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I mostly get a couple seconds dropouts with Band in a box after about 5-10 minutes of play back.
Also if I disable all other programs, anti virus etc. The dropouts occour with other processes in the task manager. One of them has the name mscorsvw.exe. I hoped it was something I could disable, but the sudden 100 % disk usage is probably some processes triggered by band in a box.
My pc should be fast enough 3,3 GHZ processor and 4 GB ram. I use Windows 8.1. I have updated BIAB and drivers. I use MME and have tried with different delay settings without success. Seem that I can not select ASIO.
When I google BIAB there are thousands of people having dropout problems and very few who succeed in solving the issue. I have contacted PG music technical support, but so far they can not help me.
I have a suspicion that it could be related to my sound interface. It is Roland V studio 20. But it worries me if I spend more money and again without luck. The experience is already costly.
So I hope there are wise people here, who can tell how to get the program running or which sound cards works on my platform (windows 8.1).
Have a nice day.
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Hi Munken, Welcome to the forums. In relation to your problem, it could well be related to the Roland. There are plenty of people on these forums who use Windows 8.1 and BIAB works fine. What I suggest, is going to back to basics and setting up sound internally first. When that's all up and running, then external apparatuses can be plugged in. Doing things this way, a step at a time, makes it much easier to determine where potential problems lie. If this was my problem, here's how I'd go about fixing it. 1. Disconnect all external devices. These'll be connected later when things are working. 2. Click on "Prefs" to open preferences.  3. Now click on #1 on the image below to get to the driver set up.  4. Set #2, #3, #4 as I have set above. To get #4, simply click on the button and various choices will appear depending on what's installed on the system. Select Coyote WT. 5. Click on #5 and set the Audio driver to MME. 6. OK out of all open windows. If there is no "OK" option, simply close the window. BIAB should now work. If you get a chance to try the above, let us know the outcome and then we can proceed from there. Regards, Noel P.S. When you say ... When I google BIAB there are thousands of people having dropout problems and very few who succeed in solving the issue. I have contacted PG music technical support, but so far they can not help me. I have to say that I've been regularly helping people in these forums for a number years now and I've certainly never come across thousands of people experiencing dropout problems. It would seem that Google and I see things differently.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Great advice Noel
Methodical and step-by-step
Certainly a good way to work through the process of elimination
I use BiaB with Windows 8.1 and a number of external and internal devices with no problems.
You method should hopefully help track down.
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.
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Hi Noel
Thanks for your answer with clear suggestions for setup.
About the Roland sound interface, I have same drop outs with Roland on another pc running windows 7, so this could also be an indicator.
Except using VST/DXI Synth my setup was like presented on the image.
At the moment my driver latency is set to 488 ms in a previous attempt to solve the problem.
Last night I also chose “Microsoft Sound Mapper” as input/output driver (from another window) instead of Roland VS-20, but haven’t yet done a good test with that.
I will test the setup with "VST/DXI Synth" in the evening and come back with the results. I do not use keyboard, synth og any plugins. Just play back with real tracks.
Best regards
Henrik
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I don't know much about this interface so I looked it up. Here's the specs page. Read the first thing under the SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS heading. http://www.rolandus.com/products/v-studio_20/specifications/There could be a problem with the operating system since in the specs.... it doesn't list W8.1 as a compatible system. Nor did I see, in my quick look through the page, any mention on it's ability to use ASIO. It listed the first 2 editions of 64 bit OS's and nothing since. I've never been a fan of the multifunction interfaces..... some folks are, but in my time helping folks in Cakewalk's forums, the multifunction interfaces were problematic at times due to them often using codecs and wrappers rather than ASIO. MY SUGGESTION: Go to a store with a 100% no questions asked 30 to 45 day refund policy and buy a single purpose interface that's compatible with the newer OS's... W7 and W8.1 in 32/64 bit. Load the drivers and install it and see if it solves the issue. If it does, sell the Roland or find another use for it. If the new interface doesn't solve the issue, pack it up and return it and get your money back.
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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... At the moment my driver latency is set to 488 ms in a previous attempt to solve the problem.
Whooaaa That surely sounds like some serious issue, probably not caused by BiaB itself. Use Noel's steps to go through the process of elimination, and also check that all of your drivers are up to date. Half a second, wow!
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.
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Hi again, Munken,
VST/DXi is a great soft synth. I didn't suggest that because I thought that you may have a 64 bit operating system (when I read about Win 8.1) and it only operates on a 32 bit system. In my opinion, VST/DXi is better than Coyote WT.
How does your system function with the above settings?
Also, what antivirus software do you use?
Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Hi Munken, do you have the latest drivers installed. If not here is a link that has Win 8.1 drivers for the V-Studio 20: http://roland.com/support/article/?q=downloads&p=VS-20According to this Roland site the V-studio 20 has limited compatibility with Win 8.1: http://roland.com/support/article/?q=information&p=VS-20&id=63060592Another site said the unit will have problems with some USB 3 ports and suggests you only use USB 2 ports. It sounds like you should dump this and get a better audio interface.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Munken, can you tell us a bit more about your computer? A 3.3 GHz processor could be as old as a Pentium 4. A better way to see if your computer has the horsepower for good performance with digital audio is to download and run the free utility, Geekbench, and report your score here.
Audio dropouts are frequently caused by driver conflicts. Download and run another free utility, the DPC Latency Checker. It says it isn't updated for Windows 8 but it still works. See if you have any red spikes, and if you do, follow the instructions on the website.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Thanks for all the response. It’s nice to see many here with lot of experience with the program. First of all. I have now tested with the settings from Noels image. Beside I also changed delay to 104 ms. I don’t have English interface, so I just guess that this path is called something like: Audio/audio driver settings. It seems that this is another driver menu than the “Midi driver” from the image. In the midi driver I have chosen Microsoft GS wavetable as suggested. And in the other audio driver menu I changed from Roland VS-20 to Microsoft Sound Mapper. With this setup I have now played back for 20 minutes without droputs, and this has only happened a few times before. Noel For the moment I use Avast, but I have had dropouts when I was using AVG, kaspersky and also while turning off antivirus. Guitarhacker About ASIO I have also wondered, why I could not select it. I have downloaded the latest updates for the Roland driver. I believed it should work with both with windows 7 and 8. I mean, at least it seems to work for some people when I google. Thomann have a good return policy, so if no other solution seem to be stable, I can try one of their sound interfaces. Maybe some here even have good experience with one of their less expensive models? http://www.thomann.de/gb/audio_interfaces.htmlMatt Finley It’s a Lenovo Idea PC and the system information window write: Processor Intel i3-3220 – 3,3 Ghz. In my attempts to solve the problem, I have previous downloaded a program called LatencyMon, which should be able to test if dropouts can occour. This program run for long time and saying my system is suitable. Except in one or two tests, where it has said it could help, if I changed a setting in the bios. I looked for this setting possibility, but I couldn’t find it in my bios. About the processor, it does not seem to be loaded very heavy in the task manager, when the dropouts begin. It looks more like as if the bottleneck is caused by a 100 percent disk usage. One of the processes I tracked on the internet and found it had something to do with compiling program. This I think could also be in accordance with problem with the driver. Running Geekbench I get http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/2080073Single-core score 2454 Multi core score 5465 When I run DPC I have only get yellow stribes except one or two green. MarioD Yes I have installed the latest driver for windows 8.1. But now I can see as you tell, that they write limited compatibility for the 32-bit edition. I have 64-bit edition http://roland.com/support/article/?q=information&id=63060593but it is the same about limited. More specific under audio interface they write limited for Cakewalk FA-66 and with a link to a compatible driver. Not sure if this could help me. http://roland.com/support/article/?q=downloads&p=FA-66&id=62798653Anyway, I also had the problem under windows 7. But all in all, it seem there is a big chance that the Roland VS-20 is not very stable. On the other side maybe it will work if I don’t use their driver? Again, thanks a lot to everybody for the help Best regards Henrik
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Your i3 is fine for BIAB. LatencyMon is fine, perhaps even better than DPC Latency Checker.
What was the name of the BIOS setting suggestion?
I am very surprised by your disk access hitting 100% though. That would indeed cause audio dropouts. Unless you have an SSD drive, have you run a good Defragging program?
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Good thoughts, Mario. I considered saying something about malware, but I haven't heard of any that pegs the disk usage. Still, that's a great step to take to rule out malware right away.
[This thread alone is going to get us stuck back in the top ten posters list again!]
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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The suggestion for BIOS settings was in BIOS options to turn off CPU Throttling, but I couldn’t find the option in my BIOS.
I run the windows defrag program regularly. The same with ccleaner and antimalware. I have tried different programs. Also malwarebytes, which they recommend on different anti virus forums. But when I got the pc a year ago, one of the first things I did was to install Band in a box, and already on the new pc I had problems with dropouts.
Interesting link to mscorsvw.exe. Until now I have only seen it run for short time but with 100 percent disk usage and dropouts, but I will monitor the events now, and see if it can help me to run the script. As I understand it, the process is compiling/optimizing some code, that can have to do with the Roland driver, which is maybe not full compatible.
My idea was to use XLR out from my guitar amp into the roland sound interface and record with band in a box with realtracks. And I get fine sound. I guess it can become better with another interface, but so far I gave up recording, because dropouts spoiled everything. Hope the avoid use of Roland driver will be enough.
Which sound interface do you use? Are you satisfied with sound quality and do you have any serious issues?
Regards Henrik
Last edited by Munken; 03/12/15 11:35 AM.
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I recently switched from a Tascam FW-1884 running on Firewire to a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 on USB, because I could not get the Firewire legacy driver to work reliably in Windows 8.1 (so I assume it won't under Windows 10, which I'm testing and really like on another machine).
The Scarlett is a minimal interface and it works well, once you learn the mix software. There are several threads around here on what sound interfaces to use that you may enjoy reading.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Here is another free suggestion. Download ASIO4all and see if it will work with your V-Studio 20. Just google/bing ASIO4all and you will see a lot of sites that carry it.
ASIO4all is a MME wrapper making it a pseudo ASIO driver that will replace your current driver. This may help but I don't know for sure. Some people love this drivers while others hate it. I think that depends on your hardware but I have no experience with these drivers.
Good luck.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Munken,
I use Avast! too.
Just to make sure that this is not interfering with BIAB/RB, under the "Settings" menu, go to "Exclusions" and add your BIAB and Realband directories. This will stop Avast from scanning program files every time you run them.
Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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The i3 chip is fine for running BB. I have an old laptop that has a duo-core processor and maybe 2G of memory.... running Vista for the OS. I can run BB just fine as long as the style isn't using midi synths as plug ins and the same is true in Real Band (RB).... if I run straight audio, it works fine with the factory sound card..... but add a midi track with any synth and latency is through the roof. Totally unusable. HOWEVER... when I plug in my Focusrite Saffire interface to that same laptop and use the ASIO driver it prefers, I get picture perfect playback with NO discernible latency. While I understand the hesitancy to spend money not knowing if it will solve the issue, in most cases.... probably close to 99.999% of the time, a good interface and ASIO drivers does solve the latency issue. I've heard lots of people say, disable the wi-fi and anti-virus in the computer, but I'm here to tell you that if you have a decent interface and use the proper ASIO driver for it, the other stuff doesn't make a noticeable difference. I've run it both ways..... all the stuff on, and all the stuff off.... I could not tell any difference..... but then again, I had a decent interface and driver set up. If there's one single thing that you can do that makes a big difference in performance.... it is to add a decent interface and use ASIO You can't go wrong with this: http://www.thomann.de/gb/focusrite_saffire_6_usb.htmand it has a 3 year warrantee and a 30 day money back..... it's a no brainer
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 03/13/15 02:13 AM.
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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Matt Finley
The shop recommended RME Babyface Blue and MOTU Audio Express, which are both more expensive than Focusrite Scarlett 18i8. I don’t know if any significant difference between them, but if Focusrite works for you on windows 8 it’s a big plus for me.
MarioD
I have tried to install Asio4all a couple of times. On windows 7 I came to the conclusion that it made other kinds of troubles as a lack of compatility. But I often notice Asio being praised with BIAB, so I tried again on windows 8 not long ago, but this time nothing happened. I couldn’t see nor choose it. Afterwards I read somewhere, that Asio was not necessary on windows 8, so I uninstalled it. But it is possible to find all kind of statements on internet, so this is maybe not true.
Noel96 Nice feature, I have added the paths now.
Guitarhacker
This Focusrite Saffire 6 is a good price, and Thomann have a great return policy. What should be a reason to spend 3-4 times more? Do they have a big difference in sound quality?
I’m a little confused about latency, which seems to be important. What does it mean with a high latency. Is it just a gab between what is being showed on the screen and the music played from BIAB? Or does it also create problem when recording layers in BIAB? Or does it mean something else?
Best regards Henrik
Last edited by Munken; 03/13/15 04:13 AM.
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RME is top of the line in every way. Lynx is a comparable brand. MOTO is superb as well. I don't know anything about drivers for Windows 8 for any of them.
Focusrite makes the Saffire line of products, which requires a firewire connection. Their equivalent hardware for USB is the Scarlett line. Firewire is being phased out, and is a serious problem on any Windows version after 7.
A few quick and oversimplified notes on latency:
Latency means delay. It takes time for an electronic signal of what is being recorded to travel through analog to digital converters and amplifiers and back out to you. This results in you hearing an echo of yourself as you play. This messes up your ability to record if the delay is too long. Better equipment (and drivers) allows you to shorten the delay. Some equipment provides a mixer option for what is called direct monitoring, so you hear yourself correctly. All of this only matters for recording, not simple playback.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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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®!
With your version 2026 for Mac 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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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 PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: 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.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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
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