I've had BIAB 2018 for one week now. My setup is Windows 10 PC, 32 GB RAM, fast processor, running BIAB on the PGMusic usb hard drive.
The program has frozen twice so far. Just now I had a song playing. I tried to stop it but no methods worked: the stop icon, right clicking on the icon on the task bar & selecting close window, opening a new song, nothing worked. All menus and toolbars were locked. The tune just kept playing and playing.
Finally I had to run Windows Task Manager to force BIAB to close. All other programs worked fine.
The song is "Joy to the World", which I had downloaded from an Internet a few years ago when I ran the 2010 version.
After forcing BIAB closed with Win. Task Manager, I rebooted the PC. I opened BIAB after Windows finished loading.
I ran the same song. It played through to the end. I started play again and was able to use the STOP icon.
Maybe the first time BIAB was having an issue in the background. I had played other tunes and tried different styles, before the program locked in play.
I still wonder if anyone encountered this problem?
Do you run BIAB in "Run as administrator" mode? This is recommended by PG Music.
To do this, right-click on the start-up short-cut and select "Properties". Under the "Compatibility" tab, activate the option "Run as administrator". This will set the option permanently.
Note: this is different from logging in to Windows as Administrator.
It's also possible to select "Run as administrator" by right-click on the start-up short-cut and selecting "Run as administrator". This does not set the option permanently.
Thank you Noel. I set the BIAB shortcut icon as you suggested.
I also did the same thing for my iTunes icon, since it always needs to run in admin mode. I had been selecting Admin mode each time I ran iTunes. Now with this setup the program opens automatically. Genius!
Sadly it happened again tonight. My PC froze while one song kept playing, and wouldn't stop.
I'd been playing a few song files and trying different styles & instruments. Several songs worked perfectly, and then BIAB locked up. The song kept playing, non-stop, while no other features of the program seemed to work. All menus and icons were frozen. Finally I had to use Windows Task Manager to stop BIAB.
BIAB was running in administrator mode, on my Windows 10 PC. There were no error messages or other problems on the computer. Previous tunes played and stopped perfectly in BIAB until that last one.
I suggest you consider a few non-BIAB causes. For example, check your RAM. BIAB uses perhaps more RAM than most programs. Download MEMTEST and run it overnight.
And, there’s the ever-popular static electricity that shows up with low humidity in the late fall. Do you have a carpet under your chair? Spray it with static cling spray. Touch the metal frame of a desk before sitting down.
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.
Thanks again for your help; I appreciate it so much.
The songs I'm playing are almost all from Internet downloads. The downloads are older files, and are all MIDI. I previously played (or downloaded and not played previously) the songs through BIAB version 2010.
When I open these files in my 2018 version, BIAB suggests substituting RealTracks for MIDI, for better sound quality. I've been clicking on those messages to accept the upgrade from MIDI to RealTracks, and saving the changed files when I'n done with them.
I have a handful of songs that I created with 2018, and a couple with BIAB 2010. Most are downloads though.
There is one error message that appears every time I begin a BIAB 2018 session. It is error 9997, and appears to alert me about an error with my ability to record. Since I'm not trying to record yet, I haven't addressed these messages. Here is the full startup message from my FlahMessageLog file. It's long but maybe it will mean more to you than to my inexperienced eyes:
"Running Windows Notepad.exe to display file J:\bb\Data\Logs\FlashMessageLog.txt [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:35:38 AM] Windows Audio Session error: Input and output sample rates must match. Audio input (recording) will be disabled. The error number is -9997 [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:35:04 AM] Windows Audio Session error: Could not open stream. The error number is -9997 [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:35:04 AM] Bootup was optimal, set to fast [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:35:04 AM] Bootup time in millseconds =7,331 [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:35:04 AM] Time to Count Plugins in ms =141. Plugins counted=20 [2018.520.0, 11/4/2018 2:34:59 AM]."
The error 9997 is not a serious one and it's due to using the WAS driver for audio (this is the "Windows Audio Session" driver you see listed in your log).
Have a look at the link below and setup your audio and MIDI drivers exactly as I show. These settings are the most sturdy for BIAB (they're the settings I use).
Thanks for your ongoing tech help. I began implementing your audio and midi settings, but ran into a small snag. In your diagram 2, covering midi driver setup, my choices are different than yours on the left hand side, under "MIDI Input Driver". My computer does not have the SB Adigy 2 2S MIDI IO option.
Is that your soundcard?
Two screen shots are enclosed. One shows my audio interface, an iConnectAUDIO4. The second screen capture shows my MIDI DSriver option dialog.
Thank you for posting the images, they help a great deal
In the above link I provided, I was meaning for you to follow the numbers and set everything according to the numbers. The Audigy is my indeed my soundcard and, as you can see, it's not numbered.
When I look at your MIDI set-up, using the numbers that I have in the above link, you have everything correct except for #3 and #7. If you go back to the link and compare my settings with yours, you'll see what I mean.
The most important thing is to set the audio driver to MME. Even though your audio driver settings show this, the link to the audio driver via your MIDI driver (#7 on my MIDI driver image) shows that WAS is still the audio driver. This should say MME.
In the MIDI driver setup, try clicking on #7 and then change the WAS to MME.
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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!
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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
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
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)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
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Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
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