So, I opened BB and had my midi keyboard turned on with it's sound turned off.
I played a few notes and heard the piano. All good. I observer the following on the screen.
THRU on the mixer screen was showing me activity. So.. I right clicked on THRU and a new window opened.
It had 4 options. The bottom one is SELECT MIDI INSTRUMENT (patch)
Clicking on that one gave me a new drop down with a variety of options. Near the middle of the list was favorite patches. One of those was Muted trumpet and below that was Tenor sax. Clicking on those gave me that instrument immediately.
I did a screenshot with my camera and attached it as a file you should be able to open.
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
Yeah. You would think.
Apparently not, judging from his posts.
The catch is that the OP may know too little about MIDI to know how best to phrase the post. I think the post was a little unclear for that reason and we perhaps presumed too much.
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 .
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.
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
Yeah. You would think.
Apparently not, judging from his posts.
The catch is that the OP may know too little about MIDI to know how best to phrase the post. I think the post was a little unclear for that reason and we perhaps presumed too much.
I know that I did!
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I've just posted 'Are RTs killing midi' in the BIAB forum. Maybe I should have posted here. Not sure if cut and paste between forums is allowed but here's what i said..............
buy BIAB today and you can jump straight into RTs. amazing real isntruments playing in wonderful styles.
i have every RT and every style so far, and i must admit i tend to use real styles almost automatically these days on new projects.
but i have midi when i need it. i have favourite midi parts i drop in - like a wonderful strings part i discovered years ago.
and for solos i often use midi - exactly the notes and timings i want and after hunting around for samples, exactly the instument sound i want.
but there have been a number of recent posts which suggest new users have no idea about midi. and given that RTs are so good they have no need to learn midi to create superb songs. but i can't help but feel they are missing out on a wonderful musical tool.
if their experience is the mickey mouse sounds of a bad midi player then no wonder they get put off. but a little extra work and investigation will open up a huge sonic arsenal that broadens their musical horizons.
what do other users think? is the excellence of RTs killing midi? and how do we sell the benefits to new users that make the learning curve worthwhile?
some users may not know it, but MIDI is what allows RTs to even exist, so I don't think RTs are killing MIDI at all, just showing the possibilities .. though a beginner may not grasp that yet Without MIDI Key and Tempo, RTs would be like canned loops from the 90s (just prerecorded audio)
Plus without MIDI there would be no Kontakt, GM sounds etc. so eventually it becomes something new to learn, just depends on your starting point and path to learning music Some of us old users learned MIDI first, I suppose some very new users may not have learned it yet, but it is definitely not 'killing MIDI' by taking advantage of it
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Thank you Mario D. I really appreciate yours and everyone else's input. I am working through your suggestions and I am sure I'll get the hang of it. It does seem that I am doing something wrong somewhere, because now I got the brass(ish) sound, but trying to figure out how, I cannot get any other(ish) sound. It's like playing golf: that one time you get it perfect, you don't know what you did...
some users may not know it, but MIDI is what allows RTs to even exist, so I don't think RTs are killing MIDI at all, just showing the possibilities .. though a beginner may not grasp that yet Without MIDI Key and Tempo, RTs would be like canned loops from the 90s (just prerecorded audio)
Plus without MIDI there would be no Kontakt, GM sounds etc. so eventually it becomes something new to learn, just depends on your starting point and path to learning music Some of us old users learned MIDI first, I suppose some very new users may not have learned it yet, but it is definitely not 'killing MIDI' by taking advantage of it
Indeed. Many of the early DAWs including Cakewalk started life as Midi sequencers before they added audio capabilities.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
rharv makes a very good point and Guitarhacker expands it well. those of us of a certain age started out with midi only and we learnt how to manipulate and edit our tracks. i used the same work process then as i do now. rough out in BIAB then edit the midi in PowerTracks. except today its RB for the edit and polish.
then the wonder of RTs came along. we got a huge bonus in musical terms.
but come to BIAB today and you can just plug in RTs and get great sounding music without midi. and the call is for extra funcionlaity within BIAB rather than use a separate DAW.
I made a prediction (always risky!) in the BIAB forum - i think one of 2024's suite of 'improvements' will be making playable RT's capable of taking a keyboard input and recording parts from scratch or at least adding hooks and riffs in the right places to a generated RT.
We all know that that will in fact be mainly a midi process but BIAB will become the 'front end' of midi much the same as windows became the 'front end'of DOS.
but come to BIAB today and you can just plug in RTs and get great sounding music without midi
I think that's incorrect; as I understand it you are still using MIDI to generate those RTs behind the scenes I am pretty sure the whole basis is still MIDI .. the tempo and key sig are still based on MIDI
You may not be using MIDI for 'sounds' but it still uses MIDI
//not trying to be snarky, just pointing it out for clarity
Last edited by rharv; 07/29/2312:39 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
yes of course midi is involved but maybe the phrase should be 'without consciously using anything to do with midi and without learning any of its capabilties' which was my main point
I think that, in addition to RealTracks that are 'controlled' by MIDI as described by rharv and others above, PG Music has delivered on exactly what so many people requested: the ability of RealTracks to play your melody. Again, it's under control of MIDI. Playable RealTracks are more related to MIDI than most users may realize.
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.
Hi folks, Thank you for all your comments and help. I am only beginning to understand what I am confused about, but
I have as Midi Output Driver selected VirtualMidiSynth which I downloaded from Coolsoft. Synthesizer Sound Card setting is :Coyote Wavetable DXI GM2 Support is General Midi 2 Support When I tick Use VSTi/DXi Synth I get a screen that looks like some sort of a control panel which says sforzando, but when I do that there is no midi sound. When I untick it, I get midi sound if I select the sforzando plugin. I also downloaded Compifont_NEW.sf2, but don't know what to do with it. I am beginning to understand what I am confused about, but not near having it under wraps yet.
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.
I have as Midi Output Driver selected VirtualMidiSynth which I downloaded from Coolsoft. Synthesizer Sound Card setting is :Coyote Wavetable DXI
If I understand correctly what you've written, I think that means BIAB is still using the Coyote synth for you sounds
In the "MIDI/Audio Drivers setup" dialog, I think you want the "MIDI Output driver" set to "<No MIDI/sound output>", the two checkboxes to the right checked and to set the "VSTi/DXI Synth" to be VSTSynthFont64. See pages 8 and 9 of the manual.
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 .
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 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 22 requires the 2026 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 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 22 requires the 2026 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.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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 amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac 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 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed 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 transcribe 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, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
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.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean