Right click on the bar where you want the hold on the 2nd beat. Click on Chord Options. Click the Beat 2 radio button. Click the pull down box labeled Rest Type and select Rest Only. After that bar all instruments will resume.
Last edited by DC Ron; 04/28/1912:12 PM.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
You can do this a couple of ways; you'll need to understand how BIAB implements what it calls Rests, Shots, and Holds.
If you want everyone in the band to just play a hit (shot) right on beat one and then not come back in until the next bar, then you would just implement a shot on the chord on beat 1 (see below).
If you want the band to just stop playing after beat one, then you can implement a rest on beats two, three, and four, and then come back in on beat one of the next bar.
For all three, (rests, shots, and holds), once you set it, it remains in effect until the next entered chord.
Rests - implemented with a single period after the chord name. So in your case, lets say the chord for the first bar is a D and the chord in the second bar is a G. What you would do is enter a D on the first beat (to play a D chord) and then a D-period (D.) on the second back to tell all the instruments to rest. Then in the next bar, enter a G chord on the first beat. What you will hear is: | Play D-rest-rest-rest | Play G ... |
Shots - implemented with a double period after the chord name. So in your case (instead of doing the above), you would enter a D-double period on beat one (D..) of the first bar and then a G chord on the first beat of the next bar. This will play a shot (hit) on the first beat and all instruments will rest until it sees the G chord on the first beat of the next bar.
Holds - this isn't what you are asking about, but you should know the capability. Holds are implemented with a triple period ofter the chord name. So if instead of the shot in the example above, you instead entered D-triple period on beat one (D...), instead of hitting a shot on that beat, all the instruments will just hold the chord until it finds the G in the next bar.
And now for more information than you even asked for, but should know:
Rests, shots, and holds can be modified even further by excluding specific instruments. You do this by putting the legacy instrument (track) names (indicated by a single letter for each instrument) after the dot(s). The legacy instruments names (in the order they appear in the radio buttons across the top are B for Bass, D for Drums, P for Piano, G for Guitar, and S for Strings. Since BIAB allows you to assign any instrument to the tracks, these may not be what you see on those tracks, but you just have to know this. So even if you have a Fiddle (indicated by an "F") on the Strings Track, you still need to use the letter "S".
So, if you implement a shot on beat one of the bar, but you want the drums to keep playing, you would enter a D after the period (D..d), which means play the "D" chord, and all instruments play a shot except the drums (which will keep on playing). If you want to also let the guitar track keep playing along with the drums, just add both letters after the dots. So, if you entered D..dg, then the instruments on the bass, piano, and strings track will play a shot, but the drums and guitar will keep playing their normal riffs.
You can only do rests, shots, and holds on the accompaniment tracks; not on the melody or soloist tracks.
You can read more about rests, shots, and holds in the PDF user manual on about page 133, or just look it up in the help file.
Hope this helps and hopefully didn't make your head explode. This is a great feature to make your songs more musical.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
I should have said two dots (not one). One is a Rest, two is a Shot (and three is a Hold). As mentioned, and as is often the case, BIAB gives several ways to do things.
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.
Shots, holds and rests are my favorite features for making BiaB sound like a real band. A nice complimentary feature is "copy special..." under Edit for quickly copying the same shot/hold/rest patterns (like guitar shots on beats two and four) across as many bars as you wish. Another is "adjust shot velocity" under Options/Preferences/RealTracks for adjusting the loudness of shots/holds. These are all features worth exploring if you want to get the most out of BiaB.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
I did this song some years ago. I will look around to see what remains. In the meantime here is what you need to emulate. Perhaps others can suggest how this is best done.
Going a bit further with this, is it possible to create a "triple hit", ala the bit in Van Morrison's Moondance that goes:
"... shine" /// "in your blush" ///
I don't know the piece, but assuming the hits aren't triplets, yes you can...using the methods listed above. If the lyric is one beat followed by three "hits" (in BIAB parlance, "shots") with X being the chord name:
X.. , X.. -- X.. , X.. would get you one bar with four "shots". Typing the comma will put the second command on the second or fourth beat.
If you want nothing to play on the first beat:
X. , X.. -- X.. , X.. would get you silence on the first beat followed by three "shots". Typing the comma will put the second command on the second or fourth beat.
If those shots are syncopated, that's another kettle and would require "pushes". What I outlined are four quarter beats. If they are triplets, then things are considerably more complicated.
Music Student posted while I was typing. Looks like a triplet over part of those hits, at least. Could be troublesome to copy exactly. Maybe he'll have better news for you.
How I'd approach bars 3 and 4 in the above is to use to use three bars of 3/4 followed by 1 bar of 2/4. The 3/4 bars would be used to play the triplet feel.
For the 3/4 bars, since three notes (i.e. the triplet) are being played in the time of two notes in the song, the tempo of the 3/4 bars would need to be increased to a new tempo of "original tempo" x 3/2. For example, if the song's original tempo is 100, then the 3/4 bars would need to be set to 100 x 3/2 = 150. How this would translate into Realtrack generation would depend on the Realtracks you've used. My experience is that some would be better than others. With MIDI tracks, though, it should work fine. (Note: the 2/4 bar would be at the same tempo as the original tempo in 4/4.)
Going a bit further with this, is it possible to create a "triple hit", ala the bit in Van Morrison's Moondance that goes:
"... shine" /// "in your blush" ///
This can be done in Microchords. Edit-->Microchords settings, or F6. Here are the settings for that window.
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows Version 2026 (1237) 64 bit application RealBand 2026 (4) Windows 11 Home Intel(R) Core(TM) 5 120U (1.40 GHz) 12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
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!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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.
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!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
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.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean