Can anyone suggest a notation tool on the Windows platform that help meet my needs?
I'm taking a break from writing songs and want to focus on improving my bass playing skills and see that studying and learning the material of bands and songs I enjoy is a good and fun way to accomplish this.
At a very minimum I need software that can produce tab (which I'm getting better and better at) underneath sheet music. See screenshot of a song by Ace below. I don't have any interest or skill in writing scores for orchestras and the like; this is about bass guitar and maybe keyboard at some point.
I'm getting tired of copying and pasting bass tabs from UltimateGuitar and want a better approach. I'm hoping there are tools out there that have a large library of quality ready-made bass tab/sheet music for popular songs across rock, folk, R&B etc.
A nice-to-have would be the ability to loop and scroll the tab across the screen as a learning aid. Another nice-to-have is access to the actual music (MP3 or WAV). So far, I have avoided MIDI (too much on my plate right now).
Ease of use is important and compatibility with Studio One a plus. Another plus is the ability to take a song that is 9 pages long (and thus won't fit nicely on my music stand) and to extract the intro, verse, chorus, etc so that it will fit in 2 or 3 pages. And AI-driven is not necessarily important at this time.
Everything else equal, I'd prefer to avoid an expensive subscription service; a popular (large user base) software tool installed on my hardrive is preferred if possible.
Most likely there are other features that would be useful that I'm unaware of at this time and ones I could grow into.
Here are a few possibilities that I've found, but it's quite dizzying for a novice like me to sort thru. GuitarPro AudioScore Ultimate Notion Progression Sibelius Finale MuseScore
Any suggestions from those with this kind of experience would be much appreciated.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Can’t go wrong with guitar pro. I do believe there is a free version to test as a trial. I think you will find everything you need
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
Dan’s recommendation makes sense to me. Given the importance of tab for you, it would be good to use a product developed for guitar and bass. I’ve used many of those programs (including being a beta tester with some others not on your list and now as a tester with Notion) but do not work with tab.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I have a connection. I may be able to send you a link for 15% off if you need it. PM me.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
I knew I came to the right place for sound advice. Three guys with plenty street credentials; Dan, Matt and Rick. Thanks guys.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I knew I came to the right place for sound advice. Three guys with plenty street credentials; Dan, Matt and Rick. Thanks guys.
Awe, that is so sweet of you to say. Hearing my name grouped along with Matt and Rick really put a big smile on my face.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
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.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
Not sure what you mean by "song music window is small". The GUI can be full screen.
Here are three points.
1) Guitar-Pro has been around for decades. Goes back to my early days with BIAB. They have grown and expanded over the years. Which is one reason there is a huge library of song files. And I mean huge! You may have to google "GP songs". In the old days these were all avialable for download. However, times have changed. I don't know how this is being managed today.
2) Currently Version 8 is available. This added Audio tracks for the first time. See attached video which illustrates the "GUI" along with how to operate with the audio track.
3) And in case you think this software is not a fully mature notation tool, this should change you mind
And finally, Yes, that is David who has been my guitar teacher for the past 10 years.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
You must be talking about mySongBook, which is something else. Guitar Pro is a music notation/ guitar tab app. You write music in it. You can also find tabs all over the place in Guitar Pro format.
mySongBook is a subscription that gives you access to "official" tabs in Guitar Pro format.
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.
Guitar Pro is simply the best notation software for stringed musical instruments out there. The sheet music is pro quality and ready to be published. It's also pretty intuitive. I've been using it for years.
I know the earlier versions played well with BIAB. I haven't upgraded since ver. 5 but I do plan on getting current at some point.
Thanks a lot Dan and Byron, that has cleared up things for me. Thanks for video links Dan, will have a look at those.
So basically Guitar Pro is a notation programme with an inbuilt option to subscribe to my song book which does cost extra, though many files on internet that can be opened in Guitar Pro.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
1) ... there is a huge library of song files. And I mean huge! You may have to google "GP songs". In the old days these were all avialable for download. However, times have changed. I don't know how this is being managed today.
I have Guitar Pro V6 from 2010.
So I downloaded the current V8. Sure enough they give you a peak at their library of songs which you apparenly have to sign-up in order to fully access them. In V8 looks like you only get a taste of the first page of each song. In order to fully play and fully edit you need to signup for MySongBook (Currently $15 for the year). Literally, 1000's of songs with full transcriptions. Back in 2010 this was all free! Or maybe I just thought they were free since you could download from multiple sites. I learned how to play Europa by Santana from this app!
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
Current pricing for mySongBook is 5€/20€/30€ for one month/six months/one year as a subscription, giving you access to all scores available. No automatic renewal. Also, no printing. I prefer to use their Credits system. One score costs one credit, which gives me forever access to that score, and the ability to print it. Credit pricing is 2€/8€/20€ for 1/5/20 scores. I buy 20 credits at a time. When I find a score I like in the mySongBook window, double-clicking on it gives me the option to "buy" it with 1 credit.
Through the fog of many years, I think it was v2 of Guitar Pro that I started with. The current version, v8, is flat out awesome. You used to have to buy the high-quality playback instruments separate from the Guitar Pro license, but they're included now.
I suspect the $ prices are the same as € prices. Someone please correct me if that is incorrect. Merci d'avance.
Last edited by TheMaartian; 08/08/2303:54 AM.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2025 Ultra Bitwig Studio 6; Studio One Pro 7; Melodyne Studio 5; Acoustica Premium 7 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
I bit the bullet and bought this and was first overwhelmed by the size of this program. But Dan helped orient me and I learned something crucial that the tutorial videos would probably never go into.
There is a whole eco-system of Guitar Pro musicians that produce notated music that is GP compatible, much of which is free. One site is gtptabs.com
This program aligns very nicely with my workflow and learning goals and is not too dissimilar to my only other data point in this realm, which is the UltimateGuitar website.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Beware of tabs you find on the Internet. They range in quality from dead-on note-for-note accurate to pretty close to "what the hell was this guy even listening to when he transcribed this."
Of course, the same thing goes for the books too.
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.
Question about the paid printing. Do they allow you to download the score? If so, can’t you download it as a PDF?
I'm only a day old with this software but what I've seen so far is that these Guitar Pro compatible files are not in native PDF format. They are in a format that allows the GP program itself to fully understand them with all manner of richness such as traditional musical symbols, not just tab. The program can also do other things beyond allowing you to edit it such as displaying which instrument you want displayed in the notation. I see already that I'll be growing into this program for years to come.
Once the file is in GP you can then export it in GPX, GP5, MIDI, ASCII, MusicXML, PDF, SVG, PNG and Audio formats.
Here is one of many songs I plan to learn that I downloaded (free) from gtptabs.com and then exported in PDF. I have full edit control within GP of this score. Of course, I can't vouch for the quality of the transcription yet, but this I do know. I could never transcribe this myself.
If you compare this to the image in my original post you see that this is exactly what I was looking/hoping for.
Now at the risk of "asking for the moon", what I think their next step should be is to allow you to drag an audio file into the program, perhaps include the chord progression for it, press a button and bam! A quality score is produced in sheet and/or tab format
Last edited by Bass Thumper; 08/08/2309:11 AM.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Now at the risk of "asking for the moon", what I think their next step should be is to allow you to drag an audio file into the program, perhaps include the chord progression for it, press a button and bam! A quality score is produced in sheet and/or tab format
Several programs are closing in on this but none that I know of are there yet. Melodyne and Transcribe have some needed elements, as does the Chord AI app.
——-
If Guitar Pro can read the format of those songs and then export them as PDF, why would anyone pay to print a file from the Internet? I must be missing something.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
If Guitar Pro can read the format of those songs and then export them as PDF, why would anyone pay to print a file from the Internet? I must be missing something.
I think one reason is that native GP files can contain audio that is synced to the score. But from what I've seen so far, this audio is not high quality (in some cases think $99 Casio keyboard) and may not contain vocals. In the past and moving to the future I use a high quality audio track either from the artists album or a YouTube cover of the song I like. And I believe these "3rd party" audio files can also be synced with the score. [A great example of a cover I like better than the original is Sail On Sailor by the Beach Boys but covered by Foxes and Fossils.]
Another reason may be the quality of the "GP sanctioned scores" could be higher quality than what you can get for free.
A 3rd reason may be that a free version of the score you realy want is simply not available but a non-free score is.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
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 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 Windows or for Mac.
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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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 because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 requires the 2025 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 requires the 2025 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.
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.
I learned how to play Europa by Santana from this app!
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean