This transcript of a chat I had with support outside office hours tells my story. The support person's name has been changed to protect their innocence...
Hi, I'm Support Person from PG Music. How may we assist you today?
Chat is now being translated from Hungarian, to English
Hi Support Person I recently upgraded to BIAB 2024 I'm trying to audition styles in the StylePicker. I'm on a Mac BTW. In previous versions we could scroll thru the styles using the up and down arrows, click on the green play button and instantly hear what the style sounds like. Now, when we click on the green button, BIAB generates the backing for the whole song. Is there a new way to audition styles quickly? Or has that feature been removed?
Do you mean it imports the style? Or it lets you hear what it would sound like in the context of your song? Because if the latter, yes, it changed to play the chord sheet.
The latter. However it's become extremely time-consuming to audtion a style. Is there a shortcut to avoid generating the whole song?
Support Person I am not sure - I can ask and find out for you. Is biab@andrewscottmusic.com an OK email to contact you at? The people I can ask have gone home for the day already.
Yes please, do ask. The forum is rife with this topic. Hardly anyone was aware of the audition feature on previous versions. And now that it's gone....!!! ??? Why would they take away such a handy feature?
Support Person I will definitely ask and follow up with you.
It's like you ask someone to clean your house, which they do, but also permanently remove a door, so that everyone who lives there has to go around the back.. Very unhappy customer. Words cannot express my frustration. It's not only your company that does this, Support Person. Finale and Cubase, etc are all famous for removing features that users know and love.
Support Person I understand your frustration. I will ask as soon as I can tomorrow.
I'll stop now, before I make both of us too depressed. Have a great evening. I'll sit by my inbox.
Support Person Have a good evening! Bye for now Operator Typing
Have I missed something? Does anyone know a way to get the StylePicker to play a sample of a style immediately?
Hello, We are following up to let you know that next to the green play button there is a little plus symbol. When you click on it, you have additional options. One of these included what the green button does. You can change it here to demo the style without the chords.
To which I responded: Hi AAA,
thanks for getting back to me promptly.
The options provided by all those controls are numerous, and not exactly as you described.
Unfortunately, none of the options equate to the previous functionality.
Usually, when we are looking for a style, we need to audition many, maybe 20 styles before we find one suitable.
The style description is not sufficient.
We can tell within 2 bars if a style is going to work for our song or not.
We used to be able to flit down the list and hear very quickly a portion of the demo song, which would load instantly.
Now it takes up to 10 seconds to load, and only does so after multiple mouse clicks.
So to audition 20 styles takes 4 or 5 minutes, whereas it used to only take half a minute or so.
Is there some page where I can make a feature request for this functionality to be restored?
To make it work like 2023, click on the [+] button beside [Demo], and make sure that the "Double-click plays chordsheet, not pre-made demo" is NOT checked - see attached screenshot. Then, when you double-click on a style, it will play the pre-made demo. This has the exact same affect as clicking the green play button in 2023.
In 2023, there were two play buttons - one for playing the style in your song (play chordsheet), the other for playing the pre-made demo. In 2024 there is just the one play button which has the function to play your song with the selected style. Since 2024 generates tracks much faster than 2023 it makes sense that this would be used more often than it was previously. So in 2024 there is just the one play button, but as mentioned you can still double-click the style to hear the pre-made style demo. Is there a reason that double-clicking is not convenient for you, or did you miss that you needed to uncheck that "[+]" item?
This button is too well hidden, everyone got caught at the beginning.... What bothers me is the fact that if you want to pre-listen to any style with your grid, it is "destructive", it is not a bad word here. It means that you must be the king of backup if you want to find your little ones there.
I admit that I really missed this little table in the first weeks of 2024, but Andrew's arguments are serious, apart from this "destructive" side.
My only complaint is for both styles and RTs when you demo using the chord sheet it replaces the previous style and i feel that is not a demo it is a change. I would prefer to hear the demo but not have it change it yet. this keeps me from losing what i already had. sometimes i forget which i had before a couple back.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
My only complaint is for both styles and RTs when you demo using the chord sheet it replaces the previous style and i feel that is not a demo it is a change. I would prefer to hear the demo but not have it change it yet. this keeps me from losing what i already had. sometimes i forget which i had before a couple back.
See attached screenshot. (This is build 803, which has a new menu item to restore previous style)
A) When you demo a style with chordsheet, you can still see on the main screen what your style is. This has not changed.
B) If you right-click in the StylePicker, you can choose to set the selected style back to the previous ("remembered") style. That is also available by pressing the Options button.
C) If you cancel or close the StylePicker, no change is made to the selected style.
How else would you like it to work? For me anyways, this seems to be working as expected.
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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac 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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
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One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
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