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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 10
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 10 |
question I am looking at upgrading I have band in a box 2019 not wealthy but which is the best upgrade 2020 mega pak or ultra pak?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,503
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Posts: 27,503 |
Hi. This link describes the various packages and gives a direct comparison between MegaPak and UltraPak. The main difference is in the number of RealTracks. The basic program is the same in each. https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.htm
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,071
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,071 |
My recommendation is usually to got with the highest package that you can afford.
The Mega pak has > 500 RealTracks while the Ultra pak has > 2,900 RealTracks as well as the 2020 49 pak.
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.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,892
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,892 |
You really don't have BIAB unless you have all the real tracks which come with the Ultra. Just one man's opinion. 
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,272
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,272 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,512
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Posts: 24,512 |
I'm on the other side of the fence to MusicStudent.
You can get a whole lot of mileage out of BIAB without having all the RealTracks, RealStyles etc. It depends a lot on what you are using BIAB for.
Although I have many of the RTs, I can certainly create a workflow for what I need, without them.
Just another man's opinion!
LLOYD S I agree with Lloyd. I work mostly on the MIDI side of BiaB. I rarely use RTs at all. On occasion I do use the RT charts if they are available. There are many different workflows you can use with BiaB. It is a very powerful and versatile piece of software. Just my opinion.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010 |
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses plus different ideas about how to use Band-in-a-Box.
RealTracks include many different instruments played by professional session musicians. If you have a need for many different instruments you'll want the UltraPAK or Audiophile.
If you're more interested in midi the MegaPAK will serve you well.
If you want to learn the program and what it has to offer the ProPAK or MegaPAK works for you.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,489
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I'm on the MIDI side of the fence myself.
I can export the MIDI files and then edit to make them better...
I can add song specific licks and kicks. I can change chord inversions. I can make the song play notes in chords that BiaB does not play.
I can do simple things too, like change the piano to a rhodes or a clav, a strat sound guitar to a les paul or a banjo, a cowbell to a ride cymbal, a string section to an organ or chorus, the acoustic bass to an electric bass, or whatever.
The fact is that MIDI is thousands of times more editable than audio. I want to play with the music, be an active participant, and take the very good output of Band-in-a-Box and make it better.
A good MIDI sound module can sound 90-99% as good as a real instrument, but expression to me is more important than the finer points of tone.
I'll use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but more often than not there is something I want to change about it, so I go with MIDI.
If I want to passively listen to others play music without my participation, I'll put on a CD.
But I need to emphasize that there is more than one right way to do this. My way is the best for me, and may or may not be best for anyone else.
Notes
Last edited by Notes Norton; 08/15/20 02:55 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,847
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,847 |
I agree with Notes there's certainly more than one way to create quality music with BIAB and everyone needs to determine the work flow and tools that work best for them.
I straddle the fence between MIDI and audio and use both for their particular strengths they bring to a BIAB song. Edited MIDI files can and do make songs better and audio can really close the gap to making a song sound realistic and commercially viable. Nearly every song can benefit by containing both elements.
There are multiple ways to add song specific licks and kicks using audio, change chord inversions and then use MIDI to make the song play notes in chords and other things that BIAB doesn't play or MIDI is the better choice over using audio.
I believe that over time, MIDI is now only tens or a hundred times more editable than audio. Band in a Box has sufficient audio editing tools to complete many audio editing and arranging tasks that most users normally and unnecessarily export out to a DAW to do. But it's super easy to transfer BIAB tracks when the DAW is the best editing, arranging and production tool. But often, it's more beneficial to edit from BIAB rather than a DAW so features and tools that are exclusive to BIAB can be accessed and utilized. Techniques like programming the Chord Chart to see and anticipate instrument changes, panning and volume automation, muting and unmuting tracks, smooth transitions, fade ins and fade outs are professional studio quality when done in the BIAB project and don't have to be addressed when the project is moved to a DAW.
I use a Real Track if it is exactly what I'm looking for, but on occasion, it's not. When there is something I want to change about RealTrack audio, I edit the audio itself or sometimes combine it with Other RealTrack audio or MIDI most times without leaving BIAB. Done correctly, editing and arranging tracks in BIAB is indistinguishable from manually doing the same in a DAW.
In many cases, I think editing audio from within the BIAB program is vastly underrated and underused. This is true is such areas as the updated Melody's feature and it's 10 channel sub mixer and the two versions of User Tracks where the traditional User Track is not as broken as it's thought to be and the User Artist Performance Track which isn't broken at all. Loops are easy to create and can be made from MIDI or audio and even MIDI and audio combined. The BIAB Mixer can export stems and sub mixes quickly and easily and even if they are exported out for use in a DAW project, reduce mixing time and tracks in those projects.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, 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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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
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Joined: Jul 2015
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This gets to really be a question of money. Less than $300 for everything they sell in 2020.
This is a lot of stuff for that amount of money.
After other software, computers, guitars, pianos and other music stuff I own BIAB is not a material amount of money.
Real Tracks for me are useful in many ways. They are a tool to learn new stuff from pro musicians and fun to mess around with for recording.
Midi is every serious musician's go to tool if you use a keyboard. The thing I like most about midi is the vast amount of really good VST's that exist today....many for free and some I own that cost more than BIAB. I could never own enough real drums to get all the sounds I get from VST's. Even if you are a pro drummer playing on the best pro kits, you are likely to trigger a VST from your kit.
Also it depends on what skill sets you have and what other software you use. I can edit in standard notation with a greater degree of precision just because I have better skills there than in midi editing. There is a serious time cost to standard notation not the least of which is learning to read, and of course learning to use a notation software program.
I don't think is is very easy to know what someone will find very useful unless they take a chance and buy the top of the BIAB line of products.
I would never dream of trying to tell you how to spend your money. I would tell you I have never been unhappy with all the stuff I have acquired from PG Music.
Good luck,
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Order now!
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
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