Good day everyone, This is primarily for PG Music, but anyone can answer if you can give me some details.
I have a friend who is an aspiring singer/songwriter. He's done backing tracks and backing vocals for his father, who puts together contemporary Christian music. Neither has used Band In A Box before, to my knowledge. I'd like to get the son to try out BIAB. However, I'm not sure about what makes up a Real Combo. It says there are 850 real tracks in 350 'bands' or combos. Are these real tracks fixed per 'band', or can they be moved around, take the bass line from one and put it another, as we do with regular Real Tracks?
I mean, for someone who has never used BIAB, laying out over $460 for the UltraPak may be a bit much. Obviously, I haven't needed a 'Demo package' for years, but does PG Music even offer a 15 or 30-day trial anymore? I think they used to, but that was some time ago, and memory isn't what it used to be, so maybe they didn't even back in the day.
Anyone who started out with the MegaPak and then later on upgraded to the UltraPak, and I'm talking within the last three or four years. Can you tell me what you thought and whether or not you would recommend going straight to the UltraPak? Finally, if he decides that he likes BIAB, can he upgrade from MegaPak to UltraPak next time we have updates, etc.?
Thanks in advance, everyone!
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Hi Gary. This one can be confusing. It's been over a decade that I have used the audiophile version, so I don't know the answer. I do believe one can update from a level to a higher level package the next year for less than full price, and there is always a rather full web page giving these options. I've also seen cases where someone bought the Pro package and contacted Support to update soon after. About the trial version, that is not done; instead they offer the 30-day money back guarantee.
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.
Thanks Matt! I hope all is going well for you. Any new albums in the works?
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Sadly it isn't a dumb question. PG Music's packages have often caused confusion, so many people end up asking it. I still sometimes struggle to be certain what's included in some packs and what's not.
There's significantly more in the UltraPAK than the MegaPAK ( (++ comparison ++) ). The best advice is usually to get the biggest you're prepared to afford, but that's quite a lot of money (though good value, too, I think). As Matt says, often an entry-ish initial buy and an upgrade can work out cheaper. I think most long term users have the UltraPAK.
(OmniPAK includes, I think, everything that PGM sell).
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 .
My advice to the new users, especially the young users.
Save your money. Just spend 130 bucks buy a BiaB Pro version. Plus a few XPro Styles Add-on Paks (50 bucks each).
The XPro Styles are tailored to work along with BiaB Pro version, of which doesn't have full RealTracks and MIDI content.
However, BiaB Pro version has the full features as Mega, Ultra, Ultra+ versions.
Also, in BiaB, as long as the Time Signatures are matching, the Feels (ev8, sw8, ev16, sw16) are matching, and the Tempos are close (plus minus 10 bmp), all RealTracks and MIDIs can be used interchangably, regardless of which band they were recorded from.
Spend your first year working hard, learning all the important features of BiaB.
After one year, if you feel BiaB is your thing, then skip Mega and Ultra, go straight to Ultra+, and buy those Xtra Styles Add-on Paks (50 bucks each, a total of 15 of them).
Yes, you are looking at close to $1,500 to spend. But it's worth it.
Ultra+ version is basically Ultra version plus a $100 Songs & Lessons Pak, of which contains Master Solos Series, Riffs & Phrases Series, Fakebook Songs, etc, which is massively powerful to professional music production.
Unless you have unlimited disk space, there's no need to go with the 2 TB size Audiophile version.
In summary: Buy Pro, save money. Go to YouTube, learn it to the full extent. Wait for a year, spend all your money buying the Ultra+ Pak and the sexy Add-ons. You won't be regreted.
A Canadian music producer, singer songwriter, composer, and professional guitarist.
The Ultra and Audiophile packages contain one hundred percent of the package content. The Mega package contains about one third of the available package content and the Pro package contains about one tenth of the available package content. I used the advertised number of audio hours to come up with these percentages.
Content like RealTracks, MultiStyles, Artist Performances, MIDISuperTracks and so on are collected and bundled into sets with each set sold separately. The Ultra and Audiophile packages include all the sets currently released. It costs less to purchase the Ultra PAK than it does to purchase all of the individual sets.
It is important to realize every individual piece has an identification number. As an example RealTrack set number 429 is composed of three Johnny Hiland guitar RealTracks numbered 4187, 4188 and 4189.
The Pro and Mega packages take individual pieces of content from the sets and matches them together to create a band or combo. As an example PG Music may start with RealTrack #4188; "Guitar,Electric,Soloist,CountryBalladSlowJohnny Ev16 065" and pair it with RealTrack #910; "Piano,Electric,Rhythm,SmoothBallad Ev16 065" from set 73, a bass RealTrack from another set, acoustic guitar RealTrack from another set and a RealDrum track to create a five piece band. Then PG Music creates a demo style using the five piece band. In many respects PG Music is doing the same thing most Band-in-a-Box users do everyday, create a band and make a song!
As MusicVillian mentioned the Band-in-a-Box and RealBand programs are the same no matter what package is purchased. I agree with him that the Pro PAK is a great starter package. The Pro PAK offers a little bit of every kind of content PG Music publishes. You can use that content to learn how the Band-in-a-Box program works and what it has to offer. I stayed with the Pro PAK for two years to concentrate on learning all the program nuances before upgrading to the Ultra PAK to acquire all the additional content. Having limited content in the beginning allowed me to concentrate on learning the program. If I had access to all the content in the beginning I likely would have spent more time auditioning content instead of learning the program. Sometimes it's nice to have some restraint.
As I stated, *I* have the current UltraPak. I will take under advisement the input here (which is why I asked for it), but I think that maybe the MegaPak is probably going to be the better solution, but I need to sit down with my friend, demo BIAB for him and help him make his own decision, or even if he wants to buy BIAB (Personally, I think EVERY musician should have this great program) or not.
Thanks, everyone, and please, continue to leave your input.
Gary
Last edited by Gary Curran; 04/11/2309:41 AM.
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
It might be worth noting that it is cheaper to purchase the Pro version and then upgrade to a higher version (like UltraPak) than it is to purchase the higher version from the get go. It's not strongly advertised, but true.
It might be worth noting that it is cheaper to purchase the Pro version and then upgrade to a higher version (like UltraPak) than it is to purchase the higher version from the get go. It's not strongly advertised, but true.
+1. This page of Joanne Cooper is probably the best place for a first purchase.
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!
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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
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.
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