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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21 |
I find that every year, I visit the site in December because I want to be talked into upgrading my 2014 "Everything Pak", but although I see new styles, I never seem to find really compelling reasons to upgrade.
I'm pretty sure that I just don't really pick up on or "get" the value of the new enhancements. Maybe I'm looking for that "Wow, this is a game-changer" moment, which I never seem to see, and may be unreasonable for me to look for.
My only real challenge with BIAB is that for me, it is still extremely difficult to find just the right style for my compositions. I take responsibility for having a low aptitude for figuring that out. I do, however, find the interface to be a little dated and confusing as more and more functionality is bolted on.
So, my question is, are there any truly compelling reasons to upgrade from 2014 to 2020, especially given my own challenge of having a tough time finding appropriate styles for my songs? Is version 2010 a "must-have", or is it just a minor upgrade, practically speaking? Thanks for any input.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,917
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,917 |
For me, it is a must-have for the new RealTracks. Nothing else in the "49 new features" would cause me to pull out my credit card.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,572
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,572 |
Good questions. I see the changes since 2014 as evolutionary, not revolutionary. RealTracks were revolutionary. I think in another year we will look back and say the plugin was the next revolutionary feature.
As to the interface, that was revamped in 2018. It is a lot cleaner, but some users still prefer the old. To their credit, PG Music left the old one so you can adapt easier (use CTRL+T to toggle).
Since every year you get more and more new RealTracks and styles, I would think that six years' worth of additions would give you some serious improvement in "finding appropriate styles for my songs".
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: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844 |
And BIAB (although not RealBand yet) is now 64-bit.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 647
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 647 |
I am with steambc on this one. For me there really wasn't anything to pull the credit card from my wallet this year. They gave us some nice new styles and realtracks, but I already have more than I will ever use. The plugins have no particular interest - in fact I don't even know what they do. I only have BIAB (and an unused Real Band) so as far as I know I have nothing to plug them into. I don't need recording or audio editing
I did upgrade to the 64 bit version, only to be told by PGM that I really didn't need it.
When we get a better print notation I'll be ready to buy, but until then I'll happily use what I have. It's great, but I'll gladly give up a couple of hundred real tracks for a professional looking / performing notation module
BIAB for Windows Version 2019 (643)
Windows 10 (1909)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,587
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,587 |
From my perspective, going from 2014 to 2020 is a big jump and you will see lots of changes. Whether these changes are useful for you, though, will depend on your needs. What I suggest is... 1. Have a look at the below New Features video of BIAB 2020. It's just 6 minutes long. https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=568369#Post568369And here is a 58 minute, more comprehensive overview of BIAB 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn3fOGM43p82. Go to the link below and have a scan through the online manual for BIAB 2020 https://www.pgmusic.com/manuals/Since you're already a BIAB user, if you investigate the above, I'm pretty sure you will be able to assess whether or not it is worthwhile upgrading. All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792 |
Pretty big updates came in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and also in 2020. Things like better auto chord wizard, enhanced abilities to use time based VSTis and several more. As mentioned the GUI upgrade in 2018. Better stretching software was added. Harmony upgrades, and the addition of Real Charts for drums are huge, and there are several more since 2014. The shear amount of RTs and styles make it worth the price, at least to me.
A couple thoughts do you use a DAW? Do you use RTs?
Last edited by Rob Helms; 01/02/20 02:03 PM.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21 |
Pretty big updates came in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and also in 2020. Things like better auto chord wizard, enhanced abilities to use time based VSTis and several more. As mentioned the GUI upgrade in 2018. Better stretching software was added. Harmony upgrades, and the addition of Real Charts for drums are huge, and there are several more since 2014. The shear amount of RTs and styles make it worth the price, at least to me.
A couple thoughts do you use a DAW? Do you use RTs?
Yes, I use Cakewalk. And yes, I do use Real Tracks. Thanks for the info. It will help me to decide.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21 |
Thanks to all for your input. I'll go ahead and watch the longer version of the features overview. All I need is a gently nudge to order. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792 |
If you use Cake you will love the plugin in that DAW. The concern that it still needs may be valid, but it still can offer a lot inside a DAW for basic track creation and song bed support.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21 |
Thanks for all the help guys. I pulled the trigger and am currently downloading and installing everything through the Download Manager from within BIAB 2020.
I've got a bunch of new chord progressions that I've dreamed up in the past few months, and I can't wait to get started fleshing them out.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792 |
post some tracks so we can check them out
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264 |
I'm interested in 2020 becasue of the chord wizard update & the tempo fix in that. I'm also interested in any improvements to Multi riff as I find the 2019 clunky at best.
I'm completely uninterested in MIDIand it would appear that the majority of newness is in that area.
Lots of new RealTracks - I like real tracks but use only a few of them, organ mostly, as I add my own performance to my songs. Most of the new RTs seem to be in styles that I have little or no interest in.
Finally - what I want is more tweakable RealDrums as I find the mix & EQ of most of these to be problematic. RealDrum tracks are the reason I started using BIAB but they've not progressed much since 2011. There are more of them, more transcriptions, (really? Drum transcriptions?), but no change to the how. LOTS of people tell me they copy the sample that needs emphasis & paste it into a new parallel track but that is VERY time consuming & prone to minor timing errors that destroy the intended emphasis.
So far I'm unconvinced.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,685
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,685 |
rayc ..I'm completely uninterested in Midi and it would appear that the majority of newness is in that area
Do not agree , Variety is the spice of life. No way can you record the sounds people want opposed to what you have In the sound of that track in real tracks stuck with it !.. but in midi it becomes what you have in a source i.e. software/ hardware or what the .!!. I have a good sound module ..but one cannot live without the other just my penny take care.
Thanks
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264 |
rayc .."I'm completely uninterested in Midi and it would appear that the majority of newness is in that area..."
Do not agree...
You don't agree that I'm uninterested? or You don't agree that the majority of new stuff is MIDI focussed? I think you mean you have the opposite approach or that you are very interested in MIDI. Hey, that's fine, the new version caters for you really well.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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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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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!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
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.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
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.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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