I just purchased the 4 PAK Xtra tracks for Xmas hoping to play around with them, however like best laid plans they don't seem to work very well with my BIAB 2017 Pro version. The first new pattern for a new song was a World Celtic Harp that I liked and now it says Real Band does not have this instrument? I didn't see anything about having to upgrade Real Band for new instruments. A couple other new patterns I chose said the Real Band tracks weren't available. Anyone know what's up??
I just purchased the 4 PAK Xtra tracks for Xmas hoping to play around with them, however like best laid plans they don't seem to work very well with my BIAB 2017 Pro version. The first new pattern for a new song was a World Celtic Harp that I liked and now it says Real Band does not have this instrument? I didn't see anything about having to upgrade Real Band for new instruments. A couple other new patterns I chose said the Real Band tracks weren't available. Anyone know what's up??
If you are talking about anything with new RealTracks I am pretty sure they make the new RealTracks only work with the new version of BIAB.
But, if you are referring to the "Xtra Styles PAK 4" then it says "These Xtra Styles require Band-in-a-Box® version 2017 or higher and use RealTracks from the UltraPAK or Audiophile Edition." which should mean they will work with 2017. However, the problem will likely be that your 2017 Pro version did not include the RealTracks being used in the styles. Remember, the styles paks do not include any RealTracks and they only group together existing RealTracks.
You should contact PG Music asap to verify and return the PAK if it will not work with what you already own.
I have the 2017 BIAB Pro version which I purchased last May and then I added the upgrades and patches in September 2017. So for Xmas I decided to get the Xtra Styles 4 PAK and they said it worked with 2017 BIAB but did not specify that you had to have a certain BIAB or RB, otherwise I would have upgraded or at least knew that they wouldn't work with what I have. Disappointing to say the least.
Each Xtra PAK is a collection of styles. The Xtra styles may use ANY 2017 or earlier RealTrack so you need to have all RealTracks published as of 2017.
+++ This +++ page describes the Xtra PAKs. The screenshot below shows the boxed caution stating all RealTracks are required for the styles to work.
I would contact PG Music Sales after Christmas to determine your next course of action.
I did get more styles, but some of the instruments didn't translate over to Real Band and yes I am missing some instruments, like a harp that I wanted. Will have to get with PG after Xmas.
I believe I read in another post you (Belladonna) have the Pro PAK. The Pro PAK is a great introduction to Band-in-a-Box and RealBand. That is the package I first purchased to learn about the capabilities of the two programs.
Unfortunately, the Pro Pak has the least amount of accessories. In a way that's a good thing because the lack of accessories lets you concentrate on learning program capabilities. When I upgraded to the UltraPlus PAK I spent more time listening than learning the programs. Of course that's fun too!
Yeah! I went with the basic introductory one because I was not sure I could learn it or use it. Now that I can at least record a song, I am encouraged that I may be able to actually get better at it and may be ready for the next level.
Yeah! I went with the basic introductory one because I was not sure I could learn it or use it. Now that I can at least record a song, I am encouraged that I may be able to actually get better at it and may be ready for the next level.
The Band-in-a-Box and RealBand programs stay the same throughout all the various packages. What changes with each package is the amount of styles, Realtracks, MidiSuperTracks and RealDrums included.
It is unfortunate it is possible to come up with the N/A (not available) tag way too often.
And to be clear, a lot of folks on the forum use the term "style" when they mean "RealTrack", which can lead to confusion, as they are not the same thing. Buying "RealStyles" packages only give you style files that reference existing RealTracks that are already on your computer. If you don't have the underlying RealTracks, the RealStyles are not going to work.
MIDI styles are different, in that the riffs used to create the sounds are defined directly in the style (no external dependencies). Hybrid styles (those with a mix of MIDI and RealTracks) will have MIDI defined in the style, but only reference the RealTracks (and require that they be on your machine).
And some styles may reference SuperMIDI tracks, which are separate, like RealTracks, but in MIDI format (they are not defined in the style, because they are processed by a different "engine" than regular MIDI tracks).
For the XTRA style packs to work, because they pull from RealTracks across many years of RealTrack development, you need to have one of the packages that include "all" the available RealTracks. The BIAB Pro version only includes enough RealTracks to whet your whistle to what BIAB can do. You really need to upgrade to the UltraPak to be able to really experience what BIAB has to offer.
I know this can get confusing, but this is how it works. Again, if you don't want to upgrade to the UltraPak, then contact PGMusic for a refund for the XTRA pak you purchased as part of their 30-day money back guarantee.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
It's rather disappointing that PG went to the trouble to make the new RealTracks inoperable with the prior versions of BIAB and RB.
Originally Posted By: JohnJohnJohn
Originally Posted By: Belladonna
I just purchased the 4 PAK Xtra tracks for Xmas hoping to play around with them, however like best laid plans they don't seem to work very well with my BIAB 2017 Pro version. The first new pattern for a new song was a World Celtic Harp that I liked and now it says Real Band does not have this instrument? I didn't see anything about having to upgrade Real Band for new instruments. A couple other new patterns I chose said the Real Band tracks weren't available. Anyone know what's up??
If you are talking about anything with new RealTracks I am pretty sure they make the new RealTracks only work with the new version of BIAB.
But, if you are referring to the "Xtra Styles PAK 4" then it says "These Xtra Styles require Band-in-a-Box® version 2017 or higher and use RealTracks from the UltraPAK or Audiophile Edition." which should mean they will work with 2017. However, the problem will likely be that your 2017 Pro version did not include the RealTracks being used in the styles. Remember, the styles paks do not include any RealTracks and they only group together existing RealTracks.
You should contact PG Music asap to verify and return the PAK if it will not work with what you already own.
The XTRA styles pack also clearly indicate that you need either the UltraPak or higher to use them, as they require the underlying Realtracks to be be present to use them. The paks do not include any styles; they only reference existing styles on your disk. If you don't have them already, it won't work correctly.
If you have the ProPak or the MegaPak, you're going to find the XTRA styles paks aren't going to do you much good.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
It's rather disappointing that PG went to the trouble to make the new RealTracks inoperable with the prior versions of BIAB and RB.
A little unfair IMO, they work hard and improved a lot over the years. Kind of logic that they want to showcase and exploit the newest features only possible with the latest updates.
The only grief i find is that some of the even older mainly 'soloist' type Realtracks are quite useless especially if you work with bar-beat count changes during an arrangement as i found. They miss too many bars. Reported a few to sales, starting maybe 2 years ago, and they still weren't fixed with the latest Realtrack updates. To name a few, Andy leftwich's mandolin soloing, and some of Brent's e guitar solo work .... they are really worthwhile to get 'right'.
But, to be fair: at the price they charge for the whole caboose, even for the Audiophile version, i cannot really feel 'ripped' off LoL. -F
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!
Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
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