I would like to see an option to include a 'count-in' when playing from a point somewhere within the song (Play from), the same as the way a count-in is provided when playing from the beginning of the song.
E.g. if practicing a section with a real band (one with humans), you would always perform a count-in to the bar you want the band to start playing from.
I believe that such a feature would be a very useful addition when using Band In A Box to practice specific sections of a song, especially when working with several musicians, or trying different styles, part markers etc. It would be really nice if there was a checkbox in Options that states: Include Count-In when 'Playing From'.
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 know that the lead in option is only available when playing the song from bar 1. However, suppose I wanted to create a series of 4 bar chord progressions to use as teaching examples. Is it possible to create the effect of an audible lead in anywhere within the song? Basically, I want to instruct BIAB to play 4 beats of stick only in specific measures.
So instead of having 4 bars, I'd have 5 bars. The first one being the work around lead in, with the following 4 the actual chord progression.
So I would have my work around lead in bars be bars 1, 6 and 11. In those bars, I'd only want the drum stick to play for 4 beats. Can BIAB accomplish this? If so, how? Thanks!
Hmmm. You may be able to use F5 to mute all instruments except for drums on bars 1, 6, 11, and choose a drum pattern for only those bars that simulates a count-in.
You could also do it with MIDI on the melody track, playing a 4 beat side-stick on those bars only, and muting everything else.
Probably a few other ways also.
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.
In skimming the manual, it appears I can change the style at any particular bar in the bar settings dialog. With that in mind, would it be possible to create a dedicated style that emulates the lead in side stick (just 1-2-3-4) and apply it only to the bars that I need? Would something like that work? And if so, can you direct me to some resource on how to create such a style?
Thank you for the reply, however, treat me like a beginner. Can these topics be found in the manual, if so, under what?
OK, I'll try here with one method that might work. In this case I'll choose just bar 6 for a location to put your count-in:
A: Layout your song as normal, however many bars you need. B: Open the Notation Window and select the Melody Track - 6th from left(1), Edit(2), and drop 4 notes on the stave(3) C: In the mixer select MIDI Instrument Patch > Select General MIDI patch > a MIDI bank such as Agogo-114 or Wood Block-116 (4) D: On the Chord sheet, click on bar 6, and press F5 (or right-click and select Chord Settings) E: Mute all tracks except for the track with the Agogo (or Woodblock) on it (5) F: Click on Bar 7, press F5 and return all tracks to normal (6)
If you have multiple choruses, you may have to repeat the MIDI trick on other bars as I don't know if those notes play during the chorus repeats.
If you get brave, you could reserve 2 bars for the count-in and use a 1 - 2 - , 1-2-3-4 technique.
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.
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.
VideoTrack, I just saw your reply with the step by step instructions. Going to give them a try now. Yesterday after I got off of here, I tried doing what I thought would work but I must be doing something wrong. I created a style called count-in.sty that plays four quarter notes on the side stick (attached, but take off the .jpg extension) and I Went to the bar settings and did a style change. The style does indeed change, but no side stick plays... I'm going to give your method a shot.
mc3997, Thanks for the response. I'm sure that there may be other ways, but that was perhaps the easiest to articulate.
Let us know if this works for you (at least sort of, anyway)
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.
It's working! The notation editing was quite a pain! I don't know how the manual claims it dramatically speeds up the entry of notation. But once I was able to get 4 quarter notes in properly, it worked That feature, along with being able to display 5 bars on a line will make this much easier now. Thanks again!!
The only thing, and it's just a minor annoyance, is when I double click to play from say bar 6, sometimes, BIAB will play the piano for just a split second as it starts to play the wood block. It's almost like it was left in memory from the previous play. I say this because if I play the wood block bar, and then stop it and then play again, the piano isn't heard. Any idea what causes that, and if it can be fixed? If not it's ok, it's minor.
Try doing a complete song generate, rather than just play from, and see if that assists. If it does, maybe then freeze the tracks.
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 seemed to help a little bit actually. I want to freeze the tracks for faster playback, because the examples are going to be used while filming a video. What I have is perfectly workable though. Many thanks.
The only thing, and it's just a minor annoyance, is when I double click to play from say bar 6, sometimes, BIAB will play the piano for just a split second as it starts to play the wood block. It's almost like it was left in memory from the previous play. I say this because if I play the wood block bar, and then stop it and then play again, the piano isn't heard. Any idea what causes that, and if it can be fixed? If not it's ok, it's minor.
Still can't figure out how to fully get rid of that slop that plays at the beginning of my stick count bar. Is this just a software bug? Regenerating the song doesn't quite fix it. Any ideas?
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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!
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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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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)
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That feature, along with being able to display 5 bars on a line will make this much easier now. Thanks again!!
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