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But I then questioned if BiaB wants to or should have the capabilities to also integrate all of these other quality products.
After all, it's purpose is to be a music accompaniment program. I don't think its primary intention is to teach music theory, or to tutor music rudiments, or to advise what chords are best used in any particular circumstance. There are many other products that can do this now that users can take advantage of separately.
VideoTrack, Your posts are always so gentle and helpful I do not want to come across as argumentative but BIAB has had educational roots and offerings since its inception, and continues to add more and more educational components, lessons, and so forth with every release. Also, a college down the road uses BIAB to teach jazz and composition to its music students. The chord builder tool in and of itself is a jazz teacher if you have the tiniest bit of theory under your belt--and the educational applications are limitless. If you don't want to use Dm7, for example, it will give you 20 other options or so--I don't know the exact count, but it's a lot. So I do not think it is fair to say BIAB is primarily an accompaniment program though it CAN do that, and does it marvelously, but it does a lot of other things too--like helping you to build an exciting song. Without an exciting song and production, accompaniment, per se will not get you very far. And not to badger (because that is not my point) but I have seen a lot of stuff out there and I have not seen any programs that are remotely on the level of BIAB for purposes of self-education in chord progressions, composition and arrangement. Which ones are you talking about? I am asking sincerely because I would like to check them out.
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Thank you for your insight and comments. They are worthy of consideration.
The point I am alluding to is that Band In A Box cannot be expected to be Band In a Box and also deliver all features that other not-so-similar products 'individually' deliver.
My example is this: Why should it be challenged because it doesn't also do what 'xyz' or 'abc' other programs can already do?
What it does is great, exceptional in fact, no question. If it could do more that would be a bonus, again no question.
I, for one would like it to do some things better. But we are wrong to expect it to do everything that some other separate products can do, and to criticise it if it cannot. That's all.
It's like picking the best features of every luxury car and condemning another model because it doesn't include every one of those features.
We cannot unfairly judge the product just because it doesn't do everything we would individually like it to deliver.
Anyone is free to develop and introduce their own product if another product doesn't cut it for them.
I hope this clarifies the intention of my post.
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.
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VideoTrack "My example is this: Why should it be challenged because it doesn't also do what 'xyz' or 'abc' other programs can already do?" Because that is exactly what progress is all about. It is all about challenges  My argument is this: If PG does not have proper resources to progress, or their "progress" is sufficient for some folks here, at least what they (PG) can do is allow for development from third parties like: Scripting
Proper VST support That way all people who are satisfied with current state of development can happily stay with that realm and nothing will trigger their emotions, since all the "extra" items will be available by choice, not mandatory. Everybody is happy
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My argument is this: If PG does not have proper resources to progress, or their "progress" is sufficient for some folks here, at least what they (PG) can do is allow for development from third parties like: If BIAB were open source, I would agree with you; however, as proprietary software, while this is something they could do, they would also have to consider the quality control aspects that third parties bring to their product, branding issues, etc. That's up to them, and there's no requirement they do that at all. And over the years, there have been some third-party add-ons (BBFinder by Stefano Lazzaretto, Song and Style Librarian by Denis Ladoceur, Song and Style Launcher by Stefan Kuske); granted, many of these have fallen by the wayside, but they were there. Look at the stuff Pipeline has done; would it be nice to have some of that incorporated natively? Sure, but not our decision to make. Look at the GUI recommendations made by VideoTrack (Trevor). All possibilities, but all just suggestions. As the consumer, you choose whether to buy it or not. If it doesn't meet your needs, don't buy it. If it doesn't do something you want it to do, then suggest it or find something else that does. It's like saying Apple should open their OS to all PC hardware, because you don't like the model Apple provides. I'm not saying it couldn't be done or even if it shouldn't be done, but that's a business decision for PGMusic to make based on their business model, not your idea of what their business model should be. Make suggestions and challenge them; maybe they'll come to pass, maybe they won't. But just complaining and griping because you want a feature and they didn't immediately jump on it isn't productive. We can provide input to them, but in the end, it's their company and their decisions. I suspect PGMusic will be around for many years to come, as they've got a pretty smart guy with innovative ideas at the helm. Some pan out great (RealTracks, RealDrums); some not so much (VideoTracks), but he's not afraid to try new stuff. And if there were no revenue stream, none of that would happen.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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"It's like saying Apple should open their OS to all PC hardware, because you don't like the model Apple provides."
You are right about it, that is why I will never buy Apple product if I really (really!) do not need it.
"Make suggestions and challenge them; maybe they'll come to pass, maybe they won't."
I was under impression that this is exactly what this is about.
"As the consumer, you choose whether to buy it or not. "
Hopefully they will make changes for me to consider next update (or the one after)
P.S. And as a consumer, I believe I might have an opinion or two.... or that is a controlled substance at PG?
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
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We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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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You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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