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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266 |
Last year I purchased BiaB ProPAK 2019 and installed the entire program along with all the styles and RTs on my Windows 10 OS hard drive. The entire installation consumes about 16 GB of space on the disk. Since then I've installed a 2 TB HDD as a second disk. Now that I've purchased the BiaB UltraPAK 2020 upgrade, I want to have BiaB set up so that it accesses all of the styles and RTs from a dedicated partition on that second HDD. In order to accomplish this, I've already copied the entire contents of the USB portable hard drive that BiaB UltraPAK 2020 came on to a 500 GB partition on my second internal HDD. Plus, I've moved all of the original installation files for BiaB ProPAK 2019 to a separate folder on that same second HDD partition from their original location on the OS disk. But I haven't yet actually upgraded my BiaB 2019 installation on my Windows 10 OS disk to BiaB 2020 because I want to know the best way to regain the 16 GB of space on the OS disk that BiaB 2019 is currently using. So, my question is as follows:
What is the best way to install BiaB UltraPAK 2020 upgrade from BiaB ProPAK 2019 so that I can end up with only the program files installed on my OS disk and also free up all the space that the styles and RTs are currently using on the OS disk? Should I uninstall BiaB 2019 and the other programs that came with it (RealBand, Coyote, etc.) from the OS disk first and then re-install the programs only on the OS disk before doing the upgrade? Or, should I leave everything as is until after I've completed the upgrade and then delete all of the styles and RTs from the OS disk? Or, can I uninstall BiaB 2019 completely from the OS disk and then only install the BiaB 2020 programs from the second HDD without having BiaB 2019 installed at all?
Tom Levan (pronounced La-VAN)
BiaB 2024 Win UltraPAK Build 1109, Xtra Style PAKs 1-11, RB 2024, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Intel Q9650 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD & 2 TB HDD, Tracktion 6 & 7 (freebies), Cakewalk, Audacity, MuseScore 2.1 & 3.4, Synthesizer V
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,608
Veteran
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,608 |
Hi, It sounds like you might have pretty much done what I'd do. Just to clarify, though, this is how I'd go about upgrading... To make sense of the below, C:\bb is your original BIAB installation on your OS drive and D:\bb is your new installation on your 500 GB drive. 1. Copy your original 2019 BIAB from C:\bb to D:\bb keeping the directory/folder structure intact. There is no need to unregister your 2019 product. 2. At the moment, don't delete C:\bb 3. Install the 2020 UltraPak to D:\bb 4. I suggest choosing the option that will also put all Realtracks under D:\bb -- you have plenty of space with 500 GB. My UltraPak equivalent version of BIAB is on a 500 GB partition and takes up 171 GB. 5. The installation will take about an hour. 6. Once installed, start BIAB, rebuild Stylepicker and Register the product. 7. All should go for you now. 8. In a week or two's time, when you are sure that all is running well, delete the c:\BB folder and all its contents. Hope this helps, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266 |
Thanks for the reply, Noel. From what your suggesting, I would end up not having any BiaB files on my C drive. Is that correct? If so, I hadn't thought of doing it that way, but I guess it might be better than having just the program files on the C drive and all the other files on the "D" drive (mine is actually the K drive) because then everything is in one place and there's no need to uninstall anything if I decide to move BiaB to another computer (which I intend to do someday because I'm currently using my wife's computer and can't use my own computer for reasons that I won't go into here). Instead, all I need to do is deactivate BiaB on this computer and reactivate it on the other computer.
The only other thing I didn't mention is that my main OS disk is an SSD, which is considerably faster than my HDD. So, will I take a performance hit by having the program files on the HDD instead of on the SSD?
Tom Levan (pronounced La-VAN)
BiaB 2024 Win UltraPAK Build 1109, Xtra Style PAKs 1-11, RB 2024, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Intel Q9650 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD & 2 TB HDD, Tracktion 6 & 7 (freebies), Cakewalk, Audacity, MuseScore 2.1 & 3.4, Synthesizer V
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,608
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
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Hi again, Yes. I am suggesting that you put all BIAB on your K:\ drive. To be honest, I'm not sure how much of a performance hit you would feel. I've just looked up your Intel Q9650 processor and I see that it's quad core, 3.00 GHz. By comparison, my processor is quad core 3.4 GHz and on my computer, the time it takes to generate a song is around 5 seconds. I do not have a SSD. Since your hard drives are new, they will be latest technology and read/write very quickly. This may well offset the SSD gain. By leaving C:\bb in place for the moment, you will be able to compare the speed of generating a file using BBW64.EXE in C:\bb with generating the same file using BBW64.EXE found in K:\bb -- the results will speak for themselves. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,593
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,593 |
On my performance machine, I have an SSD for boot up and a second SSD for the BIAB program. I do like the faster response of the program but I admit the improvement is modest. Also, I have the RealTracks and RealDrums on a third drive, an internal hard drive.
I have a backup machine where the program is on a regular internal hard drive and the RealTracks and RealDrums are on the supplied USB drive. It all still works surprisingly well.
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 for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266 |
Thanks guys for the additional info. I just looked at my C drive and saw that RealBand is in a separate folder than BiaB. So, I assume that I have to copy the RealBand folder to my K drive as well before I begin this process, correct? Then there's the issue of Coyote, which shows up on my Programs list as a separate program and is also in a different location (C:\Program Files (x86)). Besides Coyote, I also saw Steinberg, VSTPlugins, and PowerTracks DirectX Plugins in this same folder. All three of these combined only use about 14 MB of disk space, which isn't a problem, but they do add more clutter to the folder. However, in the Program Files folder, these same folders along with the PG Music Inc folder use more than 1.25 GB of space. Would I also delete all of these folders when I delete the BiaB and RealBand folders two weeks down the road?
Tom Levan (pronounced La-VAN)
BiaB 2024 Win UltraPAK Build 1109, Xtra Style PAKs 1-11, RB 2024, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Intel Q9650 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD & 2 TB HDD, Tracktion 6 & 7 (freebies), Cakewalk, Audacity, MuseScore 2.1 & 3.4, Synthesizer V
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,593
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,593 |
I have a hardware MIDI synth so others who use software synths will be a better resource. I believe, however, that all these VSTis, DXis etc. install to your boot drive. If the install permits going somewhere else, I think that would be quite unusual.
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 for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,608
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,608 |
I leave all my VSTs and DXis at their default installation location which is usually under C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files(x86). My reason for doing this is because it makes upgrades, etc., much easier to manage and all music programs look to these folders for the VST/DXi. I once tried putting everything musical on my D:\ drive but I ended up getting myself in hot water -- hence settling on the above as the best way to do things. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 266 |
Well, I ran setup.exe and selected the first option. Because I had already copied everything from the USB portable HDD to my internal HDD, the setup program thought that it was running from the USB portable HDD and informed of the following as the first option:
"Run Band-in-a-Box directly from this USB hard drive.
Only install synth, plugins, and fonts on my computer hard drive.
20 MB disk space required."
IOW, setup.exe didn't need to copy everything from the USB HDD to my internal HDD because I had already done that. However, it also installed all of the BiaB HiQ Instruments to the PG Music Inc folder on my boot disk, which uses about 1 GB of space, as it did before. So, all of the other items were also installed to the boot disk, which is not a problem. I guess I'm good to go for now. Thanks again for the help, Noel and Matt!
Tom Levan (pronounced La-VAN)
BiaB 2024 Win UltraPAK Build 1109, Xtra Style PAKs 1-11, RB 2024, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Intel Q9650 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD & 2 TB HDD, Tracktion 6 & 7 (freebies), Cakewalk, Audacity, MuseScore 2.1 & 3.4, Synthesizer V
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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 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed 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 transcribe 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, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac 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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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 PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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!
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