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Maybe it would be interesting to share what applications/software BIAB users find most satisfying when it comes to “Usability and User Experience” ranked for their top 2-3 software packages.
“So while the goal of usability is creating a product that's easy to use, the goal of UX is to make the user happy before, during, and after using the product. This is no small feat. That's why UX design is an iterative process of researching, planning, testing, and refining every touch point of the user journey”
Mine top 2 would be:
1. Tonetrack series EZDrummer3, EZKeys2,,, (clean GUI, intuitive and supportive of the workflow at hand)
2. StudioOne pro 6.5
Both these are examples of software that get my work done efficiently and makes me happy before, during and after using the product.
BIAB 2026, Studio Pro 8, Song Master Pro, Win11 Home. i7-9700K CPU, 32GB, ESI MAYA44eX, ZOOM UAC-2, Guitar Pro 8, Transcribe, (EZKeys2, EZD3, SD3, EZBass, EZMix3)
Amateur: fiddle, guitar, vocal, beginner on bass.
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Mine top 2 would be:
1. Tonetrack series EZDrummer3, EZKeys2,,, (clean GUI, intuitive and supportive of the workflow at hand) Both these are examples of software that get my work done efficiently and makes me happy before, during and after using the product. Ditto that, In the VSti music making world could not agree more. Both are number 1.
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Mine top 2 would be:
1. Tonetrack series EZDrummer3, EZKeys2,,, (clean GUI, intuitive and supportive of the workflow at hand) Both these are examples of software that get my work done efficiently and makes me happy before, during and after using the product. Ditto that, In the VSti music making world could not agree more. Both are number 1. Another ditto that and Studio One Pro!
Last edited by MarioD; 11/21/23 09:19 AM.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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I agree with both of them, I use all of them and they just have great UI that just works for me.
BIAB 2026 Ultrapack- Fender Studio Pro 8, Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio, Luna Pro
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Although not in the field of music On 1 Photo Raw, https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/has a very easy to use and customizable GUI. It is very easy to use and in fact I believe that one can go very deep into the program without reading the manual. You might want to look at it and if you're into photography you might want to give it a spin. There is a 30 money back guarantee.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Yes I have the 2023 version ON1 Photo Raw. I will probably upgrade to 2024.
BIAB 2026, Studio Pro 8, Song Master Pro, Win11 Home. i7-9700K CPU, 32GB, ESI MAYA44eX, ZOOM UAC-2, Guitar Pro 8, Transcribe, (EZKeys2, EZD3, SD3, EZBass, EZMix3)
Amateur: fiddle, guitar, vocal, beginner on bass.
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the goal of UX is to make the user happy before, during, and after using the product. YES! A tool like these should be FUN to use! Every time someone reports an issue with BIAB and a long-time user provides a helpful but obscure and difficult work-around I am reminded of this! That's why UX design is an iterative process of researching, planning, testing, and refining every touch point of the user journey Many companies skip this process entirely and it shows in their products. But it is an expensive and difficult process. EZDrummer3, EZKeys2,,, (clean GUI, intuitive and supportive of the workflow at hand) Agree 100% on these two!
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I'll keep my answers to music software.
From my older software, these are the standby winners: Adobe Audition (ever since it was Cool Edit Pro); Studio One 6 (I rarely need the manual); Notion 6 Desktop is my notation software, chosen because the workflow is SO much better than others.
But for design and usability I nominate new stuff: Pure Limit by Sonible (and their other modules like Pure EQ, Pure Verb, Smart Gate, etc.) is great design and makes what could be a tedious task very easy. AI gets you very close to great in short order. It's all the fun of Ozone by Izotope but much easier.
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.
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This will solve most issues related to PG products and bring them into the realm of the other software mentioned: Re: When will Band In A Box be available for iOS ...Any development underway for us? If they are looking into to this now behind the scenes as suggested it would be a good way to go: JUCE is the most widely used framework for audio application and plug-in development. It is an open source C++ codebase that can be used to create standalone software on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, as well as VST, VST3, AU, AUv3, AAX and LV2 plug-ins. JUCE allows developers to focus on the most valuable parts of their software by taking care of the differences between operating systems (both desktop and mobile) and plug-in formats. With JUCE’s library of digital audio processing (DSP) building blocks you can quickly prototype and release native applications and plug-ins with a consistent user experience across all supported platforms. Using JUCE also future-proofs your products against operating system and plug-in host updates. With their current programming language PG spend 6 months on the Win Version then the next 6 months on the Mac version let alone iOS.
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Hmm, Usability and other experience.
Friday I was trying to put together some playlists for some practice sessions and a gig. 56 songs, quite a few of which are new to me and were supplied as PDF leadsheets.
I assembled the leadsheets into three playlists in MobileSheetsPro ready for the sessions and set about assembling the same for my own practice before meeting the others. I felt rather under pressure because there were so many new pieces to organise. So often when I try to create songs in BIAB, it seems hard work, particularly when there are intros, codas and so on and I have to set up the playlist.
I changed strategy. For the first time in ages I went back to iRealPro. Nope, it doesn't sound as good. Yes, it's more restricted on styles. But here's the rub ... I did it quickly and had a decent time to practice. I spend too long messing around in BIAB just trying to get the job done.
BIAB will certainly give a better experience once I get to play, but I spend too much time building the songs and too little playing.
I need to think about that and about what I'm trying o do here.
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
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Expert
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Hmm, Usability and other experience.
BIAB will certainly give a better experience once I get to play, but I spend too much time building the songs and too little playing. +1
Latest BIAB version, latest build.
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That's a reasonable statement Gordon. Yes, BiaB will deliver fantastic goods but to get great sounding arrangements, sometimes it's a little more than just typing in the chords and pressing play. Your situation was rather unique that you needed to get some output quickly. Of course you can then use BiaB to work with and improve your arrangements.
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.
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That's a reasonable statement Gordon. Yes, BiaB will deliver fantastic goods but to get great sounding arrangements, sometimes it's a little more than just typing in the chords and pressing play. Your situation was rather unique that you needed to get some output quickly. Of course you can then use BiaB to work with and improve your arrangements. I think the main differences are that iReal offers far fewer style,. but they're OK and they'll stretch more than 10%, the handling of repeats and codas and the playlist handling. On iReal, pick an approximate style, set the BPM and go. Set lists are easy on iReal, though for sessions and performances I'll usually use MobileSheets, which does similar for PDF lead-sheets. MobileSheets set list handling is better still, I think. BIAB can be a real pain with setting up a song as I refuses to allow first and second ending or tabs on a single chorus song, which can make the setup frustrating. Then there are very many styles to trawl through just to get something that's OK. The Jukebox(set list?) plays either alphabetically or random. I can fix that by prefixing each song with, e.g., a number 000, 001, 002, but iReal orders them as I enter them and lets me slide them around to adjust the order. I have to say that with 50+ songs in the set list that's not totally painless, but it's certainly better than having to number or renumber 50+ files. When playing, swipe left to get the next song, tap it, if wanted set the repeats/bpm/key and tab play play. Some background: although I continue to get better, I'm still struggling a bit with the depression caused by the [redacted] with whom I used to work, and I was beginning to find practising a challenge. The less painful route from the PDF set list I received to iReal made that easier. I practised, rather than giving up. For once in a while now, I enjoyed it rather than procrastinating. Of course I'm normally using these just as a practice tool, not to produce a performance, but I've now realised just how much for me the process was hurting the purpose.
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
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I'm honestly surprised nobody's mentioned Apple's software yet - honestly they've always been about user experience. It's why I switched to Mac over a decade ago and never looked back, not to mention that their hardware is almost always good. Not that they haven't done a LOT of things I dislike, of course...
I'm still one of those holdouts that avoids streaming services and still buys music (mostly digitally), and iTunes is invaluable in keeping it organized. It's simple and straight to the point, and I can zero in on one song out of 20,000 quickly and easily. It's also why I still use a nearly 20 year old iPod lol.
I work here
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Apple's software is great !
But when it comes to other software it's not allowed to keep working as the apple os changes every week to something new and developers have to work overtime to update an app version to work on this weeks apple.
We see that regularly in the Mac BB forum (when will a patch be available ?). That's why I gave up on it.
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Apple's software is great !
But when it comes to other software it's not allowed to keep working as the apple os changes every week to something new and developers have to work overtime to update an app version to work on this weeks apple.
We see that regularly in the Mac BB forum (when will a patch be available ?). That's why I gave up on it. I agree, but that's why I don't update my OS on my music machine until I know everything's compatible. Still running Monterey for that reason.
I work here
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How do those 32bit apps run on Monterey, if we had a Mac that would run every app how good would that be ? I'll just stick with the Macs that come with coke and fries until then: ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=25540&filename=bb17-23.png)
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
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.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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