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I started out many years ago with a Korg WT12 as you could use it for acoustic instruments as well as plug in a guitar or bass. When the Intellitouch came out, I jumped on the "clip on" bandwagon and used that on guitars and basses for many years. Then a few Black Fridays ago, the Snark came on sale for under $10 and I bought several, some for me, some for family and friends. Not sure why rockstar_not had problems with his but all mine work great. Next I came across a capo from China that had a built-in tuner, and for $20 I figured I'd give it a try. Been using it ever since. Finally (another Black Friday sale) I picked up a few d'Addario minis https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NSMicroClip2PKThey're small and unobtrusive and I leave one permanently attached to both my banjo and my ukulele. LLOYD S
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Yep you're right Herb, as I play up the neck they go of tune, so must try to change them a little more often.
I have an old ES 335 copy which doesn't hold the tuning very well, even though I have put on Grover machine heads and got it setup by a luthier. I have put it down to either the wood in guitar reacting to room temperature or me being a bit heavy handed when playing it without using an amp.
The Martin custom light strings I use on the acoustic are very inexpensive, but don't know if using cheaper strings is a false economy in the long run.
Now for some string changing......Thanks for the Sweetwater link Bob.
Musiclover regarding the ES-335 .... He's a band story. I played in a band with another guitarist. He had a really nice Strat (the real ones, not the import) and I had my Gibson SG. We'd both have new strings, properly stretched, and tuned with my Conn Strobetuner. 2 guitars in perfect tune. Into the first song, I'd often see him checking his tuning with his inline tuner. And this would go on all night. My guitar on the other hand kept perfect tune all night. I'd check it anyway to tweeze it before each set. I asked him about the guitar he had and the apparent tuning issues. He'd taken it to a luthier to have it set up and checked and it came back supposedly perfect. That night, same deal. So I suggest that we swap guitars for a set. I'd play his and he, mine. Wanna guess what happened? If you said that now my SG was having tuning issues... you'd be right...and his Strat with me playing it kept perfect tune for the entire set. It was his hand technique and pressure that he was using. He was subconsciously pushing or pulling the strings and making them sound out of tune. Once he was made aware of the issue, he was able to work on it and develop a lighter touch and the tuning issue disappeared.
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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Korg CA-10 Chromatic Tuner. No longer in production but Korg offers multiple tuners in the CA series of tuners. All the CA tuners have a large LCD display, high impedance instrument plug or internal microphone and 1 cent precision. The newer tuners have a speaker to produce tones for tuning by ear. Love the LCD display as it mimics tuning to a needle.
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Expert
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Joined: Apr 2003
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That first one looks like an old Sabine? tuner that every steel player & his mother used back in the day! My main one is a Korg Pitchblack Best tuner I have ever had, and believe it or not is right on with most every Peterson I have compared it with. My practice tuner is a Arion UM-70 Chromatic Auto Tuner with Metronome. Clips on the lip of the music stand, 2 batteries last about a year, and the metronome, besides have some good sub-divisions, gets LOUD when needed. When practicing / running thru software I use what ever the program has, unless it is a "serious" take. 
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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Thanks for the heads-up on these. Stellar reviews on Sweetwater, $25 for two of them, not a bad deal at all.
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Yep you're right Herb, as I play up the neck they go of tune, so must try to change them a little more often.
I have an old ES 335 copy which doesn't hold the tuning very well, even though I have put on Grover machine heads and got it setup by a luthier. I have put it down to either the wood in guitar reacting to room temperature or me being a bit heavy handed when playing it without using an amp.
The Martin custom light strings I use on the acoustic are very inexpensive, but don't know if using cheaper strings is a false economy in the long run.
Now for some string changing......Thanks for the Sweetwater link Bob.
Musiclover regarding the ES-335 .... He's a band story. I played in a band with another guitarist. He had a really nice Strat (the real ones, not the import) and I had my Gibson SG. We'd both have new strings, properly stretched, and tuned with my Conn Strobetuner. 2 guitars in perfect tune. Into the first song, I'd often see him checking his tuning with his inline tuner. And this would go on all night. My guitar on the other hand kept perfect tune all night. I'd check it anyway to tweeze it before each set. I asked him about the guitar he had and the apparent tuning issues. He'd taken it to a luthier to have it set up and checked and it came back supposedly perfect. That night, same deal. So I suggest that we swap guitars for a set. I'd play his and he, mine. Wanna guess what happened? If you said that now my SG was having tuning issues... you'd be right...and his Strat with me playing it kept perfect tune for the entire set. It was his hand technique and pressure that he was using. He was subconsciously pushing or pulling the strings and making them sound out of tune. Once he was made aware of the issue, he was able to work on it and develop a lighter touch and the tuning issue disappeared. Good information there Herb, Thanks, Even though the ES335 is a semi solid and will sound a little louder than a unamplified solid guitar, thee is no point in playing it, as if it was an acoustic and playing harder just to get it to sound louder. Maybe a lighter touch in future (not that I play it that often) Musiclover
Last edited by musiclover; 01/24/17 11:14 PM.
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Yep you're right Herb, as I play up the neck they go of tune, so must try to change them a little more often.
I have an old ES 335 copy which doesn't hold the tuning very well, even though I have put on Grover machine heads and got it setup by a luthier. I have put it down to either the wood in guitar reacting to room temperature or me being a bit heavy handed when playing it without using an amp.
The Martin custom light strings I use on the acoustic are very inexpensive, but don't know if using cheaper strings is a false economy in the long run.
Now for some string changing......Thanks for the Sweetwater link Bob.
Musiclover regarding the ES-335 .... He's a band story. I played in a band with another guitarist. He had a really nice Strat (the real ones, not the import) and I had my Gibson SG. We'd both have new strings, properly stretched, and tuned with my Conn Strobetuner. 2 guitars in perfect tune. Into the first song, I'd often see him checking his tuning with his inline tuner. And this would go on all night. My guitar on the other hand kept perfect tune all night. I'd check it anyway to tweeze it before each set. I asked him about the guitar he had and the apparent tuning issues. He'd taken it to a luthier to have it set up and checked and it came back supposedly perfect. That night, same deal. So I suggest that we swap guitars for a set. I'd play his and he, mine. Wanna guess what happened? If you said that now my SG was having tuning issues... you'd be right...and his Strat with me playing it kept perfect tune for the entire set. It was his hand technique and pressure that he was using. He was subconsciously pushing or pulling the strings and making them sound out of tune. Once he was made aware of the issue, he was able to work on it and develop a lighter touch and the tuning issue disappeared. Good information there Herb, Thanks, Even though the ES335 is a semi solid and will sound a little louder than a unamplified solid guitar, thee is no point in playing it, as if it was an acoustic and playing harder just to get it to sound louder. Maybe a lighter touch in future (not that I play it that often) Musiclover Just out of curiosity, what thickness of pick do you use? I've found myself going to thicker picks as time goes on, and use more regulated picking hand motion with a lighter fretting hand effort. I used to use medium thickness (Fender reference) as my thickest pick and over time, on all the stringed instruments I play (Acoustic, electric and electric bass), I have migrated to heavier and heavier picks as my confidence has increased. This seems to naturally make my opposite hand also relax some. Might or might not be a help to you as well.
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Another good question since we are on the subject of guitar bits and pieces. I myself like the .73 Jim Dunlop picks. I have tried lots but keep coming back to these, to get a better grip I use a little trick I read about on net, putting a hole in middle of pick with one of those things you use to make a hole in belt. Leather hole Punch Does seem to help. Musiclover
Last edited by musiclover; 01/26/17 10:51 AM.
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Posts: 6,067
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I've been using the .88 mm Dunlop Tortex picks, for the last 25 years or so.
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Speaking about Dunlop picks: as for me the best on the market! I use a 0.88 pick:tried thousands other pics, returning always to this!
As for tuner, I own a Boss tu-3 pedal tuner that I use for bass and guitar, and a Korg Ca-1 chromatic tuner I use for flute and saxophone. They run always flawlessly!
I muri sono creature... scontrose
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My main pick is a Peavy 1.14mm. If I want that twangy 1960's 12 string sound I use an ultra flexible Fretwerx pick. I also have a felt pick that I sometimes use on my basses.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Old fashioned here... still using the tuning fork ... "gimme an A", the rest is history! 
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
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Old fashioned here... still using the tuning fork ... "gimme an A", the rest is history! Ah the Tuning fork, remember when a small kid at school the teacher would strike it on the edge of her desk, then get is all to to sing the Doh, ray, Me fa Soh, and try to guess the intervals. Great if you were good at that kind of thing, but unfortunately I wasn't. That alone and a feeling of pressure that you had to be good, didn't make the music lessons that enjoyable. Musiclover
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Posts: 7
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Joined: Oct 2016
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And we go from the tuning fork to my favorite, the Peterson StobroClip. I made use of their "sweetened" tuning for my resonator guitar. It opened my ears to a whole world.
Last edited by Tacoma290; 01/27/17 01:08 PM.
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Joined: May 2000
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on guitar (and anything I need to tune, really) a Boss TU12.. and my ears.
/No sense being in tune if everyone else is flat ..
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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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 Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac 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:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: 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.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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