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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2002
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OP
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Or is it possible to still use Real Instruments on a net book? Would I be better off trying use one of my older versions?
Thanks ahead of time for you time and knowledge.
The harder I work the luckier I get.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2009
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I have a msi wind and have put in 2Gb of memory and everything runs great, Real tracks, bandstand, etc...
Works like a charm
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I'm running an Acer Aspire and it has no problem with Band in a Box, I'm running that on an external hard drive that was shipped by PG music. I backed up the hard drive and it's contents to another 500 gig hard drive to be safe, but have had no issues. I have an HP big media box downstairs with 1 terabyte of drive space on two drives, 8 gigs of memory and vista, the acer is running XP.
I also have a Sony laptop that runs Ubuntu or XP media edition and the only thing I have not tried is to get the thing to run under Ubuntu and wine. It's on my to do list, but I have 2 concerts in the next 10 days so I'm concentrating on that.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I run on an old ThinkPad notebook without real instruments and it works just fine.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
Or is it possible to still use Real Instruments on a net book? Would I be better off trying use one of my older versions?
Thanks ahead of time for you time and knowledge.
This question is better answered if we knew the specs of that netbook, CPU, OS, ram, hard drive size, soundcard, etc.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Mine has 1 meg of memory, XP (vanilla), 120 gig hard drive and I use the usb external Ultra Pak. It's actually my wife's but don't tell her lol. She leaves for work at 7 a.m. and comes home at 6 p.m. so I've all day to put in back on the table beside the couch. She hated having to use one of mine. I have a son who's living here until May 1 until his new apt. is ready, and he has a killer gaming box, custom made with Vista.
And I have an HP desktop with BIG screen and sound system for music downstairs.
And a laptop the batttery died in and I'm not trying to get to do much anymore.
And a laptop that runs fine but is OLD and has a broken hinge.
My daughter has a Sony Vaio desktop in her / my office.
And my wife has the netbook, it's great for travel, fits in her purse, has wireless, I can dowload my photos etc.
So right now we have 6 computers on the home network...for 4 people. YIKES, I gotta downsize!
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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The least powerful netbook for sale today blows the doors off my 2002 Toshiba laptop, which runs everything. The Toshiba is just slow.
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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But we have no idea at this time of the age of this netbook either...
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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How old could it be? But you're right, it would be helpful to hear from the OP.
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: Oct 2008
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Expert
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Expert
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I have a Toshiba sat 105 laptop and it's working fine. I have the real tracks on an ext Iomega 500GB harddrive. I have Carbonite set to backup my BIAB songs and other music stiff as well. I do a mirror back up, using Acronis, to yet another WD ext HD once a week. All is working well so far.
Cornet Curmudgeon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 142
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OP
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Looks like I needed to give more info. I don't have a netbook but am considering buying one. I want something very portable to take to Italy with me this summer. I'd like to be able to use Real Instruments but can settle for using midi if needed. What do you recomend I look for?
Apologies and further thanks
Donsta
The harder I work the luckier I get.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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1. Don't get a Linux system, not yet anyway.
2. The Acer comes with an SD slot. If you can find an Acer with Vista, then you can stuff an 8 gig SD card in it, and it will ask if you want to use the card to speed up the computer. Just say yes.
3. I don't know your situation, but there is no DVD or CD drive on a netbook. 'Tis too small.
4. I see no great speed difference in genterating songs with ALL Realtracks between my souped up 10 gig memory Vista HP media box and the Acer other than a few seconds, like maybe 6 or something, but I 'm willing to run a speed test.
5. Band in a Box on the external hard drive is cool. I added all the thousands of band in a box music files I have, plus the 3 Norton books for Mantooths chord changes, and it works great on my accoustic piano with the wee Behringer mixer, line out to the mixer and if I'm using midi I either stick the JV1010 or the Ketron between the system with an Edirol Midi cable. I'm not doing midi in with the accoustic piano of course, but I usually set the system to transpose the music so I can play horn watching the netbook on the 2nd verse and use the piano for verses 1 and 3 out of the music books on the piano.
6. The netbook is great, lookup how to tweak speeds etc. And if using live disable the network stuff.
7. Right now I'm not able to sleep, just back from brass band practice so I'm a bit jacked up, a rye and water will cure than in 30 mins, but I'm typing this on the wife's netbook on the home wireless network, and my son is downstairs running some interent game, while my Ubuntu system is helping out with some great math problem related to a health network, cause if I'm off it for more than 30 minutes it fires up and runs pieces of some program that is running on thousands of computers to achieve mainframe type supercomputer results using distribted computing....and I see no slowdowns.
8. We took the netbook to Cuba and I took 1200 photos, mostly of old cars (wow) and dowloaded them daily to the netbook and took it to the bar, amazed the heck outta the help. Got rid of the bunch of horn oil I took and gave away.......
9. I'd buy 2 myself, one running linux and the other Vista. With the sd slot the thing runs great....and you can add a hub to boost the 2 usb ports.....
"Have Fun!" ..the quotes are due to plagerism of Mr. PG himself.
Oh and 10. I can unplug the usb hard drive with the ultra pack and in seconds start band in a box on our netbook, my hp desktop, my old laptop, or the old desktop upstairs. I can take to a friends house and run a demo. That's beyond cool because the application does not need to wright to the registry...amazing that...
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 134
Apprentice
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Put this on a thumbdrive and use it to test prospective laptops in stores. http://www.thesycon.de/eng/latency_check.shtmlIt's not foolproof but it will give you an idea. I'm betting some netbooks work fine even with realtracks. I'm not sure where in the world you live, but Costco here lets you pick up a PC and try it for 90 days, and return it if it doesn't work out. I don't know of any other place to buy with such a handy return policy.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Ok, someone who's not so tired as I am now pick a standard song, with all Realtracks.
Let's post our systems and times to generate the tracks and post them here. I at a bit of a loss what to do but maybe we need to take a standard song that came from PG music, not a classic like Satin Doll, unless we agree on the number of bars and verses.
Then I test the netbook on my USb ultrapak, and my huge new Vista Hp system with 10 gigs of memory and my Sony laptop, and you put yours against mine and we decide if we can live with the numbers. I suggest start a new thread....and when I get mobile later today I will post my times. Maybe Satin Doll with 3 verses is the ticket, it's good enough for a work out.
Or if he want's country someone else jump in...my country is limited to Canadian stuff more or less though I did play in Bands doing some 'merican country. \
Funniest thing I ever heard, we were going to play a 'casino'. So they wanted a 6 piece band, 200$ a night each. OK, so the bass guit player complains I'm stepping on his riffs. Can't help it I'm a solo keyboard guy and the left hand just goes there. So he's in a huff and I try to play with one hand but that won't work at all, don't know why, tried sitting on it, never could do it. The right hand and the left hand work together eh? So he quits in a huff, my left hand was blowing him away and I'm not really that good, but he was that bad. We did the audition, got 2 gigs, but they wanted more for less cash and I hate working past 11 anymore, so I got out.....
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Test of HP vrs Netbook
System 1
HP Intel Core Quad CPU @ 2.33GHz
6 Megs of ram
8 megs of fast chache via 8 gig SD card used by Vista 65 bit
2 500 gig hard drives
1 external hard drive with Ultra Pak provided by PG music with usb 2 connection
Test 1 Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses zzjazz style press play, starts in under 3 seconds with stick count in one Realtrack Drums
Note: midi is Ketron SD2 for both systems via Edirol usb interface.
Test 2 Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses Dream Jazz Ballad Quartet, all realband except for melody, 18 seconds to start from clicking play.
System 2
Acer Aspire Netbook 1 gig memory windows xp Home sp3 @1.6 GHz
120 gig hard drive
1 external hard drive with Ultra Pak provided by PG music with usb 2 connection (same as above just moved the unit.)
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses RealDrums only realtrack 5.5 seconds to start (about 2 seconds slower)
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses Dream Jazz Ballad all Realtracks 28 seconds to start (about 10 seconds slower)
NOTE: 1. I have not installed the software on the system it just resides on the external usb hard drive in both cases.
2. Having the song files on the computer vrs the external drive makes no difference in load times.
Question for support? Where are the audio files written, if it's back to the external hard drive via usb that might be a configurable option to override and have a temp folder elsewhere?
3. I cannot boost xp's performance via SD card the way Vista does, so with 6 gigs of memory and 8 gigs of cache boost on the desktop you see the numbers and be the judge!
Note in both cases I did use RealDrums and Satin Doll was in a directory on the Ultra Pak hard disk.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Mine writes to C: Temp, John, no matter where BIAB and the RealTracks reside.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 622
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 622 |
For XP - I suppose there is something similar for Vista.
Right-click on My Computer, and click Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Click the Environment Variables button. Edit the location for the TEMP and/or the TMP environment variables.
Jan - 12 Core AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
32GB DDR4
Win 10 64-bit
Samsung m.2 SSD Boot drive,other SSD internal and USB drives.
MOTO 2
Ketron SD90
Aerophone AE-30, Yamaha WX-7
Yamaha RX-v381amp
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 134
Apprentice
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Quote:
Test of HP vrs Netbook
System 2
Acer Aspire Netbook 1 gig memory windows xp Home sp3 @1.6 GHz
120 gig hard drive
1 external hard drive with Ultra Pak provided by PG music with usb 2 connection (same as above just moved the unit.)
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses RealDrums only realtrack 5.5 seconds to start (about 2 seconds slower)
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses Dream Jazz Ballad all Realtracks 28 seconds to start (about 10 seconds slower)
My system is a few years old. Asus Pundit.
3 Ghz (Pentium 4 single core), 2GB Ram, 2x250GB hard drives.
Software is installed on the first internal hard drive.
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses RealDrums only realtrack 4 seconds to start.
Satin Doll 32 bars 3 verses Dream Jazz Ballad all Realtracks 44 seconds to start.
I can see a netbook in my future!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Be advised that there are likely other variables besides just the brand, model, etc. that come into play here.
For example, the hard drive's housekeeping and how fragmented the realtracks files are will certainly have an impact on the loading time. There can be other reasons why two seemingly identical PCs would load the realtracks in different times also.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Ya, fragmentation. So I have left all the software alone on the portable usb drived it shipped in. So I should have no fragmentation. If your system was old (I mean experienced like me), and you loaded Realtracks and they went all over the place on the drive then a defrag might be in order. Or adding a second hard drive and doing a clean install.
The system takes getting used to, but I usually play with big pockets in a suitcoat, and the netbook fits in your pocket. I was always paranoid about losing a laptop at a gig, especially when afterwards I'm thirsty and well.....put off cleaning up.
I find I use firefox a lot and being able to zoom with ctl + so I can see the wee screen without spectacles.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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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 & 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!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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 1-10 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)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available 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 Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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.
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.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
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!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
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.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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