I would like my reaper DAW to look like BIAB does with the bars and chords showing. Is this even possible and if so how do you do it. Thanks
Hi Leonard,
I have Reaper set up so that bars begin at -1. This allows for BIAB's 2-bar count-in and makes sure that the bar numbers in BIAB are in exactly the same musical place as they are in in BIAB.
This setting is found under "Project Settings". Just set "Project start measure" to -1.
In relation to showing chords, Pipeline has devised some very clever ways to show chords in Reaper. I haven't yet tried them.
Yes, it is possible. Over the years enhancements have been made to Reaper to indicate Chord Chart type structure. In fact, transferring chord chords directly from BIAB has been achieve.
Regarding the How, start looking in the Tips and Tricks section of this forum for Pipeline threads.
Here is one example where I used the "Region Markers" to identify sections of the tune. Can also used this feature to enter the chord sequence. But there are several other options...
Could you give a sample of doing this so I can try? You know step by step Thanks
Leonard, one thing you have to know about me... I am still working the day job. The involves 50+ hour work weeks which are on the road and generally anywhere around the world. So at this time in my life I have little time for my music. That does not allow me time to help you out much more on this. However, good news is you don't have to wait for my retirement when I will be burning up the forum with useless clutter. There are better folks than I to explain the many features of Reaper.
Let me introduce you to Kenny on the subject of inserting text into markers and regions in Reaper. He is the man.
LOL, Yea sorry Yea I've heard from Kenny before. A very smart guy when it comes to Reaper and all its tricks and secrets..I'm in the same boat as you brother except for the world travel thing. I've only had time to get back into music because I was diagnosed with cancer this year and have been off for the past 4 months. First time ever in my life have I not worked so long since I was 16. As it stands I'll have about three or 4 more months left if all goes to plan.
Here is one example where I used the "Region Markers" to identify sections of the tune. Can also used this feature to enter the chord sequence. But there are several other options...
Yes, Region Markers and markers in general are impressive!
Leonard,
Just in case you haven't yet stumbled across it, here is Kenny's home page...
I mean back to work. I'm having surgery Wednesday morning. Expected to take about 8 to 10 hours. I have a Liposarcoma in my inguinal canal that was discovered earlier this year. It was supposed to be a hernia but turned out to be much more. Because of the location of the tumor, I also am going have a penectomy. I'll let you look that up and yes, it is what you think it is. I've been in pain for the past three months and have taken Morphin, Oxycodone, Tramadol, Hydromorphone, Gabapentin, Dexamethasone. I never ever took drugs growing up. Never did pot only drank beer and liquor but hated both. Cannot stand the taste of alcohol and in the past few months, I have understood the need for all these drugs. Without them, life would have been unbearable. Mind you, my level of pain is always around a 5 and if it stays there I'm happy. Been going to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. One of the best in the United States for my treatment. I finished radiation treatment 6 weeks ago after having it for 5 weeks. I had to drive 120 miles day round trip to Tampa for these treatments. I'm staying at my sisters home now she lives closer to Tampa until I recover from this. Liposarcoma is one of these cancers that you have to get every last bit of it or else it grows back for which it did after my hernia operation. Felt great for about three weeks then it started growing rapidly again. The radiation was supposed to stop the growth, but unfortunately, it didn't care what it was supposed to do and kept getting bigger. Now because of its size, they have no other option but to perform the previously mentioned surgery. As I sit here I can feel pain pulsating everywhere from my groin area and cannot wait until this thing is removed from my body. I truly don't care what they have to remove as long as the pain goes away and I can get back to work and a normal life again. This whole business has been an eye-opener. From life itself to all the hassle of dealing with it not to mention the financial aspect. I have a great job and people that truly care about me and I will have a job when I get back on my feet. I never in a million years thought this would happen to me and I'm sure every single one of you out there in BIAB land thinks the same way. You just never know what life has in store for you all.
Yes it's an eye opener ! been through all stuff like that 20 years ago life support machines, expensive care units, operation, operation, operation, drugs.... but that's all over and done with now and I'm the same age as you. It gives you a different outlook on life, when you're having your op and find yourself out of your body in total peace looking down at the op you won't be hanging out to get back in it lol I hope it all goes good for you and come out of it a new man !
I wish you all the very best with your journey. It's not an easy road that you're on and I truly admire the fortitude and the resilience you've shown in your comments. In all honesty, I found your writing very inspiring and I'm glad that you took the time to make the post.
Leonard, thanks for taking the time to share your situation with us. This group is like a very inclusive family. We can and do reach out and support each other.
Sending positive thoughts for absolutely successful surgery and a Very Fast recovery.
Trev
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.
You know what Pipeline I have given that serious consideration. What if I do pass away while on the table. I have a form filled out that if I die to not resuscitate. Of course, I filled it out haphazardly not really thinking that anytime soon I could actually die. Funny thing is I really think it might be a better option just because life really does suck. Now, I'm not suicidal and never would consider it. But, if it's your time it's your time and why fight it. I'm sorry to be posting heavy stuff like this and mean no offense to anyone I really don't but since I'm here in the now why not. A very little about myself. I'm single never married and haven't any children no real friends except the usual acquaintances you make in life. Insert Violins here, lol. I'll be the first to admit I'm anti-social and don't make friends easily without a very long period of seeing if I can really trust this person and since I'm so anal that way no friends. I'm not looking for any sympathy I hate people that try to play that game. I'm just explaining the person I am. My real enjoyment in life is making music or at least trying to. My dream was to form a Jazz trio and just play for fun. My ideal trio is Me on drums, a great Upright Bass Player and a great Jazz guitar player. I never found that possible. Again the anti-social thing, but through BIAB I have lived out many fantasies with this unbelievable piece software and I'm forever thankful for that I found this site a few years ago. It was truly a Godsend to me leading me to a better appreciation of music and the musicians that inhabit this place. I don't really know any of you, again the stupid anti-social thing but I have heard a few of your wonderful works and so appreciate how great musicians you truly are. I will admit I get jealous sometimes and wish I had started this journey many years earlier. But, I found PG Music and BIAB and really have nothing but thanks and thank God that people like this exist. I know many of your handles by reading the forums all the time, I'm just not big into contributing since I'm a relative musical noobie. I have spent more money than I care to admit on musical software, instruments, and turning a room in my home into a studio. All in vain to learn each one. But, I have what I guess you could call ADD and cannot seem to be able to concentrate on learning an individual instrument. You know when you walk into a music store and buy an Archtop thinking how great they sound and then going home and plugging it in and strumming a few strings you realize why you did it. But then reality sets in and you actually have to try and learn how to play. Again, to me, it’s just impossible for me to learn especially at this stage in life when I work 60 hours a week and spend the rest sleeping, eating, and setting in front of this computer and BIAB. Just no time. I know its a bullcrap excuse, but I’m sticking with it. The drums are the only thing that I’m seemingly halfway good at and to be fair to real drummers out there I know I suck. But I enjoy the hell out of playing them and when I record myself playing with something from BIAB I swear sometimes I sound good. I would say to anyone on here never ever let someone talk you away from doing this if you truly love music. Music to me is the essence of life itself. It soothes the savage beast and the non-savage as well. It gives meaning to all of life's precious moments and without music to my life would be meaningless. If I had to lose any senses I would pray it not be my hearing. I can do without seeing or talking. But music no way. Without hearing music life would be empty of all enjoyment. So to finish a rather drawn out reply to Pipeline. If I find myself looking down at my body I’m not sure I’d want to return to it. I can think of a heavenly realm of musicians that have passed on playing in some huge band. Doesn’t matter the musicians who are there, it would just be like a comradery of people that appreciate music and the loved making it. I could sit there for an eternity listening to all the greats that have been and gone. Why would I pass that up? So, if you don’t see another post from me after Wednesday I’ve decided to join the choir invisible. Only time will tell. Just thought I’d share some of my private thoughts with people I appreciate for having a love of music like myself. I do look forward, to being honest, to recover and getting back behind my drumset and jamming with the greats. If the moderators feel they need to move this post I won’t be upset. After all, it’s is a forum for making music and as soon as I post this I’m back to BIAB making some more. Thanks to all of you for the inspiration and desire to continue this personal quest for making music that we all love and cherish.
Hey that sounds like my life and the never married no children. I went through all the facing "death" at a young age with anxiety and fear but after experiencing it, total peace, total love, total knowing, no time as we know it, it's just the opposite, I was out of my body but did come back or sent back, after that you know that "life" is just an optical delusion and you don't buy into it anymore, you loose any materialism and spend all your time helping others though it does totally drain me at times. And yes music is what's kept me going, if you go watch a ball game you come away happy or disappointed but you go to music concert you come away feeling good, uplifted same with creating it. 20 year ago after all the crap I saw a woman singing on some "CMA Awards" just goes to show what I knew then about country music, but she blew me away, I found out some time after it was Shania and her music and the other country artist healed me and got me grounded back down here. Anyway I'll get back to it. So hopefully we will hear back from you soon, but if not we will catch up with you some other time and place for sure.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
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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 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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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!
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!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
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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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