I am trying to write a beginners tutorial on using midi for the beginner's forum, and I am confused about something myself, because I rarely use midi in Real Band, only Sonar, though many readers might be using Real Band.
Say I open a midi style like "Dramatic Orchestra" in Real Band after having a demo loaded, or a midi I grabbed from somewhere else that has velocity and volume cues.
When I move the fader in Real Band, or right click and change the volume of the track, it won't "stay put" or save that setting. It "snaps back" to where it was when I hit return and play.
I have tried looking at envelopes and there aren't any.
The demo I was working with was Dramatic 4/4 orchestra as an FYI, which I am playing through Aria.
I know the Aria Player is the "slave" to the real band setting.
Any clues on this would be appreciated because I don't want to give newbies bad info.
I usually do all midi work in Sonar on individual tracks for more control over effects so I am not used to this.
I am sure I will feel stupid when someone gives me the answer.
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
Hit F2 and see if any velocity settings are hard written to the MIDI track. The envelopes are going to represent the volume setting (versus velocity setting), so you won't see it there. While velocity and volume aren't the same thing, effectively both affect volume when it comes to MIDI.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Look at this screenshot and the stuff in purple and tell me "what I need to know" about this editing function and I will pass it on to save countless hours of head smashing.
It looks like there are velocity settings, and that some tracks and mapped to others.
For example this is F2 showing Timpani on the bass track. The Timpani plays wimpily low. When you change the volume by right click it won't save. It always "snaps back."
It is because there is a controller on 3 as well in the track? This part I don't understand. It looks like those tracks are linked.
What would I do I I wanted to arrest control back from these parts and set velocity and volume where I wanted--FOREVER.
Thanks for the tips!
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
What I am trying to do is "decouple" the timpani track (in bass slot channel 2) from piano in channel 3.) See screenshot again.
It seems they are tied to one another, if I am not mistaken.
Also, regardless of what the velocity is set at, which you can change in the box, what I ULTIMATELY want to do is rid the tracks of any and all hard wired presets so they will "do what I tell them to": when I move the volume faders and stay put--not "snap back to the old setting when I hit return as if I had not done anything.
It is pretty confusing.
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
Hi David, In your screen shot above the volume of the track is dictated by "VolCtrl" which is CC 7. If you want to permanently increase this, change its value which is currently 90, up to a maximum of 127. (I think you also have to change "VolNodeCtrl" to the same value as well - this is fairly new and I haven't quite got my head around envelopes).
The term "Velocity" is specific to each individual note on the track. You can see this alongside the note name in your track list above (either 85 or 90 in this case). This can also be a maximum of 127. If you record the track in real time using a MIDI controller it will represent how hard you press the key for each note you play. If you step record it will default to whatever value you set in Opt -> Other Options in the notation window.
If you are using a MIDI file created by someone else there may be "VolCtrl" changes embedded throughout the file and these will override any settings you make in the track window or the mixer. (Pipeline's screenshot above is an example of this). The author may also use "Expression" which CC 11 which will have the same effect. Bob Norton provides a valuable list and description of MIDI Control Change messages here: www.nortonmusic.com/midi_cc.html
If you check out the Mixer window, at the bottom you will see two buttons labelled "Ins" and "Del". They can be used to delete events and replace them with ones you set in the mixer. Hover over the buttons for an explanation of their actions.
Sorry, there's been a couple more posts while I was typing my reply above.
The Piano on channel 3 shouldn't have any effect on the Timpani which is on channel 2. This could only happen if there is any channel 2 messages embedded in the Piano track.
I found the easiest way seems to be just using F2 on a track and deleting those lines up top that have "control" in them--that seems to restore the ability to use the fader and have it "stick."
Thanks for all the help guys!!!
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
If there were only CC's in the beginning of a track then that's ok. But...on a good midi file and by that I mean one that was professionally produced, the author spent a considerable amount of time mixing the whole file so it would have good dynamics. Sure, you may want to delete all of that anyway and start over but I've found it's best to leave those alone.
What you should do then is render those tracks to audio. Now all of your controls including the mixer will work but at least you have preserved what the original author of that file did.
and by that I mean one that was professionally produced, the author spent a considerable amount of time mixing the whole file so it would have good dynamics
While in theory, I agree with this, if you use a different synth than the creator of the file used, dynamics can end up being all over the place as they don't all respond the same.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
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.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean