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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457 |
Face it. It's time for a major facelift. Like what M$ did when they went from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95. It might have pissed off 3.1 users, but it was a game changer that benefited all M$ users in the long run. (I was an OS/2 user at the time, so I didn't care much one way or another, since I was using a superior product)
Anyway, the same will happen with Band in a Box users. It will grow in use by leaps and bounds. The platform now is bug-ridden and rickety. It's past time for a clean sheet of paper. One of my biggest pet peeves is being stuck with 16bit/44.1Hz when the rest of the world has been using 24bit/96kHz (and higher) for over 20 years.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Yawn. Over and over and over...
I don't disagree but jeesh, how many times to we have to write this? Is it really necessary, I would say just give it a rest. Nothing's been done about these things as long as I've been on the forum. I've written all of these points too in who knows how many threads for years and years and years and, and...
It's pointless imho, PGM is well aware, they'll either do it or they won't. Until then get used to Real Band, it does address some of these issues but not all.
Bob
Last edited by jazzmammal; 01/11/20 07:03 PM.
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457 |
You talking to me, or another Mike? I don't recall ever having RB crash on me. I'm just not used to the interface and I feel disinclined to have to learn how to use another DAW product right now. If I'm gonna spend the time to learn another DAW, it's probably gonna be Reaper.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Oh, must be having a senior moment. I just realized I still had time to edit that part out so no harm, no foul.<grin>
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 7,954
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 7,954 |
Maybe the plugin code can be added to Ardour to create a new 64 bit cross-platform RealBand DAW, it works with scripting like Reaper so no more workarounds just create a script to do what you need. Get it to play from RAM but then be able to write to a tracks also.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 167
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 167 |
THe codebase of BiaB is so old that you can actually see it. Just have a look at those dialogs *  From a programmers standpoint it would be tempting to start from scratch and leave all the legacy code behind. But this is only for the fun of it. Unless you have a really big team it's bound ti fail. So in reality it's only possible to do iterative changes. Depending on nature and quality of the code this takes time. If you are understaffed it will take a very long time. Masi * I hope they can use different dialogs in the VSTi. To me all of they dialogs are an example of bad usability (too many issues to list them all in this post).
Band-in-a-Box, BiaB-plugin, Reaper, Win10 64bit, i7-8565U, 24GB RAM (always latest versions)
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457 |
I'll make a prediction right now -- and this is coming from a person who's been using BiaB for 22 years now, and still using it because there is nothing else that can do what it does. Someday that will change. Someday a bright group of young turks is gonna figure out a way to do what BiaB does, but in a slick, streamlined, bug-free interface. And it will spell the beginning of the end of BiaB. Now, I hope this doesn't happen. But I suspect it will. Because that is simply the nature of things.
Last edited by cooltouch; 01/12/20 06:07 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 7,107
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+1 Very, very true! But it can change in a better direction for BIAB with a few efficient steps and relatively small cost. Mainly: 1) make the interface (Design !!!) and workflow! as smooth as possible using old code. 2) make a demo version of the program with included VERY SIMPLE, in your face" video to start things, for somebody who never used BIAB. 3)Make the the initial package even "lighter" (less RT's) and cheaper, so more people can try it. 4)Advertise better, there are so many channels... 5)Make upgrades less complicated (all these choices!) 6) And if you see proper traction, hire somebody with proper set of skills who can orchestrate a fast and painless re-write
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Posts: 7,697 |
Someday that will change. Someday a bright group of young turks is gonna figure out a way to do what BiaB does, but in a slick, streamlined, bug-free interface.
And it will spell the beginning of the end of BiaB. Anything's possible but I doubt it. What's the heart of Biab? Styles. Creating a chord track like Studio One has or even having the ability to alter chords using Melodyne or whatever is nice but that has nothing to do with styles and how to use them inside a DAW to create a complete song arrangement. People see how a DAW can take individual audio/midi tracks and allow you to move them around to create a song and think that's what Biab does. No it's not. As you know Biab does all the creation and arranging for you using pretty smart music theory based AI. This is a very small niche market I doubt it would catch any "young turks" attention. Most young musicians are all about loop based "bedroom producer" stuff. The closest thing I've seen in all the different plugin's and music programs to Biab is Jamstix. It has the ability to create a new drum track for you based on an audio file. You have a lot of control as to how that's done similar to how Biab works. Otherwise there are programs like EZKeys, EZDrums, various guitar instrument plugins that have tons of different phrases in many styles for you to pick from. All of that is great but it's you putting this all together manually. Nobody has 6,000 styles that group all that stuff together for you with a few mouse clicks and then generate a complete song in a few seconds. I don't see anybody trying to do an end run around PGM patents to try to come out with thousands of pretty decent styles and then using those styles to sort through all the hundreds or thousands of different instrument tracks to put together a coherent song. It's the styles that controls everything. A style has 6 total tracks and somehow behind the scenes Biab knows which tracks to grab out of the thousands available to use. If it's midi I can see that's relatively easy because it's creating a new midi track from scratch but the RT's? Man, that's a whole other thing. Let's look at midi since it's easier. Everybody knows the sound quality is totally based on the synth. Biab uses GM for simplicity. Say a new company doesn't. A great sounding synth costs big bucks. What are they going to do come up with their own high end synth for sound in their new program? That alone is a huge project. Or do they let you buy what you want? Do that and they'll get all the same complaints we see here. Why do my tracks sound like crap? It's because you're using a crap sound source. How do they select the exact instrument for a given track? Well that depends on the synth too. GM is simple, same patch numbers regardless of the synth. I suppose a new program could be tailored to the different big name synths. One version for Sample Tank 4, another version for Kontakt another for Halion etc but look at all the different instrument packs you can buy for each. That would be a total complete mess. Thousands of patches available. Can you imagine the nooby questions their forum would get? And this is just for the midi side, what about audio like the RT's? Where's the source for a new company to provide audio parts? Unless they're going to hire all the same people PG has to record them where would they come from? That sounds like a huge challenge to me for somebody to try to beat Biab at it's own game. Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 457 |
Bob, all your points are good ones. And I may be all wet in my prediction. But I hope I'm not. Why? Because the one thing that PGM needs more than anything else is competition. They have become stagnant, complacent, and insensitive to demands because they don't have to worry about anyone else trying to outdo them with a superior product, a lower price, or both. We all know -- or at least we should -- that competition improves the product for all concerned. BiaB is not immune to this. In fact, it shows clearly why competition is necessary.
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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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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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 new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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 PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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