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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
I am looking into music making as a hobby, so very new to this. I discovered Band in a Box via Internet searching and think it might be what I'm looking for, but before shelling out to get it I'm hoping you might provide me some advice. I know very little about music theory, and find using programs like Logic Express, Sony Music Studio, and even garage band to be either way too complicated or just not providing what I'm looking for. I am looking for something that will take some of my basic ideas for how I want my songs to sound without me needing to 1) know how to play a real instrument like a piano or guitar (I am trying to learn), and 2) can perhaps generate my song from me inputing key paramaters like the chords. What caught my attention with Band in a Box was it appears to do #2 exactly. I would really appreciated advice - especially from other newbies. Does it have a steap learning curve or can you begin being productive right out of the box? I was hoping they offered a limited time/feature demo version to trial, but I don't see anywhere where a trial version is available, so really relying on others recommendations before I buy. Thanks 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600 |
chiguy,
I'm not a newbie but BIAB does indeed allow you to enter chords and then it will play an accompaniment. You can then record yourself singing of humming the melody if you wanted. You could also enter a melody using the keyboard of a mouse. The accompaniment is chosen from one of a few thousand styles! It's a brilliant program.
PGMusic do offer 30 days money back if you are not satisfied. They will stand by this. Over the years, I have learned that PGMusic has a huge amount of integrity and that they look after their customers really, really well. I'd also imagine, that if you purchased an entry pack into BIAB and then decided that you wanted to upgrade with 30 days, PGMusic would assist. It might pay to drop them an email and ask about this, though.
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,972
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,972 |
<I am looking into music making as a hobby...> Well I'm not a newbie either, but I once was not so long ago. This is exactly how I started almost 17 years ago. I found BIAB early in the process and have not looked back since. BIAB has been with me thorough this "hobby", obsession, release, passion, love affair, addiction, for the entire time. It has never ceased to challenge me and fuel my education and creative juices for this art form. So do I recommned it? You bet. But be sure to supplement it with the more traditional teaching and learning methods. BIAB will not make you a musician, but it can make you a better musician. Good Luck and Welcome to the forum.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900 |
Welcome, chiguy Yes. PG software should DEFINITELY be on your list of 'must have' music software. I have been using the programmes here for over 15 years and have never found anything better, more intuitive or more useful. And every six months or so, it just gets better!  However, I wonder about your personal situation. What instrument are you learning? Are you a singer? Is your music theory knowledge better than your playing? What exactly do you want to achieve? BIAB will do all that you have asked and more - at a click or two of the mouse, you can generate whole new songs, including arrangement, solos and melodies. You can then include RealTracks, and make any adjustments you want before taking it to RealBand for extra additions, re-recording, mixing and mastering. However, some sixth sense intuition tells me that you might well consider looking at M$ SongSmith at this time. PG is also involved in that
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 24
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 24 |
Buy it, with all the Real Drums and Real Tracks you can afford the next time a special pops around. Or buy the Audiophile edition. I am a songwriter and used BIAB for drafting songs and then even developing very good drafts. The piano, bass, and drums on both of the songs "Dancing With You" and "For Our Childrens Children" were directly from BIAB: http://www.myspace.com/tallpaulandfriendsYou can't beat it for a quick way to change tempo, change keys, change style, add instrumentalists... you name it. And RealTracks is the icing on the cake. If you have a great synth, you can even get great sounds via MIDI. For example, the piano in For Our Childrens Children is MIDI then sent into my external Roland synth. Paul
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163 |
Get it. Biab is worth more then they charge for the program. You don't have to be a musician to use it either, as long as you know some chords and song structure. Input the chords, pick a style and off you go.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,743
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,743 |
as far value for the money and living up to the claims made by the publisher you won't find better products then those sold by PG music
it is your expectations regarding what you expect to get from the effort you put into the program that need to be clear
try and write down as specific as you Can what you expect to do and what you expect from the program to do
the money back guarantee is REAL and the PG organization first rate i have found the crippled demos more frustrating in that i am usually unable to save work
i have found it helpful to watch the mew features videos from the earliest to the latest as well as review the FAQ section this has given me a better idea of what to expect from the programs
you can find these by clicking on the support menu'
hope you decide join the club and can experience the fun the rest of us are having
oh yeah if you have questions along the way you won't find a more helpful and s supportive neighborhood
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
Thanks everyone for your input. I decided to invest in BIAB 2009.5 for Windows today. I think this will help me as I begin my journey with this hobby. I am trying to learn electric guitar, and I think BIAB will be useful. I like the way it can generate a complete song based on my input. If nothing else, it looks like it will be a fun tool to use.
I've installed it and applied the 285 patch that was supplied and everything went fine. Now I am trying to apply the latest patch (287) but I keed getting errors that in cannot find or cannot delete bbw.exe. Anyone know a solution - I have to abort the patch to get past the error - I am too hesitent to say ignore it. I'll search the forum to see if anyone has posted on this problem.
Again, thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciated it.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844 |
Hi, Chiguy -
What operating system are you using? If Vista, you might want to try right clicking on the path 287 update file and select "run as administrator". See if that helps.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
If you just bought BIAB today, it should already be the latest version.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6 |
Quote:
Hi, Chiguy -
What operating system are you using? If Vista, you might want to try right clicking on the path 287 update file and select "run as administrator". See if that helps.
Tried running as Administrator, got same error. Decided to try a reboot - that worked. The magic Windows Reboot seems to solve most problems 
Thanks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,600 |
Chiguy,
You can see what what version BIAB you have by going to HELP >> ABOUT BAND IN A BOX. It will give you a version (2009.5) and in brackets beside that will be the update number.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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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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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!
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!
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.
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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