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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5 |
I'm a bluegrass guy, play banjo and mandolin. My 7 year old son plays guitar. Our instructor gave us a backing track to a song we're working on and we loved it. In conversation, I asked about getting them for more songs.
He told me he made them in Band in a Box, and that if I had the software I could make them for any song I wanted. So I bought it.
I've been all over YouTube watching tutorials, and *thought* I understood what to do. Seems fairly simple. BUT...
Everything sounds like a circus organ. I set up my style as one of the bluegrass styles, but nothing changes. Still a circus organ. I *thought* some of the RealTracks came with the version I bought (just the Pro, no added stuff), but they don't seem to be anywhere that I can find.
HELP!!!!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
The Pro version includes:
Band-in-a-Box 2014
RealBand 2014
Pro RealCombos: Over 30 RealTracks instruments in 9 bands and RealDrums Set 1.
Bonus RealTracks Set 1: Classical String Quartet
MIDI SuperTracks Sets 1-3: a total of 46 MIDI SuperTracks
MIDI Styles Sets 0-3 plus 100 assorted: Over 300 MIDI styles total.
MIDI Soloist Set 1: Over 100 MIDI Soloists in a variety of instruments
MIDI Melodist Set 1: Over 60 MIDI Melodists in a variety of instruments
Loops Set 1: Nature Sounds and Percussion Loops
Artist Performance Set 1
So Real tracks are quite limited (no sure you will be using those classical stings...). The real combo may not address your bluegrass needs.
So a lot of midi which requires a good sounding synth (which last time I checked does not come with BIAB). There are many available but will cost ya <<Download the free 30 trial of CoyoteForte Dxi to see if your sounds improve>>
Last edited by jazzmandan; 09/15/14 09:52 AM.
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
Here are the Real Tracks you have. The are grouped as "RealCombos", but can be used individually and combined with midi. But again not sure how well these will work with bluegrass.
Jazz Swing Band with Acoustic Bass, Piano, Acoustic Guitar & Tenor Sax SoloistDemo Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Sw 140 Solo demo
Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Sw 140 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Freddie Sw 140 Solo demo
Sax, Tenor, Jazz Sw 140 Solo demo
JazzBrushes RealDrums
Country Ballad Band with Pedal SteelDemo Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 Solo demo
Pedal Steel, Background Ev 085 Solo demo
NashvilleEven8 RealDrums
Pop-Rock Band with "Dreamy" GuitarDemo Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120 Solo demo
Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120 Solo demo
NashvilleEven8 RealDrums
Medium Country Swing band with Pedal SteelDemo Bass, Electric, Pop Sw 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Hank Sw 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 120 Solo demo
Pedal Steel, Background Hank Sw 120 Solo demo
NashvilleSwing8 RealDrums
Medium Rock band with two Electric GuitarsDemo Bass, Electric, Metal Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming AcRockBright Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ElecRockArp Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ElecRockDirty Ev 120 Solo demo
RockHardModernEv8 RealDrums
Medium-Slow Jazz Quartet with Soprano Sax SoloistDemo Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Sw 110 Solo demo
Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Sw 110 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Freddie Sw 110 Solo demo
Sax, Soprano, Soloist Jazz Swing Sw 110 Solo demo
JazzBrushes RealDrums
Jazz Swing with Piano Demo Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Swing Sw 140Solo demo
Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Sw 140 Solo demo
JazzBrushes^ RealDrums
Even 8ths Acoustic Country with Pedal SteelDemo - Coming soon Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 Solo demo - Coming soon
Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085 Solo demo - Coming soon
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 Solo demo - Coming soon
Pedal Steel, Background Ev 085 Solo demo - Coming soon
NashvilleEven8 RealDrums
Dreamy Pop Electric GuitarDemo Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120 Solo demo
Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120 Solo demo
Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 120 Solo demo
NashvilleEven8 RealDrums
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
And finally, Welcome to the forum. I wish you had stopped in before you purchased so we could have given more input to your purchase decision. But nevertheless the forum is here to help you going forward. BIAB is neither easy or intuitive to make good music. But it does what no other software can - it just takes a commitment from you to work with it. Good luck!
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5 |
So what you're saying is I have to buy something else to get what I already bought to sound like what I thought it was supposed to sound like? Wow... did you follow all that?!?!?
Okay, so what is it I need? I just want the sounds of an acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, and (as a bonus) a dobro. Not a circus organ/calliope sounding thing.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
Unfortunately, I did understand exactly what you said...
Download and install the free 30 day trial of Coyote Forte from the pgmusic website. It should be a big improvement.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5 |
Okay, so after talking with customer service I see what I need. Too bad the website wasn't more clear before I purchased! Live and learn I guess.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,673 |
Full 30 day return or credit on any purchase. The general rule of thumb with BIAB is buy the most you can afford.
Second rule of thumb is to buy during a sale period which comes once at each end of year.
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600 |
Truth is, I think you have enough to get started if you get the Coyote forte synth. And here is why I say that. Bluegrass is a pretty straight forward style and the midi styles work very well for the genre. Seems that your problem is more dealing with the sounds. Once yuo learn how to set up the sounds in the synth to play the parts you want you will be well on your way. Then (and then will come) when you are a little more knowledgeable about the program you will be able to pick and choose the additional items that would improve the sound of what you're working on. Or you could do what I and several others here have done and just buy everything PG has to offer and not use a 10th of it. But hey, we can say we got it!
Good luck and stick with it. the program will do what you want if you take the time to learn it and use what comes with it.
Dell 610 dual Monitor, win 7-10, Sonar Plat, ProTools 10 & 11, Reaper 4, BIAB/real Band 2022, Easy Drummer, Superior Drummer, Kontact Essentials, Personnel Orchestra, Korg Legacy Analog & Digital
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,240
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,240 |
Hi caedenspa,
Welcome to the forums.
Have you spoken to your instructor to find out about his or her BIAB setup (i.e. what version, what package, what extras were purchased, etc.)?
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
When a noob says the sounds are like a calliope or my personal favorite, a kazoo, all that means is you haven't installed and set up a midi synth. Biab ships with the Coyote Wavetable which uses your Windows software synth that your computer uses for sounds effects but it does have a full set of instruments. Since it's free with all PC's it sounds about as good as what you paid for it but it will get you started.
Out of all those vids, find the one that covers basic setup. After you actually hear the individual instruments then you can look into purchasing a better synth or buy some Real Tracks.
Biab like all digital audio computer programs is on a whole other planet than what you're used to but still, Biab is simpler than most. Just keep reading, asking questions and call Support. You'll get there.
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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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5 |
Our instructor is a professional musician and has all the bells and whistles. He did warn me that it could get pricey...
After talking with CS, they informed me that I could by each of the Real Track Paks for $29 each. But to get all the bluegrass ones there were like 8 or 10 of them or something. I asked if there was a package deal if I bought all of them. No, but they offered to upgrade me to UltraPlusPak which gets me ALL the RealTracks for another $279, bringing my total out of pocket to $408.
I went on Amazon, and for $460 bought the EverythingPak, with the USB drive, overnight delivery, and got a refund for the Pro package I bought from PGMusic. More than I need? Yup. Will I ever use it to it's full capability? Nope. But it's there!
I'm sure I'll have tons more questions. Good to see the folks here are helpful - it is much appreciated!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600 |
congrats. you're in it now!. Play with it and keep playing with it. Also plan on buying MORE!! I started out with BIAB 7.0 and couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to do for over 5-6 years. I finally solved my problems by buying a dedicated audio interface. What started out as a $79 software package has grown to a 7-8000 dollar setup and I still can't do what I want to do. BUT it's not the software thats holding me back now, its my ownn ability, talent and Timmmmmmmmme.........
Hey, good luck and have fun.
Dell 610 dual Monitor, win 7-10, Sonar Plat, ProTools 10 & 11, Reaper 4, BIAB/real Band 2022, Easy Drummer, Superior Drummer, Kontact Essentials, Personnel Orchestra, Korg Legacy Analog & Digital
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,240
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,240 |
The EverythingPak is great!
You'll have heaps of fun. Don't limit yourself to selecting only those Realtracks specifically designed for bluegrass work. Many of us on here find that Realtracks, from other styles we wouldn't normally use, have a great deal to offer.
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Many of us on here find that Realtracks, from other styles we wouldn't normally use, have a great deal to offer. This is one of the most powerful and least understood features of Biab. To keep things simple to start, all the tutorials talk about simply picking a style and inputting chords. That's fine and will get you started but when it comes to the RT's the styles basically mean nothing. They're merely a starting point. Say you have a bluegrass dobro on the guitar track. Just open the RT picker window for that track and pick something else. Anything else, like oh, say a funky R&B sax soloist. It will plug into your selected guitar bluegrass style just fine. Think about that for a moment and then you'll realize just how powerful and complex this program can get. Take this one step further and do the same thing in Real Band. Only in RB you have 48 tracks to do this with. You can take a basic style and maybe only keep one or two instruments from that original style and add 32 tracks of all kinds of other instruments from many different styles. It can get intense. 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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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,678
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,678 |
Bluegrass is one of the things BiaB & Real Band do exceedingly well. This is a song I composed in BB and then worked on in Real band using the real tracks.... no synths needed in RB... and yeah, Coyote or TTS are great basic synths to use for BB. http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12544618To get good results you do need the "higher level" packages.... it's well worth the money. Think of it this way..... try hiring some studio cats to play a tune for you to practice with..... the cost of one session with real musicians and BB is paid for.
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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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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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®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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