Why are some tracks in some styles panned left or right as supplied by BIAB? Wouldn't most performers want to start from zero panning and adjust to suite their circumstances? Whenever the panning is noticeable I usually remove it.
Since you mentioning 'starting' in BIAB, just checking, are you aware of the setting in BIAB to export tracks dry and centered? It makes a clean start possible in the DAW.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
There are default pan settings (which you can change) to give the BIAB arrangement stereo separation (remember, a lot of folks like to enter the chords and just hit play).
If you want everything centered and flat, just click on the "Master" radio button and select "set flat and centered" (or something like that). It will adjust it accordingly.
There is also a panning setting under MIDI options, which allows the style definition to set the panning (or not), and in the "Channels" screen, you'll see the default panning settings (which you can change.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
Thanks for the replies but I'm asking WHY are the basic styles panned, I know how to change the panning.
How can the person who wrote the style know if, or how much the user wants the different instruments panned left or right. Surely stereo separation depends on how the style will be used and performed etc. Why not just leave all panning at zero and leave it up to the user.
I always set the panning to zero if it is at all distracting.
I find the panning settings provided in a style to be helpful input from a knowledgeable source -- to me they usually sound pretty good. When I import audio tracks from BIAB unto Sonar Platinum, one of the first things I do is approximate the original BIAB pan settings (BIAB is a figure; Sonar is a percentage), which I use as a starting point, to then be varied from as appropriate based on preferences, as other tracks are added, etc. More info better than less, IMHO.
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There are a lot of customers who don't touch the mixer at all, and just want to enter chords, pick a style, hit Play, and start practicing. For those users, some stereo separation by panning is applied automatically, so the style sounds pretty good right off the bat.
The controls are still available so that someone who wants to adjust them to their needs can do so as well.
The program does generate music automatically for the user, it makes sense to me that it would also do some basic mixing automatically as well.
Perhaps my question shows my ignorance in understanding the benefit of arbitrary stereo separation when performing with BIAB. Why is the sound better just because the guitar seems to come from the left or the trumpet from the right etc. If you are listening to a live band and you can see the lead guitar player standing on the left then perhaps it adds to the experience but when everything is generated electronically and the sound appears "out of nowhere" I cannot see the need for stereo separation. This is especially true when using a mono PA system.
Also when using BIAB at home through stereo speakers or phones I find the panning very distracting so usually get rid of it anyway.
BTW separation for a stereo piano played from a keyboard is different and is essential for a good quality piano sound but that isn't part of the BIAB style. I have my mixer piano input set permanently with left panned fully left and right panned fully right and keep the separation through stereo PAs.
I guess it must be a matter of personal preference. When I listen at home on my stereo speakers, I want the music to be in, well, stereo. Pretty much every recording I have has the instruments spread out across the stereo field.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
The bass is almost always in the center because those low frequencies are hard to locate directionally. The lead vocal or instrument is also typically centered. Other instruments are spread gently across the stereo field to give the music some depth, and bring out certain instuments in the mix.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I guess it must be a matter of personal preference. When I listen at home on my stereo speakers, I want the music to be in, well, stereo. Pretty much every recording I have has the instruments spread out across the stereo field.
Same here. Stereo playback is the default, and most popular, music playback these days. I rarely encounter mono playbck when I listen to music from my favourite artists.
Well yes, if you are going to end up playing it through a MONO PA, you might as well use MONO from the beginning.
However, as touched on, the stereo field adds a spacious depth to resemble more of the visual setting you mentioned. Rhythm guitar is on the left, lead on the right, etc. to help distinguish them like you would see them visually. When I do a mix, that's one way I judge it; does it sound like how a band would set up and perform it?
To reverse your logic about sound spread across a sound stage .. MONO causes things to sound like the band is all standing in the exact same spot.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Tony, now you're getting into the whole history of stereo music starting in the 40's I guess and evolving into surround sound now. Your question is basically asking "What good is stereo?".
The answer is simply personal taste. Don't like it, turn it off but the vast majority do like stereo.
When you mentioned live gigging of course then stereo is completely lost in most cases. But when I was using Biab live some years ago I panned the bass and drums left and everything else right and used a stereo splitter coming out of my laptop headphone jack. Why? It gave me some control over the mix on the gig even with a mono PA because I used two separate channels using that L and R feed from the laptop.
It's very hard to mix your tracks at home and have that mix still work at different venues because of vastly different acoustics. Having individual tracks go into their own channel would be ideal and it can be done but it's expensive and complicated. My simple two track panning worked well enough.
Bob raises a good point. I sometimes perform to a backing track I create and am stuck with the house mono PA. So, I have a Mono button on my Presonus Central Station (speaker controller) to test my mix in mono. If you do the wrong thing in mixing, it's possible to have a signal on the left and right cancel each other and disappear in mono. You would never know it by testing the mix with regular stereo monitors or especially headphones.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
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-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
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Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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