I'm relatively new with BB, but coming along nicely, especially with the help of the forum veterans. My latest issue is hopefully just a setting somewhere but here it is.
The song is created, and a notation lead sheet using a midi keyboard. All tracks play but there is no notation track. The notation is there but no audio track to go with it. There is also no melody or soloist tracks up on the menu bar where the other instruments are showing. I know this is where the notion lead usually plays through. It's as though the melody and soloist tracks are hidden or turned off.
I'm sure it's a simple "switch" that I'm missing, but all suggestions are appreciated.
Are you perhaps asking why some RealTracks do not have notation? You can tell at a glance: those with notation have an underscore (either short or long) in the track name. There is also an indicator in the RealTracks picker.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I'm not sure if I understand your problem, but if you're using midi, have you loaded the instrument patch for each track? You should still have a melody and soloist track even if nothing is assigned to them.
I created a song using the default instruments which I assigned real tracks to....piano, bass, piano, guitar and some strings......simple enough
I then wanted to add a lead sheet for the tune's melody using the notation feature. I chose a simplified real track...."new age piano".
The song and notation completed and played ok, but when I retrieved the song at a later time, there was no audio (or track) for the notation....even though it was visible after hitting the notation button. The melody and soloist tracks were also missing from the menu bar across the top
I understand the part about not being able to edit real tracks and its notation. The issue I'm having is not being able to locate the soloist and harmony tracks after the song is created. They have disappeared. They are turned off somehow and don't show in he menu bar. I'm sure when they are visible I will be able to successfully use either one for the melody line with notation.
Something simple I'm sure......just don't see it yet
The melody and soloist tracks radio buttons should always be visible; however, if you assign a RealTrack to them, they will take on the name of the instrument of the RealTrack and won't be called Melody/Soloist anymore.
From left to right, you should see (using the track legacy names): Master, Bass, Piano, Drums, Guitar, Strings, Melody, Soloist, Thru, Audio
Are you saying the Melody and Soloist radio buttons aren't there.
Likewise, they should be in the mixer, and when you go into notation, you can choose which track to display there.
It would help if you could provide a screen shot to show exactly what you are talking about.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 8TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 11TB SATA
After you add the melody, did you save the song? Did the file extension change from "song.sgu" to "song.mgu" when you saved the song file that has the melody?
If the song has a melody the extension will begin with M (otherwise it’s S). The second letter of the song extension is G to indicate it is a song file. The third letter of the file extension is the style used in the song. 1-9 and A-N for the original built in midi styles and U for a User style.
Example: My Song Title.MGU The M tells us that a Melody is recorded. The G is always present in song names telling us that it is a song. The U tells us that the style is a user style.
Example: My Song Title.SG1 The S indicates that no melody is recorded. The G is always present in song names telling us that it is a song. The 1 indicates original midi style #1, which is Jazz Swing.
Yep, if you just re-opened the SGU file, you won't have the melody or soloist, because by definition SGU files have no melody or soloist. You need to open the MGU file. I wonder if that's where the problem lies.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 8TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 11TB SATA
Yes....problem solved. I did assign RTs to both the Soloist and Melody tracks hence that's why they disappeared after I saved and reopened.. I also am using the sgu file instead of mgu. All that being understood.......can you add more than 5 instruments to a song, and if so how to do it without using the soloist and melody tracks for RTs. (I'm not ignoring the user guide/manual....just not that explicit)
A BIAB song will have up to five auto-generated tracks, defined by the style selected (traditionally referred to as bass, piano, drums, guitar, and strings) which can have any combination of RealTracks, RealDrums, MIDI tracks, or MIDI Supertracks.
The Melody Track and Soloist Track are traditionally used for you to enter MIDI data, but you can overlay a RealTrack on those as well. You can also have an audio track, but it is static it won't change with any changes to the chord grid.
That's it in BIAB. If you need more tracks than that, you'll need to move to RealBand or some other DAW (because you can drag and drop tracks from BIAB to other DAWs; however, you can't regenerate them in other DAWS other than RealBand).
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 8TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 11TB SATA
You can easily change the instrument playing on any track at any time by accessing the Bar Settings Screen. You access the Bar Settings screen by pressing the F5 key while your cursor is at the bar where you want the change to first happen. Note the name of the new instrument will not show up as a patch on the mixer.
In the screenshot below I've opened the Bar Settings screen, clicked on the RealTracks button and am getting ready to open the RealTracks Picker screen to insert a RealTracks onto the Guitar track at bar 6.
Think of each track as a musician. You may see one musician play both fiddle and mandolin but you will not the musician play mandolin and fiddle at the same time. Same in Band-in-a-Box. Each track can play multiple instruments but each track can play only one instrument at a time.
Each track can have up to 10 instrument changes I believe. BIAB has some pre-configured medley instruments choices. Open RealTracks and filter your search for Medley
Note that you'll find bar based instrument changes for 4 bars and 8 bars and also for part marker changes. You'll also see some medleys with silence inserted.
<<< That's it in BIAB. If you need more tracks than that, you'll need to move to RealBand or some other DAW (because you can drag and drop tracks from BIAB to other DAWs; however, you can't regenerate them in other DAWS other than RealBand). >>>
There is an old school mixing technique that I use to work around the seven track BIAB limit and it provides a total of 15 tracks that can be rendered at once.
It's very useful for songwriting because of the much faster generation of a BIAB song compared to the RB generation. Plus, the StylePicker BIAB feature to play a style over my chord progression is not included in the RB Stylepicker. This technique allows me to audition many different styles and the hear individual style's instruments playing in that particular style over my chord chart very quickly. My train of thought can remain on songwriting and structure and not be interrupted by having to stop, open another program and alter my workflow to accommodate another software program.
There are a lot of old school mixers here on the forum. I wonder if anyone can guess how I get the extra tracks?
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.
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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
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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