And when you want coffee, order it from Black Rifle Coffee. It's a 100% veteran owned company, and if you happen to like it strong, I just sent a bag of their strongest blend to a coffee hound friend in Oklahoma. I mentioned to her that I sent the blend that they suggested when I asked "What do you have that has so much caffeine it's a legal alternative to methamphetamine?" And that's what she got!
At the risk of repeating myself. I had some issues after the last update. At the advice of some others I uninstalled and reinstalled the audio driver and all came good.
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
Windows 10 update caused my video card drivers to default to Microsoft Basic Display driver so I was not able to use the full resolutions for my monitors.
Reinstalling the drivers did not help until I tried reinstalling them using compatibility mode for windows 7.
I do see this from time to time on my W7 build. Normally it is right, something has not released the driver of the Audio device. Many drivers like Asio for all and other Asio drivers only allow one instance. So if you say try to run BIAB with RB still open or any other software that uses that driver, it will fail. Not all applications exit cleanly and release the driver. Some times the only way out is to reboot the computer that clears it down. I have not yet worked out which bit of audio software is causing this but it could be anything Audio that you have done today since boot, even things like Windows media player , Mind you I could have used quite a bit see my list in my Signature You can try to narrow it down by rembering what you done before today since boot. Have fun Mike
Unfortunately, re-boot does not clear the "hold" on the device. Nor does a power cycle of the MOTU Audio Express.
Nor does RTFS in BIAB which tries to reset to WAS, but can't because of the Hold.
Interesting that REAPER does not have any problem. So whatever is holding it, does not impact Reaper, but Reaper does not clear the hold when it exits. Maybe a clue there?
BIAB, YouTube and all other system audio remains silent.
All looks good in the Win10 Sounds Setup page. But the "test" throws and error when I press it.
Whatever is doing this, it is new as of the past several weeks.
------------------ I deleted my Drivers, Rebooted, Reinstalled the Drivers.... and all is back to normal.
Hi Hmmm In that case some thing is using the windows drivers at start up,the onboard sound card, Coolsoft synth likes to get hold of a windows Driver and Asio for all puts windows drivers in a wrapper As you say only the last few weeks was it prior to Biab 2018 or only since Biab ‘s fondness of WAS. Mike
I hate to point fingers, but this all started with BIAB 2018. Just a coincidence?
My only concern on that one is that if BIAB was causing issues there would be a lot of folks complaining about the same thing.
Most all issues regarding BIAB or any other music software ties back to the sound card. In your case, MOTU.
I don't know of many users around here that have one of those.
- Do you have any online MOTU resources you could search through that describe similar issues and are there any resolutions you can find aside from reinstalling the drivers?
- Does power cycling the MOTU resolve issues with BIAB?
- As far as something locking the audio drivers..... When that happens to me, it's usually something like a web browser page with a video or something. Maybe you have some background audio or video process running on the Task Manager Details tab that's causing the issue. Since you've checked the Startup tab, try the Services tab and sort by running. Maybe one of those is the issue. You can open Services with the Open Services button at the bottom of that page. Then you could stop or disable any potential problem services.
Hope you can make progress. This one seems tricky.
P.S. - Maybe a screenshot of your audio driver preferences from BIAB?
P.S. II - Since you say YouTube sound is gone too, see if there's any Microsoft Edge/Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome processes running. Maybe there's a virus or a badly installed MS patch from the recent updates.
Sometimes when the ASIO stops and it says to reboot the ASIO does not come back. When this occurs I go to the Devices section, turn off the sound card, it says reboot but I don't, then turn the card on again and then reboot.
Since I completely uninstalled the driver and reinstalled it I have not had issues.
Note however ASIO will only work on one instance at a time. It can lock up if you try to use it in two concurrent sessions. This has always been the case.
For what it is worth,
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
Well I had to pay a bit of attention to my default start up practices. Is your MOTO an external audio interface?
I use an Akai Eie pro this is external and has its own power supply and switch. I have this set in windows as my default audio device. It is also my default audio for BIAB running dedicated ASIO drivers.
Mostly I make sure that the Akai is on before starting windows. If it is not, like when I take my laptop away or out with me windows falls through to the onboard Realtech HD. sound chipset. At this time of course BIAB is still expecting the Akai so I would have to change my audio setting in BIAB. Realband on the other hand if it does not see the Akai immediately throws a wobbly and reverts to Mime.
Starting the Akai after start up is fine as long as I start BIAB after that.
Yes, the MOTU Audio Express is an external device. And like you is the default for all system audio. An exception is that I set BIAB to default to MME with the MOTU. I save ASIO for my recording in REAPER.
It is a magical dance of audio configurations and setup that generally keeps the whole music system running smoothly. However, once in while things go astray.
Thanks for the input. I have my eye on thinks now.
I would also test to see if it works with BIAB with MME sound drivers. If ONLY the ASIO is failing, that's another clue. I don't know what it would tell you, but it's another clue.
Now THIS is strange. After that toxic update that appears to break stuff, my Focusrite works just fine to play Real Band files. But suddenly now nothing ELSE will play! My MP3 player functionally plays files, but there is no sound routed to the Focusrite. It isn't fatal because all I do on that computer is use Real Band, but how strange. I will play with it when there isn't football on TV.
Before anybody asks, I tried to play wav and MP3 files in Microsoft's Groove player, in Windows Media Player, and in Foobar, all of which worked before that last update/upgrade, whatever we are calling it here. Something amiss in the audio engine that I will worry about later.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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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, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
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