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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,499
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,499 |
First you were watching a Mac video - general concepts are similar but menus and "how to's" in windows BIAB are different.
Now for a very SIMPLE (simpleton actually) answer: if you have a particular set of instruments for a particular song in BIAB already set up on the right channels within Kontakt then you can save that as a bank ("Save Bank") (which is a PG BIAB/RB save function that creates an .fxb file) not the Kontatk (.nkb) file (which is what I think you want), then you can recall that set up for that song in BIAB or RB (won't be very useful, in general, outside that song) or as a Multi (in Kontakt - "Save Multi as") again won’t be real useful outside that BIAB/RB song (in general).
I say in general because you might have a particular small comob (a favorite upright bass, EP, vibes, guitar, flute, and drum kit and you use them form 90% of you jazz tunes then this will be GREAT for all tunes that use that "combo" )
The more complex answer, the one where you can send program changes to Kontakt and get it to change instruments on that channel (e.g, respond sort of like a GM module or HW module, it will not actually be GM complaint, but close enough for this discussion) is:
If you want access to all 128 GM sounds on EACH part (up to 15 parts/channels reserving one MIDI channel, Ch 10, for drums) then you will need a lot of memory and probably need to be running the 64 bit version of Kontakt, on a 64 bit OS using JBridge with BIAB and RB.
to learn "how to" you need to read "Kontakt 5 Application Reference" manual, page 32 and all of Section 9 starting on page 82 where it talks about instrument banks (this is where you create the/a Kontakt .nkb file).
However, with a little more judicious planning on your part you could get by with a smaller memory requirement for BIAB's/RB's use of Kontakt as "GM mini-module" using "subsets or groups of instruments" to match BIAB's use of those channels.
To it this way remember BIAB has set aside (i.e., the defaults) Bass is on Ch 2 Piano on Ch 3 Drum on Ch 10 (as usual) Guitar on Ch 7 Strings on Ch 6 Melody on Ch 4 Soloist 8 Ch 2 And, harmony on Ch's 11-14
So you could make a NI Kontakt instrument bank on ch 2 of all possible "basses" you might use - maybe that's a dozen or so.
Then you could make a NI Kontakt instrument bank on ch 3 of all possible pianos (including EP's and organs etc.) you might use - maybe 2-3 dozen or so.
Now you could make a NI Kontakt instrument bank on ch 7 of all possible "guitars/strings" you might use - maybe that's another dozen or so.
Now you could make a NI Kontakt instrument bank on ch 10 of all possible drum kits you might use - maybe that's another dozen. (although GM usually has fewer).
And so on.
The hard ones are the melody, soloist, and harmony - since you might have a "it depends" what instrument types are even in the running depending on song type so then you create a few dozen such instrument banks (saved as a new "multi" each time) with all the ABOVE but each new bank has a different set of instruments for melody, soloist, and harmonies.
finally, using ASIO and an input thru channel is whole another discussion if you really are new to this.
Note, first off you may not want to use ASIO4ALL - but it depends: what is your audio device and does it not have it's own native ASIO driver? If it does then use, or at least try, that FIRST it's probably better than ASIO4ALL. then make sure to set the ASIO in BIAB ("Opt. -> MIDI/Audio Dries setup" then click on the "Audio settings … (ASIO) " button bottom right and select your ASIO driver (either your audio HW native ASIO driver or ASIO4ALL).
When using Kontakt (or any VSTi/DXi) plug-in with BIAB, and usually any DAW, the audio output will be routed to the BIAB select audio driver - so nothing else to do there.
Next make sure you have selected, in the: "Opt. -> MIDI/Audio Dries set -> MIDI Input Driver " your input MIDI port that your keyboard is on.
From there whatever is set on Channel 5 within Kontakt SHOULD play when you play the keyboard (but you won't hear anything until you hit the play button in BIAB)
Good Luck Larry
Win10Pro,i9,64GB,2TBSSD+20TBHDDs,1080TI,BIAB'24,Scarlett18i8,Montage7,Fusion 8HD,QS8,Integra7,XV5080,QSR,SC-8850,SPLAT,FL21&others,Komp.14,IK suite&others, just a guitar player-AXE FX III &FM9T, FishmanTP, MIDIGuitar2, GK2/3'sw/GI20
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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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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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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!
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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!
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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.
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