Hi all - I have been struggling with endless song generation times for simple songs in Logic Pro X. Some songs taking over ten minutes to generate. I am running the latest Apple Mac mini and latest versions of OS, Logic and BB.
Turns out that if you run Logic in "Rosetta" mode, rather than natively, the problem goes away. Not sure if anyone else has this issue, but to make Logic launch in Rosetta mode you have to get info on the app and set the checkbox "Open in Rosetta".
I hope that PG Music are working on a native version as all Macs will be running Apple Silicon soon.
With stand-alone I think it’s generally in the 10-30 second range, depending on song complexity. PS - a perfect winter day here, 25° and not a cloud in the sky…
Hi all - I have been struggling with endless song generation times for simple songs in Logic Pro X. Some songs taking over ten minutes to generate. I am running the latest Apple Mac mini and latest versions of OS, Logic and BB.
Turns out that if you run Logic in "Rosetta" mode, rather than natively, the problem goes away. Not sure if anyone else has this issue, but to make Logic launch in Rosetta mode you have to get info on the app and set the checkbox "Open in Rosetta".
I hope that PG Music are working on a native version as all Macs will be running Apple Silicon soon.
Very interesting - I have not noticed any issues like this on my M1 Macbook. I just tested the latest AU plugin in the latest native ARM versions of GarageBand, Logic, and Reaper, as well as standalone, and the generation times for the same song ranged from 36 to 40 seconds.
What version of the DAW plugin are you using? It should say at the bottom of the plugin window.
Simon - even without any of these M1 related bugs the generation times really are far too long.
To the point that one has to reconsider and adjust ones workflow to compensate - such as using the standalone to do all trialling out of different styles and arrangements - and then only using the plugin once one is sure of the style and song arrangement -
which defeats the whole point - because one might just as well then simply export and drag and drop all the tracks from BIAB standalone into the DAW and forget about the plugin.
PG really needs to focus on making generation times inside the plugin the same if not better than standalone.
Its all very well having thousands of real track style choices if one cannot try out a load of styles on one's chord progression before committing because of the huge waiting times involved with the plugin.
I've found the waiting times in BIAB standalone acceptable for many years now. Quicker always helps but the plugin times are just infuriating and for me unusable
Last edited by nonchai; 08/27/2107:16 AM.
MacOS Sequoia, M4 Pro Mac Mini , 64GB RAM 512GB SSD , BIAB, Cubase, Ableton, Logic Pro, SCALER 3, GigLad, AnyTune, Synthesizer V Pro,Vienna Ensemble Pro, Audiofuse, Fractal FM3, KOMPLETE 15, StreamDeck, iReal Pro White beard, beer belly, bald patch
I'm confident PG Music is working to reduce audio file generation times in the plug-ins. I've noticed that is a frequent topic discussion within the forum and has been mentioned in some of the release notes in past updates.
Do you mean the main Band-in-a-Box program when you use the term standalone? I ask because there is a standalone plug-in. The standalone plug-in is the same as the other, VST, AAX, AU, etc. versions of the plug-in with the major difference being the standalone plug-in does not require a host.
I understand the main program and the plug-ins differ in how they generate audio files.
The plug-in generates complete audio files prior to playback while the main program generates about eight bars of each audio file then starts playback.
As far as I can tell the main program can read ahead on the chord sheet so it can build audio tracks as a background task. The plug-in does have look ahead capability because it uses a helper file to look at the complete chord chart and then build complete audio files.
Simon - even without any of these M1 related bugs the generation times really are far too long.
To the point that one has to reconsider and adjust ones workflow to compensate - such as using the standalone to do all trialling out of different styles and arrangements - and then only using the plugin once one is sure of the style and song arrangement -
which defeats the whole point - because one might just as well then simply export and drag and drop all the tracks from BIAB standalone into the DAW and forget about the plugin.
PG really needs to focus on making generation times inside the plugin the same if not better than standalone.
Its all very well having thousands of real track style choices if one cannot try out a load of styles on one's chord progression before committing because of the huge waiting times involved with the plugin.
I've found the waiting times in BIAB standalone acceptable for many years now. Quicker always helps but the plugin times are just infuriating and for me unusable
The main difference between the main BIAB app and the DAW plugin (either DAW Plugin Standalone, VST3, AU, and AAX) is that in the main BIAB app playback starts before rendering is complete - basically, the program waits until let's say 20 seconds of the song is generated, then starts playing while the rest of the song continues generating. The DAW plugin requires the song to be completely generated before it can play back.
You can tell the main BIAB app to generate everything in full before playback, for testing the speed of the plugin vs BIAB. To do this, open Realtrack Preferences and disable "Speed Up Generation of RealTracks". I've done this and tested the plugin on my Intel Mac compared to the BIAB app, and the difference is that the plugin is a bit slower than the main app, but not by a lot. I found no discernable difference between the AU plugin and the VST3 plugin.
The difference is much more pronounced on my M1 Mac thanks to Rosetta, but not as slow as you're experiencing.
Can you time the following for us?
Band-in-a-Box App (disable Speed Up, then use a stopwatch to time the first play of a song from when you press play to when the song starts playing) BIAB DAW Plugin Standalone (you can open this from your BIAB folder under BBPlugin/Files) BIAB DAW Plugin in DAW (native ARM) BIAB DAW Plugin in DAW (Rosetta)
So on the bottom is the RT source file with all the chords that were played, Biab chooses the sections it wants to play from the source file and plays them back in linear order on it's timeline direct from hard drive. FULL SCREEN
hello there from Australia. I have the latest updates but when ni attempt to do a video, I get the spinning ball. it does not complete to video even after 30 minutes. if I use the old 32bit version. the video features works as expected. cheers. john.
I have a 2013 Macbook pro (Intel I7) and I have no issues with rendering times. I use BIAB MAc (latest) outside of Logic. IOW, not the plugin I find this separate approach no great inconvenience to my workflow but understand it may bother others
One thing I have noticed is that rendering time are orders of magnitude difference if you are saving to an Icloud drive vice a local drive. This may may not explain your particular problem, but it might.
This whole M chip Rosetta nonsense is a real throwback to the 80's. I feel for those who are slugging through it.
Personally I'm holding off on an M chip upgrade Till BIAB runs native on it.
biab2024(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS (Latest) Apple Mac Mini M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro 11 Irwin Vice Grip Fencing Pliers
hello. same sentiments about the plugin's rendering time. it is virtually useless in my workflow. regards. john.
Hi Robbo, what are your computer specs - CPU, Ram, SSD?
In Band-in-a-Box, go to the Help menu, and click About Band-in-a-Box. Near the top of that window, it will have Version 20xx and a number in brackets - what is the number in brackets?
Originally Posted By: mrgeeze
I have a 2013 Macbook pro (Intel I7) and I have no issues with rendering times. I use BIAB MAc (latest) outside of Logic. IOW, not the plugin I find this separate approach no great inconvenience to my workflow but understand it may bother others
One thing I have noticed is that rendering time are orders of magnitude difference if you are saving to an Icloud drive vice a local drive. This may may not explain your particular problem, but it might.
This whole M chip Rosetta nonsense is a real throwback to the 80's. I feel for those who are slugging through it.
Personally I'm holding off on an M chip upgrade Till BIAB runs native on it.
I also have no issues with render time on either my i5 iMac or my M1 Macbook. The M1 is much faster of course, as any comparison between a 2015 and 2020 computer should be.
Good suggestion on the iCloud drive - if anyone here is saving songs to iCloud, can you try saving your songs to your Desktop instead?
To be honest, the M1 for me is very fast even using Rosetta. Yes, it's slower than native apps, or a similarly spec'd Intel machine, but for anyone upgrading from an older machine the M1 is light speed. For comparison, [u]using Rosetta[/i] my M1 benchmarks slightly less than double my 2015 i5 iMac, and using a native ARM benchmark the difference is about 2.5 times. Compared to your 2013 Macbook the difference is around 2.5 to 6 times the speed (depending on which Macbook you have).
hi simon. build 511. Mac Pro mid 2010 5,1. 32Gb RAM. SSD for Boot Drive. Real Tracks and Real Drums are on a 2TB internal WD Black Caviar. Some good news...... i checked/compared your USB drives contents against the content on the above partition. Quite a few Drum files hadn't been installed properly. Mainly drummers Shannon and Alex. well, it took a long time but all now seem to be present and there are no more N/A's best. john.
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!
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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!
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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!
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These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
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-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!
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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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac 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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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