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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Hi All,
I'm considering buying BIAB for Mac. I currently use iReal Pro but am looking for better backing, just not sure if the 'Pro' version of BIAB is sufficient, being on a budget that's probably the only one I could afford. I just don't want to buy a $129 piece of software and find that I need to spend $100s more.
Additionally does BIAB Mac have all the features of the Windows version?
Thanks,
James
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,340
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,340 |
Hello and welcome. I'm a jazz player and I have both Windows and Mac versions. The Mac version was just updated to version 2018 and it has MOST of the features of the Windows version. If there is something specific you need to know, we can answer. In addition, the piano roll which is one of the main differences is expected soon for the Mac version. The Windows version also comes with RealBand, a free DAW that integrates with BIAB. The Mac version does not have that, but you can drag tracks into Garageband.
The advice you will get here is to buy as much as you can, but the base program is the same no matter what version you buy. You can always add styles and RealTracks later. It's more expensive to add individual paks than to just get the UltraPak with them all.
+1 for Monk and Kenny Clarke
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,664
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,664 |
Yup.... my advice is to buy up the food chain as far as your budget allows....maybe even stretch it a bit. The main difference between the lower cost vs higher cost versions is the number of real tracks that are included. The basic version is essentially midi with a few real tracks included. Real tracks absolutely are the way to go. There's almost no way to tell it's not a real studio musician playing when you use real tracks because that's exactly what it is. Midi always sounds like midi..... and practically anyone can spot a midi track immediately. Not so with the Real Tracks. Listen to my music. I do not use Midi tracks in any of it with very few exceptions.
There is a 100% money back no questions guarantee offered by PG Music if you don't like it.
Very few people return the product.
I've found that BB does Jazz exceptionally well. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I've heard that the MAC version doesn't include Real Band.... which is where I create a lot of my real tracks that don't fit in a given style..... fiddle or steel guitar in a hard rock style for example. It might be worth getting a PC to run the music program if you really wanted to get the full power of BB/RB at your disposal. I know the PC version has thousands of styles and hundreds of real tracks and they keep adding more. I did this.... essentially, I built, but you could just as easily buy, a dedicated PC to run the music programs. Transfer the files and tracks from the PC into the MAC as waves and mix them in the Mac. I have a song where the singer was recorded in a studio running Pro Tools (Mac) and the file works perfectly well in my PC.
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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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Thanks for the responses. Is it possible to buy the pro version then upgrade to MegaPAK or UltraPAK, or indeed buy MegaPAK and then upgrade to UltraPAK for the cost difference, or close to the cost difference? Or is it upfront or much higher costs?
Re Mac vs PC I have Logic Pro (& obviously GarageBand) is there anything RealBand does that wouldn’t be abale to fairly easily do with those?
Thanks
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,918
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,918 |
RealBand is a Windows only product so the program does not ship with Band-in-a-Box for Mac.
The Mega PAK includes all the material included in the Pro PAK plus additional content.
When you purchase the UltraPAK or Audiophile you purchase at a discounted, upgrade price instead of the first time purchase price. PG Music sales can better answer your pricing questions.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Thanks, I understand that RealBand is Windows only, Guitarhacker suggested buying a PC so I can run the windows version, which I’d rather not do if possible, my question is whether RealBand adds anything that I can’t do with my existing DAWs on the Mac instead.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,199
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,199 |
Hi James, Many people who have Windows BIAB do not use Realband. While I do use Realband every once in a while, these days I mostly I do everything I want in BIAB. For what I do, I could live without Realband. I write songs and then arrange them. To this, my plan of attack is... 1. Write the song in BIAB. 2. Transfer audio tracks from BIAB to my DAW. 3. (This step I sometimes do. It's not necessary to use Realband here because I can also do what I want in BIAB.) Open the BIAB songfile in Realband and generate some additional tracks. 4. When all my audio is transferred to my DAW, I then mix the tracks in my DAW and add vocals, audio effects, etc. 5. I create a final, single (compiled) audio file using my DAW. In a nutshell, I use BIAB to generate instrumental and rhythm audio files. I then take those files to a DAW and mix them down into a final, single audio file. If you want to have a listen to some of my work and get an idea of how BIAB (Windows) sounds when I use it, go to... https://soundcloud.com/noel-adamsThe below link is to Janice and Bud Merritt's website. They are very productive with BIAB (Mac). https://soundcloud.com/mootsmanLastly, Alan and Di at the below website, obtain finished products straight from BIAB (no DAW is involved in most of their work as I understand it). https://soundcloud.com/alananddiHopefully this helps. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,340
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Posts: 27,340 |
RealBand reads BIAB files directly. No other DAW does that.
RealBand can regenerate part of a track. BIAB cannot do that; it regenerates the whole track.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 393
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 393 |
Re Mac vs PC I have Logic Pro (& obviously GarageBand) is there anything RealBand does that wouldn’t be abale to fairly easily do with those?
Thanks
In a word, no. As someone who moved to a Mac 5-10 years ago, the one thing I saw that you could do with Real Band was to regenerate a small part of a song rather than regenerate the whole thing. Say you were trying to generate a 12 bar sax solo, and were happy with all of it except the middle four bars of it. Real Band would allow you to just regenerate those middle 4 bars of the solo - over and over - until you got something you were happy with. With the BIAB and Logic combination now, I'd just have to regenerate the whole song and drag-and-drop the sax part into Logic over and over - where I can cut and paste to my heart's content. Bruce
Macbook Pro 2018
2.6 GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM
OS Monterey
BIAB for Mac 2022
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414 |
Thanks for the responses. Is it possible to buy the pro version then upgrade to MegaPAK or UltraPAK, or indeed buy MegaPAK and then upgrade to UltraPAK for the cost difference, or close to the cost difference? Or is it upfront or much higher costs? Hi Epistrophy  We're glad to hear you're considering Band-in-a-Box! The users posting in this subject have basically hit the nail on the head. For pricing inquiries, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-268-6272, or + 800-4746-8742 if you aren't in North America. You can use the Live Chat option on our site in the top right of the main page too if calling isn't ideal where you are.
Cheers,
Deryk
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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 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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 PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
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