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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2007
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OP
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I've put off posting this for a long while. I had two pages of detailed notes to back it up, which I managed to misplace. ADD sucks. So here's the short version. (I'm breaking it out from the MIDI Styles thread so we can get a true gauge of the response. And if I ever find my original notes I'll be sure to post them here. Mostly it has to do with fairly obscure artist names in case you wanted to do some deep research. )
The people who make these kinds of music* are often classically trained. Sometimes you have to listen closely to know (Enya, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream); other times it's obvious (Kitaro, William Orbit, Robert Miles).
The point is, there is potentially a great deal of crossover among these genres, to the point that revoicing patches from natural instruments to synths (Walter Carlos, Tomita) and vice versa can be all the difference that's needed. Take most any of them and slow them down and you have a useful ambient thing going. Speed them up and you're in rave city. Hybridize them and there are no boundaries.
This can make it real economical for the PG developers. I'd like to see dozens more Styles in this area. It may sound like a fringe investment, but I believe that a lot of customers would make good use of them. (Actually, I'd like to develop them myself, but I'd rather spend time making music than be learning the sorcery of the Style Maker.)
The selfish truth is that I get a lot of inspiration from PG's "techno" offerings and I'm hungry for more. Some of my best stuff is based around a handful of them. I'd love to just be able to scoop them up and go crazy(er). Do it for me/us, please. I promise I'll make beautiful music for you.
Signed,
Ryszard ze artiste
*Techno is in quotes in the subject line because PG Music uses it to cover an awful lot of synth-driven styles that covers my area of interest, not just the narrowly defined subgenre that is actually called techno.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 64
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 64 |
+1
I agree. I sometimes am discouraged by the number of comments I see that assume the most important capability of MIDI is to emulate traditional instruments. I am most entertained by the things that are impossible for traditional instruments to accomplish and can only be done by MIDI and computers. These are new capabilities that can advance music into new territory and create new genres.
However, I don't think this forum is the best place to look for people who share this view because I don't believe it is frequented by a representative cross-section of BIAB users. We all understand that the regular forum contributers are typically older and not much interested in new sounds or new genres.
But a lot of this can already be accomplished by simply ignoring the BIAB style labels and GM instrumention and substituting unexpected MIDI sounds and patches along with new loop capabilites. This can definitely make any MIDI style sound completely different than its original intent. That to me is the most important argument for MIDI development in addition to more RealTracks.
But it sure would be nice to see these concepts appreciated in new MIDI style development.
+1
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,779
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,779 |
A super big +1 I am a big fan of Kitaro, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk and Tomita. Another one of my favorites is David Arkenstone. I am a huge fan of New Age, Classical and Ambient music. One tip I can give is that if you take some styles, slow the tempo down to 40-50bpm and replace the sounds with synth pads you can extract some very good New Age and Ambient songs. But it is a hit or miss situation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cxp-I will agree that some here view midi as dead and choose to use RealTracks. Many, I believe, view midi synths as emulators of acoustic instruments. While with enough money invested in sounds and midi controllers synths can become good acoustic emulators they expect the same thing to happen with GM and it ain’t! I will also respectfully disagree about this being the wrong place to share this. The more diverse BiaB can become the larger the potential sales. Also the latest improvements in BiaB on the midi side tells me that they also think midi is alive and well. I should let you know that I am one of the older members here and I always have been interested in new sounds and genres. In fact I incorporated and played a midi guitar controller with three tone generators in my wedding band years ago and great success doing so. Please don’t try to stereotype all of us old timers  
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,610
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,610 |
+1
Yeah, I'm an older member also (55) and I love the Kraftwerk, etc stuff. Dabbled around a lot with Reason (Richard knows). Adding these type of styles to BIAB would GREATLY enrich our creative horizons.
I have been mainly using RTs, etc, simply because the MIDI styles are lacking what is being requested here. The only reason I would want to do something in MIDI would be in Techno/New Age/Ambient, etc Genres. I am not interested in trying to emulate things like a sax or a guitar in MIDI... that's where I use RTs.
Cheers,
Mike
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,026
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I'm an old guy too, never even heard of any of these bands. I use RT's all the time, but sometimes to get exactly what I want use MIDI. I use sounds that were born MIDI when I do, cause emulated sounds don't sound very good to me unless you are a "Very Talented" controller player. I still think it's important part of PG music to continue MIDI development like the new Super Tracks. I'm all for anything to make better music, more genres and ST's = equals mo happy campers. So 1+ for me too Ryszard!
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,031
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,031 |
+1 Can definately use those types of styles - all the time. Maybe could be based around the new midi supertacks. Kevin 
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
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Hammer Dulcimer real tracks would be useful in celtic, new age and other similar genres
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Styles and RealTracks Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
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OP
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Posts: 3,926 |
I just listened to the Real Tracks Set 158 Modern Dance Pop demo on the home page. I am impressed. Sonically this is a huge step in the right direction. The only possible improvements would be to have them available as MIDI tracks (if they aren't already) so they could be revoiced, and, of course, to have more related Tracks/Styles, also as MIDI. Well done.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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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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Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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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)!
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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-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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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- 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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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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 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
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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.
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 as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
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.
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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