To view the length of time that a note plays for, do the follow...
1. Go into Notation Mode.
2. Activate "Staff Roll Notation" as shown on the image below.
Two blue lines appear on the note-head. The vertical line shows the note's volume and the horizontal line shows how long the note plays for.
As can be seen on the note with the red circle around it (this is the first bass note in bar 7), it only plays for a short time.
This situation usually arises if you've been adding and deleting notes of different time values in this section of the bar.
To lengthen how long a note plays for, there are two easy ways...
1. Simply position the mouse cursor in the centre of the note-head and left-click once. The note's length will then automatically increase to fill the note's written value.
2. Alternatively, position the mouse cursor in the centre of the note-head and right-click and hold the mouse button down. Now drag the mouse cursor horizontally to the right to manually lengthen the blue line.
Noel has clearly shown what's going on here, but we still don't know why it happened. I've seen it happen before occasionally (usually when entering, then deleting, then changing notes). But don't know exactly what caused it. I just fix it by changing the duration of the note (right click on the note and enter a new duration).
Also, for completeness, while the vertical line generally presents itself as the volume heard, technically it represents the note's velocity.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
This is a bug of the program!!!.... and they have not even thought of a utility that allows you to fix all the notes with just one click and do not go and fix a note at a time
This is a bug of the program!!!.... and they have not even thought of a utility that allows you to fix all the notes with just one click and do not go and fix a note at a time
Hi Casak I have reported the issue that you have identified to the developers. Like you, we are just users of the program 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.
As I see it, it's not a bug. It's the way the program has always worked. I've been using it for many years.
I imagine that it's because of the semi-automatic note-entry method that PG Music have invented. It's a great system. No other program that I'm aware of has such an easy note entry approach. Most systems are fully manual with mouse-based note entry and much slower as a consequence.
Try disabling "Minimize rests" under "Options | Preferences | Notation" and see if that helps with the note display accuracy.
This is a bug of the program!!!.... and they have not even thought of a utility that allows you to fix all the notes with just one click and do not go and fix a note at a time
I'm not yet convinced we are ready to conclude that. A better approach is to prevent the occurrence in the first place.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I think we have, for years, put up with a lot of small problems in BIAB that new users consider as bugs. As soon as this problem was posted, many of us knew the answer imediately, and in our own work, fix it by adjusting the previous note whenever we delete one.
It is a bug, not a feature, but we deal with it and move on. There are so many good things about BIAB that we simply overlook the minor issues.
Many problems with notation have existed for years. There are many threads about time signatures other rhan 4/4 or 3/4, 4 chord max per bar, or even the limit of 256 bars per song. These are issues that will probably never be addressed without a major rewrite of the notation module, and somehow I don't see that in the immediate future.
I am not sure that we can do much about it. We seemed resigned to ignoring them because the rest of the product is so good. Maybe the beta testers should keep flagging the problems and hoping that PGM listen.
Do we need an FAQ and the known workarounds for the 'bugs', 'issues', 'features'?
BIAB for Windows Version 2019 (643) Windows 10 (1909)
Do we need an FAQ and the known workarounds for the 'bugs', 'issues', 'features'?
Can't Tips & Tricks be used for this purpose? Sometimes I will see a great response to an interesting question and will ask the respondent to post the question and their response in Tips & Tricks. In most cases they are eager to make the information easier to find in future searches.
It would be nice if PG Music mined the forum for workarounds and tips then incorporated the information in the Support FAQs and user manuals once or twice a year but, then again, that's why site search is such an important function.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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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!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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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