I think most of the RealCharts for piano are the actual midi from the Yamaha acoustic/digital piano.
Agreed. I remember reading that it was a Disklavier.
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.
I use Melodyne for editing Real Track audio quite often, especially single note lines such Bass, vocal or Horn lines, it also works on polyphonic phrases with mixed results... I believe every producer should have Melodyne in their toolbox.
LOL I saw AudioTrack, ah a new user, I thought that's the other part of VideoTrack.
Pretty close. You're actually right on the money there PL
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.
I use Melodyne for editing Real Track audio quite often, especially single note lines such Bass, vocal or Horn lines, it also works on polyphonic phrases with mixed results... I believe every producer should have Melodyne in their toolbox.
I agree.
I also have used Melodyne to modify a RT.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
If Biab itself can change the notes of RealTracks according to the set key and the chords being played, so why then it cannot offer changing the notes by changing the notes in the notation?
Because these are pre recorded snips of music not individually generated notes.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
If Biab itself can change the notes of RealTracks according to the set key and the chords being played, so why then it cannot offer changing the notes by changing the notes in the notation?
Because these are pre recorded snips of music not individually generated notes.
So u mean that Biab can transpose and time-stretch those snips but not their individual notes? Is yes, so then how comes the very same thing is possible with the new playable realtracks?
The Playable RealTracks use sampled notes from the original instrument. So it loads the soundfont player vst into the track and plays midi notes where the RealTrack instrument is muted.
this whole method is fiddly and impractical. In fact, useless. I am not trying to fix 'one note', but one note for a chord that is being played dozens of times. What a waste of time. I'll just kill the whole track
this whole method is fiddly and impractical. In fact, useless. I am not trying to fix 'one note', but one note for a chord that is being played dozens of times. What a waste of time. I'll just kill the whole track
It is and that's why so many people still use MIDI and plug-ins. RTs give a quick and very good cut, but one's rather restricted in what one can do with them. MIDI allows much more control and tuning. I think the tricky bit is getting the right balance between those two enemies.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
<...snip...> It is and that's why so many people still use MIDI and plug-ins. RTs give a quick and very good cut, but one's rather restricted in what one can do with them. MIDI allows much more control and tuning<...>
I mostly use MIDI and a hardware sound module instead of plug-ins.
Why hardware? 1) There is no noticeable latency (I think the average is about 5ms, or the time it takes sound to travel 6 feet). 2) Hardware synths store their sounds in ROM. Soft synths have to create the sound for each and every note as they are playing, which is why the latency). But to keep the latency shorter, they cut corners. Stored in ROM, the sound can be both more realistic and more nuanced. But of course, that depends on the synth manufacturer.
But whether you use soft or hardware synths, MIDI is thousands of times more editable than recorded audio.
I admit, the Real Tracks sound great. But, IMO, with a good synth, the sounds can be 95% as good as the RT, and with the increased editing ability of MIDI, the final song can be much, much better.
I was thinking of on-PC production, where the best results come with quite some tinkering/tuning.
For live playing, I send the MIDI to my Kawai or an SD1000, for that ~0 latency.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
MIDI definitely has more editing possibilities. I'm a MIDIot fossil from WAY back...
But to recap previous posts, plus a couple of additional thoughts...
Melodyne Studio can edit individual notes in RealTracks. Not the same as MIDI, but tasks like changing chord lead voicing or otherwise fixing a note in a chord are super easy and transparent.
If you find a RealTrack you want to edit, you can TRY editable RealTracks, OR you can move the BiaB MIDI chart to a MIDI editor and do whatever you want with it. Works best with keyboards in my experience.
RealTrack acoustic pianos often sound "blurry" to me, probably due to (tiny) audio stretching artifacts. Definitely try the MIDI chart tip above for those if you're not happy.
BiaB MIDI guitars NEVER sound ok to me, especially strummed acoustics. There are some other programs that do these better than BiaB. But unless you have one of those, stay away from BiaB MIDI guitars. (That's not controversial, is it?)
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Two newer midi possible midi solutions available in Band-in-a-Box are MidiSuperTracks and Microcholds.
There is a video Peter Gannon made sometime in the 2010's era where he demonstrates replacing a RealTrack for a bar or two with midi and a virtual instrument. It should be pretty easy to do by creating the virtual instrument on an empty track then using bar settings to mute the RealTrack and play the virtual instrument.
BiaB MIDI guitars NEVER sound ok to me, especially strummed acoustics.<...>
That depends on your synthesizer. MIDI has no sound, but triggers sounds in your synth. Some synths have better guitar sounds than others.
It also depends on the musician. Is the chord in a guitar-like inversion. Since BiaB choose the inversion to play, that can be fixed after exporting. Are the notes all played at the same time or in a strum pattern?
Also, there is something called "Home instrument bias". To a guitar player, the guitar sounds might never sound right, but for a casual listener or a horn player, those guitar parts might be just fine.
Playable RealTracks functionally convert a RealTrack into the equivalent of an Artist Performance File which is a form of a UserTrack to the BIAB program.
To users that know the nuances of editing midi, this mix of audio and midi creates an audio track made from a RealTrack that's been manipulated into a audio file indistinguishable from a live performance recording. Particularly when placed within a song mix. Unique as if one had played the piece.
I created a short piece using a mandolin that did not have RealChart and inserted the midi data from the guitar to have the two instruments play the same midi data.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 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 22 requires the 2026 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 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 22 requires the 2026 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.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
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.
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