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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 201
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OP
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 201 |
Hi friends, hope all is well! I have a question for other RealBand users. If you were moving to another quality DAW, Which one's UI and methodology do you think would feel the most familiar and comfortable?
I'm considering doing this, but I dread the thought of having to relearn a program from scratch. I've become quite comfortable in RB but it does have a few limitations.
On the other side of the coin, let me say that since uninstalling 2017 and installing 2019, things have been more stable and works better than ever before. This may be due to bug fixes in RB, and/or my having cleaned up the numerous extra synthesizer engines and plugins that came with both BIAB and my audio interface. I'd had numerous crashes and lockups with 2017, problems with features like volume nodes, etc. Now, however, everything is very stable!
A couple of things that bother me about RB, is that although you can group multiple channels to a single subgroup, you cannot record a mixer move on the combined fader, nor, to the best of my knowlege, can you easily automate a whole song fade-out.
Thanks for your time and consideration of this!
Best, Warren
Warren A. Keller- Woodwindist/Producer
Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion
Tune 9 Music- SESAC
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RealBand
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Hi Warren, I use Reaper. It's great with MIDI and audio and handles all the VSTs/DXs that I need. I also like the free tutorials that are provided by Kenny Giaoa. http://www.kennymania.com/reaper-videos/Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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RealBand
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 470
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2016
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Hi Warren,
Im with Noel on that.I use Reaper and it can take from just doing the basics to super indept and the videos from Kenny G are so good and helpful,H
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RealBand
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Joined: Aug 2011
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Warren, Indications are most people will respond with what they use. It makes sense as the daw they use will be the daw they are most comfortable with. However, what makes a daw a good fit for one person may not make it a good fit for you. I suggest a different approach; write down the ten most important tasks you want to perform in a daw and then visit sites, read reviews and download demo/trial or free versions to take interesting daws for a test ride. Generally speaking you'll find three types of daws. One type is those that were developed with strong audio features with MIDI added later on; ProTools is representative of that group. Another type is those developed to sequence MIDI and audio features were added later; Cubase and Cakewalk by BandLab (formerly Sonar) are examples from this group of daws. Last is the type of daw first developed to work with loops or audio chunks; Reason, Ableton Live and Florida Line (sometimes named just FL or Fruit Loops) are examples of this group. Having said that, every modern daw I know of can work with MIDI, audio and loops. But, because of their heritage each may be more feature rich in one area than the other two areas. Two sites worth visiting are +++ Digital Audio Workstation Wiki Comparison +++ and +++ Digital Audio Editor Comparison +++. The second link in particular has some interesting feature comparison charts. Another link worth clicking on is +++ THIS +++ web article that describes a method to follow when asking the question, "What Is The Best DAW For Me?" The article offers some good food-for-thought.
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
Hi Warren, I agree with what Jim has to say but I have another idea for you.
For the past few weeks I have been in Thailand so I don’t have access to my PC. The PG Music site is almost unusable for me here. (All other sites are fine). The frustration had me throwing my arms up in despair.
What am I to do I thought, so I went to the Groove 3 site and spent US$15 to access all for a month. Initially to learn more about Melodyne (but been so busy with other products have not got to Melodyne yet). Now on this site you have access to the explanations and methods of a number of DAWs and an assortment of other stuff. Here you will see the uses and functionality of many DAWs, plugins and various other aspects of music production. Had I gone here some time ago I would have saved a heap of money and time.
I really recommend spending the $15 having a look IMHO this will help you make the best choice for your needs.
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Reaper is good and inexpensive (something like $69). Cakewalk by BandLab (which is what used to be the somewhat pricey Sonar Platinum) is free, so at least worth checking out. Acoustica Mixcraft is nice also and not too expensive. I could never really wrap my head around Cubase or Tracktion (now called Waveform), both of which I have, but that could just be me. Likewise for N-Track. And Multitrack Studio works, but is more basic and I don't care for its more sparse interface. Just my $0.02 worth, and losing value every day.  EDIT: I generally use either Realband or Cakewalk by BandLab. The Sonar interface for me was more comfortable than the others. But as has already been said, to each his own.
Last edited by jford; 03/13/19 02:44 AM.
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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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2013
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Veteran
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Generally speaking you'll find three types of daws....... Very well described Jim! I never would have thought of it in that perspective.
 Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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RealBand
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I have personally used a ton of them.
For simplicity and robust, stable operation nothing even comes close to multitrackstudios. Yet it works very different from other DAWs. Once you get the flow down it flat out gets it done. The plugins are world class, and the ability to treat both audio and midi the same in a track is really cool. It makes a great companion for BiaB and RB.
Spent a long time with cakewalk products from home studio on floppy disk to Sonar 1 and now I have Bandlab. For free it is solid for sure. There’s a lot there. You can’t go wrong there. I did find since Bandlab took over it had a few things stripped out that Sonar had so you do need more third party stuff to add in than a few others that you pay for. I have read this is why it’s free they don’t have to pay for the licensing formplugins and VSTis.
Also bought Reaper a while back and it is solid as the folks say above. Also has extreme flexibility to route things in many different ways. The only downside to me was how much time I spent trying to set things up. I spent more time fiddling with stuff than completing projects. I did view many video tutorials but it seemed to busy and complex to me. Under the hood.
I have used RB since inception and still love it but always found it shackey at times and certainly missing a few things, but what else creates like it does.
I bought a Presonus interface a few years back and it came with studio one, I upgraded a time or two and now have the latest pro version. I must say for me it is the best for how I think and operated. The chord track, highly skilled comping features, solid simple and useable automation just work best for me. I think it just edges out Bandlab for me in how it works. I also love the ability to render stem files that open in Protools to be a plus.
I have four on my current Laptop, Studio one 4, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Reaper, and RB (powertracks also so 5) If I had to pick one to keep I would pick Studio one just because it fits my work flow best and finishes project for me with less issues.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 201
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You guys are da' best- thank you so much. Looking at Reaper's interface, despite the stated flexibility, it doesn't look like a virtual mixing board, which is something I value in RealBand, and something I don't think I'd want to lose. Also should have mentioned, I'm currently not doing MIDI yet, just track generation by BIAB/RB, and live recording of saxes and flutes. I've wondered if with the institution of the BIAB DAW plugins, and the fact that RB did not go to 64-bit as did BIAB, if PGM isn't going to develop RB much more. Honestly, as I've stated, 2019 is really stable for me now. If I had the fader abilities I mentioned in the original post, and a bit easier editing (still find zooming in, scrolling down in Tracks [and the editing window] a bit wonky), I think I'd be satisfied to stay. Thanks again everyone!
Best, Warren
Warren A. Keller- Woodwindist/Producer
Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion
Tune 9 Music- SESAC
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RealBand
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I use Studio One Pro but asking which DAW should I use is like asking what car should I drive. We all have our preferences.
My advice is to DL the demos of the various DAWs and see which one best fits your workflow. Only you can answer your what DAW question.
I use Studio One Pro because it is extremely easy to drag and drop BiaB files, both MIDI and audio, into it. Also you drag and drop MIDI instruments and audio effects very easily. Recording is a snap also. I find that Studio One Pro fits my workflow perfectly. YMMV.
{edit} - Just remember that there is a learning curve for all pro DAWs.
Last edited by MarioD; 03/13/19 07:19 AM.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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RealBand
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eddie1261
Unregistered
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eddie1261
Unregistered
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A lot of the answers you have gotten (I did not read them) are likely based more on "because it's free" than actual performance, and having spent the money to buy Pro Tools I recommend it highly. I have yet to be in a legitimate studio, legitimate meaning "one that bands actually pay money to record in" that ran a free DAW. Every one of them had Pro Tools. Now a dozen people are going to pile on and tell me about some studio, ONE studio, that their buddy's barber's cousin's butcher's nephew operates, that uses what they use, and that's fine. Whatever. But you will not go wrong with Pro Tools. Pro Tools costs 200 beers, 85 packs of smokes if you do that, 40 large take out pizzas, or $600.
Last edited by eddie1261; 03/13/19 02:02 PM.
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
See this article on DAWs https://theproaudiofiles.com/daw-guide/It has a good look at many. Each DAW has its pros and cons. Most serious folk have more than DAW and use them for purposes that meet their needs. Pro Tools for example would be the way to go if you’re bouncing from studio to studio. Cakewalk if you’re doing a little home producing and don’t have a lot to spend. Reaper if you want to play and get into how things work. (By the way Reaper has a great mixer panel) IMHO however it is the extra tools (plugins) you need and how easy they fit into a DAW to suit you’re needs that should drive you’re decision. My thoughts Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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RealBand
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You guys are da' best- thank you so much. Looking at Reaper's interface, despite the stated flexibility, it doesn't look like a virtual mixing board, which is something I value in RealBand, and something I don't think I'd want to lose. Hi Warren, CTRL+M opens the mixer window (which has many different display-type options. I wonder if this is what you're after. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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RealBand
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Robh - <<< For simplicity and robust, stable operation nothing even comes close to multitrack studios.>>>
Multi track, stand alone recorders are the most overlooked, under rated option available to the home recordist. I've found them to also be very cost effective. In my case I own a Soundcraft Signature 22MTK analog mixer that has a 24/22 USB audio interface included. Street price new is $720 (demo) and a list price of $899. I also have a Presonus DP192 8 channel interface and faderport 8 that essentially serves the same purpose. While it can record 26/32 in/out's, it only has 8 preamps. The Faderport 8 only has 8 faders and together the two units retail for $1,400. Additional equipment is required to physically access the additional 18 inputs. The Companion Presonus Digimax DP88 retails for an additional $699. $2,100 total cost for 16 preamp inputs.
The 22MTK has no menus to get to its features. There's 25 faders; 16 preamps; 3 dedicated line stereo inputs; 5 Aux sends; 4 groups; PFL; Two studio quality Fx engines with dedicated returns; 8 channels with on board limiters and two channels with instrument DI's. All at two thirds of the cost I can record 24 inputs without any other interface equipment necessary.
The Presonus unit has to have special, dedicated software to handle latency. The 22MTK has native zero latency. The 22MTK will fully integrate with Presonus Studio One DAW and every other DAW.
I chose the 22MTK because at the time I had need for it as a live mixer also. Similar 8 preamp input units are available by Soundcraft, Zoom and Tascam in the $500 range that work well in home studios.
However, stand alone multitrack recorders by Zoom, Tascam and other manufacturers that may only record two tracks simultaneously are very reasonably priced and very simple to operate and learn.
DAW's are great but in many home use environments are overkill. If your normal song project consists of 12-16 tracks at most, what is the necessity to have unlimited tracks? Hybrid mixers and stand alone units will contain enough Fx's and dynamics at a sufficient quality to record commercial quality projects. It's done every day.
With hybrid mixers and stand alone units, regardless of the price level you choose, one still has complete access to external DAW's and all the features and add-on's they contain. It's literally the best of both worlds without the unnecessary cons of latency, complicated routing, CPU consideration, mobility, limited physical inputs, lack of physical knobs, buttons and faders and the pros of easy learning curve, stability and no computer crashes..
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Robh - <<< For simplicity and robust, stable operation nothing even comes close to multitrack studios.>>> Charlie - I could be wrong, but I think he meant "MultiTrack Studio" (MTS) (which I also referenced). It's fine and solid, but has a more sparse interface for working with your audio. But that's just my opinion. I know there are others on the forum here that love it.
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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Use the simplest program that does what you need. Features aren't features if you don't use them.They just get in the way.
Last edited by silvertones; 03/14/19 07:13 AM.
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Robh - <<< For simplicity and robust, stable operation nothing even comes close to multitrack studios.>>> Charlie - I could be wrong, but I think he meant "MultiTrack Studio" (MTS) (which I also referenced). It's fine and solid, but has a more sparse interface for working with your audio. But that's just my opinion. I know there are others on the forum here that love it. You're right I'm sure but it made a good segue into my pitch for stand alone's I hope. 
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 03/14/19 09:32 AM.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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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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Great info on stand alone. As far as MTS, It might be sparse but if you really dig in it is pretty detailed under the hood. The thing it does best it treat both audio and midi the same.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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BTW, I'm not knocking MTS, just feel more comfortable in Sonar/Cakewalk.
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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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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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®.
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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!
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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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- 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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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