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Band-in-a-Box and RealBand manuals presently are provided electronically as pdf files. While pdf files are generally are okay for display on a computer screen they do not adapt to all resolutions well. Similarly pdf files are terrible when viewed on alternate displays such as a tablet, e-reader or smartphone. EPUB was created specifically to resolve the issue of viewing documents on various displays. EPUB is the most widely supported vendor-independent XML-based (as opposed to PDF) e-book format; that is, it is supported by the largest number of hardware readers. More information about the ePUB standard is available +++ HERE +++ This wishlist request is for PG Music to provide user manuals electronically as ePUB files in addition to the current, pdf, file format.
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Interesting info; thanks Jim.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box 2024. Custom Build Desktop PC W/ Windows 10 Home 64-bit. CPU: Intel Core i5-9600k @ 3.7GHz (6 core x 6 threads) RAM: 16GB DDR4. Storage 238GB SSD + 2.7 TB HDD. GPU: ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
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I muri sono creature... scontrose
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I actually tried to convert the PDF file to ePub format, but it fails on something in the file. I'll look at it more closely as I have time. Clearly, PGMusic should do this, but I just thought I'd give it a shot so I can have it on my Kindle. I use Calibre (free) to convert various document formats to ePub or Mobi formats.
If I get a clean conversion in the near future, I'll post a copy for folks to take a look at.
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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In reading a little about this, I noticed Kindle is one of the few devices not supported. Maybe that has changed since the articles I read.
There is no way to save a Microsoft Word file to ePub but there are workarounds using a third-party utility.
I did not look yet at other programs that could save a PDF as an ePub but there appear to be some.
John, perhaps the problem you ran into is similar to Music XML, which I understand to be a similar concept to ePub. There may be syntax requirements that haven't yet been standardized. In Music XML, a single misplaced or missing character, or missing or misspelled tag, can cause the importing program to reject the file (sometimes with no warning message).
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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For Kindle, you have to convert to MOBI format. I've helped another Music Vendor convert their documentation accordingly (Diamond Cut Software). The problem is that my source material for BIAB was the PDF file, rather than the source Word File. The Diamond Cut folks provided me with the Word document, which made the conversion much easier.
Actually, you can load a PDF and view on Kindle, but then you don't get adjustable text sizes and it becomes very difficult to read. I didn't spend a lot of time with it yesterday, but will probably pursue it further. I tried to convert the PDF back to Word, but it died about 50% through. I'll try some other means to see if I can do it.
Barnes and Noble Nook requires the EPUB format. The Calibre application supports both formats (and others).
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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Calibre was mention in several how-to articles about using Word.
You would think Word would just add it as a supported file type.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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If it's an open standard and is gaining popularity with devices especially suitable for reading electronic format material. +1
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Bump primarily to allow more people the opportunity to support the idea of having electronic manuals available in the ePub format.
Last edited by Jim Fogle; 01/10/18 01:49 PM. Reason: Removed misinformation
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BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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I muri sono creature... scontrose
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Get it done correctly so that text size works and graphics are viewable.
+1
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
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BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Band-in-a-Box, BiaB-plugin, Reaper, Win10 64bit, i7-8565U, 24GB RAM (always latest versions)
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Here are the reasons I believe this request to be worthwhile:
(1) EPUB is built on the Open Web Platform. HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript and SVG can be used for content authoring. The PG Music webmaster and documentation group use these tools every day so they will not need much time to become familiar with using them in this context.
(2) Using the Open Web Platform means all formatting technology needed to display a document on screens of all sizes and resolutions is readily available to PG Music.
(3) As a web based document EPUB allows the use of GIF (single and multiple images), JPEG (images), PNG (images), SVG (content documents), MP3 (audio), MP4 (audio), Javascript and many other applications. Expanding the documentation through the use of these applications opens the door to the use of content based tool tips, multiple GIF images with audio demonstrating new features.
(4) PG Music documentation will become an offline resource users can view on any digital device, any time they want to.
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I'm all plus one for this. I'll have to try again now that I have newer versions of Word to see if I can convert the PDF and see what kind of result I get.
With a Kindle, as long as the file is in MOBI format, you can email the file to your Kindle account on Amazon (look online at your Amazon account to find the email address) and it will appear in your downloadable library. It will then display text in scalable fonts; however, be aware it will only use fonts available to Kindle (so you might see some weirdness).
That being said, the Word file I converted for Diamond Cut Productions for their DCArt (Audio Restoration Tools) is now offered as an option on their web site for the user documentation (in both MOBI and EPUB formats).
It should not be that difficult to do the same with PGMusic documentation. And Calibre is free!
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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I have the Manual PDF on an iPad which is ok.
I have found generally using Calibre on PDFs is not all that successful and often end up with a document that is almost unusable, say on a Kindle.
I do find however, now that the manuals are online, they are a really great tool. The online manual is easily searched. It can be scaled (on an iPad) very simply. I doubt the manual would be much chop on a Kindle or similar eReader.
My thoughts after a bit of a think.
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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The online manuals are a blessing. I'm VERY grateful PG Music has made both Windows and Mac manuals available online.
However, many e-readers and some tablets are offline only devices. I know this is true for both my e-reader and my wife's tablet. I use a USB memory stick to load E-books, updates, music files and videos to these devices.
Interesting side note, I download books using my account with the local library. Those files have a return time just like there is when I check out a physical book. When the return date occurs the file automatically deletes. I can extend my check out date if I extend prior to the return date and the book has no calls from other users.
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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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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!
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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!
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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
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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