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I'm not sure if I know what I'm talking about here but does anyone have any comments as to whether it would be better to choose ForteDXi by Coyote Electronics or Roland TTS-1 synth in Music Creator 5?
ForteDXi = $40
Music Creator 5 = $39
I'm assuming that these both contain soft-synths? Is this right?
Thank you in advance.
Ike
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If you contact Coyote (aka Norm) he might have something as a heads up.
All I'm sayin...
John Conley
Musica est vita
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I have them both and I like the sounds of Music Creator better.
Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
BIAB, Reaper, Encore, Sibelius
Roland SD-50
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Quote:
I have them both and I like the sounds of Music Creator better.
Please don't phrase it like that, it just adds to the confusion about why Biab "sounds" bad sometimes. Music Creator is a sequencer and has no sounds of it's own. It will use whatever sound source you have just like Biab will. Like Biab with the VSC, it ships with a basic synth called the Roland TTS-1 just to get you started. You can use a whole mega thousand dollar rack of hardware synths with it if you wanted to and that's what it would sound like or spend another grand or so for software samplers like Sampletank or Halion and it would sound like those. It's just another sequencer.
You like the sound of the TTS-1 better. For me I like the Forte better, so there... 
The TTS-1 is a bit more electronic sounding and can work well with some things while the Forte is more acoustic sounding, better for jazz. Neither of them can touch a good modern hardware synth module like the Ketron SD2 or my Sonic Cell though.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Actually, I was happy with VSC but when I bought a new desktop with vista 64 I didn't know that vsc wouldn't work with it. If I could have bought TTS-1 separately I would have. My apologies if I'm confusing anyone. I know Music Creator is a sequencer and apparently Russell does too, that's why I didn't mention it. Sound is a very subjective thing. What sounds good to you may not sound good to me. I'm a sax player so no matter what horn sample or product you use, I'm not going to be satisfied with the sound. I play dinner music in restaurants and bars for a living. A mixture for real tracks and midi does a great job for that situation. I also play standard midi files for my pop music. For live performance, I can't find a better product than VSC. That's why I still use xp on my laptop for gigs. I mentioned this in other forums but get more compliments from other musicians about the sound of BIAB than I do from customers. Those compliments go back 10 years, way before real drums, real tracks, etc.. If I'm going to record, I want the best sounds that I can afford. When playing live, if you have a singer or horn player in front of those backing tracks people are concentrating on the live aspect of the performance. Lets face it, if were a hot 21 year old chick, wearing a mini skirt, singing Rubber Duckie through my Gameboy, I'd sound great as far as all the guys in the bar are concerned. Thanks for the banter! lol
Jacob
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TTS also has a lot of adjustability. You can tweak the heck out of the sounds. Plus with MC5 you get sound center as well, and that adds a few cool sounds.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
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Quote:
I'm a sax player so no matter what horn sample or product you use, I'm not going to be satisfied with the sound.
Jacob,
I couldn't agree more. I don't know how other horn players here at the BiaB forum feel, but IMHO the MIDI horns are nothing more than something to give you a 'sampling' of what it MIGHT sound like if it were played by a real horn. It's a 'filler' sound. I'm not convinced (from the posts I've read here and elsewhere), that trying the hit/miss method of buying and installing different software drivers is EVER going to feed my need for good sounding horn solos and brass sections. To me, they're always too much of this, or too little of that and I simply don't see how you can tweak MIDI into sounding just the same as my real horn. That's why I enjoy the RealTrack product I guess. I'm almost certain that the electronic syth / piano players will completely disagree with me here and that's okay.
I would especially not consider using a MIDI sound for recording purposes however. As a trumpet player myself, I've mentioned here that the MIDI I've heard so far hasn't sounded any different than a car horn. And yes, thanks to all here, I now have an understanding of the mechanics of MIDI and where the sound or tone is actually produced from (I understand analog / acoustic / digital concepts). But, I've listened even to high-end electric pianos in the music stores and I guess I'll always say that my horn sounds better than the 'mock' version. I can do things that the electronics simply cannot reproduce as effectively as I can with the real thing -- Yes, I'm prejudice about that and yes, I believe that my ears ARE that discriminating.
So far, the ONLY thing I've heard that might satisfy my ears are either composing with all RealTracks (no MIDI at all and playing your own track), or perhaps something like the Garritan Jazz & Big Band product I'm looking at. Garritan seems to be my winner so far since one, it's only $200 bucks. Two, it's got tons of real horns. And finally, the demos on their site sound fantastic -- as close to any sax or trumpet I've ever heard.
Also, I think it was Mac who suggested I look into this MIDI sound processor (a hardware device). Can't recall the name just now. I did check this out thoroughly and there seems to be high praise for it, but when I reviewed the horn sounds, I wasn't happy with what I heard. Some were almost adequate. The piano, bass and guitar were very good. However, the price was way off the mark as compared to the Garritan product (IMHO).
For me, I want to be able to use BiaB for backing performances and backing recording. Thus far, I wouldn't do either with the sound's I've heard thus far (except for RealTracks and maybe the Garritan).
These are just my opinions (or misunderstandings from a novice, whatever the case may be), and I don't mean to step on some very experienced toes here (especially given the high degree of musical talent here at this forum).
But I agree with you Jacob -- it's a subjective thing and we're all going to squirm once in a while at some of the sounds that our PC's are making -- they're still electronic, trying to simulate the real world and I can see that some of these electronic simulations will be the perfect fit for some musicians. Not for me though. So far -- my finished-product will contain RealTracks or real instruments, but not MIDI.
Jacob, we've probably opened up a HUGE can of worms here! That's okay, I'm bound to learn what's wrong with my newbie theories somehow!
Ike
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The real test is to take the 'instrument' you don't like because you play it, and let 20 people who don't play it listen to it with a solo and ask them how you did.
I bet none of them tell you it sounds crappy.
The most of us have thought that the judicious use of one or two Real instruments enhances the file.
I've heard all midi backing tracks with the worst sounds ever on the 'seniors' radio station with a local gal playing the organ, and my Mom thinks it's the cat's meow. Wow. And I was going cheese cheese..very bad...and she said that's a nice trumpet..Wow.
Point is, you bend stuff or pFzzz it or whatever and it's not your sound. The more you dwell on it, the less you like anything.
Just move on, unless you want to invest in better gear. My wife cannot play the flute as well as the Ketron SD2 and that made her mad.
On the other hand, the guitar realtracks have string scratches and all, how realistic is that? Maybe they should put burps and sniffs into the soprano sax realtracks, or a far....never mind.
As a horn player, I've found you put some in as harmony (on my Ketron), make a horn intro, and then stick it in the end. Works ok, it's not the horn section from any good big band but again, what are you trying to do? If the people you let listen like it, you need to ignore your bias, and let the software work for you. Lots of the Midi bass can sound better on my Ketron than the realtracks.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Quote:
... I bet none of them tell you it sounds crappy ... you bend stuff or pFzzz it or whatever and it's not your sound. The more you dwell on it, the less you like anything ...
Just move on ... guitar realtracks have string scratches and all, how realistic ... Maybe they should put burps and sniffs into the soprano sax realtracks, or a far....never mind ... Works ok, it's not the horn section from any good big band but again, what are you trying to do? If the people you let listen like it, you need to ignore your bias ... Lots of the Midi bass can sound better on my Ketron than the realtracks.
Hello John! Thank you for your posts. I've asked lots of questions in this forum and I've gotten lots of answers from you haven't I? I can see your point of view and no doubt, many will agree with you. I can respect your views on MIDI sounds as others do. However (maybe mistakenly -- I'm not sure), I perhaps detect a sense of intolerance over my opinion(s) in your post.
I think I'll reiterate what I said about the MIDI sounds that I (as being new to MIDI and BiaB) have heard. You'll note that I started off by stating that I understood that this is subjective (and I even ended my post saying the same). To be sure, the very person whose post I was replying to agrees. It seemed to me that Jacob and me were agreeing on a point -- that almost anything to do with respect to one's perception of sound / music / hearing, is ultimately going to be subjective. And I simply stated why I agreed with him and explained why. Obviously, we can't tell each other that we're wrong -- you hear what you hear and I hear what I hear -- that's all there is. Neither of us is wrong, is he? Or am I wrong?
John, when I continually state in my posts that, "In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) ...", rest assured, I say it with sincere respect to those of you who have used the software (and the forum) and these other products many years longer than myself -- You guys are the pros (the gurus). I think that I even mention repeatedly in my posts here that I am a newbie (with Biab) and I am grateful to you and people here for helping me in times when I need it (which tends to be quite often as you well know).
I am not in the least however, new to computing and/or the use of forums. It has always been my understanding that the use of forums is for an open, free and lively exchange of ideas which entitles all to an opinion. And so, the very fact that we agree to use a forum like this to share experience with one another does suggest that our electronic 'conversation' is bound to be a subjective one. So, I'll view both Jacob and your posts as subjective ones. Yes, mine is a biased one, and while I might verbalize it from time to time, I certainly won't force it upon anyone; Biased yes, but not without merit I think.
I have only had the software for a month. I have read the book cover to cover (some places twice or more), and there's lots for me to learn. I still ask lots of questions don't I? I sometimes receive lots of opinions too, but I know that's what they are -- just subjective opinion. I too have also poured lots of time into BiaB and RealBand (not as much as you, obviously). Rest assured, we certainly must agree though that the cost of our love for music can't be measured in terms of the dollars and cents we spend, right? So, be aware that over the next weeks, months and maybe even years, I'm likely to give a 'subjective' opinion or two from time to time. I won't be wrong. It'll just be my opinion, right? You can rest assured I'll not suggest to a single one of you here that you're not entitled to post your own -- I'll likely even agree once in awhile.
John, I do not have a recording studio or lots of equipment for that matter. However, I have made a living in the computer industry for better than 35 years and I've been a horn player for even longer. And all along, I've been thinking that some might like to hear from me. While it may be small potatoes to some, I did mange to tour and teach theory with the U.S. Army Band for several years (yes, a great many years ago). I may be much older and not playing as much as the rest of you here, but I still have ears and they still work pretty well -- well enough that I was evidently good enough to be paid to use them -- in fact, I suggest that students actually depended upon them. So, I was merely telling Jacob there, that in my opinion (using my ears and I trust mine as much as anyone's), that as of this moment in time (perhaps until the technology get's better), that I prefer what I hear with RealTracks and the like. Did I trash the idea of MIDI? No, I don't think so ... it has it's place. When I told Jacob about the MIDI sounds I'd just sampled, I think I also mentioned that, "Some were almost adequate. The piano, bass and guitar were very good." But yes, I will ALWAYS be partial to the real thing. MIDI is not my enemy John, but I definately am better than MIDI and so are my students -- Geez, I guess in a sense, MIDI is my student too! Heck, I'll go out on a limb here and say that I'll bet that you're playing is even better than MIDI too my friend! Hooray for the real thing! Hooray for us humans!
Okay friends, you have your 'RealPaks' and you have 'RealTracks' and you have 'RealBand', you have 'Real' this and that -- the common thread here is 'real'. Now I'd venture to say that lots of others hear how much nicer 'Real' it is on the ears. PG must think so too because I continually read advertising to me saying, "... and more Real ... to come!" And I'd argue that this feature of the BiaB product has obviously translated to more dollars and cents too.
You and I have no doubt listened to some of the very same artists and music for all of our lives, and we're obviously going to have our opinions about it (what we've listened to up until this point in each of our lives). So, as I stated in my post, "So far, the ONLY thing I've heard that might satisfy my ears are ... RealTracks" Performed by 'real' instruments, by 'real' people. I'm just saying that I'm not at a point where I would never change my mind about MIDI, but I haven't yet lost my hearing either. As for me, I'll load up BiaB on the "real" stuff every time and I'll be inclined to purchase every "real" product that PG sells, both now and well into the foreseeable future -- although there are some awfully pretty sounding products out there now.
By the way (and this is subjective), if one takes the time to listen to the Garritan Jazz & Big Band demos, you might hear details that you might not have heard before. John, you're a horn player ... You know that breath that you take in just before you're ready to play that next section? Did you know that your audience can even hear that breath of yours? Well, that did impress me. Not that this alone would make up my mind about MIDI or anything else mind you, but it did impress me nonetheless (that this technology could pay so close attention to details like this). So okay, I'm new to MIDI, and they'll likely be a lot more I'll listen to and decide what's good, bad or otherwise. But, attention to that detail is something that discriminating, music-loving people hear -- and they're impressed with technology that can emulate these.
Now as for your, "... guitar scratches ...", well yes, those are exactly realistic as any guitar player will tell you (or even a guitar listener). I also play this instrument. Now as for the, "... burps and sniffs into the soprano sax realtracks." Well, correct me if I'm wrong John, but I believe that you'd have to post this in the forum wishlist. Would you like to post or shall I?
"So for right now ..., my only audience is (and the only one I care about frankly), my church, my wife, kids and grandkids -- Oh, and a few 'ole farts like me who love me enough to come out to play for fun. I bought BiaB for fun. It is completely new and foreign to me, but fun nonetheless. And so, the vote is in! From the wife, family and musician friends, they've voted for RealTracks John! Remember, it's just another opinion though. Ignore my bias? Nope!
By the way John I performed London a couple of times in my youth and lived in Port Huron, Michigan most of my life. My grandfather was a radio host at one of the two local radio stations and he too said he performed in London (a classically-trained pianist playing jazz blues and dixie -- go figure). Anyhow, nice chat'n at ya' neighbor! It's a small world my friend!
Your friend,
burps and sniffs and whatever
Ike
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Russell you were right about the can of worms. You were in the army band field? I did 20 years in army bands and have been retired for 10 years. I think we are all agreeing with each other but coming from different perspectives. I love real tracks, I'm using them more and more. But because of the tempo restraints and styles, the aren't going to fit every situation. You what would be a cool thing for pgmusic to do is studio musician record with midi instruments. You would get that real player vibe, but you could manipulate the tracks to any tempo. I know that's not a popular suggestion but I love to see just a sample of that idea. I order a i7 Dell with a 256 SSD drive. It should be here next week. I'm looking forward to loading that baby up. I'll post my results when I get everything up and running. I'm loving all the comments, keep em coming!
Jacob
Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
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Quote:
a cool thing for pgmusic to do is studio musician record with midi instruments. You would get that real player vibe, but you could manipulate the tracks to any tempo.
Hi Jacob,
They've been doing the MIDI-based styles like that for years.
--Mac
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Brother Jakob,
It's been so nice having the Internet for keeping touch with old Army bud's. I did some of my stint at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (101st) and then had the pleasure of spending some time at the training center at Norfolk, VA (I was going to leave after my first but they gave me more money, another stripe and asked me where I'd like to be stationed, so naturally I chose Norfolk). I had a close friend who wound up playing for the Washington DC group -- that would have been my ultimate -- I loved listening to their Jazz recruiting band so much (those guys were just so good as you probably can attest).
It's so nice to hear stories from others who have played in the services. I wish we had a forum just for these people -- there's so much to tell and be learned by these folks.
Thanks for the post brother!
Ike
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Like Mac said, PG has been using live musicians on midi instruments for years but the problem is it's midi and dependant on whatever synth you have for the sounds. It doesn't matter if you use David Sanborn on a midi wind controller playing killer lines, if you play that back through the Roland VSC it still sounds like a kazoo. Even if you have a thousand dollar synth, the sax patch will sound nothing like Sanborn playing his horn live because midi won't allow for all the lipping, tonguing and whatever else a real sax player does to alter his sound. Same with guitar and all the other instruments. That's the reality of midi.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Quote:
It doesn't matter if you use David Sanborn on a midi wind controller playing killer lines, if you play that back through the Roland VSC it still sounds like a kazoo. Even if you have a thousand dollar synth, the sax patch will sound nothing like Sanborn playing his horn live because midi won't allow for all the lipping, tonguing and whatever else a real sax player does to alter his sound.
*Some* synths do much better than others handling the CC messages from a wind controller.
I wouldn't agree with your statement wholeheartedly. I've heard some pretty amazing things come out of a wind controller.
I will admit, it takes a lot of talent from someone experienced in the instrument/synth. However, there are people on this very forum who could use a wind controller with a 'Michael Brecker' patch and sound pretty 'real'. Enough so that I would prefer it over many 'live' musicians. Probably over Realtracks in most instances. I don't discount MIDI so quickly.
Russell, some of the most incredible jazz I've ever heard came from various military bands. I went to a lot of jazz concerts in the 70's-80's and they almost always left me in awe. One Air Force band actually made me consider enlisting!
(just to see if I qualified to carry their horns)
Last edited by rharv; 04/01/10 03:09 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Bob,
I really enjoy 'The Airmen of Note.' Great jazz band. The Falconaires are awesome, too.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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Quote:
*Some* synths do much better than others handling the CC messages from a wind controller.
I wouldn't agree with your statement wholeheartedly. I've heard some pretty amazing things come out of a wind controller.
This is not the point I was making Rharv. You're talking about a performer playing a controller live using a proper synth set up to handle all those CC's. Under those conditions Garritan will sound wonderful. I'm talking about recording that performance as midi, making a midi track out of it then playing it back as part of a style in Biab or just playing it as a midi file. All those cool CC's are going to get ignored because Biab uses the GM standard for those while Garritan has all their own proprietary midi implementation that as you said, takes a real pro to master in order to make it sound real. Then, there's the other point I was making that if you take that midi file created by a pro on that wind controller and play it back in your sequencer using another synth, it won't sound anything like the live performance.
There's that poster who created some scripts for Garritan and Biab that does apparently help out with that but I've not actually heard the result.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Hey Russell, I did my last two years in the army at Ft. Campbell. You should get on Face Book there's an Army Band page and an Assn. of Retired Military Bandsmen page. I found a lot people there. Did you know John Pastin or Frank Mullen? John Pastin teaches in a university up the road from. I found Frank Mullen on Face book because he wrote a song years ago I wanted his permission to perform it.
Jacob
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Quote:
Russell, some of the most incredible jazz I've ever heard came from various military bands. I went to a lot of jazz concerts in the 70's-80's and they almost always left me in awe. One Air Force band actually made me consider enlisting!
(just to see if I qualified to carry their horns)
THAT my friend is exactly what happened! I'd heard three military bands play in Michigan in the 70's (as a high-school-er).
I was one of the few kids at my school who seemingly (by 11th or 12 grade) hadn't committed to anything (I had good grades but I couldn't get Mom and Dad to see past the scholarship monies for General Motors Design Institute over in Flint). I'd had engineering and architectural drafting coursework up the ying-yang by the time I'd graduated high school and living in a automotive-industry state ... Well, to them it just seemed like an obvious fit for me.
It didn't help that I couldn't get past the fact that all my friends seemed to be name-dropping this university, that academy, etc. from the time they were juniors in high school. There were so many scholarships being thrown out to classmates that it was to me, a terribly unnerving and depressing time. My true love was music but it was especially hard to get the parents to see that there was lots more to it than the garage-band I'd been been playing in (and I couldn't blame them -- we sounded pretty bad). I played piano, guitar and trumpet but I guess it didn't leave high enough marks on them to see me doing this for a living.
By the time I'd seen the Air-Force Band at McMorran Place in Port Huron, I'd almost made up my mind until one evening a band director suggested that me and a music-bud go backstage after the concert. Boy, was that a thrill!
Well, long-story-short ... Air-Force jazz-band concert on Friday night, dinner with three brass & percussionist that same evening at the Fog-cutter Restaurant (their dime), by noon Saturday I'd already taken the ASFAB at my recruiter's office (strangely enough, also in the same building as the restaurant), a long Monday drive to a base in Indiana somewhere for my audition and then not too many days later, an airplane to Fort Knox, KY for BT.
Most people did question my sanity over my choice to enter the Army as I did have relation in the service during Vietnam (of which some died and those that came back were not the same people who left us). And if any of you were teenagers during the late 60's / 70's you can attest that our country was still seething over it. Well it turned out that I did well on the ASFAB testing, the Army offered an extra stripe and better pay right off the bat and choice of duty station to boot! Not to mention that this would finally give me something to tell my friends and family about -- about where my life was heading. Trust me ... It was a great pick-me-up for someone who didn't have a clue where life was taking him. I needed something good to happen for me and it happened. I am so thankful for that experience and it worked well for me for a time. For some musicians, it did not! You enlist, soldier-train, music-train, compete and if you get a permanent gig (hopefully at your selected duty-station), you play. Otherwise, you soldier-train, music-train, compete (and lose) and soldier the rest of your gig!
Well, life has never been the same since -- it's always been about the music! If I were a young person today and hadn't committed to a school or degree program somewhere, there would be no doubt about my choice -- even a second time, were it possible! I live in upstate Michigan and there isn't much in the way of the arts up here -- I love to share my experiences with them every chance they ask me. They're always very polite and attentive and especially curious about how music and the military fit together -- that's a popular subject.
Ultimately though, one day I had a fall that ended in a bad injury and this accelerated a physical problem of mine. It did end my career in the service but thankfully I still have those fond memories and it's especially fun to hear the new kids. The wife and I attended a fantastic national high-school jazz competition and I was asked to 'set in' for one of the 'final four's' practice gigs -- The kids were wonderful to converse with and especially to hear them play and it felt unbelievable to be asked to be with them. Nobody could have felt as good on that day, I assure you ... and I felt that they legitimately wanted me there!
These days I reminisce and tell stories (some are even true)! LOL I'm so thankful for the use of the Internet -- it has provided me a lasting career in computers and access to people like yourselves right here on great forum! Some pretty good company to keep!
Ike
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,069
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,069 |
I work on occasion with several of the West Point band folks. They are top notch jazz players.
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; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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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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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!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
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!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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