Using BIAB 2016, about to upgrade to 2021. Does 2021 fix this frustrating issue,that when I type in the chord that I want (let's say 13b9#11, sus2, sus chords and altered dominants generally)the arrangement refuses to play it and plays a simplified chord instead? Why can't I type in ANY chord that I want in ANY style and then hear it? Is there a global override for this problem in 2021?
I think this depends on the RealTracks you choose (presuming you choose RealTracks for your arrangement). This this then gets down to the exact phrases that the individual musicians performed, and their interpretation of chords and inversions.
MIDI is possibly more regimented/forgiving.
There are options to limit how BiaB affects these. One of them is called 'Natural Arrangements', which was probably introduced about 2018 or so.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
Thanks, Dzjang, I'm reading through all the posts on your 2019 thread.
I'm wondering if it's possible to go into editable notation, write the voicings you want, and save them to the arrangement? I tried that once for desired chord voicings to replace the BIAB voicings, but they wouldn't save. Something I neglected to do?
i think midi is your only chance - especially if you are using guitar realtracks.
for example C13b9#11 contains the following notes (i think!) C - E - G - Bb - Db - F# - A
that's seven notes so it's impossible on a six string instrument. and several of the notes are on adjacent frets on the same string - can't be done. a guitarist has to choose what he plays. that's the idea of natural arrangements. as a guitarist i'd choose to play the simple major triad as a starter with maybe one or two added notes that 'sound right' in context or just part of the chord which wouldn't then be C13b9#11.
but i couldn't play the chord you want. as guitar and keyboards are the only chord playing instruments you might have more luck with keyboards (yes ukulele and banjo play chords too but they have even less strings!). i'm a 'cowboy chord' guitarist but watching jazz guitarists over the years and learning dance band chords many years ago, movement is often created by just changing fingering to include notes that move the song along. which means part chords and compromise.
i'm not surprised that guitarists like brent mason haven't recorded C13b9#11 in a RealTrack. they couldn't. I'd be surprised if Oliver Gannon as a jazz soloist has either.
is it absolutely essential that you get all seven notes or is a selection of notes that sound right good enough? so a chord synonym might be available. for example on a guitar, seventh flat nines can be played if you omit the root note and play a diminished chord based on the root of any of the four remaining notes. diminished is an easy chord shape and repeats in several places on the fretboard so a guitarist would choose a four note chord that was an easy transition from the chord before and to the chord following. and would a piano player really play the seven notes in C13b9#11 together as a chord hit? maybe a keyboard player can comment on that - or would they play a combination of notes that works harmonically to move the song along?
Bob, I'm a guitar AND keyboard player, not that great at either except at chords and harmony. So I know many voicings for pretty much all chords--yes, on guitar you have to compromise a bit but you will still get a rich sounding chord using guitar voicings that have been worked out by all the great players and teachers of the past.
And it's the same with keyboard except there are many more options for voicings. However, great keyboard players generally DON'T put every chord factor into voicings and very often omit tones that muddy up the sound (like 5ths and even 3rds in some cases).
I'm just getting re-started with BIAB after years of neglect, so I'm sticking with pure MIDI right now until I get up to speed with the program.
What I need to know is how to edit BIAB chord voicings in editable notation into ones that I want, then making them stick into the arrangement.
Everything you save in the stylemaker’s piano or guitar has to be C7. For most chords, biab translates it just fine,
But once you want certain chords with #11 or the 13b9 Bob refers to, biab can’t handle it properly.
The way I go about it is limiting the color tones, like 9ths, 13ths in the styles (which is sad, but ...) using slash chords (lydian over maj 7th in the bass for phrygian) Trying to hear the sounds in my head and playing over them, rather than relying on biab to play them correctly.
Bob is very accurate in his analysis. Biab handles 7th chords. And the rest is often inaccurate. As a non jazz player, Bob nails it. Upper structures or triads are often the way to go on guitar. Don’t play more than 4 notes in a chord.
That being said, Oliver Gannon has a jazz instruction soft here on PG music, about playing jazz chords. It’s very intricate and influenced by Ed Bickert. And he plays a lot of very dense and wonderful 5 note chords on his guitar.
Playing that behind a soloist would be limiting, but for chord soloing, a great soft. Essential jazz guitar vol 1 and 2: high and low voicings.
So, Oliver Gannon and a lot of pg musicians (check the modern jazz piano soft, it’s great) can play intricate chords, but the algorithm can’t turn them into styles.
Too bad, cause it would be great for learning.
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
While I play neither instrument, my understanding is that a keyboard player or guitarist will often omit the root if there is a bass player, and often the fifth. In the case of the #11, otherwise known as a flatted fifth pitched up an octave, this is near the top of the chord so it's essential to play it.
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; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
What I need to know is how to edit BIAB chord voicings in editable notation into ones that I want, then making them stick into the arrangement.
You can make your edits in either the editable notation view or the piano roll view, see attached picture. Just be sure to freeze whatever track(s) you edit because it you don't a regenerate will wipe out all of your edits. When frozen a regenerate will not change any of your edits.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
yes edit and then freeze and save so hopefully by now you can edit and freeze midi tracks but there might be a few things that could make life easier.
pages 532 - 533 of the manual lists chords BIAB recognizes. maybe you can find a close approximation to what you want that will minimise editing. i'm not sure how BIAB decides what chords to play if it isn't one it recognises (which is why its not playing the chord you enter) so working with BIAB instead of against by choosing a chord it should recognise may mean less edits.
also page 129 - 134 describes chord entry - including from a midi keyboard so you could play in the notes you want the chord to include and see if BIAB recognises it rather than editing it later - i imagine it will automatically substitute a chord it knows that uses the notes you want instead of being tied to what you would enter on the qwerty keyboard. it might suggest a chord synonym for example.
thinking out of the BIAB box, if you open the file in RealBand and edit it, the midi won't regenerate so no need to freeze - just save as a seq file.
RB also gives you the ability to generate several versions of a complete track and to choose bits from each to make up a composite track.
also in RB you could try midi supertracks. assuming the chords you end up with are BIAB recognized you could try any of the jazz keyboard tracks to see if they fit better than the style based BIAB midi parts. and in RB if you don't like a couple of bars, multiriff will give you 7 alternatives to choose from.
there might be ways of getting BIAB and RB to work for you and not against you rather than letting it do what it wants and editing it later. or at least it might get you closer and minimise editng.
is there a way to copy and paste the chord to other areas of the song? i get how to enter it in notation mode but i want to use the chord voicing throughout,
In Band-in-a-Box you can use the keyboard shortcut ALT+C, or Edit > Copy Special, to open the Copy Chords and/or Melody window.
...............
Another way is to highlight the measures you want to copy, right click on one of those measures, select copy, right click on the measure you want to start copying to and select paste.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Another way is to highlight the measures you want to copy, right click on one of those measures, select copy, right click on the measure you want to start copying to and select paste.
Thanks Mario! I didn't know this works now. I recall asking for it many, many years ago.
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; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
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