Hello It's been a while 2009 was the last BIAB version I owned. Now I have MacBook Pro M1 and Good windows Laptop both capable of running BIAB. I do most of my work in Logic Pro and Cubase. The MacBook has 1TB ssd and the windows 2TB. I think the Windows version will be ok for a while but I'm worried about the Mac version becoming obsolete with the next MacOS upgrade. I would like to get the Ultra Pak. What do you think should I go PC or Mac?
Major changes in the Mac OS have sometimes delayed the release of the Mac version but haven’t ever prevented it from being released. I would be surprised and disappointed if that ever happened.
You’re going to be amazed at the improvements since 2009.
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.
The Windows version is usually released slightly ahead of the Mac, and I think the Windows version might have a couple of extra features, but any gap in functionality is getting more narrow every year.
The 2TB drive could be the decider?
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.
According to Peter Gannon himself (the big boss) the user base of Band in a Box has skewed in favor of Mac for the first time in history. Looking forward I would expect that gap to increase. My opinion.
You use Logic. You really don't need 2 DAW's, let alone 3. There's a BIAB DAW plug-in for Logic. It gets better each release. I'm not an expert on this portion of the software.
You have a nice Mac. AudioTrack does make a good point about storage. An external ssd addition might be in your future. Good thing they get cheaper each day.
I used PC BIAB for over 20 years. Then I used both (Mac and PC) for 4-5 years. I am only Mac for 2-3 years now.
Mac.
biab2026(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS (Latest) Apple Mac Mini M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro (latest or pretty close) Blue and White Sea Star
I had the Mac version but gave up due to apple changing things all the time sending developers into overtime working to get their software compatible with yet another regular change. The Win version just keeps working on any OS version and it gets released 6 months earlier. I think there are more Mac users now as in the last few years there have been so many Win users lost with the plandemic as the forum is pretty dead.
RealBand can natively import and export BiaB files. I don't think other DAW's can do that directly.
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 think the real question is "what OS are you more comfortable with"? That is the BiaB version you should purchase.
Personally I am on a PC. I have a couple of Win 95 programs running on my Win 10 computer. My son has an old Mac and will not upgrade because the graphics program on it will not run on the newer Mac OSes. He also has a PC that he uses for his more modern software.
I arrived early to a restaurant. The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?" I said no. "Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
That's my issue with Mac. It's the “Upgrade or die” OS.
I upgrade my apps, usually with no problem. And the OS, but with Windows, the OS upgrade doesn't prevent all the old apps from working.
I started with Mac OS6/Motorola CPU.
After OSX all my apps became useless.
Then Power PC chips, and all my apps became useless.
Then Intel chips, and all my apps became useless.
And that's when I abandoned Mac.
Most, but not all, of my old useless apps were upgraded, and worked fine after the changes. However, some were already orphaned, and with no parent company, there was no upgrade available. DOA.
My Master Tracks Pro app from the Win95 era still works. I love that sequencer.
As far as Mac OS and Win OS are concerned, they both work equally well. There are differences, but they aren't monumental.
Before I quit using the Mac, BiaB was better on Windows. Slight but meaningful differences, plus the StyleMaker allowed me to do things to my styles that the Mac version did not. The better styles played on both the PC and Mac. I don't know if BiaB and Mac are equal now, I've been without Mac for some years now.
I suspect that if there is a difference, it's so slight, most people wouldn't notice. So as MarioD noted, what are you more comfortable with?
Says it all ! apple should run behind uses not users run behind apple caught up as slaves. How can you use a 32bit app ? you can't they have been banned. If they were smart as they make out to be their number 1 priority should be app compatibility.
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.
Has anyone else noticed that the OP has not returned?
I don't think the default forum setting is set to notify by email any responses for a new user.
You're right but if one asks a question I would think they would come back often to see the answers. Hopefully the OP is busy and hasn't had the opportunity to respond.
I arrived early to a restaurant. The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?" I said no. "Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Hello It's been a while 2009 was the last BIAB version I owned. Now I have MacBook Pro M1 and Good windows Laptop both capable of running BIAB. I do most of my work in Logic Pro and Cubase. The MacBook has 1TB ssd and the windows 2TB. I think the Windows version will be ok for a while but I'm worried about the Mac version becoming obsolete with the next MacOS upgrade. I would like to get the Ultra Pak. What do you think should I go PC or Mac?
Thank You
O/P. Are you still deciding?
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.
Honestly, for anyone not comfortable with the idea that they need to upgrade their software every year (or two years, tops), I'd go with the Windows version. Apple is quick to deprecate things in their OSs and ecosystem. While that pattern is super-helpful for making a more reliable and secure system, it's super-painful to consumers who don't upgrade. Coupled with a consistent lag in support by most audio software vendors, it's a tricky place. As Mac users, it feels like we're just upgrading to an OS two months before the next one is announced every year, and it's always a question if legacy hardware will get real support for the next OS, half-assed updates (yeah, Line 6, I want to lower the security settings on my computer and break Apple Pay to use your drivers...NOT), or die (anyone need a M-Audio interface - it works great in MacOS 10.6 or Windows Vista?). When an OS is two releases behind, it is quick to stop receiving security upgrades (more so for MacOS than iOS).
The real difference between Windows and Mac is that Windows strives to work as broadly as possible aiming for LONG software lifecycles. Reduced security/reliability(*) and slower updates are the trade-off for supporting old stuff. Mac is tightly focused on security and stability for specific use cases involving the latest/greatest hardware/software. Reduced software/hardware lifecycles are the trade-off for that leaner system. Neither paradigm is universally superior. They have a different set of pros and cons, depending on your use case.
(*) That said, the reliability on Windows has gotten WAY better over the years, for most use cases.
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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.
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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!
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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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