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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 46
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 46 |
Hey Guys,
Need a little help in understanding BIAB realtracks quality vs recording quality. It's my understanding that a track recorded at 44.khz/16bit is basically cd quality, but a track recorded at 96k 24 bit is professional quality. I know that depending what recording equipment you use depends on the overall quality of your recorded product. The perfect world(as I understand it) is to record everything in 96k 24 bit and then after compression, effects,etc you end up with a perfect "professional" level product. How do the realtracks measure up to those standards? If I recorded vocals and lets say a guitar track at 96k/24 bit, and then added some realtracks to finish out the song, would the final mix have the capability of a "professional" product? Still trying to put all the pieces together. Thanks Again,
Roger
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812 |
Well, regardless what bitrate you use, it still has to be "Downsampled" or "Converted" back to 16 bit/44khz. Why? Because this is the standard for playing CD's. Now, you could keep your 24bit/96khz for playing from a DVD, but how many record companies are selling Audio CDs on DVD? Concert DVDs are another story of course.
I too use a Higher bit and sample rate, BUT...for many users this is over rated. The reason is that unless you have top rate converters, Mic Pre amps, Mics, etc, you aren't going to hear much of a difference.
As far as the difference in BIAB, maybe Matt Finley can chime in here, as I know he has the "Audiophile" version of Real Tracks/Drums. However, I do believe that the Bit/Sample rate used for recording the Tracks is the same. It is how they are stored, or compressed, that is different. If I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me.
Ed
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 46
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 46 |
HI ed,
Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression(maybe incorrectly.lol) that if you had 2 projects--1 recorded in 44.1khz/16bit and 1 in 96khz/24 bit and you did the final mix and master track, that the 96k would sound a lot better--even on a cd. Someone told me that was because once the projects(tracks) go thru all the compression,effects,etc the 44.1khz ends up being sub par when compared to the 96khz. Again, this may be totally off base--I'm just trying to figure it out. Or in other words--is it possible to get an excellent recording when using 44.1khz/16 bit equipment along with obviously a professional mike? I recently entered a song into a competition. The critique came back that most everything(lyrics,tempo,instruments,etc) were good but the recording was bad. I used biab along with garageband, and an 8 track digital 44.1khz/16 bit recorder. I also used Rokit monitors to listen with. So I'm trying to figure out if it was my inexperience or the quality of the equipment I was using. I know a lot comes into play-like the environment, equipment, vocal quality. etc. That's how I got into thinking about the audiophile realtracks vs the regualr realtracks as far as quality. Thanks Again,
Roger
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992 |
Airchair
re high sampling rates and convertors in general ,
you might want to read some of the esteemed dan lavrys
papers on the subject. (he makes hi end convertor boxes.)
also..some time record a trak at high sampling rates and then get
a programmers inspection utility and inspect the recorded
trak , what youll see..is..lots of padding.
translation..wasted disc space.
there have boon oodles of flame fests n debates n gear shootouts
on various recording forums on this topic.
so i have no desire to start another.
there have even been blind tests of traks recorded useing uber hi end convertors
versus lowly sound devices. at various sampling rates.
some people claim sternly they can hear a diff at high sampling rates.
and i'm sure the debate will rage on for years to come.
moi..my degrees in physics..and given my own research i'm keeping with lower
rates due to the wasted disc space/padding aspect.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 116
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 116 |
Svar till:
...The critique came back that most everything(lyrics,tempo,instruments,etc) were good but the recording was bad. I used biab along with garageband, and an 8 track digital 44.1khz/16 bit recorder. ..
...and what samplerate did you set Garageband to? Isn't the highest samplerate for Garageband 24/44? In my experince the difference is more obvious when you use badly written plugins and the roundoff errors get less noticeble in a higher samplerate. I would say that your problem is not samplerates in BIAB, but you should get a program for mixing that is easier to control than Garageband - like Logic or Pro Tools... and a set of Mastering plugins from Waves or TC or hire a pro-guy to do it fore you and sit beside him and watch what he does?
Product owner: BIAB Win 2009 MegaP|Mac 2011
PoCoX8|MD3|H4|VSS3|DVR2|
PT 9.0|Reason 5|K4|Goliath|Ivory|Trilian|VG2|
MacBook 17"|2.8 mhz|4 GB|OSX 10.6.7|One|Bandst.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335 |
That is hogwash. I just finished a CD that was recorded at 44.1 at 24 bits. 24 tracks. Sounded great, and it is out on Jazz radio stations right now (its a big band CD). Recording 24bits DOES make a difference, but 96Khz doesn't guarantee anything other than you are going to have huge files to work with. Things like the microphones used, the preamps, etc, etc matter a lot more than simply sticking the recorder at 96khz/24bits. And I'm not a HUGE fan of compression either.....but that is another subject Quote:
Hey Guys,
Need a little help in understanding BIAB realtracks quality vs recording quality. It's my understanding that a track recorded at 44.khz/16bit is basically cd quality, but a track recorded at 96k 24 bit is professional quality. I know that depending what recording equipment you use depends on the overall quality of your recorded product. The perfect world(as I understand it) is to record everything in 96k 24 bit and then after compression, effects,etc you end up with a perfect "professional" level product. How do the realtracks measure up to those standards? If I recorded vocals and lets say a guitar track at 96k/24 bit, and then added some realtracks to finish out the song, would the final mix have the capability of a "professional" product? Still trying to put all the pieces together. Thanks Again,
Roger
Musician, Polymath, Google Jedi, Apple Master, Windows Wrangler and Digital Wizard. High ratings in Nerd-fu & Geek-fu.
M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Pro Touchbar 15", Intel 27" iMac, M1 Mac Mini
https://musician.social/@ericdano
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335 |
First off, when you record you really want 24 bit and at least 44.1Khz. Garageband can do this (they call it Audio Resolution in the Preferences). I don't think it does anything higher than 44.1. Again, you can get great recordings at 44.1Khz and 24bit. A pro mic is NOT going to help anything connected to a crappy preamp and recorder. It really depends on what exactly you are hooking up to what. A Nuemann 87 hooked to a crappy recorder probably isn't going to sound any better than a Shure 57. I would think that the weak link in your setup is the un-named 8 track 44.1khz/16bit machine. I've done a number of projects with previous versions of Band in a Box recording at 44.1Khz and 24 bit that sound great. And the band in a box files where generated via DXi from a Windows Machine saved to WAVE format if I remember correctly. And I don't think we used any high end plugins other than some reverb using Altiverb (I LOVE Altiverb!) But I hardly think getting the Audiophile version of Band in a Box is going to make things better.....nor going out and buying ProTools either. I'd suggest maybe ditching the 8 track and getting some sort of good USB or Firewire device to hook up to Garageband (if you want to keep using that) or some other program. MOTU hardware comes with their Midi-less version of Digital Performer I believe (audiodesk?) which would probably be totally fine to use (I am a regular Digital Performer user). M-Audio has some good hardware that can be bought for around $100....... Quote:
HI ed,
Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression(maybe incorrectly.lol) that if you had 2 projects--1 recorded in 44.1khz/16bit and 1 in 96khz/24 bit and you did the final mix and master track, that the 96k would sound a lot better--even on a cd. Someone told me that was because once the projects(tracks) go thru all the compression,effects,etc the 44.1khz ends up being sub par when compared to the 96khz. Again, this may be totally off base--I'm just trying to figure it out. Or in other words--is it possible to get an excellent recording when using 44.1khz/16 bit equipment along with obviously a professional mike? I recently entered a song into a competition. The critique came back that most everything(lyrics,tempo,instruments,etc) were good but the recording was bad. I used biab along with garageband, and an 8 track digital 44.1khz/16 bit recorder. I also used Rokit monitors to listen with. So I'm trying to figure out if it was my inexperience or the quality of the equipment I was using. I know a lot comes into play-like the environment, equipment, vocal quality. etc. That's how I got into thinking about the audiophile realtracks vs the regualr realtracks as far as quality. Thanks Again,
Roger
Musician, Polymath, Google Jedi, Apple Master, Windows Wrangler and Digital Wizard. High ratings in Nerd-fu & Geek-fu.
M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Pro Touchbar 15", Intel 27" iMac, M1 Mac Mini
https://musician.social/@ericdano
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1 |
Just to chime in, it's perfectly possible to make excellent sounding, 'professional' recordings at a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits, providing your gar is high quality and your knowledge and experience is up to scratch.
Judging from Airchair's OP, I get the impression that you're just starting out at this level of music production and recording. I'd assume that part of the "bad recording" comments you got is due to the 8 track/44.1/16 bit recorder you're using, as ericdano pointed out. It's a good guess that the built-in preamps and converters are poor consumer quality, if that.
No one, who is serious about audio quality today, will settle for 16 bit gear anyway. 24 bit is the way to go; that way you can set your levels to peak at, say, -12dB to get the best audio quality out of your converters and still compress your vocals after the fact with loads of dynamic range to spare. As for 96kHz, as others have said – just forget about it; it's not relevant in your situation.
Also, and no slur intended, music recording is an acquired skill. It would seem from your posts that you're not yet very experienced in the field, so I'd hazard a guess that part of the "bad recording" has to be attributed to driver error.
We've all been there, and the only thing is to just keep at it and also to read up on recording theory and technology. For instance, level staging of the signal chain can be very important for getting the best out of preamps and converters.
Another point – your Rokit monitors may still sound like s--t, if your listening room is badly tuned.
There are quite a few free websites dealing with how-to for recordists. I don't have any up my sleeve right now, but Google's your friend (unless you happen to live in mainland China).
Good luck and best regards,
Joachim
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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 Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac 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)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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 PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available 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 Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
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 as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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