I've looked all through my 2019 copy of BiaB, and I've done a search here, and I haven't found any info on how to schedule backups of my files. You know, like any word processor does (and Cakewalk does), where you can set the program to backup the file you're working on at a given interval? I like 5 minutes.
I've been a BiaB user since 1998, and I can't believe I haven't noticed this before. I guess I've never had BiaB lock up on me during a critical moment when writing a piece of music. But it's happened to me twice now in the period of a few days, twice where I've lost a fair amount of work because BiaB decided to lock up and I hadn't saved the file yet.
So, somebody please tell me I just haven't found out how to do this yet. Cuz I have a hard time believing that BiaB doesn't have a periodic backup feature. And if it doesn't, then this is an item that should be placed at the top of the "I want this now!" list.
There are few things I find more infuriating than losing work because a program locked up.
Never seen anyone request this feature in over 20 years of following the forum. Which suggests to me this is not a "I want it now" item. I am almost certain this does not exist in BIAB. Backup of the data on my drives is done with other tools and generally at a much higher level than just the BIAB files. But you may feel differently.
Backing up a drive is an entirely different process done for entirely different reasons. All I'm asking for is the same thing any word processor has.
BiaB may be some of the buggiest software I've used on a regular basis, but it's actually pretty good about pulling itself out of (not responding) situations, so that may be why folks don't feel the need for backups. But BiaB does lock up on occasion. And this does result in lost work. You may not see this is a priority, but I do, and a rather high one. Because BiaB has no backup feature I now get to go back over a file and spend an hour or more redoing what I lost. Infuriating. There's no excuse for not having this feature -- or at least an equivalent to what Cakewalk does when it crashes. It asks the user if they want a backup copy created. And if the users sez "yes" the backup is created in the same directory that the original file is located. Plus, the backup is up to date to the second the program crashed. This is a workable alternative.
I believe you (and Dan) are correct that there is no 'save every x changes' or 'save every x minutes' like in some software. While I always feel reassured by this feature, I've learned not to rely on it after being burned when it let me down. Far better to adopt manual methods of file handling, including saving under multiple version names as you develop a song.
BIAB does have Edit, Undo. The number of levels can be up to 99 in Options, Preferences. It won't save you in a program crash, though.
So why not make a post in the Wishlist Forum? I would support it.
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.
I have a chord progression I am working on. A few days ago, I decided to muck around with it much more than I normally do. The outcome was terrible. If that tinkering was saved I would have had to start over.
Realband (not BIAB) doesn't have an auto-save, per-se, but it does have a setting under preferences to create a backup file when overwriting a .SEQ file. You can specify how many backup files to keep (default is 5). So, as long as you "save often", you can get back to a previous version of your file.
If they can't do autosave, maybe they could add this feature to BIAB as well.
RealBand also has an optional feature to automatically backup the most recently recorded take on a track. That way, if you accidentally recorded something to the wrong track and overwrote existing content, you can get it back.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
I believe you (and Dan) are correct that there is no 'save every x changes' or 'save every x minutes' like in some software. While I always feel reassured by this feature, I've learned not to rely on it after being burned when it let me down. Far better to adopt manual methods of file handling, including saving under multiple version names as you develop a song.
BIAB does have Edit, Undo. The number of levels can be up to 99 in Options, Preferences. It won't save you in a program crash, though.
So why not make a post in the Wishlist Forum? I would support it.
In response to DSM and you, I use the Edit/Undo feature quite a bit, but just because a program has a timed backup feature, this doesn't nullify the Edit/Undo's. At least, it doesn't in Cakewalk. So you can have both.
Back in the dark days of early DOS software, there was no such thing as timed backups and one just had to develop the habit of saving a file early and often. I'd just as soon not have to revert back to those dark days. But if BiaB keeps locking up on me as it has recently, I will have little choice, I suppose, but to adopt those habits from the dark past.
I shall post a wish (heh, a demand!) in the Wishlist forum. But I wanted to post a message here first because I wanted to make sure that this feature either did or did not exist.
For incremental saves you could make one of them with AutoHotKey, it will send Save As to Biab every so many min/s, when the dialog comes up it will append the file name with with the next number. This would happen very quick as it's scripted.
Try this AutoHotKey, if you don't have AutoHotKey install it https://www.autohotkey.com/ set it to Always On Top, it will save every 2mins (120000)
Code:
#Persistent
SetTimer, BiabSaveAs, 120000
return
EDIT: corrected to 120000 is 2min this is just a basic test model, a timer selector can be added to adjust time between saves, but for now just edit the script in Notepad to change the milliseconds. Close the GUI to stop saving. If BB is playing it will pause and save then continue playing. Try it on a test song that is a copy of your original. You should get:
my song.SGU my song[001].SGU my song[002].SGU my song[003].SGU etc...
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
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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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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
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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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