Hello Fellow BIAB users. I am running Windows 10 with Mbox for interface. My BIAB 2022 has been running fine but now I click on the icon & it comes up with the message: format type=17 & then freezes. I cannot get into the program. Any ideas are appreciated!
I'm not familiar with this message, but I suspect it may need assistance from PG Music staff to resolve. However, I would also try uninstalling and reinstalling the program first.
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.
If you wish to investigate a little deeper, take a look at some of the logs Band-in-a-Box maintains at bb/Data/Logs. Do any of them show the date of the last time you tried to start the program? BBWERROR.LOG details any errors Band-in-a-Box encounters. FlashMessagelog.txt records the yellow, green and red informational messages displayed by the program. PluginScanlog.log details what plugins were found and what issues were encountered during the last plugin scan.
The content of all three of those files can be viewed using Notepad or any other text viewer.
Something else to try: With BiaB not running (close the task with task manager if required), rename these two files: intrface.bbw MySetup.dk
Here is a video that shows the steps:
You will probably need to reset your Audio driver settings after restarting BiaB.
(Tip: The files will most likely be in your \bb\preferences\ folder) Hope this helps.
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.
Does the error message look like this? Does the message disappear if you click [OK]?
That error message shouldn't appear if you have the Show Warning for Untested Soundcard Formats setting unchecked. If you can get Band-in-a-Box to run, go to Options > Preferences, Audio, Audio Drivers... to change that setting. Or return to factory settings because that setting defaults to off.
Questions.. is the mbox a very old version or new ? if you peruse pro recording sites like gearspace.com youll see often studios might encounter probs with older audio interfaces. even if they have used said interfaces for ages.
if old you might consider a new interface. ive never seen this problem in many years using biab. i'm useing biab 2022 like you.
fyi heres a list of modern interfaces that work well. (best to rent before buying to ensure compatibility with your rig..)
however if all has been working well with the mbox/biab combo before you encountered this problem…please post the steps you were executing on your pc when you encountered the pg '17' message/problem. it would help. you clicked on the pg biab icon ? to open biab ?
in addition it might help people help you more easily (includeing pg support) if you posted pics of your biab audio settings, and your windows recording/playback settings, and your mbox driver control panel if you have one.
fyi personally when useing biab i ensure everything is set to 44.1/16 bit. you might want to check your settings thus in windows and on the mbox. if you respond that biab has worked fine with your mbox for ages then possibly a setting has changed inadvertently in win or biab or in the mbox control panel. ive seen this many times on pc's. sometimes something works great for years then suddenly..probs. if this turns out to be the case, i find it best to note down or take a pic of all win settings, all usb interface settings, and all biab settings.
hth/ymmv/best/happiness
om ps if your win pc has never been optimised for music production..there are various guides on the net…eg
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
If that's the message that the O/P is seeing then it would have been possibly easier to diagnose if the entire message text could have been provided.
However, the O/P stated: "...it comes up with the message: format type=17 & then freezes. I cannot get into the program." So I presumed from that statement that the program never properly completed its startup.
It would be great if the O/P could update us with the status/progress.
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.
yes it would be nice if larry gave more detailed info…and steps to reproduce the problem. ive never had this occur. read on for more thinking.
FYI.
from what i can see i dont think one can even buy a new mbox these days eg sweetwater. and it seems there are vids on you tube on how to get an older mbox working in 2022 on win 10. just one reason i suggested a new interface. if larry is using an old mbox. ..even though he has run mbox successfully for many years, maybe a win 10 update has done something.
OR one thought i had was, is , if larry is running mbox then he might be using pro tools as his main daw multitrack software. if so it might be a setting has been made on the mbox for pro tools in the mbox hardware or software but not been reset for non pro tools audio apps. (search various pro recording forums eg gearspace.com bout using older mboxes.)
as i see larry is in LA. one aspect to consider also is maybe larry is exchanging pro tools projects with other studios using pro tools…which is an added aspect. sorta like i can send a biab or realband song project to other pg users but i cant if a user isnt useing biab/rb.
a final thought is, and pg techs can correct me, and tell me i'm full of it…but that 'format 17' message i suspect is related to wave format files ? ie audio ? which leads me to wonder if larry might have tried to drop a audio file from pro tools onto the biab icon…thats not a standard *.wav format ? or maybe its related to the wav 'header' , a corruption maybe ? or relateing to unsupported bit depths and/or sampling rates ? i would love to hear from pg, as ive never seen it, what does '17' relate to ? call it 'nerdy interest' lol'...
frankly there are many new superb super affordable interfaces on the market these days that work a treat with all daw apps. (i posted the pg links previously up thread). thats the route i would take.
all we can do is wait for more info from larry.
happiness
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 08/10/2203:25 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
I suspect that we have only been provided with a fragment of the total story.
Maybe it's related to a recent Windows update, or a BiaB upgrade or a configuration change or more.
Maybe there is more information available in the error message that hasn't been disclosed yet?
I do hope the O/P comes back with clarifications.
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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