So we are all settled on a vsti version and a 64 bit c++ audio workstation version I will mark that as confirmed. The existing delphi32 version as stated will still be available for the older users and the 64 bit c++ audio workstation will also be ported to Macintosh.
Nothing wrong with ambition.
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.
RealTracks ARE awesome! But comparing them to a VSTi program is not a fair comparison. By definition VSTi is a sound generator and can only sound as good as the midi commands let it sound. RealTracks are a collection of audio phrases. The genius is not just the sound but the arrangement the musician follows, the recording and mixing engineers dedication to creating the right sounds AND the (BiaB) program's audio engine capability to compile the phrases into something that is both pleasing and coherent. To me that is truely magical.
Would a laser focused VSTi with the capability described above be great? You betcha'. Would it be the equal of megabucks VSTis like Kontakt? Perhaps but it would be a huge gamble for a small music company like PG Music. But, I don't think the VSTi program would be compared to another VSTi. I think it would be compared against audio loops and against loops RealTracks and a VSTi does not fare as well because loops and RealTracks both rely on audio phrases.
Compare RealTracks and BiaB against VSTi and PG Music "wins" because it is an apple versus oranges comparison. Compare RealTracks and BiaB against loops and you have a much more level match up. PG Music doesn't "win" but it doesn't lose either. They just get to compete against every other company that makes Acidized and Rex loops.
Some good points but not sure what your overall position is!
In my growing collection of virtual gear I have some plugs that feature totally synthesized sounds and I have some that are digitized samples. Some of the synthesized sounds have no real-world equivalent while others are intended to model and synthesize a real instrument.
What they all have in common is they can be "played" using a MIDI controller or by inputting the notes on some version of piano roll software.
Some of these plugs are very simple with only a note-for-note match between the MIDI controller and the samples being played. But others have quite extensive functionality such as loops or strum patterns, or drumming patterns, etc.
I understand that BIAB/RealTracks are not created, stored and manipulated note-by-note, rather, they are complete musical phrases a bar or more in length. So clearly there would be some difference between playing notes on a MIDI controller and having the plug select the proper samples from the library.
But given all of that I see no reason why it would not be possible to implement RealTracks generation via a VSTi interface that would work inside any DAW!
And yes, there would be technical issues to work out and also possible issues with assumptions of users who are familiar with how samples work and unfamiliar with the RealTrack phrase approach.
So, I acknowledge it will be a fairly steep learning curve if the PG team has not programmed VSTi before but I cannot imagine the curve to be any steeper than a complete rewrite in a modern framework! And of course there will still be GUI elements required but all of the stuff the DAW already does can be left out.
At the end of the day, if PG could create a RealTracks plug that follows the standards and works in any DAW it would be a KILLER product!
Some good points but not sure what your overall position is! At the end of the day, if PG could create a RealTracks plug that follows the standards and works in any DAW it would be a KILLER product!
I agree a VSTi that can use RealTracks to create an audio file within a DAW environment is a wonderful idea. I support the thought.
But I don't think PG Music has any desire to create a VSTi.
That's one of the great things about PG Music, one never knows in advance what they will do. I never would have guessed a Band-in-a-Box foot pedal or partnering with Roland and Microsoft on Songsmith. PG Music follows their own path.
It was on the Songsmith website. Roland provided different instrument samples from those used in Microsoft software. Songsmith also had a modeled based versus sample based instrument set for a short time years ago.
The project seems to be pretty stagnet but every now and then you can visit the website and scroll through the pages and find something new. I don't think there have been any changes to the program itself since 2012 but the forum area still has some activity.
There is still a big difference between the Mac-version and the Windows-version. Mac-users are missing a lot of Windows-features. When will there be an equivalent version? PGMusic should list the differences on their website. I didn't know them and was quite disappointed.
Isn't one of the main reasons behind the differences between Mac and Windows BIAB versions due to the fact that Apple changed their OS significantly a few years back without consideration for those programs that were designed for the previous system? I'm not sure about this but I seem to recall a discussion a year or two ago.
I understand that BiaB current version and RealBand can run on Mac computer hardware, just need Parallels or Boot Camp etc and run it on a Mac under Windows O/S
Trouble is, many Mac users refuse to do that. That's really their decision. There is a choice.
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.
I would say that all the other cross platform audio applications are released at the same time but I could be wrong you would have to have a look and let me know. When you fix a problem with one version you would also be fixing the problem for the other version. Just trying to lift the awareness up.
I have not coded for a long time, did it at UNI, then some years in program design. Old school as a programmer, modular 2, Pascal.
As you guys know, I support a total rewrite and a VST. I believe that a new product will come with time (perhaps a loooong time) .
In regards to programming language I don't really know OOP, but I would have thought that major considerations would be what code was available off the library shelf, if there were good interfaces to work in, whether their was sympathetic development tools, enabling stuff like dockeable drag and drop widows, good sound, low latency. Programming from scratch is always possible but it can be expensive and their are better ways to use time.
I recently retired as a software developer after 30 years in the trenches. I've written everything from Assembly to C#. I worked freelance for the last 15years. I don't know how many tons (all code is measured by the metric ton) of code I have written.
A good friend (and decent enough programmer) once told me that Programming is easy, good Ideas are difficult.
Inexperience sometimes makes people believe a particular tool or technology will instantly solve a problem. Experience shows us mostly this is not true. It is people who take the tools and make the product what it is.
In the hands of Stradivari a chisel is a formidable tool. In my hands it is but a pry bar.
The boys and girls at PG Music have put together a first class piece of code for over a decade now. This is MUCH longer than most programs survive.
Hats off to them.
They never could have done it in JAVA!!!
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All excellent points mrgeeze. Actually, BiaB just celebrated its 25th anniversary. An eternity in software applications.
Joel Spolsky is a New York software developer with some excellent ideas. I've long been an admirer of his work.
I remember he wrote this article - a long time ago now, but I kept a link to it because it's great advice and this advice is still current. The article discusses rewriting code from scratch. The line that caught my attention was: "It’s harder to read code than to write it." How true.
If PGM ever decided to port to a different development platform, don't expect the next release for a long time. A very long time. And what would be delivered after that extraordinary wait? Exactly what we have now, except with a whole new set of bugs thrown in that need to be painfully sorted out.
Joel also makes other excellent points:
"When you throw away code and start from scratch, you are throwing away all that knowledge. All those collected bug fixes. Years of programming work.
You are throwing away your market leadership. You are giving a gift of two or three years to your competitors, and believe me, that is a long time in software years."
I expect Peter and his team are aware of this too.
While I'm sure the intentions are all good, the O/P should definitely read Mr Spolky's article. I have no intention of being confrontational, but the line: "if they changed to c++ would get less errors and run smoother" is just utter nonsense.
Trevor
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.
That's a cool series of essays and it brings back memories -- yes reading code is hard and developers knowing what they have written don't devote time to comment what the code means. Later they take weeks to analyze what they presumably have thought writing this mess within an hour.
It's a good read for everybody who has master solutions to better software.
I have followed Joel for years as well and I totally agree a complete rewrite of software as complex as BIAB would be an enormous undertaking. But there comes a time with every piece of software where you must bite the bullet and do it! Lots of folks here are always wishing for true 64-bit and except for a few die-hard EGA/DOS/WIN95-fans, everyone agrees the GUI is overdue for real modernization. Those kinds of changes done right will likely necessitate a pretty serious rewrite.
But I will come back to my VSTi mantra! If I were PG I'd plan to keep patching up BIAB indefinitely but on a parallel track I would hire a crack team of modern software architects & engineers to connect the brilliant RealTracks engine into a modern VSTi interface. Now that is a Killer Product!
"They could keep the existing band in a box how it is 32 for the older users that have been accustomed to it's interface for the last 20 years and make a new modern version that can be used like band in a box but in an audio workstation like real band in a new c++ 64 application."
Hey guys don't miss the point i'm trying to make - the writing is on the wall - have a bit of insight. You don't want to hold things back. Can you really see band in a box being still having only 32 bit in 2020 2030.. ? I always see things long before they happen but they still always happen. Lift up your consciousness, come up with some transcending ides - new concepts.
This is a good place to bring these to fruition. Don't just sit back and wait n hope pg comes up with some good thing at the end of the year like chickens waiting to be fed, make it happen !
Don't hold back and knock things - get into it. You guys have got to aim a bit higher. With all the vast programming knowledge you guys have it should be possible - not impossible.
If another company decide now to do the same thing, how quick do you think it would take pg to change things ?
LISTEN to johnjohnjohn - get that "VSTi interface" happening NOW !
I found this http://sourceforge.net/projects/delphiasiovst/ so you delphi programmers might be able to incorporate the bbw.exe into a vst as is done something like in realband that calls on c:\realband\data\bbw2.exe (initializing accompaniment)
you could set up a main instance of the plugin on track 1. and set it to track 1. in the vst, with track 2. set to track 2. in the vst and so on or allow the next track as a midi track for the midi notation of that real track.
so the plugin will follow the host synchronization n bpm TPOPSTRINGDIALOG
the vst would need to show the chord window TSSWINDOW and other necessary windows that could be in tab form, might be easiest to follow if you have the chord window like real band continuous unfolded - but basically you just need it for generating up the tracks then move to the daw functions for any further editing.
you should be able to select any bars then click the generate track No.X button on the main plugin window to render a new piece if you don't like the section, without having to generate the entire track.
so the generate buttons would need a drop down menu with real track - drums - user track - super midi and so on with recent generation to choose from could be something like the drop down generate in real band.
you would still need the open save as to import and save an sgu
you can set a bar offset in your daw to allow for 2 bar count off and pickup intro notes.
That is just a startup idea any other users with suggestion, improvements and ides for the vst please post! *
* again please note "They could keep the existing band in a box how it is 32 for the older users that have been accustomed to it's interface for the last 20 years"
Stimulating conversation that I've been following from the beginning. Been reading, but held my fingers in check, but feel the need to write something regarding this subject.
I'm sure that PG is way ahead of you. As development takes time and knowing how 'secret' PG is about upcoming releases, I am not at all surprised to not see any PG staff responding to this interesting thread.
Do any of you seriously believe that Dr. Peter Gannon is still living in the DOS ages? I think not. Bide your time, fellow BIAB'ers.... As has been adequately mentioned, a complete rewrite of what we have today is a HUGE undertaking and will take a lot of time and resources (therefore, money!).
Things will come to fruition in time. And time is what it will take.
Keep on keeping on!
Cheers, Mike
My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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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
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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)
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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!
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