But I really love the new plugin feature recently added in the new versions of BIAB. One feature that I feel would be awesome in the VST version as well would be the "Import Chords from MIDI" and "Import Chords from MIDI Clipboard" etc. that the standalone program allows you to do. Having to jump between the standalone and DAW to incorporate this feature is a little tedious.
Regardless, I appreciate all of your guys hard-work.
Thank you for the feedback Reskent! This feature is actually already on our to-do list but it has been backlogged while we work on higher priority items. Check back in the release notes for updates.
So for ToDoList 478 would you just open the dialog Interpret Chords from Midi file in BBW4 and send the chords back to the Plugin ? Maybe have a drop import spot on the plugin. Then to create midi chord export from the Plugin (ToDoList 479) set BBW4 to Output Chords and save in midi file then save midi file from BBW4 to SavedTracks folder and have a drag export icon in the Plugin, though BBW4 don't have save chord names to midi markers yet (ToDoList 987). I think ACW was ToDoList 520
Do you guys plan to implement the "Audio Chord Wizard" into the VST as well ? because if so that would be a game changer.
Be able to grab chords via audio or midi in the VST version would be super convenient as going back and fourth between the the standalone and DAW would be minimal.
A workaround would be to use the ACW in BiaB and save the results as a .sgu file then just open in in the plugin inside the DAW. It is only one more step, and actually not really because it is a excellent practice to save file frequently to avoid loss. So process the audio till your happy even add styles and such in the main BiaB program where all the tools are, save and open that file in the DAW plugin.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
Stumbled upon this thread today as I was moving midi files (chord progressions) back and forth between Reaper, Scaler, BIAB and EZKeys. This has become a recent workflow change for me as I explore different and new ways to compose my music.
I find I can drop and drag midi content between Reaper, Scaler and EZKeys. It is just wonderfully easy to do. 16 bar chord progessions made in any of these apps, edited and or played in any of the other ones. It is a joy and has opened up new thoughts for my music making.
So why is BIAB excluded from this fun. First of all, the BIAB-VST, forget about it. Ya, you can drag midi out of it, but not straight chord progressions only performance midi tracks. There are work arounds, but not worth the bother. Best to go back to the standalone BIAB where you can "output chords". But if you have done this you know the problem with it. You want only the chords track, but you get six other tracks which have to be deleted to clean up the file.
OK, back to this thread. It appears the OP and Pipeline are asking the same question, why doesn't BIAB do this better? The answer appears to be, "we are working on it". Yiieps. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Unfortunately, it takes work on both the DAW side and BaiB to create a standard for chord exchange. The DAWs implementation is unique per DAW and doesn’t universally support a MIDI export of chords.
The BiaB plugin does not either. If they did offer a MIDI export it would only solve half of the problem.
Celemony and Presonus developed a standard in ARA2 for chord interchange but that is forthcoming.
Studio One (latest version), Win 11 23H2 , i9 -10940X 3.3 GHz, 32GB Mem, a 4K 40" monitor, PreSonus Studio Live III Console as interface/controller. secondarily test on Reaper, Cakewalk, and S1 on Surface Pro 3 Win 10 (latest versions).
This has been my workaround for a few months now but it just gets a little tedious when wanting to just explore a multitude of different saved MIDI progressions. I'm usually not committed to the first progression I import so when I want to try a different MIDI file that I have saved, I have to repeat these steps all over again.
Open BIAB -> Import Midi -> Save to SGU -> Open DAW -> Open BIAB VST -> Import SGU
It be a lot easier to just "import a midi file" into the VST
Just going to bump this post. Figured i'm going to do this once a month now because this feature has been backlogged for a while now. Thanks Pipeline though ! I've defiantly seen your contributions and advocacy for a bunch of ideas and proposed features that might need implementation in future updates. Also thanks for helping everyone (including me) on any assistance with issues we may have with BIAB.
This is an important feature for my workflow also. I use "importing chords from BIAB midi sequences" to drive several of the VSTi instruments in my DAW. May have to take this to the wish list and put it in line.
The problem as Jeff mentioned above, is there is not a universal chord protocol that works with all the different types of DAWs. So adding features like this to the plugin does not solve the issue. The current path would be to work out the sound we want in either the plugin or BiaB and when we get it to taste then move it to the DAW. Some DAWs will read the chords from audio as well.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
...Having to jump between the standalone and DAW to incorporate this feature is a little tedious...
If you are doing it already with Biab main app then the BiabPlugin bbw4 will be able to do the same thing for you. You can use the BB Chord Output midi file to get chords into other applications like Reaper, Cubase, RapidComposer, EZKeys, EZBass and it seems to work fine except for a few 7,9 chords that BB puts out the same. The BB import chords from midi works good so as said the Plugin bbw4 will do the same job. BB still needs to output/input chord names to/from midi markers. These can then be imported into Reaper, Studio One etc.. though I did make 2 scripts to import the chords from BiabPlugin to Reaper % Studio One.
I have used the script for studio one before it does work fairly well. What I mean by no protocol is that it does not always come up with the same answers coming and going as the DAW chord reader does at times they don’t match so it takes a little adjustments. Still useable.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
The BB import chords from midi works good so as said the Plugin bbw4 will do the same job.
Thanks for replying ! Yeah this has been a method i've been implementing it's just the steps involved are a little excessive especially when you have over 1,000s of saved midi progressions that you want to cycle between. I'm on FL Studio btw so the switch between BBW4 plugin and FL is very janky sometimes. However, the ease, integration and synchronization of the BIAB DAW Plugin in FL is a little more convenient. Entering the chords into the VST is great but it would be kind of nice to be able to just load .MIDI progressions rather than going through the steps to bring them into BIAB and convert them to SGU format especially, like mentioned before, when you have over 1,000's of midi progressions you want to just cycle through. Which I believe really comes back down to work flow and inspiration.
The new Melodyne 5 has a chord track and midi chord track export. To get the chord track from Melodyne 5 into Reaper Export > Format > Lead Sheet(.mid) ReaTrak chords from midi item.lua
To get chords into Biab File > Import > Import Chords from MIDI file.
New update has been released for the BIAB plugin and looks like there is still no "Import Chords from MIDI" feature Hoooowever, the recent changes to the plugin are a MAJOR update and I am grateful with all the new features. The plugin is really looking promising and can only see it getting better from here on. Thanks for all your hard work.
Originally Posted By: Adar - PG Music
Thank you for the feedback Reskent! This feature is actually already on our to-do list but it has been backlogged while we work on higher priority items. Check back in the release notes for updates.
I hope ARA2 can be added next year that would give better transfer between plugin and DAW. To me that would add exactly what you are asking for. ARA as you well know is why melodyne works directly with the DAW where it formerly took a file transfer.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
Ah man lol it's officially been a year since this feature was addressed.... please for the love of GOD can we please have a midi import feature into the VST version pleasssssseee haha
Originally Posted By: Adar - PG Music
Thank you for the feedback Reskent! This feature is actually already on our to-do list but it has been backlogged while we work on higher priority items. Check back in the release notes for updates.
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.
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MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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Hoooowever, the recent changes to the plugin are a MAJOR update and I am grateful with all the new features. The plugin is really looking promising and can only see it getting better from here on. Thanks for all your hard work. 
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