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RealBand
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,989
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2009
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I am considering buying BiaB 2009 w/ Real Tracks. (mega paks) I have the demo which is 2007 demo.
I know nothing about Biab/RT. I have been using a Cakewalk product with much success. I have a Firewire Saffire recording interface for mid & audio input with really low latency. My main reason for considering Biab & RT is for the decent sounding instruments...like dobro, fiddle, pedal steel, and other instruments.
I guess my question is If I get Biab/RT, (I might be off course on this) I could import an MP3 track created in cake.... drums, guitar, vocals, and then I would desire to create a new track in Biab/RT using the instrument sounds.... sax, fiddle, whatever..... so could I send my midi in to Biab to use it as a soft synth to create either a midi or convert it to a wave audio for export back into my DAW?
Am I on target with this of completely off course...... if so...what is the best way to use Biab RT to create audio instrument tracks for use in my DAW projects?
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
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Joined: May 2000
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You can do it in many ways.
*Export MIDI tracks from BIAB as MIDI file to open in Cakewalk and continue working, recording your own tracks to the backing, etc.
*Export RealTracks as WAV files, separate tracks to import into the Cakewalk session.
*Convert MIDI tracks to wav file first and export to Cakewalk as wav files.
*Any combination of the above.
--Mac
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
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Make sure you understand the difference between BIAB with Real Tracks & Real Band with Real Tracks.
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RealBand
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815 |
BIAB/RB has the "chord wizard" that accepts audio files and tries to create the beat and chord structure of the audio file in BIAB. If you have a midi file from cakewalk, that would work even better. The Chord wizard feature can be tricky at times. Once you have the correct chord structure in BIAB/RB, you can add real track instruments to your heart's content. Here's an example of a song Letha sent me and I used the auto chord wizard and then added dobro and fiddle (and a little guitar/harp from me): http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7426062 . She use a little drum machine, so the tempo stayed nice and steady. Kevin
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Since this is the Real Band forum, let me focus on that because you get RB with the package. Consider Real Band as Cakewalk with Band in a Box combined in the same program. All you need to do is save your Cake project as a midi file and then open it up in RB. RB will use the same synth you used in Cake or you can use different synths if you like. Once you have the file open, you have everything on it's own track just like any other sequencer. Here's the really neat part. You can now select a Biab style, right click any empty track then select either a midi instrument or a Real Track instrument and create a track using that style. Oh, yeah you have to make sure the chords are set up properly in the chord grid. Anyway, you have 48 total tracks to create as many different instrument tracks as you want using several different Biab styles to go with what you've already done in Cake. This gives you a ton of options to choose from in your final mix. If there's a track you don't like, select a different style and try it again.
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.
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RealBand
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,845
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Hey herb, how's it goin' ? BiaB is a great track bed arranger, as is RB. RB is just MC on steriods. The typical DAW side of RB is very much like MC, as it is DX based, and will use TTS, or VSC and allow you to use some sound fonts. I have had issues with SFZfree in it so far as the VSTi implimentation is a little behind MC to date, but the folks here are working on that issue. The other issues is that it does not use Jamstix as well. The jam feature does not work, it will act as a midi drum synth though. The real advantage to BiaB and Rb is in the ability to type in the chords and generate a basic song by style. And to take an audio track and anylize it with the chord wizard and find the chords. Adding Real drums and real tracks is a great add on as well. Over at Music Town there are links to some nice tutorials for these programs.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 70
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 70 |
What is this Music Town that you speak of?
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RealBand
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Music Town is a small web site i have where a few of us store tutorials, and tech notes, and ideas. We have a chat box there and use it at times to help Newbies with software setup and other issues.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 70
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 70 |
How can we access the tutorials? It may help close some gaps for me.
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RealBand
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,845
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Stephan, here is the link for the original stuff Ray did here. http://rsthigpen.com/free/
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 70
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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!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
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Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
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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.
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®!
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This Free Bonus PAK includes:
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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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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- 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
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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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