Hi, I'm running into a really frustrating issue with the soloist.
I load up a style which includes a soloist, for example, "_BLSw_GS.STY. Blues w/ Electric Guitar Solo" from RT Set 10.
Then you choose to "Load Song Demo For This Style".
The guitar solo starts immediately and plays non-stop until the song ends.
I would prefer to have my own opportunity to play a solo and have the guitar solo only on chorus 3 and 4.
I cannot figure out how to achieve this. Opening the Soloist Dialog (Shift+F4) seems to hint at this possibility but 1) the actual soloist used in the style is not even pre-selected, 2) even if I search for it and select it, choose custom options and generate a solo, it has no effect anyway.
I gather there is another way, to use bar settings and mute the soloist for the choruses where you don't want it, but to achieve this is very tedious and feels like the wrong and clunky approach.
Please help, with the easiest step-by-step guide to shorten the currently chosen soloist that is included with the style.
Info on the style, if you want to try for yourself.
Memo: All RealTracks! Bass El Blues, Organ B3, Blues ShuffleHard RealDrums, Guitar El Rhythm Blues, and Guitar El Soloist Blues. T=105-140. -Examples: Pride and Joy, Genre "Intensity" Score=75/100 _BLSw_GS.STY. Blues w/ Electric Guitar Solo All RealTracks. Quintet. *** with Soloist ***Tempo=120 (105-140) Instruments: El.Bass, Organ, El.Guitar, El.Guitar(solo), Drums RD: BluesShuffleHard^4-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Busy Snare, Ride :PG Artist 4 RT420: Bass, Electric, Blues Sw 120 , Dow Tomlin RT425: Organ, B3, Background Blues Sw 120 , Chris Nole RT421: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Blues Sw 120 , Jack Pearson RT422: Guitar, Electric, Soloist Blues Sw 120 , Jack Pearson
Thanks! But that is the tedious approach of having to mute and unmute the track. Also it tends to cut off the solo in the middle of a phrase and sounds terrible. Surely there is a better way, if you only want 16 bars of solo?
Well for the past 20 years F5 has been your only option and has kept the masses happy. But, you may be in luck. As of recently there two new ways by either using multistyles which insert silent RTs or by using Audio Editor. I would be glad to explain how to do that, but both are way too confusing for me.
Thanks again. Muting and unmuting during a solo is not acceptable solution for me. The phrases are interrupted.
It's all very confusing. This style already contains a soloist track when you load it, yet apparently there is no option to configure it.
The only availabe option is to select and generate *another* soloist, then two of them play at the same time, over the entire song, which is even worse.
Hi Konaboy, first always post what version of Biab you're using and your system details like Dan just did. Assuming it's 2023, there is a new method for this and that is to highlight just the region you want the soloist (or any other track) to generate or re-generate on the chord grid and it will only generate those bars WITH a proper lead in and out of the solo so it sounds natural. You want 16 bars in the middle of the 2nd chorus only highlight that. Go to your Help Index, type in Generate Bars and hit Display. Tutorial 35 explains it.
Hi Bob, Good point, I'm on 2023. Your suggestion sounds promising, but I have just typed in 12 bar blues, with 5 choruses, and for example want solo on chorus 3 and 4. Can't see how to achieve this by selecting a region, when only 12 bars are displayed.
so I kinda figured out an ugly workaround that gets the desired result.
1) Mute the offending soloist track in the style 2) Shift+f4 to open the Select Soloist dialog 3) Search for the soloist that you muted in step 1) 4) Choose Custom options to set the chorus start and # bars
There you go, now you have 2 soloists, but the obnoxious one that refused to stop playing is now banished to the parking lot.
You know, PG music provides rather voluminous documentation which describes in detail how all this stuff works....
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.
Hi Bob, Good point, I'm on 2023. Your suggestion sounds promising, but I have just typed in 12 bar blues, with 5 choruses, and for example want solo on chorus 3 and 4. Can't see how to achieve this by selecting a region, when only 12 bars are displayed.
To have your soloist only play chorus 3 and 4:
. Select the Soloist Track . Open the Audio Edit Window . Note the Chorus bars are notated with each bar of a chorus includes the Chorus in parentheses ie: bar 3(3) is bar three of the third chorus. . Highlight and silence the Choruses you want to be silence. In your example, highlight and silence Chorus 1, 2, and 5 as I've done in the image attached.
Another option for this would be the new volume automation facility in the audio editor. That allows one to fade-in/fade-out the track where you'd like, including allowing for pick-up and the like.
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 .
thanks for all the suggestions. it seems the easiest for me, is to simply mute the soloist track that comes with the style, and create a new soloist on a new track using the same realtrack. there seems to be no good way to change behaviour of the style soloist, but when generating the new one, you can have some control.
For this kind of things, it's a good idea to work with one linear chorus instead of a multiple-chorus project, this way you can simply select the bars you want and generate material for those bars.
You can convert your multi chorus into a single chorus project using the unfold command (edit menu)
I thought the whole idea of Alt+F8 was to get what you want where. In the Audio Edit you should be able to delete the whole track then select some bars or beats and generate what you want where.
For this kind of things, it's a good idea to work with one linear chorus instead of a multiple-chorus project, this way you can simply select the bars you want and generate material for those bars.
You can convert your multi chorus into a single chorus project using the unfold command (edit menu)
That's the way I always work on projects. Gives me a LOT more flexibility and customization for the project you work on. Good call out, Cerio.
Cheers, Mike
My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
I don't try and do what you want in BIAB - I do all the soloist editing in my DAW.
I render all the tracks about 7 times and then insert all tracks for a song (typically around 30-40) into my DAW (Reaper).
Then I manually edit the volume of each track to suit the song. This is much preferable to trying to do this in BIAB because you have total control.
This is most important in the soloist tracks where you often want the soloist playing early or late on each phrase especially on fills between vocal phrases.
Yes it's time consuming but produces a professional result.
Best Regards Nigel
Nigel Spiers Christchurch, New Zealand info@nzacoustics.com
For this kind of things, it's a good idea to work with one linear chorus instead of a multiple-chorus project, this way you can simply select the bars you want and generate material for those bars.
You can convert your multi chorus into a single chorus project using the unfold command (edit menu)
That's the way I always work on projects. Gives me a LOT more flexibility and customization for the project you work on. Good call out, Cerio.
Yes, the only downside is the 256 bar limit. If you unfold any 64 bar jazz standard, for example, the new project will be limited to 4 choruses.
oh my gosh! the whole exporting to daw and/or editing audio files just to silence the soloist on the first chorus seems incredibly complicated and unnecessary. sends shudders down my spine! Vital functions like this should be a readily available in the UI (and working as expected).
very interesting to read the different approaches to work around this though, thank you all.
I don't think that exporting to an external DAW is the only way to achieve this.
Besides <F5>, the BiaB Audio Edit window allows this to be achieved through the volume automation settings, surely?
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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 new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
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.
Vital functions like this should be a readily available in the UI (and working as expected).
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean