In my case, I reinstalled BIAB Version 2021 (845) after a disk crash.
I have a song using _JPLMBOS.STY that is 40 choruses of 32 bar length. Prior to the crash It used to take 15s-20s to generate and now it takes 3-4 minutes. Installed to the same disk...Any ideas?
I wonder if you need to whitelist BIAB in Windows defender? I don't think it can hurt to try it and then remove the exclusion if you don't see improvement.
How can I approve an app in Windows Defender? Stop Windows Defender from scanning certain files Open the Windows Defender Security Center. Click Virus & threat protection. Click the Viruses and Threats option. Under Exclusions, click Add or remove exclusions. Click the Add Exclusion button.
Thanks, I whitelisted the entire folder. No change. Is there a temporary folder option that can be pointed to an SSD?
Originally Posted By: MusicStudent
I wonder if you need to whitelist BIAB in Windows defender? I don't think it can hurt to try it and then remove the exclusion if you don't see improvement.
How can I approve an app in Windows Defender? Stop Windows Defender from scanning certain files Open the Windows Defender Security Center. Click Virus & threat protection. Click the Viruses and Threats option. Under Exclusions, click Add or remove exclusions. Click the Add Exclusion button.
What caused the crash, and how did you fix it? Is this the same hard drive? Reformatted? Checked for errors (bad sectors)? Is your anti-virus running full blast to check for errors?
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.
There are two settings that can cause BIAB to take a long time to generate Realtracks. This would be noticeable if a song is 40 choruses at 32 bars per chorus (a total of 1280 bars).
1) Go into Realtrack preferences and check that "Speed up generation of Realtracks" is activated.
2) Right click on the chordsheet, select "Song Settings" and make sure that the option for "This song has playback problems, disable fast generation" is not active.
These options may help.
Regards, Noel
P.S. There is also an option in Realtrack preferences where it's possible to select the quality of "Tempo/Pitch Stretching". If this is set to "High", it will slow things down a little but not to the extent that you are experiencing.
In my case, I reinstalled BIAB Version 2021 (845) after a disk crash.
I have a song using _JPLMBOS.STY that is 40 choruses of 32 bar length. Prior to the crash It used to take 15s-20s to generate and now it takes 3-4 minutes. Installed to the same disk...Any ideas?
With the 255 bar limit, it definitely cannot be 40 choruses
There is a setting you could check under Song Settings:
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.
I loaded up the style and the demo song and changed the choruses to 40.
Since there are multiple choices in the demo song, I made sure the demo style had the guitar 2 solo track and clicked generate.
The non-solo portion generated in about 13 seconds and the solo portion took 2:14 to generate for a total of 2:27 to complete.
I then closed BIAB, cleared my temp files and this time loaded the demo song WITHOUT the solo track and it took 17 seconds to generate and play the entire song.
I would say that if you have 40 choruses of soloing to generate, that will indeed add quite a bit of processing time to complete.
2022 version with latest patch on an SSD drive.
BIAB2026 Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!) WA6NCB
I loaded up the style and the demo song and changed the choruses to 40.
Out of interest, how long does the song play for (how many choruses) before it stops playing? Presuming 32 bars per chorus, does it play 1,280 bars?
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.
My understanding is that the "Number of choruses" is a way around the 255 bar limitation. I think this happens because each chorus is exactly the same and the song doesn't have to generate new material for each bar. I've always visualized that during the generation process, each chorus is stitched onto the previous one to make a kind of audio patchwork quilt. To be honest, though, I've never tried it. I could well be wrong.
It took 38 minutes to play and it did play all 40 choruses with 32 bars.
Someone else needs to try 40 choruses with 255 bars. I'm done with it.
Uh, no thanks. I guess if you wanted to get 38 minutes of practice time in playing the same chord progression over and over this would be a good idea. I imagine you would know the song quite well by the end of that!!
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
My understanding is that the "Number of choruses" is a way around the 255 bar limitation. I think this happens because each chorus is exactly the same and the song doesn't have to generate new material for each bar. I've always visualized that during the generation process, each chorus is stitched onto the previous one to make a kind of audio patchwork quilt. To be honest, though, I've never tried it. I could well be wrong.
Regards, Noel
This is a revelation, that it actually works to play for 38 minutes.
To your question, I haven't tried this either, but I would expect a few differences. For example, if you had the setting on for Vary the Feel in the Middle Choruses (or whatever like that it's called), then you would have at least two choruses that would be different, or in other words 80 unique measures out of the 255 limit. And I'm assuming the limit is still there, or it would have been quite a major announcement. Something to experiment with, I guess.
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.
Did you have the song looped? If so, would you have noticed if you weren’t spending those full 38 minutes listening? I’m not trying to be cute here; it’s a genuine question since I’m still trying to figure out what really happens.
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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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!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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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With your version 2026 for Mac 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!
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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)
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!
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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.
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!
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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.
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Last time I did that, I got yelled at. 
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