Hello Ian. For a newbie, I think you have a good grasp of things.

There are settings in BIAB (Opt., Preferences, Arrange) to adjust the emphasis for pushes, shots and holds, but these settings affect only MIDI tracks.

Different RealTracks have different emphases of these elements, as real players would (which is what they are). Keep auditioning. And, if the emphasis that offends you is only in a RealDrum track, it is possible for you to modify that.

You asked if this is the ONLY way to get chords on the "and" of a beat. No, it isn't; there are some workarounds you can try. One way is the treat what would sound as one measure by using two measures. This effectively gives you eight chords per measure. Bob 'Notes' Norton even developed a line of aftermarket styles to exploit this technique. You can experiment yourself by adjusting the style and tempo accordingly when you use the Edit, Expand Durations by 2. Some styles will work, some won't - you have to experiment.

Your question is also related to what may be one of the most frequently requested items in the Wishlist, to have more than 4 chords per measure. If you had more subdivisions (such as the trick mentioned above), then you would have control over pushes because they would be just another 'normal' chord.

I hope this helps give you a little more perspective.

BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.