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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71 |
Hi
First off, thanks for the new on-line manual for BIAB MAC 2018. It looks great...
BUT
PLEASE PLEASE put a search facility on it. Without a search it is near useless when it comes to a quick 'how do I do this'.
Just a thought....
Cheers
Mark
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all...
BIAB 2019 Mac on a MacBook Pro. All paks & Styles.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,820
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I can't speak about the online manual but PG Music was able to quickly add hyperlinks to the
Windows Band-in-a-Box pdf file. All items in the Table of Contents (TOC) and Index are hyperlinked which makes it very easy to search.
I downloaded and opened the Mac BiaB manual and the TOC and Index do not have hyperlinks as the Windows manual do. Luckily all pdf creation programs I've seen have hyperlink capability and obviously the program PG Music uses does. I'm sure the oversight will be quickly corrected once they realize it was made.
Also I'll point out to you that the Adobe PDF Reader program has a built-in search feature. You can use the search bar at the top of the reader window or activate a pop-up search bar by using Command + F (I think).
Again, I have bare bones knowledge of building webpages so I'm not sure what it will take to add search to the online manual.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828 |
Also I'll point out to you that the Adobe PDF Reader program has a built-in search feature. You can use the search bar at the top of the reader window or activate a pop-up search bar by using Command + F (I think). Nearly all web pages can be searched using Command F. This includes pdf files with embedded text (those that are picture snapshots of pages will not work this way—done so that you can't copy the text either). One should look at the Finale 25 help files. This is the best example I know of how not to do this. It is ridiculous. They refuse to upload a searchable pdf.
BIAB 2024 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71 |
Also I'll point out to you that the Adobe PDF Reader program has a built-in search feature. You can use the search bar at the top of the reader window or activate a pop-up search bar by using Command + F (I think). Nearly all web pages can be searched using Command F. This includes pdf files with embedded text (those that are picture snapshots of pages will not work this way—done so that you can't copy the text either). One should look at the Finale 25 help files. This is the best example I know of how not to do this. It is ridiculous. They refuse to upload a searchable pdf. Hi Thanks for the info. Yes I realise you can search a web page but that only searches the page you are on. If what you need is on another linked page it won't find anything. Thats why a proper search of the whole file is needed. For example, I was looking to try and find how the various 'Bar Settings' options work, in particular the volume adjustments. It is not in the index and not searchable form the index page. So I simple could not find it. I agree that not having a fully fleshed out help system is pretty poor for a product that has been around longer than Windows! (Yes I do still have my original 51/4 floppy discs with Band in a Box for Dos on them.) The world has moved on but we dont have a searchable Help file.... hmmmmmm. (stands back and waits for the flames to come in  ) Cheers Mark
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all...
BIAB 2019 Mac on a MacBook Pro. All paks & Styles.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,820
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I'm not going to flame you. I'm just trying to help so I try to ignore flaming comments and keep on subject.
It appears the online manual stretches across many web pages so the online manual will be restricted to one page. That is why they added the navigation bar on the left side of the webpage.
I believe the best way to overcome this search restriction is to download the pdf file so Command-F and the Adobe Reader built-in search feature can search the complete manual.
I'm guessing PG Music limited the online manual search feature to one page to minimize bandwidth. I've seen multiple forum members post comments that their website access is limited due to bandwidth constraints.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828 |
Has anyone here actually tried this or is everyone just guessing? Click on the pdf manual for Mac. Mac PFD Manual 2018 In the Chrome browser (my default) it opens up 438 pages—not quickly but it does. Command f lets you search all 438 pages just like it's supposed to. I click Print (to pdf) and it saves the manual to my folder of choice. You may have to right-click and Save As depending on your browser and preferences. Ok... I open it up—it defaults to Preview. Type in the search term and it will display all pages on the right. It behaves exactly like every PDF file I know. I work with, download and/or generate 10–50 .pdf files a day. The 2018 BIAB manual for the Mac behaves no differently. The reason I use Chrome is because, in the past, I could search 800 page pdf files from a certain state web site in the time it took to type in the search term. While Chrome took a few seconds, with FireFox, the same file could take a half hour or more. Safari and Internet Explorer were ridiculously slow. Just for kicks, I tried downloading the manual in Safari and FireFox. Much, much better than the old days but still slower than Chrome.
BIAB 2024 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,828 |
On my 2010 iMac i7 running High Sierra 10.13.3, from clicking on the manual till the full 438 document loads:
Chrome: 2 seconds
FireFox: 10 seconds
Safari: 12 seconds
Once you have done it the first time, subsequent attempts will load faster due to browser caching. Chrome is now under 2 seconds while Safari and FireFox are 3–4.
I like downloading a pdf manual and exporting it to my iPad or have it displayed on one of my monitors when trying to figure something out. I dislike accessing Help files from inside an application.
BIAB 2024 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71 |
Hey Mike
Thanks for the info, all good. Yes I did use the PDF in the end. Th only issue with PDF files, especially large ones like this, is that they get out of date and can be cumbersome for the developer to update. On-line HTML is so much easier to manage and update. As an owner of a software development company for 20 years I can vouch for that. And there are plenty of readily available authoring tools for HTML based help files that allow the generation of search indexes. But for now, searching the PDF is OK.
Cheers
Mark
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all...
BIAB 2019 Mac on a MacBook Pro. All paks & Styles.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,820
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,820 |
Mike,
It still surprises me how different the times are for different browsers to perform the same task. There are a lot of tasks where Chrome handily beats the competition. Thanks for running that test and providing the results.
The search feature does not work as well with the online manual as it does with the pdf file as the online manual is divided into many small segments. That was why my first post suggested downloading the pdf file and using the Command + F or Adobe Reader search feature.
However the original comment in the initial post is correct that TOC and Index hyperlinks are not available in the Mac online manual. After checking I confirmed the same was true for both the Mac and Windows online manuals. However, the Windows pdf file does include hyperlinks in the TOC and index.
Hopefully this message thread will highlight the discrepancy enough for the issue to be resolved.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 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 and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 9 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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 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 and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 9 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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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