Hey, I am a beginner and have owned about a month of Biab Pro. The program is, of course, versatile but quite cumbersome.
I’m interested in versatile guitar tracks, so I would have asked (or made sure) if I understood correctly how VST and “output midichords” work.
I’ve mostly admired NI’s Session Guitarist plugins, but there’s no trial version available for them to try.
But so: I get the song chords as a midi file in DAW (Mixcraft), after which I choose Session Guitarist for the track. So this program makes a track a guitar track and there are styles to choose from. So how does it work well?
What if I want to use, say, five guitar styles on the same track with that program? Do I have to cut the midi track to five different tracks and choose the desired Session Guitarist for each one? Or how does it work? (Contact 6 I have.)
Does Session Guitarist work great or are they better or just as good in the same price range or cheaper?
If you want to get surgical with tracks (work on specific bits and pieces) I suggest trying Realband. It comes free with BiaB (Windows only, Mac version doesn't have it) This gives you 48 tracks to play with; much more flexible. Generate 8 or 10 guitars and then cut/paste a final end result.
As far as Session Guitar goes, I don't own that one, so can't comment. You would have a ton of other guitar options by either simply having someone play the guitar parts, or upgrading to Ultrapak with more Realtack options (more guitar players). I don't work for PG, nor am I trying to 'upsell' you, just speaking from experience using these programs.
Simply put; the more Realtracks you have available the better your experience and end result. And using RB, you can generate lots of tracks and figure out what parts you want to use from each .. without losing your previous work.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Thanks for your answer, even though you didn't answer my question about the Session Guitarist plugin. All my free time has gone with Biab and Mixcraft, and I haven’t had time to get to know Realband at all. But certainly I should.
The videos from Session Guitarist (Picked and Strummed) have looked very clear, and that’s exactly what I would miss. If I'm having trouble with Biab's Pro, then it doesn't come to mind to get more "monsters" first. I will probably get an Ultrapak in the future, but its time is not yet.
Lot of questions here. First, I am a big fan of Session Guitarist. I have both Picked Acoustic and Strummed Acoustic 2. I can tell you I find Strummed Acoustic 2 the better of the two packages. At least, I have made more music with this one than the other. I have used BIAB midi to drive these VSTs. But only in my DAW (Reaper). This goes back a number of years before BIAB handled Kontakt as well as it does today. So in the past you had to use your DAW.
You don't need specific guitar midi tracks from BIAB, the block chords work just fine. The VST reacts to the chord notes and the guitar sounds incredible. I have made several videos over the years using the trio of BIAB - Reaper - Session Guitars.
The real power of Session Guitars happens when you actually play the music via a midi controller. Then you have full control of timing and nuance. I can look for the old videos if you can't find them here in the forum going back about a decade.
Bottom line, BIAB-DAW-Session Guitarist is a great combination. Look for the sales on the Native Access Session Guitars. These are older packages so you should be able to find them at ~50USD.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
First welcome to Band-in-a-Box and to the forum! Glad to have you in the forum.
You mentioned you have Band-in-a-Box, or BiaB for short, Pro. That is the same package I started with. While it may not have as much content (styles and RealTracks for example) as the other packages it does include the complete version of BiaB as well as enough of each type of content to learn how to use the program.
You also mentioned you like Native Instrument's Session Guitarist plugin but do not yet have it. May I suggest you try the free version of Amplesound's +++ acoustic guitar +++ or +++ Keolab's Spicy Guitar +++. Both are guitar plugins and, best of all, they are free.
Also. be aware the BiaB MIDI guitar patterns use MIDI channels 11 - 16 by default so each string is assigned a channel.
Thanks for the reply MusicStudent. I’ve read your posts on Session Guitarist and watched a couple of videos. Thanks for those too. I tried to look for those older and cheaper versions of SG, but at least I didn’t find it right away.
This question may be stupid, but I still ask again: Can I use Session Guitarist on one track so that, for example, there is an X variation in the verse and a slightly modified Xb variation in the other verse? Or do these variations have to make their own tracks?
My intention is to make acoustic-based demos in which the songs themselves get their rights, either good or bad ...
Thank you too, Jim. I tried that free program on Amplesound, but it didn't really get anything out of Biab's mid guitar, so I removed the program. Probably the fault was in me. I’m also trying that Spicy Guitar yet. It seems to have "chords detection".
And Jim, that inconvenience of midi channels and channel numbers is one thing I should learn ...
This question may be stupid, but I still ask again: Can I use Session Guitarist on one track so that, for example, there is an X variation in the verse and a slightly modified Xb variation in the other verse? Or do these variations have to make their own tracks?
The answer is yes nd no. Session Guitarist uses a technique called "key switching" to change what is being played on the fly in a single track. So you simply insert a specific midi note into the BIAB midi track, using the Piano Roll for example or your midi controller, and this will cause a change in the guitar from one patch (e.g., strum pattern) to another.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
I tried that free program on Amplesound, but it didn't really get anything out of Biab's mid guitar, so I removed the program. Probably the fault was in me. I’m also trying that Spicy Guitar yet. It seems to have "chords detection".
Amplesound is great, but this is an apple to orange comparison to Session Guitars. Ample is a sound library and SG is a performance library. Day and night.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
It may be a bit tricky and I tried to keep it simple. But this is what I was trying to say.
In AmpleGuitar if I play a single C note I get a C note which decays like a string would, If I play a C triad I get a C triad which decays like a struck string would. This is what I call a sound library - it just plays the sound of the note from the instrument.
But not so in a performance set. In SG if I play a C I get an entire performance. As long as I hold it down it continues to play in the pattern of the patch selected. It is playing a loop! So that might be a better way of explaining it. When I hit a C triad I get a more fuller loop playing and this continues to play as long as I hold it down - again it plays a loop.
Does that make sense?
Now what I just described is Strummed Acoustic 2. It has both a 6 and a 12 string selection. Picked Acoustic has a performance option just like Strummed Acoustic but also has a "melody" option which plays the midi notes only (sound library like AmpleGuitar).
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
I bought SG Strummed 2 yesterday and even as a beginner I fully understood what MusicStudent meant when he described the program as "performance library". Seems like a really great program.
The Akai 25 worked right away and feeding the chords from the keys was great. When I tried the information chanted by Biab, there were a few inconveniences. At first, I wasn’t trying to get sound at all until I found the midi omni setting on SG.
Likewise, changing the style on the fly is tricky if I feed the chords live through the keyboard. And if a Biab chord track is ready, it seems that the Biab midi has to be copied to multiple tracks and snapped to different variations. The Kontakt Player also feels like an extra interface between the DAW and the SG, when the SG could work directly.
But overall it was a good purchase, therefore thanks to MusicStudent for the purchase incentive!
P.S. Before I got SG, I tried to try Spicy Guitar as well, but for some reason Firefox considered the download site insecure and I couldn’t get in.
Likewise, changing the style on the fly is tricky if I feed the chords live through the keyboard. And if a Biab chord track is ready, it seems that the Biab midi has to be copied to multiple tracks and snapped to different variations.
I am betting I could help with these things or I am sure you can figure it out if you give it the time. Very doable.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
Loops versus samples makes sense to me. Loops playback patterns or phrases while samples plays notes.
Maybe I missed it in the Native Instruments product description, or more likely didn't understand what they were trying to say, but I don't remember seeing anything about loops for Session Guitarist 2.
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 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.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 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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