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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2 |
I'm music literate, but totally Band in a Box illiterate. I have the program up and running, and have been able to enter a simple chord sequence and get some audio playback in different styles- but that's it. I want to start learning the program details in a systematic way, but I don't know how to do that.
I know there is the PDF manual, online videos, tutorials, FAQs, etc... but these things don't really seem to be organized very well for a newbie, and the whole thing is rather intimidating.
I would love to hear people's suggestions for the best way to learn this software starting from square one. Thanks.
Last edited by Soloist; 01/04/16 04:16 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,607
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,607 |
Hi Soloist, Welcome to the forums. PG Music videos at the following URL should help with gaining a greater insight into the program... http://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbwin.htmAll the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987 |
Noel hit the nail squarely on the head. Additionally, I highly encourage simply jumping in with both feet and familiarize yourself with all buttons and controls on the GUI as regards cause-and-effect. What happens when I...?
When you get high-centered, click on HELP which will take you to very well written context-sensitive instructions. Including tutorials on YouTube.
We've all been at square one and understand your frustration. We feel that we don't understand enough to even formulate an intelligent question.
Programmer friends will confirm that "trial and error" is a legitimate approach to most endeavors in life, and that the only "stupid" question is the one never asked.
A wonderful thing about this forum is - it is comprised of musicians at every stage of development who hang their egos at the door and eagerly help others.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,143
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,143 |
Hi Soloist ! And welcome to one of the greatest forum in the net !
Well, I had BiaB for years, but not really started using it for until a few months ago.. The way I use it to make songs are very easy. Since I am not so very familiar with good chord-progression I let BiaB take care of that, and it does an excellent job ! I usually start with going to the real track windows looking for a instrument I like to use, then listen to the demo song.. If I like the style, I click the style demo button there, and select one of the styles... Then back in the main window, I go in the melody maker and select there whatever I like by deselecting or selecting the different option u see there, then Voila ! A song is created.... From there, it's just a matter of taste.... Some take the song further to real Band, but that's another topic.. Hope this help...
Forever Grateful, BUT, sometimes pissed of.  Trygve "Leo" Larsen BiaB 2020, Windows 8.1, Intel Core i5 CPU, 270GHz, 32 Gb RAM My OLD tracks on Soundcloud; https://soundcloud.com/trygve-larsen My NEW is unpublished The Universe = Uni-verse ie one song.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,992
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,992 |
Let me suggest you start by entering a 12 bar blues progression. Pick a tempo, key, and a style (any style). Hit play. Sit back and listen.
The questions will immediately come to your mind. Enter them here in the forum, how to do this?, how to do that?, why does it do this when I do that?...
Welcome to the forum.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2 |
Thanks for all the replies and willingness to help... I'm going to follow the suggestions, work with it a bit more, and then report back!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869 |
Hi and welcome, just want to say that the videos on line are generally very good. Sit back and take them in slowly with a coffee, or worse..
BIAB may be 'idiosyncratic' but some things it can do, no where else is it possible
enjoy
Z
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,061
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,061 |
Soloist, Welcome to the forum. The easiest way to get started is to view some videos. Visit the PG Music video page ++ HERE ++ and scroll down the page until you get to the Beginner's videos. Another choice is to buy the professional made Band-in-a-Box video training by Groove3.com. I've got it and it's really good. The two hours of video watching will save you much frustration and many hours of grief. Plus, if you purchase the video series you'll always have the videos available as a quick reference resource. You can find out more about the videos ++ HERE ++ In addition to looking at the videos there is no better way to learn than by doing. Pick a short song you know well and enter the chords into the Band-in-a-Box (BiaB)chordchart. Make a folder on your desktop (Name the folder the name of your song) then save the song in the folder. It's a good idea to save each song in a folder. After you make some changes, save the song under a new name in the folder (Good Song, Good Song RevA, Good Song RevB, etc.). That way WHEN something goes wrong you can close BiaB, open BiaB then load the last GOOD version of the song. It's important to understand how BiaB looks at a song. You have eight tracks. One track can contain audio you recorded and the other seven tracks can load instruments. Piano, Drums, Guitar, Bass and Strings are the default names for the rhythm instruments. Melody and Solo are "special" tracks with extra features to create melodies and solos so don't use them until you investigate the track features as they don't always react as you expect them to. Style determines time signature (3/4 or 4/4), initial instrumentation and if the initial instrument loaded to a track is midi or RealTrack. You CAN change styles and instruments as you desire. Each bar (or measure) can have up to four chord changes (3 if it's 3/4 time) with chord entry every half bar. Even and odd beat chords are separated by a comma. Bass notes are enter as slash chords. By default, Band-in-a-Box "reads" the chordsheet as one chorus (or verse) that repeats three times then has a two bar ending. Most songs have an intro. If your song has a four bar intro, change the number in the START box at the top from the "1" default to "5". Bars 1 to 4 will play once and the chorus will start on bar 5. If you don't want the verse to repeat three times, change the number in the CHORUSES button from "3" to whatever you want. Many songs have a 12 or 16 bar chorus so you can change the END box to 12 or 16 to correct the chorus length.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610 |
The manual is still a good resource for info. I'm a long time user of BIAB and most of what I know about BIAB (80%), I learned from the manual. The other 20% I learned from this forum. Ray
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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 9
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 9 |
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,992
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,992 |
BIAB may be 'idiosyncratic' but some things it can do, no where else is it possible
Z Z, such a diplomat. We will get you to drink the coolaid eventually. Resistance is futile. 
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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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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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.
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!
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