We all know that in BIAB 2017 you can create multi track drums, why not allow all tracks to be multi tracks. We have the one track Real Tracks and we should be able to combine those.
Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021 DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic, and Maschine plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard, music producer/engineer
Noel, as a corollary, has anyone ever encountered a problem with computer resources doing this? Of course it is computer-dependent, but I wonder how many RealTracks can practically be used.
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.
Noel, as a corollary, has anyone ever encountered a problem with computer resources doing this? Of course it is computer-dependent, but I wonder how many RealTracks can practically be used.
I do this a lot and so far have never encountered an issue. My computer specs are listed in my signature. I've done it on different tracks of the same song for various reasons including smoothing solos and fills and panning instruments during playback.
One of my recent posts, the instrumentation was all created and mixed within the BIAB program using multiple instruments on multiple tracks. For instance, the pedal steel guitar and fiddle shared the same track on multiple tracks of the songs and I used F5 Bar Settings to mute, fade and pan the two instruments throughout the song. You can listen - Here _ My Sad Story
Well that would give you 26 all up. But I think it pre mixes the tracks first to a stereo file for the Drum and for the Medley track so ram shouldn't be an issue. In the MultiDrum window you adjust the volume first, not sure how the Medley would work with "Play All Simultaneously" without a volume offset ?
This works with WinBB Biab Win More Audio & Midi Tracks and gives better mix control with vol/pan/FX for each track, but I haven't found one yet for MacBB.
Matt, with the exception of the drums track, this can be done repeatedly without stressing the computer resources in the following manner.
Assume the 'style' I created above is something I want to retain and build on....
Render and export this mix to a Wav file.
Import the rendered Wav file to the Audio Track.
Move the Audio track to the Bass Track as a Stereo Performance track.
Kill the Audio Track - Mute the Drums Track **
Replace the remaining tracks other than the Drums track with new Medley Files of 6 Instruments
Render and export this mix to a Wav file.
Import the rendered Wav file to the Audio Track.
Move the Audio track to the Piano Track as a Stereo Performance track.
You can keep repeating the process over and over. There is no loss in quality in the renders.
Using the amazing Performance Track/Audio Track feature allows a user to easily increase the 8 track BIAB limit because together, they function a a Bounce feature.... I consider each render a sub mix and you simply have to live with and be satisfied with each sub mix. However, you can tweak and re-render at each stage of the process to get the mix right...
** - I recently attempted to replace the drums with another instrument and in this instance, which is the only time I've tried, the new instrument was merged with the Drums on the Drums Track. So, if that holds true and the merge is a good mix, this track would also be available to generate an additional instrument.
That's amazing. Thank you, Charlie, for exploring this before I could get to my production machine to try it. I'm very impressed, both by the feature and by your thoroughness. Good job.
I've been to jam sessions that degenerated into something that sounded like that...
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.
Hi Noel. Treating BIAB as a multitrack recorder has has been quite useful to me and provided processes pulled from my many years of owning hardware 2 track, 4 track, 8 track recorders, etc.
I have maintained some fashion of a Home Recording Studio continously since 1968. I literally started with a one track (mono) reel to reel from Sears and worked my way up to better recorders from there. I've posted a photo of myself with that first recorder at Christmas 1967.
I went a long time using BIAB without understanding the Performance Track feature. The Performance Track feature is a very powerful and useful tool but it is seldom mentioned in Forum posts and possibly not used a lot. My discovery of the Performance Track feature allows me to do many tasks from within BIAB that I previously had to take to another program such as RealBand or my Studio One DAW or even Audacity.
The Performance Track in conjunction with placing multiple instruments on the same track frees up computer resources by printing a rendered track with effects like Dxi, Vst's to an Audio File and moving the track to another track and freeing up the Audio Track for further use.
The Performance Track and Audio Track allows sub mixes rendered to audio and then returned into BIAB as a Performance Track which is the Bounce technique that extends BIAB beyond the limit of 8 tracks.
I use the Performance/Audio tracks to automate panning, gain changes, fade in and fade out's and to alternate multiple instruments for solos and fills.
Clearly, these tasks may be preferred to be moved to a DAW to complete and I don't recommend anyone throw their DAW away. My intent is not to replace a DAW but simply show these tasks can be completed within the BIAB program. I have found that forcing changes between solo instruments within BIAB produces cleaner transitions than I achieve in a DAW cutting and pasting. Doing transitions in BIAB takes advantage of the generating engine reading ahead and smoothing transitions and solo endings very nicely. I enjoy the results I obtain by placing two instruments on the same track, duplicating these instruments on a 2nd track and rendering these to an audio track after i've prepared my panning, fills and solos using the F5 feature. I render this sub mix to audio, import the audio and move it to a track as a performance track and then render the entire song. Easier to do in a DAW? Probably. However, I enjoy having to plan my song in the same manner I've done for many years and which I find quite satisfying and is a more creative process to me.
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.
This was my first "reel-to-reel" tape recorder. My dad brought this Panasonic back for me when he returned from duty in Viet Nam. It was purchased in Hong Kong on an R&R trip he took.
My sister also got a reel-to-reel tape recorder. She got a Craig, which was the same one that used to go up in smoke on the old "Mission: Impossible" TV series.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Matt, with the exception of the drums track, this can be done repeatedly without stressing the computer resources in the following manner.
Assume the 'style' I created above is something I want to retain and build on....
Render and export this mix to a Wav file.
Import the rendered Wav file to the Audio Track.
Move the Audio track to the Bass Track as a Stereo Performance track.
Kill the Audio Track - Mute the Drums Track **
Replace the remaining tracks other than the Drums track with new Medley Files of 6 Instruments
Render and export this mix to a Wav file.
Import the rendered Wav file to the Audio Track.
Move the Audio track to the Piano Track as a Stereo Performance track.
You can keep repeating the process over and over. There is no loss in quality in the renders.
Using the amazing Performance Track/Audio Track feature allows a user to easily increase the 8 track BIAB limit because together, they function a a Bounce feature.... I consider each rendered a sub mix and you simply have to live with and be satisfied with each sub mix. However, you can tweak and re-render at each stage of the process to get the mix right...
** - I recently attempted to replace the drums with another instrument and in this instance, which is the only time I've tried, the new instrument was merged with the Drums on the Drums Track. So, if that holds true and the merge is a good mix, this track would also be available to generate an additional instrument.
Charlie
Please make a video of you doing this. I would love to see the workflow.
Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021 DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic, and Maschine plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard, music producer/engineer
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed 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 transcribe 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, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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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.
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.
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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)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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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)
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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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.
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