Music XML (notation export/import) has been enhanced. We've worked with Finale, GuitarPro, and Sibelius to enhance features and compatibility with Music XML.
Support for time-based VSTi plugins such as EZ drummer, Jamstix, Rapid Composer, etc.
Pitch shifting and tempo stretching has been greatly enhanced with the integration of the newest version of the world-leading Elastique 3.
The Guitar Notation display has been enhanced. You can now enter and display guitar bends, slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs with notation graphics indicating these elements. ...and more!
It's HORRIBLE!! This (as usual) is not really an upgrade, imo. It's a re-design for the sake of nothing, and it now takes 3x more mouse clicks to find anything and make it work. One of my pet software peeves is 'upgrades' that are little more than BAD GUI re-design. You thought you KNEW this program? Not anymore! Gee, thanks for upping my learning curve, and 'fixing' the GUI to be confusing and way worse than what it's replacing! You've buried the track menu into the edit menu... why? You've killed numeric keypad +/- up-down scrolling for patches, ports, etc. in classic tracks... it now takes 5 keystrokes instead of 1; you've stolen half my screen area for huge half-empty button panels that contain nothing I need, ("title" in huge letters, is one of the LAST things I need to know! Duh!) while disappearing stuff I use all the time... like where did the marker arrows go??? Where are the audio/midi panels buttons?
I upgraded to 17 only because of the new node/rubber-band volume control on tracks, and I was hoping that track selections would also have drag-able edges. STILL not there! That's just primitive, and so long overdue! There's a lot to hate about this useless re-design, but now let's get to a few bugs that I've noticed:
MIDI Track edit windows arbitrarily have/don't have horizontal scroll bar function. And here's a really bad one, that cost me at LEAST a day's work: Don't even think about temporarily disabling real-time effects to concentrate your computer power to the task of a multi-channel audio recording! (I do 8 tracks at once) When you're ready to re-enable them, you'll find all your carefully adjusted real-time effects have DISAPPEARED!!! SERIOUSLY?? "Disable" actually means "DELETE!" How 'bout putting that in "tips?" Along with a disclaimer: "By clicking here you understand and agree that PG Music will not reimburse you for your many hours of lost hard work, even though the blame lies 100% with us." It reminds me of the laughable version 10, where touching the master fader re-sets ALL track faders to match it! THANKS. Hours of mixing work just GONE!
I've been using PT since it was a DOS-only program, based in Hamilton, On. I've upgraded often during the decades, and I've been a big fan, up until now. I'm still new to v.17, but I've already had enough. It's making my work harder and slower, not faster and easier, and as such, gets my endorsement as a downgrade. When building 'upgrades,' you guys have to keep only ONE criteria front & center: does it require fewer or more mouse-clicks/key-strokes than before? If the answer is more, then it qualifies as a downgrade. I'm a fast power user; any extra clicks or strokes just add aggravation and time to my work. Even 1 extra second is deadly; times several hundred clicks in a day easily adds up to lost HOURS, so how is that an improvement? Version 13 isn't bad, but still the best, quickest, and easiest to use that I have is version 8, my go-to for full-featured no-bs production. No fancy graphical interface.. I can actually read the labels... and my computer isn't struggling to display a lot of window-dressing.
With that in mind, I'm curious about version 9, which I skipped. It may be the version that suits me best, and I'd like to try it, and I'll gladly pay for it. Can you please arrange for me to download it? Thank-you in advance.
Overall, it's pretty obvious that PG is not that interested in PT anymore... it's actually buried on the website, which is all about BB, and all its accessories. But many of us ACTUAL MUSICIANS don't need an "insta-band" program, or use loops to create music... pro users like me just need a good, STABLE, full-featured sequencer that doesn't work against us. You at PG should be paying much more attention to PT; in my opinion, it is (or SHOULD be) your flagship software, not the consumer/non-musician oriented band-in-a-box. I've never seen PT get any cred in the music production biz... (go figure... I've been promoting its virtues all along), and that deserves to change, but it won't until you guys get it right, promote it more, and get with the pro market, for whom workflow and efficiency is paramount. This version doesn't get it right at all, and PT's obscurity in the recording community will only deepen, as users like me see finally abandoning it as the only option. Give me back my lost effects! :-(
I take it that you are not aware of PG Music's 30-day money-back guarantee. I'm not an employee of PG Music but I do know that if, for whatever reason, the software you buy doesn't suit you, you simply need to contact the sales staff and ask for a refund within the 30 day period from purchase.
Fortunately with Powertracks, it's very easy to reinstall and run the previous version that suited you best.
It depends on how you use PowerTracks, but you might be better making the big jump of learning a new DAW like REAPER that you can customize more if you are not happy with PT. Or, there's another option of using ReWireVST with PT ??? http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=371691
One improvement that would be welcome by many a users would be removing channel 10 as a set drum track. In the 90's when midi started, it was applicable, but today given that advent of where VST has gone it is just a lost track when you hit 10 in your second and third VST set up, and it becomes annoying after a while to lose a channel.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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.
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