|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Hi bluray,
Have you tried the Return to Factory Settings command under the BB Options menu as suggested earlier in this thread?
That often clears up things such as you mention.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Hello, "MarioD"...
Yes, I did do a "factory reset" in BIAB, and I also re-constructed the song.
I run anti-virus scans pretty regularly using the AVG Internet Security software installed in my computer. Nonetheless, I saved the websites you notified me of in the "Favorites" folder of my browser for future use.
How do you go about updating all the drivers in your computer?
Thank you for your suggestions!
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
To everyone who reached out to help me with my problem: Noel96, Matt Finley, BarryKJ, cubanpete, VideoTrack, Guitarhacker, and MarioD…
I went ahead and re-constructed the song as “Guitarhacker” and Matt Finley suggested, which was a fine idea that yielded unexpectedly pleasing results, such as new and better (I hope!) chord progessions, a slightly different song form – from AABAA to AABA – and, in general, a strongly-felt sense of humility in the wake of all the unselfish and unflaggingly generous support you folks pitched at me. You make me want to be like you.
I’m going to have to write a song about you guys! Thank you very much for “walking with me” down this particular path…
Most sincerely,
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,021
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,021 |
This Forum really has some great contributors.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,355
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,355 |
Dear Noel96...
Well, I tried-out your suggestion, and do you know that it worked?!
I would not have thought to do that because I was reasonably assured that my computer was fast enough to handle most, if not all, of the digital music-making tasks I threw at it.
Nonetheless, your persistence at getting to the bottom of the problem is exemplary and inspiring. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
bluage Hi Bluage, I, too, would have thought that your computer was fast enough. That being said, though, your composition zooms along at a fair old pace, and that might be part of the problem. Let me explain ... When "Fast generation" of Realtracks is enabled, BIAB generates the first few bars of each track and then the song starts playing. The remaining bars of the tracks are completed as a background process while the song plays. This requires are fair bit of computer horse-power. When "Fast generation" is disabled, the tracks are fully completed before playback begins. This is why it's necessary to wait longer for the song to start. Thinking about the above made we wonder if maybe the buffer used for "Fast generation" is based on a number of bars. For example, let's say that 8 bars of each Realtrack is generated before the song starts. At a tempo of 100 bpm, this is a reasonable amount of time. When, however, the tempo becomes 200 bpm, the time is halved. If the style used is a waltz, then because there are three beats in a bar, 8 bars will pass even quicker. Under these circumstances, it might be that the buffer is not sufficient and playback completes before the tracks are completed. This would also explain the "Hour glass" cursor that shows the computer is 'thinking'. I pass these thoughts on for what they are worth. I'm glad you've got it all happening! All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,446
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,446 |
"Hour glass cursor"? That's new information. EDIT: no, it's in the first post.
My PC has the same CPU and RAM as the OP. I regularly run jazz waltzes at 200 bpm or even higher without having to use the slow settings in the RealTracks preferences. I do not have a Soloist track, though. Does this song?
Last edited by Matt Finley; 10/03/13 06:54 AM.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,285
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,285 |
Along with your AVG I would also run the free malwarebytes software. Malwarebytes catches malware that your AVG can miss. I use malwarebytes and MS Essentials and thus far I have had no problems.
My computers are made by a local computer store so I have to go to each components manufacture’s web site to get updates. If you have an over the counter computer like a Dell, HP, etc you can go the their web site for all of your driver updates.
I only update my off line music computer if I am forced to by a new piece of software; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That goes for not only drivers but for Windows also. However your computer is on line so you should update whenever there are updates.
Good luck
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school.
Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,355
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,355 |
Hi Matt, I think the hour-glass was mentioned in an early post. This song has a soloist (on the Soloist track) and Realdrums. The other tracks are midi. The tempo is 180 bpm. Personally, I wouldn't have thought that that was too taxing on the CPU. What I wrote above was purely speculative. It's simply something that occurred to me when I thought about the problem. The more I thought about it, given that the problem seemed to be solved by turning off the fast generation, it seemed to me that the background generation of the song wasn't happening fast enough. A simple test to see if what I say has any merit would be to slow the tempo down considerably, have fast generation on, generate the song and see if it plays. The song will probably sound pretty bad because Realtracks would be generated outside of their optimum tempo. It would be an interesting experiment, though. If Bluage is reading this, maybe he can try it and let us know the result  Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,446
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,446 |
Oh, yes, there it is way back in the first post, thanks. So that occurs immediately after the count-in. I wonder if the hard drive with the RealTracks was asleep? I have my Windows power options for drives set to "always on". This would only occur the first time the song was played, though.
Time for some experiments, since my PC is similar. I believe a Soloing RealTrack does tax the computer a lot more than comping tracks or RealDrums, based on watching the top of the screen while tracks regenerate. I very rarely use a Soloing RealTrack so I need to try a few at high tempo and see if I can duplicate the OP's problem.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Realtracks "raw" files are stored on hard drive.
Once a Song is generated, however, the performance that BB puts together from each Realtrack is NOT played back from the hard drive ala streaming, it is entered into RAM memory and plays back from there.
Load a Realtrack song, hit Gen/Play and watch the reported hard drive action via the little blinking LED.
Hit Play to play the song again and check out that LED again.
A bad RAM chip can cause problems then.
Also, too many resources chewing up available RAM can cause problems, for at some point the Windows Disk Swap may be invoked, a real bottleneck when the hard drive is being used as ersatz RAM.
Did not the OP say that XP is in use?
If so, you may want to try setting your system to a manual Disk Swap size rather than the "let windows handle it" setting.
This would be found in Control Panel -> System -> Hardware Manager -> Advanced.
With XP, it is a good idea to manually set the Disk Swap to be twice your physical RAM size. Okay to use round numbers. For example, if you have 2g of ram, set the disk swap for 4096.
XP cannot address more than about 2g of physical ram, BTW. Any more RAM in an XP computer cannot get used and in some configurations, may actually cause refresh problems.
Also, mixing up types of RAM to get a higher reported value may be taking a hit. For example, not using all DDR ram sticks can make the system revert to single read for all sticks, which is a LOT less than the reported value and can cause problems as reported here.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Hi, Mac...
I'm sorry to respond so late to your offer of help. Somehow I overlooked your post. Nonetheless, I did employ the "Return to Factory Settings" option.
Thank you for your constructive suggestion!
blauge
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Hello, Noel96...
Well, I certainly understand how you've acquired "Veteran" status among the forum members! Because of how you explained it, I will keep the "fast generation" box unchecked. There's nothing to be gained in trying to squeeze out the last drop of CPU processing power just to hear a song's playback start sooner.
I listened to four of your songs: "Never Again", "I Can See Tomorrow", "Dare To Dream The Impossible", and "Jamaican Moon". My affinity for the "jazz" genre increased my pleasure in listening to "Never Again". "I Can See Tomorrow" has a nice, relaxed, country music-like sound, and I also liked the strings arrangement, which possess a yearning quality that appealed to me. The lyrics for "Dare To Dream The Impossible" are truly inspiring, perhaps even more so because of the images of high-achieving individuals in history that appear in the video. Last but not least, "Jamaican Moon" is as languid and charming as its subject matter, and whoever is singing (is that you?) certainly adds a bit of passion to the proceedings.
Thank you for seeing me "out of the woods" concerning the little problem I tossed into the forum. I look forward to future communication between us.
Mosr sincerely,
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Dear Mr. Finley...
Yes, this song, "Goodbye, Cabrini Green", does have a soloist track. It's #782, Sax, Tenor, Soloist Jazz Waltz, Sw. 140, "featuring" Mr. P.J. Perry, that runs for 32 bars. The song uses style #3, J~BRUB34.STY (VintJz-Brubeck fast JzWaltz), has a tempo of 180 bpm starting with an eight-bar intro that leads into a 172 bar chorus, and there is also a Real Drums track, #24, JazzOlderWaltz^, performed by Craig Scott.
Thank you for your helpful suggestions!
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Dear "Guitarhacker"...
I just finished listening to your song, "I Know You're Up To It" on your Soundclick webpage. What a tight and polished piece of "smooth jazz" it is! The young lady who sings the vocals, Ms. Imogen Heap, has a nice, "dry cool" quality in her voice that complements the tartness of the lyrics. I really like the laid-back, yet popping feel of the rhythm section, too.
My hat's off to you, sir. Obviously, I'm partial to the "jazz" genre, but I listen to everything, so I will re-visit your Soundclick webpage and enjoy more of your music.
Thanks for your help with my forum posting.
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Hello, "Mac"...
What appears on the "Virtual Memory" window is this:
Total paging file size for all drives
Minimum allowed: 2MB
Recommended: 5373 MB
Currently allocated: 2046 MB
So, I should "set" the paging file size for C:\ drive to 5373 MB?
Thank you for your attention,
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
wouldn't hurt to set it to that.
Twice the physical ramsize is the actual recommended setting.
--Msc
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
OP
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Dear "Mac"...
Okay. I will try that.
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Sincerely,
bluage
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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 PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,734
Posts795,441
Members39,941
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean