My BB is the Windows version. I use BB to enter the chords of a song into the chord sheet, so I can play back the chords to accompany my sax playing. It is the simplest possible setup.
I have not used Audio, because I don't know how it functions vis-à-vis my setup. Recently I've begun to suspect that Audio might make a positive difference somehow, but before I decide to add Audio to all my songs, I would appreciate any info or advice regarding this.
I won't pretend to understand all of it (to put it mildly), but it certainly helps me to have the relevant Audio settings.
I would very much like to hear your opinion as to whether or not it might improve my songs to add Audio to my settings, in view of how I described my use of BB?
In BB, under the Audio menu, there is an option saying “Render song to audio track (and mute tracks).” Why would one do that? What is gained by doing that?
I can see what happens in the Chord Sheet mixer: the Audio track slider is activated, and the other tracks become inactive, though this doesn’t seem to affect the music (?)
So, other than making it possible to control the volume in one place (the “Master”), instead of having to adjust each track separately, what is the purpose of “rendering the song to audio track”?
I know I’m missing something important, and I’m sorry for being so ignorant. If you could enlighten me a little I would really appreciate it.
In BB, under the Audio menu, there is an option saying “Render song to audio track (and mute tracks).” Why would one do that? What is gained by doing that?
My understanding is that it simply creates an Audio Wav file of the BaiB performance that could be used separately without requiring the use of the BiaB program.
If I follow your requirement correctly, this video may assist:
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
In BB, under the Audio menu, there is an option saying “Render song to audio track (and mute tracks).” Why would one do that? What is gained by doing that?
Good question. I export audio all the time and never knew that option existed. Here's what the manual has to say:
Quote:
Render Song to Audio Tracks (and mute tracks): Use this to render all tracks to the Audio track and disable track generation.
Un-Render Song from Audio Tracks (Enables tracks, erase audio track): Use this to erase the rendered Audio track and restore track generation.
So the idea is to change the project into an audio snapshot that will be what you hear when you hit play, because everything else has been frozen and silenced. Note that this does NOT export audio files for use by another application, and prevents further non-audio development unless reversed.
So I also wonder: Why offer this option? I guess somebody asked for it, but why?
My best guess is that this feature is for those who use BIAB in a 2-stage process, (A) generating and perfecting the band tracks then (B) post-processing the audio result without leaving the application. It’s like: OK, time for the DAW, but the DAW is still BIAB, and if you eventually export to audio files that's to save a final playable product.
To the OP: If you can arrange and hear music, you aren’t missing anything. =8^) If you’re looking to export audio for sharing or further processing, that another matter, but it sounds like you aren't, and even if you are it probably won’t involve that particular menu option.
The intention is to combine all of the existing tracks (RealTracks and MIDI tracks) into a WAV file and automatically place it on the Audio Track. This WAV file is then played instead of the data on the other tracks.
Note that while there are other export methods available, the produced WAV file from this action is a physical disk file and can definitely be used by other applications if required.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
Does the Windows operation prompt for a file name? If it does prompt, obviously disregard my previous statement.
I can't test my own statement, as the operation doesn't exist on the Mac in that form, at least it isn't labelled that or explained that way. Here's what it does have, with the manual note:
Quote:
Render Song to Audio File (WAV,AIFF,M4A) opens the “Render to Audio File” dialog which lets you convert the song to an audio file.
The operation automatically creates a WAV file with the same name as the song file (but a .WAV extension). It also produces this message, and of course, places the WAV file on the Audio Track:
Last edited by AudioTrack; 04/11/2210:55 AM. Reason: Added Mixer screen capture
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
Copy that, it appears I was wrong about the export.
But then what does the "un-render" operation do, does it actually delete that file?
Yes. It asks for confirmation, then removes it from the Audio Track and deletes the .WAV file from disk. (It also changes some naming conventions in the mixer, not sure why this is.)
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
For comparison, these are the original Track ID's before any export/un-render etc is performed:
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
Yes, for a long time now we have all been wanting to see identical functionality on both platforms. It's getting much closer, so that's a good thing.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
There's a "gotcha" here, because within BiaB, that audio file will now play at the same time as the song tracks, causing some confusion. In practice it's probably better to render to some other location and/or name.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
There's a "gotcha" here, because within BiaB, that audio file will now play at the same time as the song tracks, causing some confusion. In practice it's probably better to render to some other location and/or name.
Yes, good point, and I agree. However, the documentation states:
Quote:
You can Render Song to Audio Track, which mutes the individual tracks and plays the rendered audio wave, or you can UnRender Song from Audio Track, which will erase the audio track and play the individual tracks again.
Now despite the statement about muting, the jury is still out on whether it mutes the individual tracks. It's supposed to, but from my tests, I'm not so sure...
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
OK, more tests. These three images show the mixer information before the render, after the render and after the 'un-render'. I don't know why the drums changed from RealDrums to MIDI drums. More tests to follow...
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
OK, I'm back. Here's the interesting bit. Despite the mention of muting, nothing actually shows that the tracks have been muted in the mixer (see previous post). However, further testing I found that if any tracks were frozen before the render to audio was selected, they are not muted and also show as playing in the mixer, as can be seen in the screen capture...
So I don't think this works in the way it is described in the documentation.
I'll report it.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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.
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 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 21 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.
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