Ooh look-a wish list! A plea! I bought 2017Everything and the $40 Forte. Biab works great with realteacks styles which i love. But i had real trouble getting forte to work. It seems unless your in The Know, you are on your own. Apart from thexwonderful help on the forum. Even so i only got forte to work by trail and error and lots of total reinstalls. Can you imagine hw long this took. Now the same thing is happening trying to get Hi-Q to work with it and so far failing. Im spending way too much time trying to get the program i bought to work rather than make music and this shouldnt be right. My plea. If your gonna include stuff in bb it should be plug and play, not have to have computer knowledge about paths and "vst isnt a dxi, dummy" (why should the laywoman user even care?) and have to KNOW exactly where to go, what to click in midi drivers and so on. OR-A video tutorial for Dummys would be perfect or a picture guide giving step by step instructions on how to comfigure a new BB so they BOTH actually work and together would be nice.All anyone needs to know is- do this,do that,click exactly this and exactly that and it should work. Never assume prior knowledge-im a singer not a computer programer. Me? Ive only got a few days left before my money back promise runs out and if I cant suss it out(and I'm not a dumb blonde) Im going to invoke it. WendyM PS-for some reason I have file manager on this note-its not on every one Ive tried to make. So please look and see how far Ive got and what I do next to ADD sforandzo if its THAT easy. I suspect youll be talking in tongues again. lol
BiaB2022PLUS,927. every extras pack I can find ;-),Sonar7XL,Win 10
"Im spending way too much time trying to get the program i bought to work rather than make music and this shouldnt be right."
Now I remember !, that's how I ended up stuck in this forum, I got Biab/RealBand to make music but found so many problems that needed fixing and found a lot of things that needed to be added to make it easier to use, so yearsssss later I'm still here chipping away at it lol.
I agree with WendyM on the need to keep things straightforward and simple. As a long time BIAB user, I still only know the very basics. I sequence songs and play live. That’s it. For my purposes, that’s all I want or need to know----i.e., a basic, professional-sounding backing track for live performance. If BIAB failed on a gig, I wouldn’t know where to start looking. I have little interest in clicking around on a computer. The less, the better. So, PG Music, please keep the plug and play options available, as the program grows and gets more complicated.
I agree with WendyM on the need to keep things straightforward and simple. As a long time BIAB user, I still only know the very basics. I sequence songs and play live. That’s it. For my purposes, that’s all I want or need to know----i.e., a basic, professional-sounding backing track for live performance. If BIAB failed on a gig, I wouldn’t know where to start looking. I have little interest in clicking around on a computer. The less, the better. So, PG Music, please keep the plug and play options available, as the program grows and gets more complicated.
You got it. Its all brilliant if i use the realtracks. But thats only half my BB. I want it all. The midi styles are horible unless you buy the Forte. And thats where the trouble is - I got it and it is assumed i know how to make it work. I didnt and still dont and it took ages and lots of reinstalls before I twigged it. Now the midi sounds much better. So i moved on to sForzando for Hi-Q and again there are no instructions (proper ones for dummys). So I mess about and when it says its in the vst.dxi box all i get is Nothing! Silence. Again its a total reinstall cos i cant get it back where it was. So, how about it PG? a tutorial, idiot specific so I can get what I paid for to work? WendyM
BiaB2022PLUS,927. every extras pack I can find ;-),Sonar7XL,Win 10
You bring up some very important points. BiaB has opened the door of confusion to many people when it comes to MIDI. Many are used to using BiaB with the GM synth that comes with BiaB and GM softsynths are the only so-called plug and play synths that come with automatic presets. That is channel 1 is always piano, channel 17 is a drawbar organ, etc. BiaB does all of the background work for you. Your Forte is GM so it should work after you tell BiaB that it is the GM softsynth you want to use it should work.
But sForzando and Hi Q sounds are not GM compatible. That is you the user must set up tracks and channels. For example you must tell BiaB that you want the bass to play on track 1 channel 3 and the piano on track 7 channel 1, then set the synth up so the bass is on channel 3 and piano is on channel 1. All tracks and 16 MIDI channels are waiting for you to assign them. Note that you must do the above with all DAWs: the process maybe slightly different but the end result is the same-you must set everything up.
Thus I think PGMusic should take the Dummies book strategy and have step by step tutorial/videos for those whom never used MIDI before. This would also include how to replace a GM synth in BiaB. They may already have these tutorials, don't know.
Most all of my music is strictly MIDI, but I only use BiaB as a scratch pad to get the chord progression I want. I move all tracks to my DAW, Sonar, for all of my MIDI work. I rarely use GM as I have sounds that are far better. When you get into MIDI you have to learn a few MIDI commands called CCs and invest some money to get great sounding tracks. BUT I started out like you and everyone else. Go steady and keep learning.
I hope this helped and didn't confuse you too much.
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
So please look and see how far Ive got and what I do next to ADD sforandzo if its THAT easy. I suspect youll be talking in tongues again. lol
I assume you have your "default GM synth" Coyote Forte running? That is a General Midi and will play any and all BIAB midi instruments by default. Yes?
Now Sforandzo is a different type of synth and will not play all the BIAB instrument by default. It needs to be actually set up for each midi track you want to use it on. BAIB 2017 was intended to do this automatically, but in the early roll out versions it was a bit funky. That has now been fixed in newer updates. So when you load a Supermidi Track it should automatically assign the HiQ sounds of Sforandzo. If this is not happening then you can still do it manually.
Have you considered having someone logon remotely to your machine to push the right buttons and show you how? PG Support will do this or you can ask here and I or someone else will be glad to "Skype/Teamviewer" in and take control of the mouse to show you how. Once someone shows you how, it ain't so mysterious any more.
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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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.
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.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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:
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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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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