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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5 |
The only practical way I have been able to find to use BIAB is with the Microsoft Synth. The other stuff takes for-e-ver to get ready to play *every* time. Has that been fixed? I really do appreciate this product and have used it a lot over the years. What can I use that has pretty good sound, or do I have to keep using the old synth sound when I want a glorified metronome for practice? I have used the Real Whatever bass sound on recordings. I played it once, recording it out to my standalone digital recorder. That's the only use I've gotten out of the Real XXX stuff.
Last edited by bugbuster; 01/01/12 03:46 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,645
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Bugbuster,
I'd check this with the PG Music sales staff but if memory serves me correctly, in 2009, the RT generation was completed before play started. This meant that there was a waiting time. These days, there's an option in the RT preferences called "Speed up generation of Realtracks". What this does is that it allows the song to start before the full RT generation is completed. Once the song starts, the RTs continue being generated in the background. To use this feature to full advantage, though, the computer needs to have sufficient processing power. There is also a new audio stretching and shrinking procedure that PG Music use in 2012.
To give you and idea of starting time, I just generated a 69 bar song of mine that has four RTs and RDs and it took around 5 - 6 secs for the count-in to start.
What are the specs of your computer (processor speed, memory, operating system)? Also, how long does it take a typical song to generate and start on your present set-up?
Regards,
Noel
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,043
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I do believe that the "Freeze" Option is new since 2009. This was one of the biggest impacts to loading RT time since now it only loads onetime when the file is first created, after that its immediate. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,625
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,625 |
I agree with Noel and Dan. There's no question in my mind that RealTracks load faster now than they did in version 2009, providing you are using a reasonably fast computer. There are now several "speed settings" in the Preferences, RealTracks dialog.
For the ultimate in speed, the audiophile version loads somewhat faster than the regular version, since uncompressing of .WMA files is not required.
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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10
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Newbie
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10 |
Loading times for RealTracks appear to be much improved in 2012 vs. 2009
I just upgraded from 2009 to 2012, and the loading times for RealTracks are quick enough now that I can work with them full time. In 2009, they were slow enough that it was very frustrating. I would seek out MIDI tracks to avoid the wait. So close, and yet so far.
Freeze was handy for things that were 'in the can.' But I always felt boxed in when I froze a track, so I avoided it whenver I could.
Just looking around the preferences menu, I can see that the 'speed up generation of realtracks' option is checked in the RealTracks preferences, so it's enabled by default on installation. If that's the secret in the sauce, it's working.
Depending on your computer, YMMV. But I don't feel hampered by the load times for 2012 like I did for 2009.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,645
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,645 |
Hmm... anther acronym!
Doug, what does YMMV mean (for future reference)?
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616 |
I've gotten amazing performance boost on my 7 year old XP machine by doing the following:
- Decompress the RTs that I use
- Enable the +/- RealTracks option (the newer RTs don't have these)
- Decompress the RDs that I use
- Defragment the RD/RT drive(s)
A 4 minute song containing two RTs completely generates in about 8 seconds. Before, it took about 30 seconds. You can speed this up further by Freezing the RTs. Granted this will gobble up disk space but, if available, well worth it.
Speed up generation and tempo stretching RT options are disabled.
R
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,850
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YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,645
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Posts: 20,645 |
Quote:
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary
Thanks, John. I would never have managed to work that one out!
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
kilomeratige outside of the u-essay.
Give him a centimeter and he'll take a kilometer.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 348
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 348 |
I run a Windows XP machine, and have noticed a marked improvement in loading times of songs using RealTracks. I find I'm more willing to choose a RealTrack style now then I was in the past with older versions of Band In A Box. A question though. How much more space do the RealTracks take up uncompressed? Even though the RealTracks load much faster, even faster would be better.  Tim
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,625
Veteran
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Posts: 27,625 |
I think it's about 10 to 1 in size, .WAV to .WMA. It's hard to say exactly since the compression seems to vary instrument by instrument, looking at a sample of the RealTracks I have.
By the way, Rachael mentioned uncompressing the .WMA files. Although by doing this the quality of the sounds does not change, you do benefit from the same small speed boost that the audiophile version would give you. BIAB looks for a .WAV file and uses it if it finds one; otherwise, it uses the .WMA file, which takes a bit of time to uncompress.
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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 581
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 581 |
Keep in mind also, that once a generated part is a 'keeper', freeze the track(s) you like and next time it loads, will be much faster since no regeneration occurs on frozen tracks.. but I'm guessing you already knew this ?
oops... Jazzmandan already posted this... sorry.
Last edited by MitchC; 01/02/12 11:24 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,026
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Mine sure loads faster or starts playing sooner while it's regenerating .
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,278
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Quote:
kilomeratige outside of the u-essay.
Just remember that satellites got lost due to this outdated u-essay idiosyncrasy ...
Martin
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Posts: 8,333 |
What is odd to me, is that the USA, severed all TIES to Britain, the King was a tyrant and despot, so there was a revolution.
In the mean time countries started doing metric, and now only the USA and maybe 1/2 of another country use BRITISH measure, called Imperial measure.
That's plain weird. Of course if we buy something made in the USA, like a car, they have to make it metric to sell it here.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,653
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We do what we want down here. No standards and measures needed, as it detracts from the confusion. Selling a car that gets 40 MPG is easier than selling one that gets 17 KPL
Last edited by rharv; 01/02/12 01:56 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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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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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
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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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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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
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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