Matt, Brilliant, It worked! I always run BIAB as administrator., but Cakewalk and standalone were not set to run as admin. Thank you!!! Side note... Sonic is the only plugin I have that would not allow two instances without admin rights. --------
Svenne, you installed e-licenser and registered Sonic in it right?
Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
Matt, Brilliant, It worked! I always run BIAB as administrator., but Cakewalk and standalone were not set to run as admin. Thank you!!! Side note... Sonic is the only plugin I have that would not allow two instances without admin rights. -------- I Svenne, you installed e-licenser and registered Sonic in it right?
I did,-Halion +dorico works fine as standalone, and Halion loads the dorico sound library
Can you choose it as a "default" synth in BIAB? And try pressing "default synth" button? Just trying to help...
My problem (not running as administrator) sometimes had issue of "releasing" standalone. Meaning if a standalone was opened and then closed, BIAB would still give error. But with Matt help, this is in the past.
Also, to the O/P: Svenne, did you post this issue in the Mac section of the forum? It may get better attention there also.
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.
works fine in RB - on some songs nicer than the TTS1. but RB forgets GM mode and if it wasn't for one of the posts above i would not have gone into 'options/program change/GM and i wouldn't have got it to work
but agree with one of the posts abovce, installing and activating steinberg programs is like crawling through broken glass
works fine in RB - on some songs nicer than the TTS1. but RB forgets GM mode and if it wasn't for one of the posts above i would not have gone into 'options/program change/GM and i wouldn't have got it to work
but agree with one of the posts abovce, installing and activating steinberg programs is like crawling through broken glass
I have seen this question before,RB should remember to load Halion as default synth with GM (though Halion takes longer to load when you start RB) if you go through the following steps.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
What musiclover posted is correct. That was confirmed to me by Jeff Yankauer. Go into Halion Sonic, make the settings for GM mode, then click on "Save Default DXi Synths". RB will keep the setting and Halion starts in GM Mode between sessions. However, if you choose something else as default and later go back to Halìon, you'll have to repeat the process of setting GM Mode and saving default settings again. Not elegant, but it's how it works.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
This post is for those who DO NOT have any Steinberg Halion, Doric, Cubase or any other Steinberg programs with HALion sound content installed AND who also want a FREE good sounding GM sound set and player: THIS IS a 64-bit VSTi so you will need JBridge (or alternative) to use in Realband or the 32-bit version of BIAB.
If these, or similar instructions of how to get free HALion Sonic SE AND a free HAlion GM sound set to use in HALion Sonic SE then my apologies to whomever previously explained “how to" (starting from having zero Steinberg Halion sound content)
Enough ON TO THE FREE stuff - it is a multi-step process you will need to set up Steinberg account and install the FREE HAlion Sonic SE note it comes with no SOUNDS (yet)
Get the FREE Doric SE Notation program but MAINLY because comes with free Halion sounds that include the Steinberg Halion GM soundset. You can now use the standalone Halion Sonic SE with the GM soundset and the few other sounds that came with Doric SE or the 64-bit Halion VSTi (.dll and VST3) with 64-bit BIAB and 64-bit DAWs respectively (or as noted above if you have JBridge - its only $10, you can use with 32-bit Realband)
I just tested this all on a virgin laptop, well virgin with respect to zero Steinberg software installed.
Final note for BIAB use you may have to search for the “Halion Sonic SE.dll” it may not be in your default 64-bit plugins folder(s) (mine ended up in my Cakewalk VSTplugins folder for some reason).
Good Luck Larry
Wow, so I went through the process of getting Dorico, and Halion installed, activated and all that stuff you have to do through their download manager. I changed the mode to GM. Tried to open a MIDI file to play it within Halion, and nothing is happening, what did I miss?
i bet its something simple. have you set the midi drivers in BIAB as it shows on page 8 of the 2022 manual? especially is 'use the vst/dxi synth' box ticked? halion should show in the drop down menu?
I was actually just trying to use Halion to play the MIDI file directly. At the top of Halion, it has a little player, where you can load a midi file and play it (see my screenshot attached)
Later on, I opened it, and it said license missing! I'm trying to remove everything and start over; what a nightmare this licensing/download assistance is, Is there a prescribed set of instructions for doing this?
Support for 64-bit VST Plugins using jBridge You can use your 64-bit VST plugins and VSTi instruments with Band-in-a-Box, using jBridge. Since Band-in-a-Box has built-in support for jBridge, you just use your plugins as you normally would, by selecting 32- or 64-bit plugins within Band-in-a-Box. (Note: jBridge is a third-party product.)
To use 64-bit plugins with Band-in-a-Box, you:
- Get and install jBridge, - Select and use your 64- or 32-bit plugins within Band-in-a-Box, without any further setup or configuration!
The original poster said:
Quote:
THIS IS a 64-bit VSTi so you will need JBridge (or alternative) to use in Realband or the 32-bit version of BIAB.
So I'm a little confused. If I'm running the 64bit version of BIAB, do I need JBridge? The poster indicates that I Don't, but the manual says "to use 64 bit plugins with band in a box..."
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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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!
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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):
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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.
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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)
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