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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
1. UserTracks.
These are like RealTracks. You record a WAV file along to a standard BiaB song (SGU). Put it in a folder (the folder’s name is the name you want for the UserTracks), and then put the folder in the RealTracks\UserTracks folder. You can add multiple sgu/wav songs to the same folder to get more variations. OK, a few questions for Andrew or (Anybody) 1. When I look into the RT folders under (Guitar, Electric .....) I notice some of the 'RTs' files are 4, 5, 6 and up to 10+ mins long as continuous riffs. In most cases it is apparent that they are several riffs strung together to make these long RTs. (As opposed to many short .wav files)Is there a 'recommended' length that would provide the greatest support for the user (variation, lack of instant repetition etc?) A Minimum Length and a Max. Length (For guitar) 2. The 'instructions above' mention to record 'along' with a SGU. Is this simply for reference or do I actually need to 'record' in BIAB? Can't I just take a 'Style" I am familiar with or import one into a DAW for instance, choose a base BPM and record the RTs'? Then create the folder and insert all of my newly created files into it? 3. I know what a .SGU file is, but what is a sgu/wav file as described above? 4. The main naming convention in the BIAB folder for guitars is (eg6156, eg6157 etc.) Are these relevant for BIAB or simply for PG music reference? Also each file has a BTO fill associated with it. Is it needed to create one of those? Many thanks! RG
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
5. What is the difference between RTs and 'Artist' tracks? I can see how they differ in regards to how they can be manipulated based on the description, but will there be a tutorial to show the actual differences? Thank you!~
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
6. What about sample rate and bit depth? is 16/44.1 the norm for RTs? In other words to play well with other RT's?
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,792
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Joined: Aug 2006
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These are great questions. I am planning on making some UserTRack Oohs and Aahs for backing vocal tracks. It would be nice to see what it actually takes to make one. I am just guessing but i imagine when the rush dies down maybe a tutorial video?
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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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
I was actually the first to make one.I put a post on how to make a basic one. You should try that first to get your feet wet.
Making RTs is going to be as complex and in depth as the whole program. BIAB is a very, very easy prog to get results out of. Type in some chords, pick a style and press play. We all know it's more complex then that. making your own Rts is easy but can also become very complex. Start at the beginning. Make a simple on first from my tutorial.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
I was actually the first to make one.I put a post on how to make a basic one. You should try that first to get your feet wet.
Making RTs is going to be as complex and in depth as the whole program. BIAB is a very, very easy prog to get results out of. Type in some chords, pick a style and press play. We all know it's more complex then that. making your own Rts is easy but can also become very complex. Start at the beginning. Make a simple on first from my tutorial. Thanks John. I sincerely appreciate the tutorial. The 'complex' or depth is what I am prepped for. Looking / listening to the RTs as a whole I can see the intent, approach and mindset behind a full set of custom high-quality well recorded RTs. That part I am genuinely excited about. The basic 'mechanics' behind the application I need to manage. Ill start from the bottom and work my way up, LOL. Cheers.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
I was actually the first to make one.I put a post on how to make a basic one. You should try that first to get your feet wet.
Making RTs is going to be as complex and in depth as the whole program. BIAB is a very, very easy prog to get results out of. Type in some chords, pick a style and press play. We all know it's more complex then that. making your own Rts is easy but can also become very complex. Start at the beginning. Make a simple on first from my tutorial. Thanks John. I sincerely appreciate the tutorial. The 'complex' or depth is what I am prepped for. Looking / listening to the RTs as a whole I can see the intent, approach and mindset behind a full set of custom high-quality well recorded RTs. That part I am genuinely excited about. The basic 'mechanics' behind the application I need to manage. Ill start from the bottom and work my way up, LOL. Cheers. Once you have confidence that it works then you can start experimenting and implementing more and more. You'll eventually learn the mechanics. I don't think anyone yet knows the total mechanics involved for complex parts.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 204
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 204 |
THR, Check out Paul Franklin's take on how he created the RealTracks we hear on BB. Fact or Fiction? Go to The Steel Guitar Forum/Band In A Box/Learning From Paul Franklin Samples. Last post was 10-13.  It is interesting anyway.------Leon
Last edited by Leon Carpenter; 12/06/13 09:23 AM.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
THR, Check out Paul Franklin's take on how he created the RealTracks we hear on BB. Fact or Fiction? Go to The Steel Guitar Forum/Band In A Box/Learning From Paul Franklin Samples. Last post was 10-13. It is interesting anyway.------Leon Thanks Leon. Sure, that is exactly as I would presume, or some variation of it. As a career musician it is easy to hear the 'find and retrieve' indexed/cataloged etc.. method that BIAB is doing to create audio phrases. The lack of consistency or themes in the 'musicality' in a longer progression is always apparent. Still, this is no detriment to the progress of the program IMO. There are few 'solos' that would actually be pieced together, crafted in the real world like the ones created by BIAB. PG has created a method by which this works pretty well as a bonafide musicians/songwriter 'support' tool and IMO has done some very creative and groundbreaking audio bending with BIAB. This 'connecting' the pieces could only be possible by approaching the recording of the BIAB instruments with this forethought. I am positive massive hours of R&D took place to determine how to record phrases for the program to best utilize the written code. That in itself is what impresses me. When I heard we could record our own RTs, I was excited because I personally can 'reverse' engineer the pre-recorded RT files and create my own to match. I understand the intent even if i do not have the details. But as is, I was mistaken to some degree. The method by which 'user tracks' will be recorded and implemented seems less complex and actually a different function altogether. That is speculation, but it seems that way. Anyway, I appreciate PG music, BIAB and the massive support it offers. It has been massive contribution to this world of songwriting and musicianship. I feel for anybody who has been a part of this great process and yet feels the need to diminish it in anyway. They are missing the point and the genius behind the product and the contribution they made to it IMO. Cheers!
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 109
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 109 |
There are few 'solos' that would actually be pieced together, crafted in the real world like the ones created by BIAB. PG has created a method by which this works pretty well as a bonafide musicians/songwriter 'support' tool and IMO has done some very creative and groundbreaking audio bending with BIAB. Absolutely true! It is very rare that one can generate a satisfactory solo in a single take. I always generate 3 to 5+ tracks and then cut, paste and move things around in my DAW to arrive at something I like. That said, being able to make my own 'Real Tracks' is reason enough, by itself, to upgrade.
Boyd
Win10 - 16GB-RAM - BiaB 2019 - Mixbus 4 - Slate Bundle - Komplete 10 - Ozone 8 - Neutron 2 - Waves Gold
Ample Sound Guitars & Basses - Pianoteq 6 - SSD5 - SD3 - JamStix 4 - Omnisphere - UVI Falcon - EastWest Play
Sonarworks Reference 4 -
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 791
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 791 |
1. When I look into the RT folders under (Guitar, Electric .....) I notice some of the 'RTs' files are 4, 5, 6 and up to 10+ mins long as continuous riffs. In most cases it is apparent that they are several riffs strung together to make these long RTs. (As opposed to many short .wav files)Is there a 'recommended' length that would provide the greatest support for the user (variation, lack of instant repetition etc?) A Minimum Length and a Max. Length (For guitar)
The only restrictions on recording length would be the same as any Band-in-a-Box song, because a matching chord chart for each .WAV file is needed. maximum bars: 255 bars (x number of choruses) minimum bars: 1 bar
2. The 'instructions above' mention to record 'along' with a SGU. Is this simply for reference or do I actually need to 'record' in BIAB? Can't I just take a 'Style" I am familiar with or import one into a DAW for instance, choose a base BPM and record the RTs'? Then create the folder and insert all of my newly created files into it?
Yes, the .SGU is just for reference, so you do not need to record in Band-in-a-Box although it might be convenient to record along to a chord chart. The .WAV files can come from anywhere, such as any DAW, or files that you already have.
3. I know what a .SGU file is, but what is a sgu/wav file as described above?
"sgu/wav" just means a .WAV file and a .SGU file with the exact same name in the same folder. This would be an example inside your UserTracks folder: C:\bb\RealTracks\UserTracks\MyUserTrackFolder\song1.wav C:\bb\RealTracks\UserTracks\MyUserTrackFolder\song1.sgu
4. The main naming convention in the BIAB folder for guitars is (eg6156, eg6157 etc.) Are these relevant for BIAB or simply for PG music reference? Also each file has a BTO fill associated with it. Is it needed to create one of those?
Those file names are for RealTracks which are not the same thing as UserTracks. With UserTracks, you can name your files however you like, eg: song1-majorchords.wav song1-majorchords.sgu endings.wav endings.sgu otherchords.wav otherchords.sgu
5. What is the difference between RTs and 'Artist' tracks? I can see how they differ in regards to how they can be manipulated based on the description, but will there be a tutorial to show the actual differences? Thank you!~
If you mean Artist Performance Tracks - these are recorded songs by various artists. They do not generate over chord progressions like RealTracks do.
6. What about sample rate and bit depth? is 16/44.1 the norm for RTs? In other words to play well with other RT's?
Yes, 16bit 44.1kHz is the playback bit depth and sample rate of Band-in-a-Box (including RealTracks), so it is best to use this format for UserTrack files.
Blake
PG Music Inc.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 175 |
1. When I look into the RT folders under (Guitar, Electric .....) I notice some of the 'RTs' files are 4, 5, 6 and up to 10+ mins long as continuous riffs. In most cases it is apparent that they are several riffs strung together to make these long RTs. (As opposed to many short .wav files)Is there a 'recommended' length that would provide the greatest support for the user (variation, lack of instant repetition etc?) A Minimum Length and a Max. Length (For guitar)
The only restrictions on recording length would be the same as any Band-in-a-Box song, because a matching chord chart for each .WAV file is needed. maximum bars: 255 bars (x number of choruses) minimum bars: 1 bar
2. The 'instructions above' mention to record 'along' with a SGU. Is this simply for reference or do I actually need to 'record' in BIAB? Can't I just take a 'Style" I am familiar with or import one into a DAW for instance, choose a base BPM and record the RTs'? Then create the folder and insert all of my newly created files into it?
Yes, the .SGU is just for reference, so you do not need to record in Band-in-a-Box although it might be convenient to record along to a chord chart. The .WAV files can come from anywhere, such as any DAW, or files that you already have.
3. I know what a .SGU file is, but what is a sgu/wav file as described above?
"sgu/wav" just means a .WAV file and a .SGU file with the exact same name in the same folder. This would be an example inside your UserTracks folder: C:\bb\RealTracks\UserTracks\MyUserTrackFolder\song1.wav C:\bb\RealTracks\UserTracks\MyUserTrackFolder\song1.sgu
4. The main naming convention in the BIAB folder for guitars is (eg6156, eg6157 etc.) Are these relevant for BIAB or simply for PG music reference? Also each file has a BTO fill associated with it. Is it needed to create one of those?
Those file names are for RealTracks which are not the same thing as UserTracks. With UserTracks, you can name your files however you like, eg: song1-majorchords.wav song1-majorchords.sgu endings.wav endings.sgu otherchords.wav otherchords.sgu
5. What is the difference between RTs and 'Artist' tracks? I can see how they differ in regards to how they can be manipulated based on the description, but will there be a tutorial to show the actual differences? Thank you!~
If you mean Artist Performance Tracks - these are recorded songs by various artists. They do not generate over chord progressions like RealTracks do.
6. What about sample rate and bit depth? is 16/44.1 the norm for RTs? In other words to play well with other RT's?
Yes, 16bit 44.1kHz is the playback bit depth and sample rate of Band-in-a-Box (including RealTracks), so it is best to use this format for UserTrack files. Blake! You are brilliant, thank you for the reply. Now you have opened up a great interest and possibilite with one of your replies. I have a specific question: You said Yes, the .SGU is just for reference, so you do not need to record in Band-in-a-Box although it might be convenient to record along to a chord chart. The .WAV files can come from anywhere, such as any DAW, or files that you already have. So how is this possible without a .sgu to match it? In other words if I have a progression to follow in a DAW outside of BIAB, how do I import that so that it is understood by BIAB as a 'User Track" if my imported .wav does not have a .sgu associated with it. The best way to record excellent user tracks is outside of BIAB. Once I have (or currently have) a .wav that is following a song progression and tempo, can I create and save a .sgu that matches it and then import the .wav file into the same folder with the same name as the .sgu? Hope that makes sense. Many thanks again! I need to go upgrade tonight! Cheers.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 791
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 791 |
So how is this possible without a .sgu to match it? In other words if I have a progression to follow in a DAW outside of BIAB, how do I import that so that it is understood by BIAB as a 'User Track" if my imported .wav does not have a .sgu associated with it.
The best way to record excellent user tracks is outside of BIAB. Once I have (or currently have) a .wav that is following a song progression and tempo, can I create and save a .sgu that matches it and then import the .wav file into the same folder with the same name as the .sgu? Hope that makes sense. Many thanks again! I need to go upgrade tonight! Cheers.
You DO need a .sgu file to be associated with every .wav file. If you have a .wav file without a matching .sgu, then you need to make a matching .sgu and save it with the same name as the .wav file.
Blake
PG Music Inc.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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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.
PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Order now!
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