I have a piece of music in A harmonic minor, and would like BIAB to only use the notes from within that scale (A B C D E F G#) for any embellishments.
For example: When the chord is Am, that BIAB not play the G note (b7) but play the G# (maj7) instead. Or when the chord is Dm7, that BIAB also not play a G note (11), but play G# (#11) instead.
Is there a way to direct embellishments to use certain notes?
I could obviously write the Am chord as AmMaj7, but that would imply to emphasize the G# note in the chord. Whereas if I mostly want the Am chord sound with just a little bit of G# thrown in as an embellishment, similar to how a pianist would gently colour a chord with the notes of a scale, how could I do that?
For the Dm7#11 chord, I wouldn't how to express that as a slash chord. AmMaj/D would leave out the F note, which is important for the minor feel of the Dm chord.
Alternatively, is there a way to stop embellishments from accidentally playing notes that are not in a chosen scale?
Turning on Natural Arrangements may come close to doing what you hope to achieve. What version of BiaB do you have?
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.
Thanks, I currently use Band-in-a-Box® for Windows Version 2018 (520)
I am not sure whether Natural Arrangements would really cater for that. Disabling it would mean that complex chords would not get re-interpreted I guess. But in my case, I have simple chords, that I want interpreting in a certain way.
Maybe I should test it and look at the midi data to see how it worked. But with Realtracks, the midi data is not always shown it seems.
The results are a bit hit and miss: For example, an Am#5 is sometimes played as a normal Am chord with a perfect 5th. If I rename the chord as F/A, BIAB thinks it's ok to embellish with a Bb note.
I don't believe what you are requesting is a feature in BIAB. Just as BIAB will not permit specific chord voicing, it also does not allow the user to restrict the band to a specific scale. Best you can do is what you suggested - select the chords which feature the model note and hope for the best.
If you are using RealTracks then your results will be hit or miss. That is IF the chord you want was recorded then you will get it, BUT if it wasn't then no you will not get it.
The only sure way to get exactly what you want is with MIDI. Put your chords in, find a style that you want, then head to either the piano roll view or the notation view and change what needs to be changed to get exactly what you want. My work flow is to generate a MIDI song in BiaB but then do all of the above work in my DAW.
This is probably what you didn't want to hear. RealTracks are great IF you like what they give you.
PS - an after thought. There is a way to get RTs to work for you but it is a tedious expensive workaround. You must purchase Melodyne Editor, the one that does polyphony, then move the RT wav track into it. (Note that I do this in Studio One Pro after I drag and drop the entire BiaB song into it.) Then you must change the notes that are not correct and save the wav. (In my DAW I just bounce the track, thus saving the corrected wav.) As I said this works but it can take a lot of time depending on how many chords you must find and change.
I hope this helps and good luck.
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school. Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
It's puzzling that BIAB doesn't support setting scales for certain bars, as musicians think in scales all the time.
Maybe by creating a muted melody track to define a scale for some bars could work?
BIAB does use the melody to influence harmony.
As for not supporting a scales-based approach, I am guessing it's more that BIAB was developed around the end of the 1980s for jamming on jazz fakebook tunes. As I recall (having played as a pro from the early 1960s) the use of scale-based improv such as Abersold wasn't yet as popular at that point.
This would be a good topic for a post you could make in the Wishlist Forum. I agree, there are now two full generations of jazz players who have grown up thinking primarily in terms of scales. Not that we didn't, but it was a different emphasis.
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.
If you do a drag n drop into Reaper it will snap it to scale or chord. It will also create a scale or chord snap guide that you can easily see what notes are out. You can then drag out of Reaper and import back to Biab.
Thanks, the Reaper trick could be quite useful when analysing the midi data.
Regarding the jazz thinking of the 60s etc.
Theoretically, it shouldn't make much of a difference thinking of chords as a series of odd numbers (chord based) or odd and even numbers (scale based):
Whether one thinks of a chord as 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 or as 1 9 3 11 5 13 7, the outcome would be the same, or not? Perhaps by 'bringing the extensions down' into the scale, they would be more clearly defined, whereas when you played in the 60s they were less defined and more dependent on the soloist.
Which brings me back to BIAB, if I as a soloist want to play x notes, then it would be nice if BIAB could adapt to that (by me choosing it somehow). Yes, I'll look into adding it to the wishlist. And I'll experiment a bit more with muted melodies.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
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.
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)
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