So I am a bit old school, from the first days of BIAB. Back then it sounded nowhere as real as it does now, BUT it had a huge menu of modern jazz (The real stuff: Bebop, Hard Bop, Cool and other straight ahead styles). Now 2 decades later I return to see this universe of a platform: real tracks, real styles and on and on. As I sort through all this, desperately looking for ways to harness all this power to simply produce backing tracks fo myself in the style of the classic quartets of Bird, Trane, Dextor, Rollins, Miles etc, all I can find is endless confusing stuff that seems more suited to producing various hybrids and versions of big band, smooth jaz, Dixieland, pop jazz, rock jazz, acid jazz and even Michael Bubble like albums (not knocking him, he's a great musician). Now dont get me wrong, I'm not trying to be a modern jazz snob, and no offense intended to those who are into all these various options, I'm just looking to do my thing, and produce hard swinging straight ahead jazz recordings of my playing (I'm a Modern Jazz Clarinet Player, think Defranco, Daniels, Scott, Robinson). It's for this reason I stick with stuff like Abersold, Session Band and RealBand. So do I give up on BIAB, or is there an easy way to harness all this power to produce the stuff I'm into with the realism that it offers.
Last edited by Joseph Cannavo; 01/13/1703:46 AM.
Joseph P Cannavo Not everything can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
Creating your own style out of midi, super midi and RealTracks is an easy process. It can be a bit tedious, but certainly doable.
Customize styles and use them and ignore the rest unless you need to create a new style.
The Stylepicker should help you cull the large quantity of styles to a reasonable number that are within the genre and groove you're seeking. You can search by song title, artist, genre, specific instrument and so on.
Learn the in's and out's of the Stylepicker and you can accomplish your goal.
I love Eddie Daniels in particular from your list.
As Charlie mentioned, you can construct what you want to hear from individual tracks. The MIDI tracks you liked long ago are all still there. Supplement these with a RealDrum track and maybe one or two RealTracks (especially bass) and you may get closer to what you want to hear.
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.
Well, I'm not into the various flavors of jazz like you are, however, I would venture to say that what you are looking for it still in there somewhere. You just have to be able to find it.
PG has added and continues to add and improve the styles and real tracks so that one may choose from a wide variety of options. The more options you have though, the harder it gets to find the specific ones you may be looking for.
I often have to use filters on the list of styles and real tracks so that I'm able to have a useful list to select from.
If you have been out of BB for a while and are just coming back in 20 years later, yeah, I imagine it's quite overwhelming. Kinda like I experienced when I got out of digital recording and them returned a few short years later to find all sorts of wonderful advancements in the DAW world.
I'd suggest that, even though you have been a PG user in the past, since it's been 20 years, consider yourself as a beginner and look up, and view the tutorial videos. Work through them one by one. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step followed by another.
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.
I am not aware that PGM took any styles away, only added new ones, many new ones. The sensational options available now may appear overwhelming, but the StylePicker should help you find what you need. Feel free to experiment with RealTracks and MIDI combo's. I believe that you'll achieve what you are looking for.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
In the stylepicker, you can filter it to show only jazz styles.
You can also control the order that the styles are listed in. The default is that it shows real styles followed by midi styles.
So you could for example, show only MIDI styles, and only show jazz styles which would show you about the same list that you used to see.
With realstyles, we have added many of the actual players from the eras that you are talking about. For sample, Ron Carter (bass), Kenny Barron (piano), Lewis Nash (drums), Pat Martino (guitar), Phil Woods (alto). As you know, those guys are Pollwinners that have played with everyone including Miles Davis etc.
Start with a style like _jazFred . That's a straight ahead jazz style, quartet with piano, guitar, bass, drums.
Joseph theres more to music than jazz! Im doing country pop and rock, some latin and other bits and bobs and i find BB brilliant at it. I think BB needs to keep its horizons broad. If it was exclusivly jazz would the sales have been enoguh to assure survival? Just looking at the stylepicker there seems to me to be TOO much jazz if you add all the variations up, but I dont mind. Theres loads of other stuff to keep me going. Wendy<
BiaB2022PLUS,927. every extras pack I can find ;-),Sonar7XL,Win 10
Welcome to the forum Joe. It's funny how we all think of genres. I wouldn't call Bird, Dexter, Miles, etc Modern Jazz. I guess it's modern compared to 40's big band. It's bebop. Modern Jazz is Spyro Gyra, David Benoit, Herbie Hancock, Eric Marienthal and everybody else from the 70's onward.
As to your question, all of your favorite midi styles are still there. Nothing has been removed. But, a whole lot of new RT's and hybrid RT/midi styles have been created plus of course you're free to create your own or buy third party styles from someone like Norton Music. Bob Norton has an absolute ton of all the Real Book stuff.
In relation to loading midi styles, it might be that you need to deactivate the auto-substitute midi styles for Realstyles (i.e. styles containing all Realtracks). With this setting active, BIAB will potentially automatically load non-midi equivalents of the older midi styles that you like.
This setting can be turned off permanently under "Prefs | Realtracks" (see below image).
Wow guys, thanks for all the useful help!! And I will venture in as a beginner again. As for the history of jazz, of which I am a long time serious student, yes so-called "modern jazz" begins with with bebop, and the very specific idiomatic transformation it brought to the improvised line. And this is the reason when one studies at, say Berklee, you study the likes of Bird etc, as this provides an initial idiomatic foundation for ALL that the follows. Simple google the phrase "modern jazz"'to explore these ideas further.
bird lives! Thanks all! Joe
Joseph P Cannavo Not everything can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
I get the "Don't give labels" pitch, that everyone from Duke to Miles has stated. On the other hand, for purposes such as choosing a style top back a particular groove, nomenclature is inevitable.
"Modern Jazz" was a term coined before most of us were born, has been applied to a certain era and genre, and does not represent a "sliding" timescale. "Funk/Fusion" will be immediately understood to represent Spyro Gyra, Hancock etc. As these styles are now more than two decades old, how is referring to them as "modern" any more accurate than applying it to Bird and Diz?
Phillyjazz, More or less agree, and the overuse of labels degenerated into its own set of problems.. At the same time I get a little tired of some of the better-than-thou "I don't do labels" thing I hear from some of my musician collegues. The bottom line is that without labels and categories we can't navigate the world. So If I want to purchase sheet music for the Weber #2 clarinet concerto, and I ask the music store clerk where the classical music section is, he/she ought not tell me "hey man it's all music". Similarly if I'm looking to find musicians to form a quartet Stylistically aligned with what Trane did with McCoy Tyner, Elivin Jones and Jimmy Garrison, I need labels and categories. (And I'm sure Mile thought very much thought in terms of stylistic labels and catagories when looking to fill out the various incarnations of his ensembles- Kenny Garrett ain't no swing alto player). As for the term modern, I agree, many confuse its meaning with that of "contemporary"-which is not what it means in the arts. So, for example, modern art begins in the mid late 1800s with the likes of Cézanne, Van Gogh, Seurat etc. Personally, and especially as a modern jazz clarinet player, the idiomatic category "modern jazz" is especially important to me, since the instrument was nearly abandoned with the bebop revolution, and is typically type cast as being wedded to a pre-bop idiom. Those of us who are devoted to the use of this horn in the modern jazz idiom (bebop, hard bop, post bob etc) are part of a very small club indeed!
Joseph P Cannavo Not everything can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
To get back to one of your original points about BiaB/RB - finding the styles you want. I was getting frustrated trying to find the midi-only styles which I prefer. There are over 1500 midi-only styles in BiaB, but they weren't easy to find.
I copied the demo songs into folders along with a text file of the style information. Now I scan the text file and listen to (part of) the 60 second demos. This is much faster than trying to do it in BiaB. Then I type the style/demo name into the Biab style filter. That style comes up and you're good to go.
You could also do something similar with Real Styles. Yes, it took a few days to get all this done. I just wish I had done it years ago.
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!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
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!
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 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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