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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 824
Expert
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OP
Expert
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 824 |
I have been an Audiophile user for a long time and have become very confused about what is needed to both update the Audiophile version of 2017 and acquire the ALL XTRA STYLES PAK 1 & 2 and the 49-PAK.
I use a Windows 10 operating system and run everything from the Hard Drive supplied by PG Music, except for BB Song files which are on my Computer's hard drive in Libraries*.
UPDATES (WINDOWS)
I note that Andrew in his topic about RealTracks update for RealTracks released with Band-in-a-Box 2017 says that, "A separate 'Audiophile' edition patch is not required". Does this mean that none of the updates so far released for 2017 require a special Audiophile patch?
ALL XTRA STYLES PAK 1 & 2
I ordered the All Xtra Styles Pak 1 & 2 with my Audiophile 2017 thinking that it would be included on the BAND IN A BOX Hard Drive. What I received was just the Audiophile program on the Hard Drive, and a DVD-Rom disc for the ALL XTRA STYLES PAK. Is this the correct way to supply this PAK and should I now transfer the content of the DVD-ROM to the BAND IN A BOX Audiophile hard drive? I thought there was a difference between normal BB Styles and Audiophile BB in terms of compressed and uncompressed and I want to be sure the files on the DVD-ROM are correct for Audiophile.
49-PAK
I want to add this to my order but I have still not managed do that due to some confusion, probably mine, and there are only a couple of days left on this special.
The latest email from Sales says, "The 49PAK in the uncompressed format can't be shipped after the fact on DVD's. However, if you wanted to purchase the 49PAK in the compressed format as a download or on DVD's and then install in onto your 2017 Audiophile that would be possible"
If I had got quick replies to my emails, this situation would not have arisen. I would now ask if the final files I install as above on my 2017 Audiophile will be in the uncompressed format of the rest of the files? I do not see the point if they are not! That is also the fear I have for ALL XTRA STYLES PAK 1 & 2 above.
* A Separate General Question
* Just a separate question regarding the fact I keep All BB song files (mgu, sgu, mid, kar, etc. etc.) in my Libraries on my Computer's hard drive. Since the release of Windows 10 it seems that Libraries files in the different headings of Documents, Music, Pictures & Videos are handled differently, the operating system seeming to assume that all Music is of the recorded variety. I have been keeping my BB files Song files under the heading of 'Music' and I am wondering if it would now be better to keep them in 'Documents'.
Comment. I just wanted to say that, unlike previous occasions, the purchase of BAND IN A BOX 2017 has been a very confusing experience. From Australia it is virtually impossible to actually talk on the phone to anyone in Sales to straighten out errors on an order. The box is always "FULL - Please Hang Up". And it takes days to get an answer by email. Plus, you get a different sales contact for each email and they do not seem to read all the correspondence. Part of the problem is the software for ordering, which seems to send out the order without anybody checking that the order makes sense. I guess there are a lot of orders to handle these days and that is good but I still remember the days when most problems could be sorted out on this forum in next to no time.
Grah Jive Talk
"Don't worry baby, they'll swing their arses off."
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,495
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,495 |
Hi Graham, Here's my take on your questions. I've based my answers on comments that Callie made last year about purchases and comments Andrew and Matt Finley have made over the years about updates. Thanks for setting your questions out so clearly. It makes answering them much easier. UPDATES (WINDOWS)
I note that Andrew in his topic about RealTracks update for RealTracks released with Band-in-a-Box 2017 says that, "A separate 'Audiophile' edition patch is not required". Does this mean that none of the updates so far released for 2017 require a special Audiophile patch? The updates released to date are only program updates. These are the same for Audiophile and non-Audiophile users. It is the Realtrack and Realdrum updates that are different for Audiophile users and require a separate patch. So, if a new build includes actual RTs or RDs, as opposed to only the RT and RD instruction files (like ST2, STX), then a separate update will eventually come along. Also, if RT or RD updates come along, separate versions will be available. ALL XTRA STYLES PAK 1 & 2
I ordered the All Xtra Styles Pak 1 & 2 with my Audiophile 2017 thinking that it would be included on the BAND IN A BOX Hard Drive. What I received was just the Audiophile program on the Hard Drive, and a DVD-Rom disc for the ALL XTRA STYLES PAK. Is this the correct way to supply this PAK and should I now transfer the content of the DVD-ROM to the BAND IN A BOX Audiophile hard drive? Correct. You need to install the Styles DVD to the USB drive. Style files are the same for all versions of BIAB. (As mentioned above, it's only the RT and RD files that are version dependent.) 49-PAK
I want to add this to my order but I have still not managed do that due to some confusion, probably mine, and there are only a couple of days left on this special.
The latest email from Sales says, "The 49PAK in the uncompressed format can't be shipped after the fact on DVD's. However, if you wanted to purchase the 49PAK in the compressed format as a download or on DVD's and then install in onto your 2017 Audiophile that would be possible"
If I had got quick replies to my emails, this situation would not have arisen. I would now ask if the final files I install as above on my 2017 Audiophile will be in the uncompressed format of the rest of the files? I do not see the point if they are not! That is also the fear I have for ALL XTRA STYLES PAK 1 & 2 above. The 49 Bonus Pak is separate and needs to be purchased when you order the Audiophile version. You also need to explicitly state that you require the Audiophile version of the 49 Pak (because it contains RTs and RDs). It will then be installed on the USB drive for you before shipping. * A Separate General Question
* Just a separate question regarding the fact I keep All BB song files (mgu, sgu, mid, kar, etc. etc.) in my Libraries on my Computer's hard drive. Since the release of Windows 10 it seems that Libraries files in the different headings of Documents, Music, Pictures & Videos are handled differently, the operating system seeming to assume that all Music is of the recorded variety. I have been keeping my BB files Song files under the heading of 'Music' and I am wondering if it would now be better to keep them in 'Documents'. Not being a Windows 10 user, I can't really comment here. I keep all my BIAB song files in a separate folder directly off the root drive and not one of the Windows directories like Documents, Music, etc. Hope this helps, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840 |
Graham -
Although a number of folks call RealTracks "styles", styles are really a file with pointers to the various RealTracks you may be using. The style files are the same, whether you are using the Audiophile WAV version or the regular WMA version. So, buying the XTRA styles pack is not buying any new RealTracks (WAV files), but merely a bunch of style files that PGMusic has put together that point to the RealTracks you have (whether Audiophile or not). The reality of it is, you could actually create all those style files yourself, buy it would take a long time. PGMusic has merely mixed and matched existing Realtracks in different ways to create new unique styles to make it easier to select an appropriate style for your songs, and called the XTRA styles. No extra RealTracks, just new combinations of existing RealTracks.
The reason there is not a separate RealTracks update for Audiophile is that the actual recordings were not altered; they merely made corrections to the text files that define the offsets within the recordings to use to create your song track. That's the same whether you are using Audiophile or not.
Hope that helped.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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Happy New Year!
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Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
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