this seems to be the default windows 10 setting for my internal soundcard. does it make any difference to RB or BIAB? i admit my ignorance and understand what it means literally but have not had any problems.
also i presume the setting gets bypassed wheni use my usb interface with its dedicated asio driver
Internal motherboard sound chips, usually Realtek, are fine for watching videos but are not designed to be used in music production. So yes disable the internal sound chip in the device manager. This way you know for sure that you are using your USB interface.
1-right click on start and select device manager. 2-click on sound video and game controllers 3-deactivate Realtek by right clicking on it and selecting disable
Note in the past I had both the Realtk and USB interface activated and a Win 10 update turned off my USB; it assumed that I wanted the Realtek, probably because most computer users do use the internal sound chip.
Note this is my Internet computer so Realtek drivers are not disabled. On my music computer they are disabled.
Last edited by MarioD; 10/21/2103:45 AM.
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
thanks - the internal soundcard is a soundblaster audigy - new for this new machine - the usb interface is not always plugged in so i use the speakers and the soundblaster (and sometimes headphones for rough mixing.
The purpose of this setting, which can be set for each audio device, is to allow, or not allow, other sounds on your Windows system to play while using this device. For example, while in BIAB, you might do something that would normally generate a beep warning from Windows. Do you want to hear that beep? In most cases, I don't think it does any harm. However, if you are recording, then it might be a good idea to turn off any other possible sounds, so yes, do allow the device to take exclusive control.
In your case, even when you connect your USB audio interface, the Windows system sounds like beeps may still play through the Soundbaster. You can change that in Control Panel if you wish, or even do what some audio guides recommend: turn system sounds OFF. Me? I leave the system sounds on but set them to play at half volume. I hate having a booming beep** occur when I have the volume of my music turned up.
Does that help?
** booming beep would be a good name for a band
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
this seems to be the default windows 10 setting for my internal soundcard. does it make any difference to RB or BIAB? i admit my ignorance and understand what it means literally but have not had any problems.
also i presume the setting gets bypassed wheni use my usb interface with its dedicated asio driver
should i jsut uncheck it anyway?
When an application requests exclusive control of the sound card, that means no other app can play sound on that device. This can sometimes provide lower latency as Windows no longer has to mix audio from different apps, but it may also bypass any "enhancement" from the driver (bass boost, stereo expander, etc). This can be both good and bad.
That is interesting, thanks, Simon. The only statement I could find that seems to relate here is this one:
WASAPI can be used in two different modes: shared or exclusive. In FlexASIO, the wasapiExclusiveMode option determines which mode is used. The two modes behave very differently; in fact, they should probably be seen as two separate backends entirely.
As relates to BIAB, does that mean that the WAS driver choice in BIAB, which has never worked for me, might work if I 'allowed my soundcard driver to take exclusive control'? I might try it and see.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
That is interesting, thanks, Simon. The only statement I could find that seems to relate here is this one:
WASAPI can be used in two different modes: shared or exclusive. In FlexASIO, the wasapiExclusiveMode option determines which mode is used. The two modes behave very differently; in fact, they should probably be seen as two separate backends entirely.
As relates to BIAB, does that mean that the WAS driver choice in BIAB, which has never worked for me, might work if I 'allowed my soundcard driver to take exclusive control'? I might try it and see.
It might just get it working, give it a shot!
The FlexASIO driver also might get it working too, I find it quite stable. Keep in mind though that there's no GUI for settings, those are all controlled by editing a config file in Notepad.
Creative is the only company I've seen where disabling exclusive mode changes things in that way. For the most part, we find BIAB and other apps work better with exclusive mode disabled, and it is regularly a resolution to customer problems.
... and it is regularly a resolution to customer problems.
I find that very interesting. If you wanted to share examples, I'm listening. If nothing else, the more of us who understand this, the more we might be able to assist users in the forum.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
... and it is regularly a resolution to customer problems.
I find that very interesting. If you wanted to share examples, I'm listening. If nothing else, the more of us who understand this, the more we might be able to assist users in the forum.
This typically comes up when a customer has no sound from one of our programs, and disabling "allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" often gets it working.
Allowing applications exclusive use of the sound card means that no other program can use the sound card. We haven't identified every program that can do this (of course), but it can be anything from a browser/plugin to a video game to another DAW. I'm fairly certain there are some sound card "enhancement" apps that do this.
Disabling "allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" means that the sound card is always in shared mode, and sound typically goes through the Windows mixer. I personally have never seen any ill effects of disabling that option up until today.
Last edited by Simon - PG Music; 11/17/2112:44 PM.
sound continued to work on all applications but the creative control panel stopped working and audacity couldn't find the loopback on the creative card for recording. the audacity error message was 9996 'invalid device'.
i can't be the only one with a soundblaster sound card although i use a uphoria usb device for recording and monitoring but often mix using the soundblaster and headphones or speakers
sound continued to work on all applications but the creative control panel stopped working and audacity couldn't find the loopback on the creative card for recording. the audacity error message was 9996 'invalid device'.
i can't be the only one with a soundblaster sound card although i use a uphoria usb device for recording and monitoring but often mix using the soundblaster and headphones or speakers
You're not the only one with a Soundblaster card, but you're definitely one of a very small few. Rather than using the occasionally disappearing Creative loopback, perhaps try using a hardware-agnostic driver like Virtual Audio Cable or VoiceMeeter.
thanks Simon. i was brought up in the days when creative was the gold standard of sound cards and soundblaster the name we all wanted (who else remembers config.sys and autoexec.bat?).
maybe i've been left behind but as everything is working i'm quite happy. Incidentally my office pc which is not used for music (but is occasionally for spoken word for recording meetings) has onboard sound and by default the recording input is the same as the main sound output 'looped'.
seems that is audacity's standard way of finding an input.
Bob, I certainly remember config.sys and autoexec.bat! I still use them from time to time running certain ancient programs on Dosbox, and occasionally actually booting into DOS to run a hardware utility of some kind.
I still fondly remember making music with the FM synthesis on early ISA Soundblasters, certainly takes me back. Thankfully all that old stuff can be emulated rather faithfully.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
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.
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)
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!
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.