How do I mute a track for a specific chorus or choruses, e.g. I have a 32 bar song looping 4 times and I want the piano track to be muted for the third chorus?
To make a change for a bar in a specific Chorus, first unfold your song. You'll find this under Edit | Song Form | Unfold. Then go into the Bar Settings of the bar you wish to start the mute. You can get to the Bar Settings by either right clicking the bar and selecting Bar Settings in the menu. Or as Marco76 use the shortcut F5.
How do I mute a track for a specific chorus or choruses, e.g. I have a 32 bar song looping 4 times and I want the piano track to be muted for the third chorus?
There's no need to unfold your song.
Select the bar that you want to mute a track on, press function key <F5>, then select which chorus number you want to apply the mute to. Repeat at the bar for the chorus where you wish the track to return to normal:
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.
Much as I'm impressed with what BiaB does, and I accept that there's no real alternative, I must say the usability leaves something to be desired, imho!
Much as I'm impressed with what BiaB does, and I accept that there's no real alternative, I must say the usability leaves something to be desired, imho!
I hope my answer gave you both a reasonable and the simplest way to achieve your requirements.
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.
those of us who started with BIAB on floppy discs have seen it grow from a simple program to the incredibly powerful tool it is now. we learnt gradually as new features were added over the years.
coming in fresh like you are is a steep learning curve - you have to learn what we absorbed gradually over the years. there is a lot to learn but that's the price you pay for something so powerful.
stick with it - it's worth it and if you have any further questions - just ask. its often easier than trying to read a manual of several hundred pages!
And as the unfold-or-not and F5 or-click discussion shows, there are often several ways to do things in BIAB. While this can make things seem complicated, I consider it an advantage as you discover the workflow that works best or seems most intuitive to you.
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.
Much as I'm impressed with what BiaB does, and I accept that there's no real alternative, I must say the usability leaves something to be desired, imho!
I agree in the sense of a new(er) user. However, for many of us, once you DO learn how it works, logical workflow 'improvements' become more complicated. Kinda like Photoshop (and the rest of the Adobe Suite); for me it is a very confusing interface, and it took a while to learn (like BiaB). But once you do learn it, you can do things other software doesn't.
Just had a thought It would be cool if there was a 'Basic' interface and an 'Advanced' one .. but that requires development time (and testing) so less other features would be developed in a given timeline. And then updated every year.
We use a certain eCommerce platform for development, and the Admin area has a switch from Basic to Advanced. That is what made me think of this. The options are much more limited for Basic, but it gets you used to how things work. Then when you need more advanced features you simply turn on Advanced access.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Much as I'm impressed with what BiaB does, and I accept that there's no real alternative, I must say the usability leaves something to be desired, imho!
I agree in the sense of a new(er) user. However, for many of us, once you DO learn how it works, logical workflow 'improvements' become more complicated. Kinda like Photoshop (and the rest of the Adobe Suite); for me it is a very confusing interface, and it took a while to learn (like BiaB). But once you do learn it, you can do things other software doesn't.
Just had a thought It would be cool if there was a 'Basic' interface and an 'Advanced' one .. but that requires development time (and testing) so less other features would be developed in a given timeline. And then updated every year.
We use a certain eCommerce platform for development, and the Admin area has a switch from Basic to Advanced. That is what made me think of this. The options are much more limited for Basic, but it gets you used to how things work. Then when you need more advanced features you simply turn on Advanced access.
Just had a thought It would be cool if there was a 'Basic' interface and an 'Advanced' one .. but that requires development time (and testing) so less other features would be developed in a given timeline. And then updated every year.
Lots of merit in that suggestion. +1
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.
The basic versus advanced interface has of course been discussed at length before (without a consensus, as I recall) but here we have a new justification: the difference in development time. However, I am not sure it would make any difference. I think the two interfaces would likely be created as the advanced first, then decide what to remove to make it easier to work with. Doing it the other way risks introducing errors. But that's just my best guess as a programmer.
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.
The modern interface can be as basic as you want, it's essentially the chord sheet and audio mixer.
As Matt pointed out shortly after the modern interface was introduced, the custom tab allows the user to decide what icon buttons are easily accessible. The audio mixer can be hidden with two keystrokes leaving just the chord sheet in view.
What else would you eliminate or change for a "basic" interface?
... What else would you eliminate or change for a "basic" interface?
Boy, that sure is the question isn't it. The revision of the GUI in (I think) 2018 went a long way to at least giving the appearance of a more streamlined program. If I recall correctly, it's the menus that were the focus of the effort discussed before, and I do have some sympathy for that approach.
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.
Yes, a difficult question indeed, and one with a thousand answers.
Seeing you asked, I would simplify menus, and separate out features like Melodist, Soloist, Harmony, ACW, Audio Edit, User Tracks Development, Melody Embellisher, Ear Training, Practice, Conductor etc. All of the functionality would still be available, but not included in a streamlined, simplified presentation format.
The simplified view would be an 'auto-accompaniment' music system. A 'Band-In-A-Box'. Enter the chords, choose a style, and play along. New users would surely find this less bewildering, and can migrate to advanced functions whenever they wish.
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.
Yes, a difficult question indeed, and one with a thousand answers.
Seeing you asked, I would simplify menus, and separate out features like Melodist, Soloist, Harmony, ACW, Audio Edit, User Tracks Development, Melody Embellisher, Ear Training, Practice, Conductor etc. All of the functionality would still be available, but not included in a streamlined, simplified presentation format.
The simplified view would be an 'auto-accompaniment' music system. A 'Band-In-A-Box'. Enter the chords, choose a style, and play along. New users would surely find this less bewildering, and can migrate to advanced functions whenever they wish.
I agree. Condensing like things under one tab would help also IMHO. For instance putting all chord functions under a tab called chords would help and streamline the GUI. YMMV
The new GUI is a start in the direction. I haven't used the old GUI since the new came out.
I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia. She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I have been a user for for more than 20 years, but would welcome a simplified "auto accompaniment" version. I do like the real tracks / drums, but I have never used Real Band, track freezing, recording etc. I do use the melodist from time to time, mostly to audition styles or even instruments. I probably should investigate the custom tab, but I seem to know where all the buttons are that I need.
But I would rather PGM spend time fixing problems - especially those that have been around for ages. I can live with the existing GUI, but decluttering the GUI and all the drop down menus would be a "nice to have"
BIAB for Windows Version 2019 (643) Windows 10 (1909)
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
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.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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!
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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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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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)
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