|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,057
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,057 |
So, amid all this yak yak yak, is anyone actually running BIAB over LINUX? Forum member Gordon Scott tested Band-in-a-Box for Windows on Linux. The main issue Gordon encountered is the Windows version relies on the Windows Media Player for some audio playback functions such as midi chord audio playback to preview a chord while in the Chordbuilder window. Gordon has five or six posts in this thread if you wish to private message or contact him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,065
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,065 |
So, amid all this yak yak yak, is anyone actually running BIAB over LINUX? Forum member Gordon Scott tested Band-in-a-Box for Windows on Linux. The main issue Gordon encountered is the Windows version relies on the Windows Media Player for some audio playback functions such as midi chord audio playback to preview a chord while in the Chordbuilder window. Gordon has five or six posts in this thread if you wish to private message or contact him. I’m reading that answer as “not successfully”. If so, why all this time spent discussing some $30 ARM device that runs LINUX? I spent a lot of years working in UNIX and am pretty familiar with it but I have little interest in the hobbyist aspects of personal computing. I want my boxes running applications with minimal problems. I am nowhere near affluent but Price has never been my motivator. Time spent fiddling about making drivers and such work is time not spent getting work done that makes my living.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649 |
Mike (all). RE ..you said 'why all this time spent discussing some $30 ARM device that runs LINUX?' let me answer that…as follows. there are lots of poor people in the world who would like to realise their dream of producing a song idea they had. but due to the cost of different hardware/software platforms they cant. so in my book its exciting when low cost platforms come out. like the PI and Innovato etc etc. particularly as there is NOW quite a lot of decent production software for linux…eg……check out ardour sometime. https://www.tecmint.com/free-music-creation-or-audio-editing-softwares-for-linux/frankly i find it all exciting. let me explain why. altho' i was born in the UK, my early childhood was spent in Africa with my parents. (i had a very interesting childhood ) many people on these forums can afford a nice recording 2k rig. but many people in africa and other countries just cant. i feel its exciting if inexpensive products provide the capability for poor people to produce their songs. in summary imho these are exciting times. it used to be only the 'big boys' could afford 'the toys'. if biab and realband worked on the PI for example i would be over the moon. Some companies like Reaper and Waveform already work on the PI. maybe they see a market ?? happiness om
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.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 621
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 621 |
So, amid all this yak yak yak, is anyone actually running BIAB over LINUX? Forum member Gordon Scott tested Band-in-a-Box for Windows on Linux. The main issue Gordon encountered is the Windows version relies on the Windows Media Player for some audio playback functions such as midi chord audio playback to preview a chord while in the Chordbuilder window. Gordon has five or six posts in this thread if you wish to private message or contact him. I’m reading that answer as “not successfully”. If so, why all this time spent discussing some $30 ARM device that runs LINUX? I spent a lot of years working in UNIX and am pretty familiar with it but I have little interest in the hobbyist aspects of personal computing. I want my boxes running applications with minimal problems. I am nowhere near affluent but Price has never been my motivator. Time spent fiddling about making drivers and such work is time not spent getting work done that makes my living. Where is the "like" button?
Byron Dickens BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency. https://soundcloud.com/athanorsoundlabs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
So, amid all this yak yak yak, is anyone actually running BIAB over LINUX? Yes, I am, as also is pipeline. It's imperfect and there's a bit of fiddling to do, but it runs pretty well.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,107
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,107 |
So, amid all this yak yak yak, is anyone actually running BIAB over LINUX? User Gordon Scott mentioned (above): I have both BiaB and RealBand running on Linux, though there are a few issues, mostly around the lack of Windows Media Player and a few minor issues relating to dialog boxes.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
It's understandable that people don't read through everything if they don't have a direct interest in the subject.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649 |
Gordon.
a question ...how well does reaps run in linux ??
cheers.
best
om
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.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
...how well does reaps run in linux ?? It seems good to me, but I'm not sure how to evaluate that. I could set up a project and compare between Linux with Windows, but I'm not wholly sure what to compare. It was well-received ages back when it ran only under wine. Your Reaper license allows you to download and install any version: Win/Mac/Linux. I did spend a while looking around for comparisons, mostly in the Reaper fora, but there was little recent and meaningful. People seem to be happy; a few claimed faster on Linux, but no real recent data; several people pleased to get away from disruptions due to Win10's updates system. FWIW I can't recall any Windows VSTs that I have that have not worked on Linux via yabridge, though I don't have that many. Yabridge is a wrapper that puts the VST inside a Linux library shim, so new VSTs need "introducing" to yabridge. Once set up that's pretty painless. Some of the downloader+installer programs need bypassing ... Kontakt's downloader fails to install some things, but probably only because it doesn't know how to mount .iso files in Linux. There's a slightly fiddly way to do that with them ... an extra step that isn't normally needed. Similarly PGM's downloader application doesn't install, but I just download the files and install them manually. Hmm ... I've just gone to download the latest version of Reaper ... I'm not sure how I feel about installing version 6.66 
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
Forum member Gordon Scott tested Band-in-a-Box for Windows on Linux. The main issue Gordon encountered is the Windows version relies on the Windows Media Player for some audio playback functions such as midi chord audio playback to preview a chord while in the Chordbuilder window. I’m reading that answer as “not successfully”. [/quote] It's understandable that people don't read through everything if they don't have a direct interest in the subject. Which does include me.... Yes, successfully, apart from a minor issue of not being able to audition styles using the built-in demos, which don't play. But then I find the built-in demos less useful than trying with my own chord progressions anyway, so that barely bothers me. For me, as I work almost entirely on Linux for almost everything I do, that's a very small price to pay for not having to reboot into Windows to use BiaB. Others will see that differently. I've never used the ChordBuilder window, so can't comment ... Hmmm (noises off) OK, I have now and can confirm that the chord builder doesn't play.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649 |
Gordon.
thanks for the reaper info. nice !
wait for the lucky 7's version maybe .
call it the reaper vegas casino version...lol.
SO…all we need now is biab to work properly under linux with no issues and that would make me happy and get me away from win. if rb worked also ..big bonus.
thanks also for the handling of vst's info.
i guess the pg dx plug ins i like cant be used in linux ?
have you ever tried running rb in linux ?
the more i look at it , would seem that the AVlinux distro might be the way to go.
yep i'm aware of the reaps licence cross platform, and yet another reason (of many) i like reaps. and i have a proper reaps licence of course.
happiness....and thanks again.
pm
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 09/04/22 12:28 PM.
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.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
have you ever tried running rb in linux ? I've just tried it a bit, but I don't normally use RealBand, so don't know what I'm doing. Two early observations, though: 1) It seems to find only two of the DXi/VSTi synths I have ... CoyoteWT and Kontakt. BiaB finds also Reaktor 6, sforzando, VSTSynthFont64 and EZdrummer. (Neither find the Linux-native VSTs, which I guess is unsurprising. Linux-native Reaper finds them all, of course) 2) At a first try, I have a style apparently playing, but I get no readings on the master volume level meters and no sound. That may well be just because I don't know what I'm doing, or it may be indicative of a problem. FYI, looking through the VST instruments that Reaper finds, I see both VST2 and VST3 versions of Scaler 2, which is a Windows VSTi that neither BiaB nor RB found, so there's something fishy about their VST handling. If find EZBass and EZKeys, but both are expired trials, so perhaps BiaB/RB not showing them is smart. I may try to explore things more later.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649 |
Gordon. thanks for the info . very good of you. ..have you tried ardour in linux ? it looks very nice plus plug in support. looks like its come a long way. i'm impressed. https://ardour.org/…this week ive been checking out mini pc's that run both win and linux. eg.. https://www.amazon.ca/Fanless-Windows-HUNSN-4USB3-0-4USB2-0/dp/B07GPR4DYR?th=1lots of ports on above (8 usb). so could run external m2/nvme in an external enclosure i guess. ideally i want one that has 2 x internal m2/nvme ssd. ideally fanless or low noise so no pick up from mics. ..btw when one is running biab in linux does the. stylepicker come up ok as well as the rt and rd pickers ? all i would need actually is the rt//rd choice in the bb chord view and the ability to... (after laying out my chords in chord view) replace existing rt//rd's in chord view using the pickers. ie testing out in chord view how various rt's//rd's might work in a song. ..oops forgot to ask , can one use the ultrapak shipped drive work over usb without install on the internal drive ? ps one thing i like bout rb is right clik over a trak and get many generating options. does this work in linux ? best. om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 09/05/22 03:46 AM.
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.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
..have you tried ardour in linux ? it looks very nice plus plug in support.
looks like its come a long way. i'm impressed. Ardour and I believe Audacity came from Linux-based projects and have over time migrated to the other platforms. Ardour is the DAW on which Harrison Consoles base their Mixbus and Mixbus32, and Harrison have long been major contributors to Ardour's progress. I used Ardour at the start, but now mostly use Reaper or Mixbus, sometimes my Ui24R hardware mixer. Ardour is very popular, both with the free-software guys and those that are comfortable with paying. I'm in the latter group. I'll often make donations for the free stuff, too. …this week ive been checking out mini pc's that run both win and linux A client of my R&D work has been using the base "LattePanda V1" for a year or so now. They used to use a PC104 board and Win95-embedded, but are now moving Win10 https://www.lattepanda.com/..oops forgot to ask , can one use the ultrapak shipped drive work over usb without install on the internal drive ? : Because of the lack of a working Windows Media Player, running on Linux requires all the RealTracks to be WAV files. That means that the Audiophile edition should probably run OK from the USB drive, but a non-audiophile edition needs the .WMA files expanded to .WAV, and they'll end up as around 1.7TB of data. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't run on a 2TB USB drive. IIRC I did that for a while before deciding to get an extra SATA drive for BiaB, which drive I formatted to NTFS so that both Linux and Windows can use it. Linux is fine with NTFS, but Windows doesn't understand ext4, which is the usual disc format for Linux. I have found that rebuilding the databases in Wine+Linux causes the Win10 copy to ask for a rebuild and vice versa. I'm not sure why ... some file age test somewhere, I guess. I imagine the same would happen if one used a dual-boot Win10 and Win11 machine. If it's a file thing, I can 'touch' the date; if it's Windows registry, I'll leave well alone.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584 |
Great info as always Gordon. I have no need to experiment again at this time with Linux, but for those reading who do, I thought I might clarify a few points.
Gordon’s mention of expanding WMA BIAB files to WAV can be done by a utility in Options, RealTracks. I think there is similar in RealDrums. As he said, the resulting file size is huge, as it expands by a factor of around 11, so you need a 2 TB drive to do this. Plus, the WMA files are all still there. Also, just because they are WAV files doesn’t make them audiophile quality; they are just the same compressed quality sound as before (which, I admit, isn’t bad in most cases; for more about that, real my sticky article in Tips and Tricks).
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
Thanks Matt.
All correct.
FWIW, I used the program ffmpeg on Linux to expand the files as I can then do the whole lot in one command and just leave it to get on with it. Probably I should create a Makefile or a smarter script to manage that process, so that it only expands files that aren't already expanded. I'm fairly sure PGM use libffmpeg internally to do similar.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584 |
... I'm fairly sure PGM use libffmpeg internally to do similar. Good question.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,667 |
They definitely use it; here as a .dll bb/Data/DownloadManager/ffmpeg.dll bb/Data/InstallManager/ffmpeg.dll and also appear to reference it within most bbw*.exe files (INSTR_FFMPEG), though that's using just a crude string search within the .exe files. PGM could be doing all manner of things with it. ffmpeg is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,584 |
Thanks for looking under the hood.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,649 |
Gordon. i'm curious. you said you moved from ardour to reaps. what aspects of reaps do you like over ardour ? i was an early user of reaps , and have been a big fan. just curious. yep harrison nice consoles…big lad stuff. some of these mini pc prices are getting crazylow for what they are.. pretty soon if the trend continues pg could give one away with paks installed. i saw a review of a new beelink today for a tad over 200 buks …but has a celeron. but the m2 transfer read//write speeds were nice and way more than needed i'm sure to run bb and rb i'm sure. pity it dont have at least a i3 12300 level processor. <<more i read bout such i'm impressed, particular the single thread passmark over 3k which is way better than most older music production pc's that many people are using..crikey i once did load of songs using powertraks on a blinkin athlon. check these industrial pc's out.. https://www.onlogic.com/computers/industrial/fanless/helix-500-600/lots of neat stuff coming out. best om
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.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
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!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics86,304
Posts802,991
Members40,086
| |
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean