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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 71
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OP
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 71 |
Well, that title is not great. What I"m thinking is that it would be terrific if when you purchase BIAB you could choose a genre. BIAB for Rock, Jazz, Folk/Country etc. I have LOTS of Realtracks and don't use hardly any of the one that come with the package. I always have to buy extra... Irish, Old Time, a bit of bluegrass just so that I get better guitars. I would be much more willing to upgrade if I were getting what I need.As it is I just have a few that I can use and just as a practice tool and some limited backtracks. I am a folk/traditional instrumentalist ... this product is good but really great for jazz and rock folks. Thanks for "listening".
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,614
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I had this same discussion with the developers a week ago. I have long had everything for the PC, but I just bought BIAB for Mac and was curious how to get only RealTracks in my preferred genre.
I would like to see a few combinations of RealTrack paks so I could buy "The Bossa Nova pak" or the "Fusion Jazz Pak", or "The Jazz Waltz Pak" - things like that. Irish & Bluegrass might be a grouping.
To take the other side for a moment, though: It is surprising how often it occurs that a RealTrack from a genre you would never expect is exactly the right thing for a song. If you only had the ones named for one genre, you would miss out. You can see this for yourself when you look at some of the new Styles that PG Music has released. Some of the combinations are totally unexpected, but this creativity works.
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 Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2003
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This is a good idea and a potential +1 from me IF they include a MIDI only version, i.e. only MIDI styles and Super MIDI pacs.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Certainly worthy of consideration. +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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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,143
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,143 |
Forever Grateful, BUT, sometimes pissed of. Trygve "Leo" Larsen BiaB 2020, Windows 8.1, Intel Core i5 CPU, 270GHz, 32 Gb RAM My OLD tracks on Soundcloud; https://soundcloud.com/trygve-larsen My NEW is unpublished The Universe = Uni-verse ie one song.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 877
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 877 |
With all due respect to OP and all the others who stand by her position, I think this is a terrible idea for a number of reasons (I don't have the time to explore fully at the moment).
One of the main reasons is that once that Pandora's Box is open, we will be nickle-and-dimed to DEATH.
Each genre will be broken into a half dozen sub-genres, which will then in turn be bundled in groups and sold as genre-specific Multi-Paks" for $40 each. Instead of the approx 200 new RTs that come with a the already (IMHO amply priced) yearly upgrades you will be allowed to pick and choose 4-5 out of 10 "GenrePaks" for the same money.
Beware what you wish for!
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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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Sure, that’s possible. The good news is that you don’t know any of that is true.
The way I envision this is to have additional choices of packages on top of what’s already marketed.
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 Wishlist
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Joined: Mar 2004
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2011
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I had this same discussion with the developers a week ago. I have long had everything for the PC, but I just bought BIAB for Mac and was curious how to get only RealTracks in my preferred genre. ...snip Matt, sidetracking for a moment. If you have all the RealTracks for your Windows version why can't you copy and use them on the Mac? I don't know if Mac software can read a lossy wma file but I know Windows BiaB can read the MP4a lossy files generated by Mac programs. Similarly the Windows BiaB program can read the lossless aif audio files created by a Mac so I assume the Mac edition can read a lossless wav file. I can understand purchasing the program since you're not only running on two computers but two operating systems but I don't understand why you feel the need to purchase the RealTrack content again since the license agreement says it can be on up to three computers for your personal use.
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Joined: Dec 2003
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AFAIK Macs can not read WMA files. But with this file converter https://videoconverter.iskysoft.com/play-video/wma-player-for-mac.htmlyou can convert a WMA file to a number of file formats that a Mac can read. Find out what the Mac version of BiaB can read and convert the WMA files to that format. I believe you can batch convert with this program. BUT I would first contact PGMusic to see if this is legal. If it is not then maybe you can work out a deal with them to get both formats.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,614
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Joined: Jul 2000
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I gave this a quick look and decided against trying.
On the Mac, the equivalent of .WMA files is now .M4a. The equivalent of .WAV files (audiophile) is .AIFF.
While it might be possible to batch convert files, you would also have to recreate the correct folder structure, including the text files.
No thanks, too tedious, even if it did work. I'll buy what I need from PG Music.
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 Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,076
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Joined: Aug 2011
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I gave this a quick look and decided against trying.
On the Mac, the equivalent of .WMA files is now .M4a. The equivalent of .WAV files (audiophile) is .AIFF.
While it might be possible to batch convert files, you would also have to recreate the correct folder structure, including the text files.
No thanks, too tedious, even if it did work. I'll buy what I need from PG Music.
Times is money and sometimes it makes more sense to spend the money than to expend the time. Also Matt, thanks for correcting my error concerning the type of lossy file used in the Mac system.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: May 2015
Posts: 887
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 887 |
I like having all the Real Tracks and styles which is the reason I buy the Audiophile version every time the new version comes out. In fact, some of my favorite Real Tracks are not geared towards one genre. These are tracks like guitar strumming, bass held, guitar strum open, bare, guitar held, piano held, electric piano etc.
Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021 DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic, and Maschine plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard, music producer/engineer
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,125
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,125 |
I like having all the Real Tracks and styles which is the reason I buy the Audiophile version every time the new version comes out. Yes, and that's already available. The O/P's post is about the proposed availability of a different purchasing option.
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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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,825
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,825 |
Hi Victoria,
I agree entirely.
Maybe you could post this in the Styles and Real Tracks Wishlist Forum as well to get extra attention from the good folks at PG Music.
Best Regards
Nigel Spiers Christchurch, New Zealand info@nzacoustics.com
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,961
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,961 |
With all due respect to OP and all the others who stand by her position, I think this is a terrible idea for a number of reasons (I don't have the time to explore fully at the moment).
One of the main reasons is that once that Pandora's Box is open, we will be nickle-and-dimed to DEATH.
Each genre will be broken into a half dozen sub-genres, which will then in turn be bundled in groups and sold as genre-specific Multi-Paks" for $40 each. Instead of the approx 200 new RTs that come with a the already (IMHO amply priced) yearly upgrades you will be allowed to pick and choose 4-5 out of 10 "GenrePaks" for the same money.
Beware what you wish for! I agree with DeaconBlues 1000%!#! It is clear that breaking everything up will result in drastically higher pricing; it is already that way if you buy pieces separately! And I do not always agree with PGM when it comes to what genre an RT belongs in. Plus, they will almost certainly put some RTs in multiple packs which means buying it multiple times. Lots of reasons not to do this!
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 15 |
+1 being able to buy a genre jazz fusion folk rock in a less expensive than the total files , not often really needed. .... why this could not be possible ?
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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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.
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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.
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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)
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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