|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129
Expert
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,129 |
When and why do you leave RealBand to use another sequencer - if you leave it at all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,031
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,031 |
Joe I leave it to use the sequencer I've always used and got used to - Cubase or Reaper. Realband is great if that is all you want or have to use, but I find it quicker to work in Cubase as that is where I've always done my composing. Realband is the relatively new kid on the block here compared to Band In A Box. Mostly these days I generate realtracks straight from Band In A Box and transfer these to Cubase where I will cut and paste to achieve what I need. I will do the same with the new Midi Supertracks. Any vocals or instrumental overdubs I usually do in Cubase also. Some of my songs can be found at :- My SoundClick page Kevin 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 886
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 886 |
There are 2 reasons I never liked Real Band or Power Tracks Pro....lack of VST effect support and the GUI. I have a good amount invested in VST effects and want to use them darn it! LOL
I got into a workflow of writing the song, using BiaB to create the backing tracks I need, rendering them down to .wav files, and then importing them into my DAW where I find it a LOT easier to work with.
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926 |
As I work primarily in MIDI I haven't done more than poke a stick at RB. RB works well as far as it goes, but I think it lacks certain automation and effects capabilities which I am used to. Workflow used to be BIAB 200x ported into Propellerhead Reason 3, then Rewired into Steinberg Nuendo (Cubase's big brother). Now that Reason 6+ has incorporated audio it has become my primary sequencer. Theoretically I can do things in two steps instead of three. There are various limitations which necessitate the use of more than a particular set of software. PG products don't have Rewire and only partially implement VST technology. Reason functions as a Rewire slave only and doesn't use VST at all. My old version of Nuendo won't run on my new DAW (dongle won't fit, and it may not run on a 64-bit system anyway). Now that I have BIAB/RB 2012.5 I can see myself making more use of RB for drums, but I still need Reason for its soft synth and advanced effects capabilities. (That MIDI thing, don't y'know.) I'll try to stick to PG products and Reason for a while, but if I ever truly need Rewire I'll have to include Reaper or another Rewire-equipped sequencer. If you're curious about what Rewire is and why it is important to me, check out this brief article on the Propellerhead website. It has been on the PG Wishlist for some time. I think that once you grok it you'll want it too.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
The key word to this discussion is "composing". Real Band provides me the backup band so I don't have to bring people in. (I don't like having people in my house.) All the plugins I really use are the ones that came with Sonar and Izotope Ozone, and I can use those in Real Band on the master bus. When I DO leave RB I go to Sonar but that is only after the RB stuff is saved to a stereo wav file and I am just tweaking it with Ozone.
I play almost nothing live anymore, and I define "composing" as the creation of the song. Once it is "composed", adding sweetening tracks are not "composing" anymore in my mind. It's already written and I am just filling it out. This is the reason I love RB. I can add live tracks just as easily in RB as Sonar. RB is ready to rehearse at a moment's notice when I am since it lives right in my house. It never shows up late and/or drunk, and I only had to pay it once. Great tool for moving stuff from napkins and envelopes and voice mails I sent myself into viable, tangible music.
I particularly appreciate the drums. I simply don't have hours in a day to be programming drum machines or snipping drum loops from the drum loops discs I have. Sitting there auditioning if "16th fill with snare and high toms" is the right loop of the 5000 to pick from. They are 2 second looks, but that is 10,000 seconds, or 166 hours, to sift through drum wav files. Let Real Drums do it, and I can add stuff by manual tap mode form my Roland drum machine later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Quote:
When and why do you leave RealBand to use another sequencer - if you leave it at all.
I don't even though I have Sonar Home Studio and Reaper. There's flaws with Real Band but until you completely understand it to the point you become one of the main guys anwering question here about it you won't know if those things matter to you or not. Automation? It's cool but for what I do I'm not switching. VST support? Contrary to what you read here RB has very good VST support. If there's some VST plugin that won't work inside RB it's usually a freebie somebody downloaded from somewhere that hasn't been updated in like 6 years and it's a conflict with your interface, nothing at all to do with RB. The only VST problem is tempo matching. Say you want to use a delay effect and have the delay match the tempo of the song, RB can't do that. Or, you have a drum plugin like Jamstix and you want it to create the drum part for you, that also requires tempo matching. Other than that, RB handles every VST I have and I have a lot of them.
You asked about any free synths that emulate classic sounds. Those are exactly the ones you may have problems with but then Scott, Rockstar_Not is our go to guy about those. He can tell you which ones are good. I talked about Sampletank in the other thread and their $10 sale. Trust me, those synths will give you all the classic sounds you will ever need until you become a total pro with this stuff. Just listen to some of the Youtube vids about it.
My advice to you is don't even think about other software right now. Use Biab/RB until you could be a beta tester. Only then will be able to judge what's missing that you just have to have.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Jazzmammal Bob you bring up a great point. I see that complaint from 3-4 users about VST support but it's always a general statement. What specifically is this issue of which you speak? What plugin doesn't work with RB, and when was the last time you tried? The last time I had one not work, I was loading it wrong. Once I loaded it properly, it worked just fine.
JCS says this a lot, so JCS please do elaborate about what exactly doesn't work, like which VST plugin. Many inquiring minds here want to know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926 |
Tempo matching is specifically what I was referring to. This, to me, is a key feature of contemporary music production. I'd also love to try Jamstix but don't have any program that supports its full capabilities.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Don't know what that means in the context that you may mean it. Do you mean that if you record at 120 bpm and want to import a part recorded at 108 bpm you want the software to automatically sense that and do it for you? Does anything do that? I have used the time stretch several times when tracks sent to me did not line up right and needed to be fixed 2 bpm one way or the other, but pretty much isn't 120 bpm 120 bpm with anything getting it's clock from MIDI?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109 |
another consideration is money. How many music apps can you afford to keep current?
When RB first emerged, I had already invested a lot of time in learning Sonar up to version 6.0. So,
For a while I used it because I already HAD it, and I understood it. But keep in mind that all sequencers share about 90% of the same feature set. I decided it didn't make sense to keep paying for multiple upgrades every year for several programs that are very very similar. RB keeps improving, so with every upgrade I get a more robust DAW, whereas Sonar 6 stays on my computer, but never advances.
Another consideration is "which features do you use most?" Sonar has tons of features I never used, but RBs feature set is 100% usable to me. Other people here use tempo locking, so they aren't ready to abandon their other DAW because that feature is provided. But I don't use tempo locking, so RB is not deficient for my needs
Another consideration is: "which software implements the features i use most in a way that makes sense to me?" I'M a guy who mostly uses software to make covers. There are key steps in my procedure that are VERY difficult to do in Sonar and very EASY to do in RB. For example, the ability to bring a cover song directly into RB, extract the chords and map its tempo to the songs tempo is priceless to me. Likewise, the ability to quickly lay down tracks for instruments I don't even play is priceless. Sonar doesn't have that feature at ANY level of difficulty
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926 |
A specific example would be setting a delay repeat to four beats. Reason lets me do this with a switch setting, and it stays constant if I change the tempo. I guess I could do it with a calculator and figure it in msec. I'm just used to not having to do that.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,217
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,217 |
.
I use BiaB to get the song form down: AABA or AABB or whatever. Add an intro and ending. Use the Harmony tool to create 2 or 3 other parts.
Once I have this basic shape, I port over to RealBand. This is where I add most of the realracks and harmony parts. I go over the harmonies and edit for articulation. Usually I layer the harmonies across a couple different voices and turn the layers way down.
I often add percussion - maybe a few conga licks from a Realdrums, or beef up the downbeats with a MIDI bass drum. You can hear close-miked body percussion in some of my stuff.
If I like a particular lick in any of the reatracks that I like, I might hilight it and copy it a bunch of times, to every eighth measure, or bar 1 of each verse, or something. Usually on a separate track with nothing else in it.
I will often double the vocals and add chorus or reverb to the second iteration. Repeat as necessary.
Here I add any acoustic instruments recorded in my home studio.
I am likely to go back to BiaB one or more times to generate an extra Reatrack part, then import it to an empty track in RB.
...and lots of other stuff. I dont use any other DAW. There is nothing that I want that RealBand doesnt have, and no other DAW has Realtracks. For me, BiaB and Realband are two parts of a single system. Considered this way, no other DAW comes close.
If you want to hear some results, I just posted some stuff to the user showcase.
Last edited by flatfoot; 12/27/12 02:55 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 886
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 886 |
Quote:
JCS please do elaborate about what exactly doesn't work, like which VST plugin. Many inquiring minds here want to know.
First off, like mentioned above, no tempo matching
With the Plug & Mix, Some Soundtoys, Sonnox, Nectar, DDMF effects, and the Breverb, Wizoo, SIR, and Room844 reverb's, I get random crash's & lock ups, settings not holding, adjustments to settings extremely jumpy or sluggish, and a host of other things. ALL of this happened in RealBand/PT Pro since at least 2007.
All of this happened in Win XP Pro x32 & Win7 x32 & x64, on 3 different systems, 2 different sound cards, and maybe 5? different video cards, AGP, PCI, PCIx, and built in. They ranged from 128mb to 1gb of memory on the video cards, and up to 6gb in RAM. Hard drives were IDE & SATA.
A lot of folks have no problems, but I do. I DON'T have ANY problems with DXi effects from Cakewalk, and as a matter of fact they are a LOT faster in RB/PT Pro than any of my VST's are in my other DAWs.
I tried every fix either suggested on here, thru support, etc and tho it DID help at times, VST effects have never ran smoothly FOR ME in RB/PT Pro
Bottom line is I now have a workflow that fits me, and I can switch between the program reasonably fast. I will try it again, like I always do, when the new version show up on my door step, but really I am not holding my breath for it to be any different.
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
That leads to another really good question. Isn't reverb reverb and EQ EQ? When I boost 1.6k by 3db, does it matter which EQ plug in I use? Isn't 3db the same in every EQ? Is .03ms reverb different in different plugins? Why do you need up to 8 different plug in packages?
This is a wider encompassing question that is just surfacing as I see post after post talking about these magic plugins that somehow fix bad things. If it's just a matter of what one user is used to, I understand, but to go on and on about this reverb and that reverb... it's all still reverb.
I mean, "faster"? Where'm I going that I care about "faster"? And what does "faster" mean? Loads faster? Faster for YOU to use it? Faster how?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,980
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,980 |
OK, so I guess it is my turn. I worked with RB back on day 1, when it first came out. I recall the orgins of the program to meet the simple needs of multitrack recording which BIAB was not designed to do. At the time I was already working in Protools and perfectly content. In those days there were no Real Tracks so it was a simple matter of rendering the BIAB midi track to a wave and importing into ProTools.
Then with the introduction of Win7 all hell broke loose. ProTools and the MBox were not made to be compatable with Win7. For months we screamed over in the digi forum, but then Avid purchased the company and turned a deft ear to our complaints. "So I didn't leave ProTools, Protools left me"! My tag line to this day.
But now there was RealBand. So I give it a good try. Unfortuantely, at the time it simply could not compete with the functions, features, capabiltiies and workflow of ProTools. Remember RealBand was and still is a free addon to BIAB and Protools cost more than I have spent on software to this day. So it was an unfair comparison.
So I kept looking and found the same place where many of my friends from the old Digiforum days had gone - Reaper. In a single word Reaper is - incredible! Thats all I'll say about that because this is not about that. But it does explain why I have never really come back to RealBand. I have tried to return with each upgrade over the years and it just seems RB and me do not think the same way. There are the most simple things which I can not seem to figure out how to do in RB.
So there is no bad feelings at all. I wish RB and its users the best. BIAB works with Reaper as near to being s seamless VSTi, short of being a VSTi. So my love affair with BIAB continues - I don't forsee that ever changing. But Reaper has stolen me away from RB and there is no going back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Dan, the million dollar question though is (not really a question) that you actually PLAY tracks in. You do tracks layer after layer. For those of us without the skills, Reaper, Protools, Logic, Sonar... they just sit there waiting for manual input that won't be forthcoming. So that leads me to what IS a question. Where do you get your drums? Where do you get your bass? Your piano? Drums alone, to sit at a drum machine and program, would take me a week per song. Are you recording a real drummer with 8 mics to get your drums?
I guess what I am not following is the generic term "work flow". Where does your work flow begin, with nothing down or after something has generated tracks?
If it is the latter, then the reason I rarely leave RB is that once those tracks are there, I am pretty much done. I add VERY little to the program generated stuff, so little that it would take me longer to boot up another program, than just do the track into RB.
Then again, I do this in my spare time in my spare room, and you do it for a living.
This is a GREAT thread!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Quote:
That leads to another really good question. Isn't reverb reverb and EQ EQ? When I boost 1.6k by 3db, does it matter which EQ plug in I use? Isn't 3db the same in every EQ? Is .03ms reverb different in different plugins? Why do you need up to 8 different plug in packages?
You're assuming EQ is EQ and reverb is reverb?? I thought you knew better than that. Anything you insert into the signal path colors the sound. Do you think the spring reverb in your basic old school Fender Reverb amp is the same reverb in a hardware Lexicon unit that costs thousands? You are kidding, right? Why do think this Eventide unit is $1,995? Just because it's pretty?
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Eventide-Rev...amp;cagpspn=pla
Why is this AL AUdio 16 channel console 10K when you can buy a pretty good Mackie or Yamaha for $900? It's the EQ.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/411331-REG/TL_Audio_23_71006_M_4_Tube_Console.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MACKIE-1604-VLZ3...T-/170892263106
That Mackie looks pretty good to me in my bedroom but for a full blown recording studio? No way.
All these different reverb and EQ plugins are specifically designed to emulate the real ones that are parked in pro studios all over the world and some do a very good job of it. That's why T-Racks, Ozone and others cost what they do. I've seen pictures of studio racks consisting of reverbs, EQ's, compressor/limiters that cost tens of thousands of dollars. They're not spending that kind of cash for giggles. The engineer thinks they help the sound. Otherwise they would just use my Behringer mixer that cost me $129 5 years ago. It's got EQ and a DSP chip in it with about 50 different reverbs. Gee, wouldn't that work for Travis's next album?
Didn't you say you were going to take some recording courses?
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,980
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,980 |
Quote:
Then again, I do this in my spare time in my spare room, and you do it for a living.
You have me mixed up with someone else...
Other than that, your are correct, I do record. I play and I sing. Friends come in and we lay down tracks. That is fundementally what a DAW allows one to do. Real Band is a different animal indeed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Probably have you and Jazzmammal mixed up. I don't keep things like that straight very well anymore.
Over to Bob's comment, I understand that quality is different from piece to piece, but the question I asked revolved around the need for 74 different reverb plugins. If someone has the plugin that emulates the million dollar one, then why also have the one that emulates the 75 dollar one? And when it comes down to it, is .03ms not .03ms? My Alesis outboard units have 99 settings in them. It may not sound like the really expensive one, but I am also not a pro studio, and preset 03 sounds fine for me. Sometimes I use preset 11 as well. I also question how something like an echo of exactly the same length in elapsed time can have such differences that even the most esoteric of audiophiles can tell what kind of reverb created it, particularly when that time is so miniscule like .03ms, less than the time it takes to even think about batting an eye.
Much like my guitar snob friend who swore the solo he heard just HAD to be a Les Paul, and it was my Ibanez Gio through a Line 6 with grunge and echoplex. And the other one who won't even play anything but his prize SG. (PS: He can't play AT ALL. He poses really well though. He chose SG as his fave because of Angus Young. I mean, if you are going to do something that "hero worship-y", Angus Young???) If someone can tell the difference between this reverb and that one, they have my admiration.
Of all the plugins I have, I would estimate I have used maybe 5% of the possibilities. I use 2 reverb settings of the many available, and when they are right to my ears I stop playing. I simply don't need a second job playing with plugins.
People who buy the $1500 reverb unit quite possibly do it because they can. Besides which, if everything is in the box now, that's moot.
And recording classes are out. They are not offered at night and I can't afford them anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
A lot of that is true Eddie but it's also true that each one of these things are cumulative in a mix and can be the reason why your or any of our mixes don't quite measure up to what we want to hear compared to our favorite commercial stuff. Just give a very critical listen to the vocal reverb on a top commercial recording and then compare that to your Midiverb on one of your vocal tracks. Ignore the quality of the singing, just listen to the reverb tails. Huge difference. A pro reverb is clean, pristine, fades out beautifully while any $99 home reverb is noisy, grainy and a bit sloppy in comparison. Money can buy happiness sometimes. Along with the knowledge how to use that equipment. If you were to somehow find out what that studio used don't be surprised if it's that Avalon something or other that only cost four G's. If a $6-700 plugin can get close to that, awesome.
The thing with all the freebies is most are one trick pony's so yeah, you might need 20 of them to equal the presets in one good commercial one. Having all those freebies doesn't make much sense to me, I'll just buy one good one but remember to a lot of people messing around with all the free stuff is a hobby for them too. Most can afford to get what they want but they get off on finding freebies and seeing what they can do without spending anything so good for them.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-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
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 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!
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics86,306
Posts803,045
Members40,088
| |
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean