Before getting into BIAB, I watched many videos. Some on PG site, some on YouTube. Some I found very informative, but most not creative enough. Meaning, most of videos are based on specific technical issue and not on creative side of the project as whole.
Joanne Cooper, was one of very few who actually applied BIAB to real song from start to ending, and did it with heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqGvnE1HNqo&t=876s Her videos are good, but do not go into more complex things much.
I would like to request a video that deals specifically with more complex Intros/ Bridge(s)/Ending in one song/one project. Let me explain a little more. I am used to do backing tracks on arrangers and arranger based software. With those, usually a musical variations are present for intros, breaks and endings, which are very distinct from the rest of the style. Meaning, you can not mistake an "intro" from the main chorus.
I am struggling quite a bit with that in BIAB. Creating vivid transition parts such as intros, bridges, endings...
I know, it is probably too much to ask and most likely will be forwarded to video clips that deal specifically with each part... But, It would be helpful to have a full video that deals with complete pop/rock song with standard structure with distinct/vivid intros, bridge and ending. From start to end. Not rushing through things and explaining items from the point view of musician and not as salesperson. (Sorry to say, but I found many videos on PG "how-to" sounded more like sales pitch ad rather than help videos)
I believe such tutorial would help me and many others to visualize whole song construction ideas and workflow. Also would be helpful to those who are considering on becoming members.
One issue though is what song to use as the subject for the video? There are a lot of public domain songs but I can't think of any pop songs that are in the public domain. Any hints?
Jim, I honestly think genre is irrelevant for this demo. I said pop, just from the perspective that it is more universal, but I respect country, rock, R&B or any other genre/style as long as it can be used as a good visual example of making a complete song structure, with nice intro, transitions, ending, etc. Main task of this project should be to show how muscle features of BIAB can be applied in making complete song
If it ever happens, I think it is wise for the person who is going to be making video to choose the style he/she is more comfortable with, so whole process goes smoother. (just not abstract electronic or rap please... nothing against these styles, but I feel they would be a poor choice for this task)
The idea is a good one. It is a video, or even a video series, that could be a great learning experience and well worth the time required to make and watch.
Sometimes though a great idea is not followed through because it is too easy to find a reason to reject the idea. The best reason I could come up with for PG Music not to make the video was because they are not going to make a video that includes the melody or riffs of a popular or rock song protected by copyright. PG Music is very conscious of copyright and does not do anything that could even hint at copyright infringement.
Now that my question has been answered I can't think of any other obstacle PG Music might encounter.
Once again, +1 in support of the request. Hopefully, other forum members will appreciate the idea as I do and lend their support.
Jim... I think PG has wealth of their own material to assemble "generic" song using their demo songs progressions or similar for tutorial purposes But of course, "generic" not in terms of simplicity.
Another thought, If it ever comes to life to make it in "follow me" approach/tutorial.
Thank you for the video. My one complaint is I wish you included your use of the Melodist to generate the chord chart. Your chord chart already had more chord variety than most of the songs I've made!
Two suggestions for future videos: 1) You may want to clearly identify which version (Windows or Mac) of Band-in-a-Box is used in the video demonstration. 2) When the two versions differ, demonstrate how you would achieve the same result in the different version.
For example I noticed this video was created using 2018 BiaB for Windows. Would a person using 2018 BiaB for Mac be able to follow the same steps and achieve similar results?
I think user requested video tutorials is a FANTASTIC idea. It is great to see how someone that is intimately familiar with the software uses it with minimal effort or steps.
Kent, Thank you! I am glad to find that my workflow is similar to the one in your Demo. Making of the "ending section" was very helpful to me. Overall great stuff. I watched it twice, but I am 100% sure, I will come back to it.
In the manner of Jim I will allow myself to express a couple of small complaints/concerns Now, these are not from my perspective, but looking at this through the lens of someone who just started. Some things just need a few more seconds of explanation. For example "style change at the bar" I think it should be explained a bit more of what is actually happening, when this is done. Again, when I watched it, I had some knowledge that was shared by fellow members and some that I picked up by experimenting, but to someone new, it might be a bit confusing.
Also the "ending creation" section. Same thing. I had some prior knowledge and it was awesome to see everything happening in one project, but to someone new the "tag" part might be a bit confusing. A few more seconds of explanation there might clear the fog. Something like: When you type the start tag bar- it does this. If you change it to X- it does that.
Otherwise, I think it is one of the best complete track/backing track videos available, which shows some key power tools of BIAB. Honestly, I think this video should be the first one in the "beginners" section, so people can get a sense of how they can navigate in BIAB, how it reacts to changes, etc. Whole workflow!
One feature that I think might be very useful for video tutorials is this. For example you start talking about intros in this project, put a link there for something that already exists in video tutorials for intros, so if someone says: Wow! I want to know more on this, all they have to do "rewind" your video to the section of interest, click on the "related video(s)" link and he/she is where they need to be. Just a suggestion
Thanks for the feedback! This was made with the Windows version, but everything shown works identically in the Mac version, so Mac users can follow it as well without getting lost. That's why I didn't mention the operating system, but I'll keep this in mind.
Regarding the chords, any chord progression I write is pretty elementary, so the Melodist is a lifesaver. I make electronic music so am more of a techie/sound designer than proper musician in the traditional sense.
To be perfectly honest, I just picked the first melodist in the list and kept trying until I liked the result, but may make another video that contains that step too if you figure it'll be useful.
Kent, Very nice, thanks. Like others, this is very similar to my workflow. I currently use most or all of the features you outlined to build my backing tracks.
Wondering whether there are additional tips or tricks to build on this knowledge to further enhance our work.
Perhaps an advanced video?
Thanks again,
biab2026(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS (Latest) Apple Mac Mini M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro (latest or pretty close) Blue and White Sea Star
Kent, Very nice, thanks. Like others, this is very similar to my workflow. I currently use most or all of the features you outlined to build my backing tracks.
Wondering whether there are additional tips or tricks to build on this knowledge to further enhance our work.
Perhaps an advanced video?
Thanks again,
One thing to add an additional level of complexity to your song similar to Kent's changing of Styles is to also make use of BIAB's ability to change out up to 10 instruments per track.
Another technique I do is to also enter my chord chart and select a midi style from House, Hip Hop, etc that's mostly percussion, mute any non-percussion instruments and render the percussion to an audio track, import that audio and move it as a Performance Track to the Drums channel. I then select a new Style and import the new Style, force the RealDrums to Midi (this brings up the Performance Track) and generate. This is necessary to activate the Performance Track to play. The Performance Track replaces the Drums and provides a modern groove to your song.
I believe somebody asked for sequential tutorial(s) before. I think the approach that I described couple of posts above could be very helpful with "show me how" tutorials. For example, where Kent talks about a "style change" a link in the video, to the style change only related videos.. Sort of advanced topic on the subject. I think that makes a lot of sense with organizing these tutorials. I feel this approach would be very helpful to beginners and intermediate users. A "live" manual with easy navigation into topics of interest
P.S. Also, it should save time of re-recording things to get to the point of discussion.
Would love to do videos but so far every software program I've tried has failed due to the graphics card (on the motherboard) is incompatible. This desktop I use is older and I'm not wanting to put a lot into upgrades. It's 2009-2010 vintage and so is my laptop. I have a new Win 10 All in One but don't have any of my music software installed on it. I purchased the SampleTank Max software at the last sale and holding it for 'future' use...
I'm really glad to see PGMusic taking the initiative to doing these new "show me how" tutorial videos and they've been an instant hit with me. There's a lot of promise with them and happy to see folks making suggestions to improve the quality and value of them.
For me the most interesting part of that whole vid was just the bit where Mr. Kent was able to create a very convincing "Part C", something that I've been hoping (actually requesting) to be an actual part of at least future RT sets, if not past & present. By "very convincing" I'm especially thinking of how cleverly the RT set for the C-part was selected in terms of its instrument (particularly the bass & drums), which I assure you is not nearly as straight forward and easy to do as Mr. Kent made it look! Case in point: I'm currently working on a project, where the intention was to go from swung reggae to a more trad swing mid song, and that seemingly simple idea is proving to be near impossible in praxis with RT's, primarily due to how the bass & drum kits used are so vastly different in sound, that the overall effect is rather like I've suddenly cut and pasted in something from a completely different group of people playing completely different instruments in a completely different studio!
So kudos to the maker of that clip for pulling off such a near-impossible feat
Last edited by Icelander; 11/23/1801:29 PM. Reason: Further details
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
To be perfectly honest, that was the first style I tried. It really was as easy as it looked like in the video.
I did listen to the audio demo in the StylePicker, saw that the tempo was right, and the vibe was similar to the original style but different enough to be noticeable, and clicked OK.
I'm a reggae DJ though, which probably gave me somewhat of an advantage.
To be perfectly honest, that was the first style I tried. It really was as easy as it looked like in the video.
In that case, then in my book that's a fluke - which are even harder to pull off!
Last edited by Icelander; 11/28/1811:37 AM. Reason: Correcting mistakes
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
+1 to OP Misha --- I would also like to see a complete project video, with a more in depth explanation for someone just starting out. I'm "tech savvy", but just a beginner at music, and trying to use BIAB to help learn to play keyboard, and as a learning tool for music theory in general.
Now, I see that PGMusic sells a product from Groove 3, a course explaining BIAB, for $40. Wouldn't mind paying that, but it's for version BIAB 2015. How about something that focuses on BIAB 2019, and the tricks to use the VST plugin now?
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry 2019 BiaB Megapack (634), RB 2019 (Build 4) Reaper 5.983 x64, Audient id14 USB interface, Voicemeeter Potato 3.0.0.8, Nektar LX49+, Roland E20 i7-6700K Skylake desktop, 64bit Win10 Pro(1903), 32GB ram, 512GB system SSD + 2TB data SSD
+1 to OP Misha --- I would also like to see a complete project video, with a more in depth explanation for someone just starting out. I'm "tech savvy", but just a beginner at music, and trying to use BIAB to help learn to play keyboard, and as a learning tool for music theory in general.
Now, I see that PGMusic sells a product from Groove 3, a course explaining BIAB, for $40. Wouldn't mind paying that, but it's for version BIAB 2015. How about something that focuses on BIAB 2019, and the tricks to use the VST plugin now?
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry,
Groove 3 offers two Band-in-a-Box videos. The 2015 video series covers features using 2015 BiaB for Windows while a 2014 video covers features for BiaB for Mac.
Both video series feature almost two hours of instruction spread over more than twenty videos ranging between 3 to 8 minutes in length each.
+++ HERE +++ is a link describing the Band-in-a-Box for Windows video tutorial series in more detail. It also has a link to the BiaB for Mac video series. Check out the link and I think you'll find the series offers much of what you want. +++ HERE +++ is a link to a two page pdf file describing the video series and each of the videos.
I've seen both video series and own the Windows series. I feel very comfortable in stating the videos are the fastest and easiest way to learn how to use Band-in-a-Box and suggesting the videos to others.
Groove 3 offers many music theory and audio production video series. The company has a monthly \ annual subscription streaming option called "All Access" as well as download capability.
Thanks Jim, appreciate the recommendation to give the course a try. I've tried other courses from them, and I know they do a pro job.
My hesitation is that the 2015 version is 4 years old now, but probably for a beginner, getting a starting point is more important. Theoretically, it should be at least "easier" then, to figure out the newer features. I'll take your word for it.
I would make a comparison to learning Photoshop...... another intimidating program at first, but getting tutorials on "strategies" and "workflow" is what really helped me. Short tips and tricks are great, but getting the big picture is the hardest part! Jerry
Jerry 2019 BiaB Megapack (634), RB 2019 (Build 4) Reaper 5.983 x64, Audient id14 USB interface, Voicemeeter Potato 3.0.0.8, Nektar LX49+, Roland E20 i7-6700K Skylake desktop, 64bit Win10 Pro(1903), 32GB ram, 512GB system SSD + 2TB data SSD
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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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Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed 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 transcribe 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, and much more!
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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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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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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)
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