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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 10
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Newbie
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 10 |
question I am looking at upgrading I have band in a box 2019 not wealthy but which is the best upgrade 2020 mega pak or ultra pak?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,566
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,566 |
Hi. This link describes the various packages and gives a direct comparison between MegaPak and UltraPak. The main difference is in the number of RealTracks. The basic program is the same in each. https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.htm
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: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,093
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,093 |
My recommendation is usually to got with the highest package that you can afford.
The Mega pak has > 500 RealTracks while the Ultra pak has > 2,900 RealTracks as well as the 2020 49 pak.
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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,950
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,950 |
You really don't have BIAB unless you have all the real tracks which come with the Ultra. Just one man's opinion. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,273
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,273 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,699
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Posts: 24,699 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S I agree with Lloyd. I work mostly on the MIDI side of BiaB. I rarely use RTs at all. On occasion I do use the RT charts if they are available. There are many different workflows you can use with BiaB. It is a very powerful and versatile piece of software. Just my opinion.
OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,036
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,036 |
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses plus different ideas about how to use Band-in-a-Box.
RealTracks include many different instruments played by professional session musicians. If you have a need for many different instruments you'll want the UltraPAK or Audiophile.
If you're more interested in midi the MegaPAK will serve you well.
If you want to learn the program and what it has to offer the ProPAK or MegaPAK works for you.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,503
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I'm on the MIDI side of the fence myself.
I can export the MIDI files and then edit to make them better...
I can add song specific licks and kicks. I can change chord inversions. I can make the song play notes in chords that BiaB does not play.
I can do simple things too, like change the piano to a rhodes or a clav, a strat sound guitar to a les paul or a banjo, a cowbell to a ride cymbal, a string section to an organ or chorus, the acoustic bass to an electric bass, or whatever.
The fact is that MIDI is thousands of times more editable than audio. I want to play with the music, be an active participant, and take the very good output of Band-in-a-Box and make it better.
A good MIDI sound module can sound 90-99% as good as a real instrument, but expression to me is more important than the finer points of tone.
I'll use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but more often than not there is something I want to change about it, so I go with MIDI.
If I want to passively listen to others play music without my participation, I'll put on a CD.
But I need to emphasize that there is more than one right way to do this. My way is the best for me, and may or may not be best for anyone else.
Notes
Last edited by Notes Norton; 08/15/20 02:55 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,867
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,867 |
I agree with Notes there's certainly more than one way to create quality music with BIAB and everyone needs to determine the work flow and tools that work best for them.
I straddle the fence between MIDI and audio and use both for their particular strengths they bring to a BIAB song. Edited MIDI files can and do make songs better and audio can really close the gap to making a song sound realistic and commercially viable. Nearly every song can benefit by containing both elements.
There are multiple ways to add song specific licks and kicks using audio, change chord inversions and then use MIDI to make the song play notes in chords and other things that BIAB doesn't play or MIDI is the better choice over using audio.
I believe that over time, MIDI is now only tens or a hundred times more editable than audio. Band in a Box has sufficient audio editing tools to complete many audio editing and arranging tasks that most users normally and unnecessarily export out to a DAW to do. But it's super easy to transfer BIAB tracks when the DAW is the best editing, arranging and production tool. But often, it's more beneficial to edit from BIAB rather than a DAW so features and tools that are exclusive to BIAB can be accessed and utilized. Techniques like programming the Chord Chart to see and anticipate instrument changes, panning and volume automation, muting and unmuting tracks, smooth transitions, fade ins and fade outs are professional studio quality when done in the BIAB project and don't have to be addressed when the project is moved to a DAW.
I use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but on occasion, it's not. When there is something I want to change about RealTrack audio, I edit the audio itself or sometimes combine it with Other RealTrack audio or MIDI most times without leaving BIAB. Done correctly, editing and arranging tracks in BIAB is indistinguishable from manually doing the same in a DAW.
In many cases, I think editing audio from within the BIAB program is vastly underrated and underused. This is true is such areas as the updated Melody's feature and it's 10 channel sub mixer and the two versions of User Tracks where the traditional User Track is not as broken as it's thought to be and the User Artist Performance Track which isn't broken at all. Loops are easy to create and can be made from MIDI or audio and even MIDI and audio combined. The BIAB Mixer can export stems and sub mixes quickly and easily and even if they are exported out for use in a DAW project, reduce mixing time and tracks in those projects.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741 |
This gets to really be a question of money. Less than $300 for everything they sell in 2020.
This is a lot of stuff for that amount of money.
After other software, computers, guitars, pianos and other music stuff I own BIAB is not a material amount of money.
Real Tracks for me are useful in many ways. They are a tool to learn new stuff from pro musicians and fun to mess around with for recording.
Midi is every serious musician's go to tool if you use a keyboard. The thing I like most about midi is the vast amount of really good VST's that exist today....many for free and some I own that cost more than BIAB. I could never own enough real drums to get all the sounds I get from VST's. Even if you are a pro drummer playing on the best pro kits, you are likely to trigger a VST from your kit.
Also it depends on what skill sets you have and what other software you use. I can edit in standard notation with a greater degree of precision just because I have better skills there than in midi editing. There is a serious time cost to standard notation not the least of which is learning to read, and of course learning to use a notation software program.
I don't think is is very easy to know what someone will find very useful unless they take a chance and buy the top of the BIAB line of products.
I would never dream of trying to tell you how to spend your money. I would tell you I have never been unhappy with all the stuff I have acquired from PG Music.
Good luck,
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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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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