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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 303
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 303 |
After trying out several similar programs (ok,BIAB is a very unique program,but that does not make it necessarily the best) , I have realized a few things about BIAB. Not everybody will agree,but here's my list of the things I'd like to see in BIAB,and the things I really dislike (ehm,hate ,actually  ) about it. Let's start with what I really like about it: 1. It's an invaluable learning tool. Very educative. I am certainly no beginner in the music field,but I always like to learn. I wrote a commercial a few weeks ago by analizying a Django Reinhart tune that was feature in BIAB. I don't claim that BIAB wrote the music,I take the credits for creating my music (in fact,this feature of BIAB even coming up with a TITLE for the tune,is a bit too much, I think! But hey,if you don't want to use the feature,no one forces you to,right?' 2. Loads of styles and loads of add-ons. Great choice: there's a bit of everything. Classical,jazz,etc 3. A very good manual,and best of all, a stellar collection of videos,an area that even years ago, PG Music was miles ahead even compared to Steinberg and Cakewalk,whose absolute disregard for free videos but no disregard for 'passionless' manuals always make me think these people never actually made any music. 3. You can type in the chords ! That to me was a real innovation. 4. VST and ASIO support now,the things I really dislike about it: 1. The program is overbloated with options. Changing a zillion little things isn't the way..... I remember that years ago,someone said this,and I disagreed with him. Sorry man! You were 120 per cent correct! What matter is directness and speed of implementation,and a certain economy in the interface. A composer wants to get to the nitty-gritty. (who has time for everything? There's only time for the most important things. ) I think that people that have to meet schedules,would all agree that a feature is only good if it helps to stimulate inspiration and if it stimulates the user to actually write music,and bypass all the 'wordly' concerns....in other words,I want to carry out whatever operation on the program,in a few steps as possible. I have used BIAB for years,but did I ever 'explore' all the zillions options? No,I didn't, I had other things I had to learn and deal with : harmony,etc....and I am glad I did Writing music is ALL that matters. A clean interface stimulates concentration and clarity. What does a good student does,when he wants to study a certain topic? (whether or not it's music). He'll clean his desk and get rid of all the distractions. It helps to focus. The guys at PG Music are great because they try to make their customers happy and they care about their users. It is demonstrated by the constant additions to the program. That's really great,I am not saying 'don't add features' ,but I think they should be added with great care. 2. I don't like the mixer. I don't like these numbers,I 'd like to see a row of SLIDERS and something that looks like a mixer. We want to move sliders,to change the volume,not enter numbers. 3. The Sequencer..... God. The one on my 1989 Ensoniq SQ1 looked almost as bad. I press Seq,and that terrible little Windows thing comes up. Where are the tracks? I mean,graphical tracks? 4. The intros.....they are really lame. I think that this philosophy about making a program that 'always plays something different when you hit ,again, Play ' is a bit of a limitation. Yamaha arrangers are not as 'interactive',but the intros sound great. I mean, this 'endless possibility' thing about BIAB always playing something different,is a bit of an illusion. I want to hear ONE intro that sounds great,not 30 of them where all that is happening,are two bars with a tonic and a dominant chord. Don't get me wrong, BIAB is a fantastic program,and it's not to be compared to other ones,because it does his own thing. But the fact that One Man Band can import Yamaha styles (and thus great intros can be heard -and studied- ) or that the interface in Songtrix Gold is so incredibly 'musical' ,clear,clean ,and 'to the point' make that program have something unique too. You just click on a bar and you hear the part played by that instrument. It feels like a musician is playing it because you asked. The piano roll shows events separately for each track. In BIAB, i import a midi file,I hit Piano Roll,and I see a wall of notes from all the instruments at the same time. The mixer in Songtrix looks like a mixer. BIAB eats Songtrix for breakfast as far as number of styles and add-ons go. The add ons are important....you are given the choice to implement something in the program,but only if you want it. Also,Songtrix doesn't even support ASIO and VST instruments yet,although I think that the guys at Songtrix are working on it. But I still love that interface. I wrote more music with that in a week than all the music I wrote in 6 months. I love BIAB and this post is only intended as a contructive criticism. Obviously I am underlining the criticism more,but BIAB also has fantastic innovations that other programs can only dream about....Realtracks,for example. BIAB is a great program and an invaluable learning tool....i just hope it will be more direct to use ,more oriented toward stimulating musical composition (I mean written by the user! ) I'd start with a cleaner interface and a mixer....  So what do you love and what you like less about BIAB ?
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Entire Thread
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What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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avatars_the_titletrack
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01/10/09 09:57 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Rob Helms
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01/27/09 12:51 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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jcspro40
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01/27/09 09:40 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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vzudell
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02/02/09 09:26 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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WesLong
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02/07/09 01:12 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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MikeK
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02/17/09 12:41 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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abaudio
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03/20/09 03:45 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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dan le
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03/20/09 08:44 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Dru
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04/09/09 08:18 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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abaudio
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04/10/09 12:19 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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beatlejohn
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04/16/09 09:06 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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raymb1
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02/09/09 03:15 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Texrat
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02/11/09 03:09 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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FirstBassman
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05/04/09 08:52 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Edward Buckley
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05/05/09 08:18 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Mac
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05/06/09 12:29 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Donsta
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05/09/09 10:33 AM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Mac
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05/09/09 02:38 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Rob Helms
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05/09/09 10:44 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Donsta
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05/11/09 05:55 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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filkertom
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05/13/09 04:07 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Mac
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05/13/09 07:10 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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filkertom
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05/13/09 09:49 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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Mac
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05/13/09 11:25 PM
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Re: What do you like,and what do you er, hate about BIAB ?
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filkertom
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05/14/09 10:04 AM
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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 and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
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 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 Windows or for Mac.
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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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 because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
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!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
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!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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