just discovered that for some reason the notation will not create dotted eigth and sixteenth. called pg music tech support and told sorry that's just the way it works, it's not a good notation program!
see my screen shot:
/Users/stewlyons/Desktop/Screen Shot 2015-10-09 at 6.13.23 PM.png
Unless I misunderstand your post above, your image shows dotted eighth notes.
You are correct in relation to dotted 1/16th notes. It's not a flaw but a limitation. BIAB's notation mode is limited by a resolution of 1/16th notes. This means that the smallest value dotted note is the 1/8th note.
Using Piano Roll mode, or when playing and recording, it's possible to enter notes that have smaller resolutions. From memory, these notes will show up as 1/16th notes in notation, though (it's been a while since I experimented with this). Despite this visual limitation, the playback will be accurate.
So, if you are step entering notes and want smaller time values, go to Piano Roll mode. If you want to construct sheet music that accurately reflects the notes' values, then I suggest you download MuseScore. It's free, it's great and it reads BIAB .SGU/MGU files reasonably well. Being a dedicated music notation program, MuseScore offers possibilities that BIAB does not. I regularly use MuseScore.
Hope this helps, Noel
P.S. I see solidrock has posted about MuseScore while I was typing!
just discovered that for some reason the notation will not create dotted eigth and sixteenth. called pg music tech support and told sorry that's just the way it works, it's not a good notation program!
see my screen shot:
/Users/stewlyons/Desktop/Screen Shot 2015-10-09 at 6.13.23 PM.png
Don't know what you're asking. If your example is something you want to do in BIAB, it can certainly be done.
Just looked more closely at your example. The notation is wrong. Did BIAB create that? A dotted eighth can't followed by another eighth. The only way to get an eighth note value is to tie the sixteenth note to the first sixteenth of the next beat.
Last edited by raymb1; 10/11/1504:47 AM.
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
just discovered that for some reason the notation will not create dotted eigth(sic) and sixteenth. called pg music tech support and told sorry that's just the way it works, it's not a good notation program!
I'm not sure you fully understand what dotted eighth and sixteenth notes would look like on a stave.
This is them, here:
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.
just discovered that for some reason the notation will not create dotted eigth(sic) and sixteenth. called pg music tech support and told sorry that's just the way it works, it's not a good notation program!
I'm not sure you fully understand what dotted eighth and sixteenth notes would look like on a stave.
This is them, here:
Notice that there are more than 4 beats in the measures.
This brings up the biggest problem with a lot of programs today. They try to be all encompassing. Some of the biggest complaints about BiaB as well as Sonar is that the notation is not very good. Neither program is a notation program. Companies add things like this at a very basic level. Sonar is a DAW and BiaB is a backing track generator. I wish both would drop all the extras and concentrate on their main functions.
YMMV
Last edited by MarioD; 10/10/1506:35 AM.
I arrived early to a restaurant. The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?" I said no. "Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
You are quite correct Mario. I didn't count the beats - my bad.
The notation 'elements' are correct. But only as elements, not when grouped.
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.
The dotted eighth notes followed by eighth notes makes no sense. Those should be sixteenth notes. Sixteenth notes are definitely supported, as can be seen. But there should be sixteenth notes after the dotted eighth notes.
I would try unchecking the "clean display" (which is supposed to clean up note clutter for notes entered in real time and not properly on the beat) checkbox and see if that fixes things.
Also, was this entered in step time (on the grid) or played in from a keyboard, for example? It might be showing the odd notes based on input timing, where the note was just a little longer than an 8th note, but not much and so shows up as a dotted eight, where the following note was longer than a sixteenth note and got interpreted as an eighth note.
That being said, yes, BIAB has notation features (which I wouldn't want to do away with, because I do read notation), but it is not a full featured notation program. I use other dedicated notation programs for that (and yes, I think XML will be the way to go for notation portability, so hopefully we'll get there, but that has to do with file format, not entering notes and display capabilities). And I think if they overhauled it the notation system to be more fully featured (and integrated), it would take a long time. Remember, the programmers that used to work on Sibelius at Avid went over to Steinberg to help create a new notation program for Steinberg (presumably to be integrated into Cubase). That was what, a couple of years ago? They're still working on it.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
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)
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!
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.
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.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.