Hi dooglet,

If anyone hasn't said so yet, welcome to the forum and to Band-in-a-Box. BiaB is confusing and part of learning how to use it is to understand the terminology and tools that it offers.

A song is just that, a song. All the information BiaB needs to recreate a song is contained in a song file. Band-in-a-Box song files have the nickname SGU file because song files have the suffix SGU. Most DAWs call their default files, project files because the file may include information about a musical piece, a song or a compact disk project. Band-in-a-Box concentrates on making song accompaniment so the default name for a file is a song file.

A style contains information Band-in-a-Box will use to put chord progressions together. Styles define how to create midi notation that midi instruments can follow, what midi instruments or RealTracks are initially selected, starting tempo, time signature (3/4 or 4/4 time), key signature (typically middle "C") and if the feel is swing (SW) or even (EV). Band-in-a-Box initially opens the ZZJAZZ.STY by default. The ".STY" tells you ZZJAZZ.STY is the name of a style file. The "ZZ" in the name tells you ZZJAZZ.STY is one of the original Band-in-a-Box styles. PG Music has original (midi) styles, midi styles with only midi instrument selections, hybrid styles with both midi and RealTracks instrument selections and RealStyles which have only RealTracks instrument slelections.

RealTracks are audio instrument tracks created by PG Music. In Band-in-a-Box RealTracks replace midi instruments. RealTracks may have midi notation but the notation is for the onscreen piano keyboards, fretboards and printing lead sheets. RealTracks midi has nothing to do with the audio.

Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK
DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8
Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD
Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD
Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home