Just bought BiB last week and have been slowly learning my way around. My main reason I bought it is so my 14 year old Grandson can write music for the songs he's writing lyrics for. He's just learning guitar and he's become ( this is weird) a big country music fan. Well at least that's music I am good at. So I thought Band in a Box was perfect because you pick a style and enter the chords and there you go. He has music for his songs. And he can try different styles and tempos etc. I found that part fairly straight forward. Still learning but we finished a song pretty quickly. But here's my questions. First- I wanted to record the vocals so I exported the song as a midi file and opened it in Cakewalk. Some songs that had 5 parts only show having 2 tracks. Others have all of them? Is there some weirdness to the tracks that prevent them being included? Then some of the accompaniment parts make mistakes and so I opened the Piano roll and tried to fix them. But my changes do not playback? It seems it ignores any changes to the notes? The other issue is once opened in Cakewalk the parts have no controller values. Like the steel guitar is obviously bending notes but this does not show in the pitch bend controller lane. Modulation CC 1? Thanks. I hope it's just pilot error and not a limitation of the software.
"First- I wanted to record the vocals so I exported the song as a midi file and opened it in Cakewalk. " Why are you using midi ? Biab now has RealTracks and RealDrums that are audio recordings "Look Ma No Midi", the midi is just to give notation, not for sound. Changing the midi notes won't change the audio recording, you would need to enable Playable RealTracks.
If you read my post I need the midi to transfer the file over to Cakewalk to edit the midi data and complete the song.
Band in the box has pretty good sounds but they are only close to what I'm used to using these days. It is obvious that Band in a Box is not a DAW. It seems to be a great tool for starting a song but not to finish it.
I also did read what I could about the Real tracks and I activated the Playable tracks and it has a green box around it. I noticed the notes I add are also green. But they play a different sound/ instrument. As example the Pedal steel plays what sounds like a acoustic guitar patch. I'm trying to fix the mistakes like the wrong chords which you can clearly see in the PRV. It seems to miss chord changes mid bar.
The midi editing seems very limited which is why I need to be able to export the midi files so I can work in a proper editing environment. ( DAW) But as I said some of the resulting midi exports do not include a lot of the tracks. And there's no CC data, only velocity.
Is this is due to the fact that it is actually playing audio samples ?? Real Tracks? Are the midi notes just to trigger the samples? If so why doesn't adding a midi note trigger that sample? The added notes sound like wavetable GM synth sounds.
If none of these styles you pick are actually midi and If the auto generated chords are not playing correctly is there no way to fix that?
In the mean time I had to export the tracks as audio stems then fix all the errors using Melodyne in Cakewalk. But it would be nice to learn how to make the song sound correct in the program it self.
I apologize that I have not taken the time to watch the tutorials but a quick look at the titles I couldn't see any that started you out from ground zero.
Hi Spencer, Virtually all of my songs are MIDI; I rarely use RealTracks.
Realtrack are audio, however those tracks that have an underline can be saved as MIDI BUT you only will get the notes and velocity data, i.e. no nuances. Note I do all of my MIDI work in my DAW, Studio One Pro 6. I find that working in my DAW is much faster and easier then working in BiaB. If you have an audio only Realtrack then drag and drop the song as MIDI ONLY the MIDI tracks will be moved. That may be part of your problem. In the styles window under type I have mine set for MIDI as that way I will only get MIDI tracks. I would suggest you do that until you become more familiar with BiaB.
I can drag and drop the MIDI track(s)/song directly into my DAW. You may or may not be able to do that thus you might want to add a desktop folder and move the track(s)/song to it.
I have included picture explaining how I use BiaB.
I hope this helps and if you have any question you can ask in the forum or a PM.
The fitness trainer asked me, "What kind of a squat are you accustomed to doing?" I said, "Diddly."
64 bit Win 11 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Band in the box has pretty good sounds but they are only close to what I'm used to using these days. It is obvious that Band in a Box is not a DAW. It seems to be a great tool for starting a song but not to finish it.
This is how I use BIAB, too. I use it as a tool to create tracks that I then take to a DAW and add effects, etc., to create a more polished sounding backing.
Originally Posted by SpencerH
I also did read what I could about the Real tracks and I activated the Playable tracks and it has a green box around it. I noticed the notes I add are also green. But they play a different sound/ instrument. As example the Pedal steel plays what sounds like a acoustic guitar patch. I'm trying to fix the mistakes like the wrong chords which you can clearly see in the PRV. It seems to miss chord changes mid bar.
Realtracks are audio tracks played by a studio musician. They are not activated nor controlled by MIDI notes. The MIDI notes are simply a transcription of the notes the Realtrack is playing. To some extent, the notes within a Realtrack can be modified using playable Realtracks (which are MIDI insertions). As you point out, these notes are not necessarily a perfect match for the overall sound of the Realtrack. They're more a correction device and if the volume of the added/corrected note is a little quieter, the overall tone will be controlled by those notes that were not changed. Melodyne, which you mentioned, is a great option because that uses the original Realtrack.
Originally Posted by SpencerH
The midi editing seems very limited which is why I need to be able to export the midi files so I can work in a proper editing environment. ( DAW) But as I said some of the resulting midi exports do not include a lot of the tracks. And there's no CC data, only velocity.
As mentioned above, MIDI information does not control the Realtracks. It's just notation. A MIDI file can be saved and used with a softsynth but the performance information is limited.
Originally Posted by SpencerH
Is this is due to the fact that it is actually playing audio samples ?? Real Tracks? Are the midi notes just to trigger the samples? If so why doesn't adding a midi note trigger that sample? The added notes sound like wavetable GM synth sounds.
Realtracks are snippets of actual audio that are sliced and diced to create a backing. The Realtracks are not samples. The backing is created on a bar-by-bar basis from the studio musician's performance and not a note-by-note basis using MIDI triggers with sampled, individual notes.
Originally Posted by SpencerH
If none of these styles you pick are actually midi and If the auto generated chords are not playing correctly is there no way to fix that?
There are a few options.
1) Right-click on the track and select "Track Settings" and down the bottom of the pop-up window is an option called "Autofix sour notes". Activating this will help.
2) As you have already done, it's possible to use playable realtracks, or if that is not suitable for the instrument involved, use Melodyne to change notes.
3) What I personally do is to use Partial Regeneration. It is possible to select a range of bars and then generate a new version of the Realtrack just for that chosen section. Have a look at the video below. The section to watch begins at 10:30. Below are the time stamps for the sections that will help you.
10:30 Basics of Partial Re-generation 14:28 Partial re-generation Options window 20:04 Changing RealTracks using Partial Re-generation 23:01 Editing RealTracks (copy/paste/erase) 27:38 More partial re-generation (Bootcamp 1 excerpt)
Lastly, you mentioned that when chords are added in the middle of a bar, they don't seem to play. They should play. One thing to note is that if they were added after you have generated the chord chart, you will need to re-generate so that the changes are picked up. BIAB doesn't automatically adjust to chord chart changes. I like to think of the chord sheet as a set of instructions for BIAB. It tells the program what chords to play and where to play them. Then, when I generate the backing, BIAB implements the instructions on that chordsheet. Whenever something new is added to the chord sheet, or it changes in some way, BIAB needs to be regenerated to implement the new and updated 'instructions'.
I hope this helps. BIAB is a fantastic tool and once you get over the learning curve, you'll be amazed what can be achieved.
Thank you very much both Mario and Noel. And extra thanks Mario for those screenshots. That's exactly what I needed to know. It always takes a while to learn something new. And Band in a Box is a very strange program. I had a demo version of it possible 15 years ago and I never figured it out even back then. I found this version seemed a little more intuitive. Fine tuning what your get seems the steep learning curve part.
I also installed a trial of ChordPulse which actually works really well for what I wanted to do but it is limited in styles and grooves. But for $30 it's pretty useful tool.
I'm just spoiled by using Cakewalk to create music but it would be way to complicated for my Grandson. And I'll have fun with Band and a box because I will figure it out eventually and use it as a additional tool. I already used the steel guitar part in a song I just did a rough demo of. I exported the pedal steel as a WAV file. The drums are the original Band in a box midi track. The rest I recorded my self( Cakewalk)
Love your song! I don't know if you've come across the "Users Showcase" forum. If you haven't, that's a PG Music site here on these forums for users to post their creations
Love your song! I don't know if you've come across the "Users Showcase" forum. If you haven't, that's a PG Music site here on these forums for users to post their creations
Thanks. I look into that but the song was mostly done in Cakewalk so not sure they accept that.
One thing nobody has mentioned is that if you have the windows version of BIAB you get RealBand free. I know you know your way around Cakewalk but think its too complicated for your grandson. I think he would find RB quite simple to master. It's a DAW but still retains BIAB features. If he opens the BIAB track in RB he'll see all the tracks laid out simply. To regenerate any part of a track highlight the area you want and right click, and choose regenerate. What you can do in BIAB is amazing but i've been using BIAB for over twenty years and find it easier to do many things in RB because it's so transparent. Try it and you'll see what I mean. I treat it as BIAB with a much simpler GUI.
..I also did read what I could about the Real tracks and I activated the Playable tracks and it has a green box around it. I noticed the notes I add are also green. But they play a different sound/ instrument. As example the Pedal steel plays what sounds like a acoustic guitar patch...
PG were suppose to match these sfz sounds so they are the same as the instrument, what pedal steel guitar was it ? was it FX version or Direct Input version ?
I managed to open this dialogue box. But if I play this it sounds wrong too. No biggy.
I went to attach a picture but I see this forum software is from 1995. Oh well. it opens Sforzando player and said 028-Pedal steel clean.W? Seems to be old sound font sounds.
You can attach an image using the "attachment manager". See attached images
Note that you have to be in the Full Editor to see that. The Quick Reply box doesn't have it.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
I know how to insert pictures and it surprised me as it takes me back to the old Sonar forum. We've had drag and drop for a long time now. I still have a Imgur account form those days. No insults to this forum were intended but it's is sort of one of those year 2000 retro styled ones. Oh hold on-- I was using the picture Icon up above which requires a web page, I see there's a file drag and drop in the bottom, my bad it was off screen. Yep, I have to learn the forum too. And even more embarrassing is I was told about it a few posts ago and I missed that totally. Thanks once again everyone for your help, I obviously will need a lot!
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.
BIAB will be an excellent tool for your grandson to work with.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean