working 100 percent to specs. It's my 7 year old computer that needs an upgrade!
May I ask, what was your approximate investment? Remember, I'm from Canada eh, so you must add five or six zeroes for the conversion to Canadian dollars (LOL). Thanks.
Gear: Tyros 5, MOX8, SoundCraft EFX12 mixer, two Bose L1 Compacts, Yamaha HS-8 monitors, BIAB 2016 UltraPlusPAK, Cubase 8, Steinberg UR-44 interface.
"If everyone played a musical instrument, we wouldn't need police officers or armies." Lee B.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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OP
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Canada, eh? I lived in Calgary for 12 years and still am a landed immigrant if I ever want to go back. I bought one of these used off Ebay for $625 USD: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/34..._ImYxoC7h3w_wcBNew it doesn't include the OS or RAM. Mine came with Win 7 and 16 gigs RAM. I just did the upgrade to Win 10. This is one of the few mini PC's that does not have a mobile processor. The Intel 4770t is a regular processor. I was seriously considering a Surface Pro but I really don't need a tablet/laptop and this blows a Surface into the weeds for speed plus double the RAM and no temp related throttling that a mobile processor is prone to have. The only thing about this ZBox is the fan noise is pretty loud, too loud to do recording with a mic in the same room without isolating it. But, the fan can be replaced if need be. It only has three USB3 ports so I picked up a powered hub. The size of this thing is just slightly larger than my 4TB external HD. Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,726
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,726 |
Yes... the computer makes a HUGE difference in wait times....
I remember a similar experience when I moved from my Duo Core lappy to the custom build. Very nice savings in time.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 145
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 145 |
Thanks for the details, Bob!
- Lee
Gear: Tyros 5, MOX8, SoundCraft EFX12 mixer, two Bose L1 Compacts, Yamaha HS-8 monitors, BIAB 2016 UltraPlusPAK, Cubase 8, Steinberg UR-44 interface.
"If everyone played a musical instrument, we wouldn't need police officers or armies." Lee B.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 280
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 280 |
For the record, the biggest difference is made by the SSD.
jazzmammal, don't you find a 256BG SSD is a little small?
For a computer to make music, a 512GB SSD should be the minimum size, if you ask me.
Last edited by LtKojak; 07/20/16 03:49 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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OP
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Good question but so far no. I loaded the complete Biab 2016 HD onto it and that folder is 98 gigs. There are a ton of RT's I never use so as time goes on I'll delete those. I'm also going to experiment with comparing the generation times in Biab using the RT's on the SSD vs setting it to use the RT's on the external HD. If there's little difference I may delete all of the RT's from the SSD and just keep the program itself on it. 256 Gigs is plenty big enough for programs only and all data is on standard drives.
One thing I forgot to mention in the spec's of this ZBox, it also came with an internal 500G storage drive. When I installed Sampletank 3 I also put all the instrument sounds on that storage drive so it's only the app itself that's on the SSD.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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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!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
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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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. 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!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
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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-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)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
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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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