Installed 2022 last night and am just starting to play with it today. Impressed with the general offering this year, PGM seem to have been listening. Also very grateful for the 20% tax gesture.
On playing about with Drum Stems I notice a couple of things. (to keep it simple all tests are from the Americana set with 7 stems each.)
1. Loaded Mix and Stems of AmericanaSlow128Fred into 32 bars at default setting, i.e. Substyle A, Chord C, set tempo to 60
2. When RDrums picker is first opened Stems box needs to be checked for the chosen style before pressing OK, but if I move off this to another style Stems box needs to be checked again. After generating if I re-open the RDrums picker all styles with stems are checked by default.
3. Auditioned each Stem separately and find there is a lot of bleed in from the Snare in the Cymbal and Toms Stems. For example there is not a massive difference between the HH Stem and the Mix, is this normal?
4. I reset the Substyle to A & B alternating every 4 bars and regen. The Mix changed but the Stems didn't. F7 revealed that all the stems are frozen by default when first generated and can only be unfrozen one at a time in the F7 page. The Stems Freeze buttons on the mixer are deactivated. When unfrozen the stems will regen, but this is a tedious process.
5. Changed drums style to Americana16thsSyncFred and, as expected, on regen, Mix changed but Stems didn't. When unfrozen Stems will regen to Americana16thsSyncFred, but are still named as AmericanaSlow128Fred. In F7 I erased the stems, again one by one, but these did not regen until I entered and exited the Drum Picker, regen was correct, but Stems still named as AmericanaSlow128Fred.
While I welcome the introduction of Stems and see a lot of potential, I hope that the above are teething problems to be addressed.
3. Auditioned each Stem separately and find there is a lot of bleed in from the Snare in the Cymbal and Toms Stems. For example there is not a massive difference between the HH Stem and the Mix, is this normal?
Yes. Just look at pics of drum kits in a recording studio, there's no way to avoid lots of bleed. People have been requesting this for years and some kept saying they could do all these great things but I think they were thinking of midi, not real audio stems. I've said for years the bleed through on the mics will be a problem, it won't be as great at some think. It's still useful because you can control the mix 'somewhat' but it's not perfect. You want to bump up the snare, you'll bump the kick and cymbals too, after all they're right next to each other with live mics. Still, you can achieve a decent mix you just have to experiment with rebalancing the whole kit.
When I was recording live bands I would spend more time on the drums than anything else. One way to use live drum stems is to put them into a DAW and use midi triggers that track individual drum kit parts and replace the audio with midi and them play the midi with a good drum program. But, the downside to that is you lose the live feel of the real drummer. Everything's a tradeoff. There are many techniques to use. Say the kit has an open hat and you want a closed one. You could use a midi closed hat and take the kit hat to zero and the trigger system would match the rhythm. There will be some bleed through the open hat from the overheads but the midi closed hat would mostly hide it. You can also use EQ to eliminate some of the bleed. Having drums stems to play with can be fun but it's a lot of work. No instant gratification.
All good points. When I experimented with the new drum stems feature, I had the most fun with the Latin drums and the ability to bring out or hide the pandeiro (the Brazilian reinvention of the tambourine). That is quite effective.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Downloading 2022 now. I'm seeing in the downloads a RealDrums Stems Set 2 included with the Bonus 49 Pak. Can I assume that the first stems just come with 2022? I'm not seeing a download for a Stems Set 1.
Yes, the first stems come with BIAB2022, but not a lot. I've counted 57 styles with stems in in the RealDrum picker. According to the promo video for the Bonus 49 pack, 36 of these are in Pt 2. I imagine that if these prove to be popular they will become an additional form of revenue for PGM, much like Styles Paks etc.
I would be interested to hear, when you try them, if you find the same issues that I commented on earlier.
I would imagine that when you really get down to mixing them, it will take several busses with EQs and compression to ferret out the best of the sounds. Hi pass low pass etc.
Maybe even a combo of the stems and the midi charts will be a cool idea. Stems RDs, charts VSTIs just tools to work with.
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
Happy holidays! I'm excited about the drum stems, which I think are a tremendous step in the right direction. I work in the contemporary/smooth jazz genre, and my RealDrums players are: Michael White, Ricky Lawson, Franklin 'Third' Richardson, Sput Searight, and Brian Fullen. Unfortunately the new stems aren't available for these, only Americana and country. In an exchange with Simon in customer service, it sounds like PGM is receiving a good response on drum stems, and I'm hopeful that some of the older C-Jazz and funk tracks will be made available. If they were, I'd upgrade my Audiophile 2021 yesterday! Still, there may be enough new RealTracks to warrant it. Thanks all.
Warren, I can’t cite the post but my impression is that we can expect more drums to have stems. I think it’s early days, and they are getting a few operational things settled now
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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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