Here's what the problem was: My melody track is using the Plogue Sforzando plugin, which does not support program change messages sent from BIAB.
I'm kind of annoyed, as I liked the sax sound from the HiQ MIDI sound that I used, but I suppose I should be more annoyed with Plogue Sforzando than with BIAB.
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows Version 2026 (1217) 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor RealBand 2026 (4) Windows 11 Home Intel(R) Core(TM) 5 120U (1.40 GHz) 12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
Here's what the problem was: My melody track is using the Plogue Sforzando plugin, which does not support program change messages sent from BIAB.
I'm kind of annoyed, as I liked the sax sound from the HiQ MIDI sound that I used, but I suppose I should be more annoyed with Plogue Sforzando than with BIAB.
If you must stay in BiaB here is a workaround but it is a little tedious. Copy your melody track to the utility track(s) the number of times you want different sound, including your initial sound then mute the melody track. In either the notation view or the piano roll view delete the area you do not want that instrument to play. Do this for each utility track(s). Assign the SFZ sound your want for each utility track.
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Yes, right click on the track you want to move and select track action/copy move track. Then select the utility track that you want to move or copy the melody (or any track).
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Here's what the problem was: My melody track is using the Plogue Sforzando plugin, which does not support program change messages sent from BIAB.
I'm kind of annoyed, as I liked the sax sound from the HiQ MIDI sound that I used, but I suppose I should be more annoyed with Plogue Sforzando than with BIAB.
I've been presuming there's a reason why you want to change the instrument on one track, rather than having each instrument on its own track. If there isn't such a reason, you might consider that alternative.
If you expressly wand the single MIDI track and program changes, I believe you're correct that sforzando doesn't do that.
Some other sound engines do. A number of people use the VSTSynthFont64 that PGM quietly bundle with BiaB, but say little about ... it is in the manual, though. The recent versions claim to support SFZ files "... much better now". If that doesn't work out, there are some excellent free soundfonts that may offer a comparable sound to the sax you like. If all of those fail, there are also tools around that will convert SFZ to SF2, though I think I've never tried that.
HTH. Gordon.
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 .
sorry Audio Track - i know the post was in the BIAB forum but the point i was trying to make is that whilst you can do almost anything in BIAB, what the OP wanted to do is so easy in RB. I'm on a one man mission to ask people who have never even opened RB to take a look at the program they get for free which is actually simpler to use than BIAB - IMHO.
i know i'm not alone in switching to RB after generating a basic track in BIAB and appreciate that some users prefer to stay in BIAB to the very end.
As you say............."We can only hope. Maybe 2025? In the meantime, we can only work with what we've got. Also, not all users are highly skilled at mixing, especially dynamic mixing, and many would not have the required add-ons."
We've all got RB and it takes very little skill and no add ons to achieve what the OP wants to do in RB.
But whatever work flow works for individuals is up to them and BIAB is a truly amazing program.
No problem Bob. I'm sure you understand what I said and demonstrated, but I'm not sure you got my point. Most opinions you, OM and other DAW proponents commonly assert are true and I have no issues with them. What's lacking with your point of view in not only this discussion, but all DAW/BIAB comparison discussions, is there's never a presentation outlining the differences to how BIAB does a task as compared to the steps in a DAW. There's a huge difference between BIAB being a non-linear software that's based around the Chord Sheet for user input and display - to all DAWs, including RealBand being linear software for input and display. This difference obfuscates what are advantages compared to disadvantages between the two systems.
To do the task in this post using BIAB's default midi sound engine or MultiStyles, requires no mixing or add-on's, so no such skills would be necessary and it would be accomplished within the program and take little time, without losing any of BIAB's tools, features, Styles or instruments.
"I'm impressed with what you can achieve in BIAB"
My point is to impress upon and other DAW advocates, what -you- can achieve in BIAB.
The example demo I posted simply requires anyone curious to what I've just explained, to hear the difference by opening and playing the demo SGU file in BIAB and then Opening and playing the same demo file in RealBand.
Using the steps with either BIAB solution presented to this simple problem, using BIAB, it's possible to quickly, efficiently and without advanced or even moderate mixing and arranging skills, for BIAB to create quite a complex arrangement in seconds without manual manipulation, multiple instrument track generations, exterior programs- RB or other DAWs.
I didn't really have a good reason to change the instrument on one track, except that both were the melody, and I realized that I didn't like the vocal melody played by the sax. Not having inuitive ways to copy/paste to different tracks is unhelpful, and including a function to change MIDI sounds within a track *but* *only* *under* *certain* *undocumented* *circumstances* certainly detracts from timely workflow. How was I to know that Plogue Sforzando sounds are off limits for changing a MIDI sound? If we're expected to just have different instruments on separate tracks, why is there a function to change the MIDI sound within a track at all?
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows Version 2026 (1217) 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor RealBand 2026 (4) Windows 11 Home Intel(R) Core(TM) 5 120U (1.40 GHz) 12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
I try hard to be a consensus builder and discuss topics in a friendly collegial fashion. it really disturbs me when someone suggests a particular aspect of a pg music app or all of it is c**p. like some comments weve seen over the years on these forums.
i always disagree with such comments because pg apps are very powerfull tools. one only has to see the benefits eg the user showcase plus music education institutions plus commercial songs and adverts and things like songs for films etc etc.
the problem for some new users, and i agree with rob helms is that word 'familiarity'. these are very very deep products because pg i suspect is trying to cater to a very diverse user base world wide with many different needs. (like we used to have when i worked in tech.;..its darn difficult to keep everyone happy.) because of how deep feature wise these products are imho users must commit to 'dive right in with both feet' in order to get the best from these apps. like charlie and many other users.
it worries me that 'lurkers' in the background who might be potential buyers might run for the hills on reading negative comments and thus lose products that could really help their song creation endeavours. thus we all suffer...pg included. pg loses revenue and possibly we all lose great new features or such features might be delayed.
i'm a half glass full kinda guy and i know all of us want to continue to see pg be successfull. thus i laud those pg users that devote their time to helping new users.
what i DO think is there is an urgent need for is a chart rather like the pg packages chart showing feature differences tween bb and rb. this i feel would clear up any confusion for new users. because this seems to crop up occasionally.
there also great 'synergy' a user can realise by using bb and rb together rather than an either or. for example ive done lots of songs whereby ive used bb to generate 'song bed tracks' which ive then dragged over into rb for its advantages. although i use the great reaper less these days due to advances in rb... reaps AND bb AND rb all support drag and drop. so there is another synergy option. (or useing any non pg daw that supports D n'D....lol.)
i suggested rb with regard to the op need cos i just find i can move chunks of midi and audio data around easier in rb and many midi features... eg as in i like that drum fill at bar 48 and want it for bar 55...sorta idea. i often wonder how many users have discovered tricks in rb bars view for example. this is not to belittle bb which i hope will get more daw like features. (but i know some disagree with this. and of course its their right. i just feel that bb new fab tracks view could be a market slayer with not ALL dawlike features maybe with the nost important ones. for example i'm not expecting spectral editing daw features in bb.)
bottom line yes bb has lots of nice features but so does rb. i try to take advantage of the plusses of each.
Funk as has been pointed out maybe look at rb sometime for lots of midi features i cant go into as i would be typing a book. see the pg rb manual on this site to see how rb might be usefull to you.
happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 10/25/2408:40 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
............................................ How was I to know that Plogue Sforzando sounds are off limits for changing a MIDI sound? If we're expected to just have different instruments on separate tracks, why is there a function to change the MIDI sound within a track at all?
Actually most of the good MIDI sound sources have one patch/sound per track.
The reason there are program changes, that is changes of sounds, per track as all GM sound sources can utilize them. Your problem is that Plogue Sforzando is not a GM sound source. If you want or need program changes and want better sounds than what comes with BiaB then I advise you get a soundfont player. Many GM soundfonts (SF2s) sound better.
PS - I use the BiaB sounds as a scratch pad. Once I have the song the way I want it I drag and drop the MIDI to my DAW, Studio One Pro, and utilize my much better sounds. It does take a little time but the results are worth it, at least to me.
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
< If we're expected to just have different instruments on separate tracks, why is there a function to change the MIDI sound within a track at all? >
With live applications, midi channels 1-16 can be routed to one port. Midi devices have Midi in and Midi out for routing. In live applications, it's called daisy chain, it allows two or more midi devices to be combined. Sometimes you'll a keyboard player with three or more keyboards on stage.
In BIAB, channels 1-16 can be on one track. Prior to the introduction of Utility Tracks, BIAB only had seven tracks, with midi and using channels, more than seven instruments could be used in a song.
Also prior to the introduction of Utility Tracks, BIAB included this same concept for audio files. Although there were only seven BIAB tracks and one Audio track, the seven tracks had a proprietary method to convert audio tracks so they could reside on any track, not just the Audio Track. When RealTracks came along, BIAB put this function on all seven tracks. Each track has a ten channel sub-mixer window for placing multiple RealTracks that can be configured multiple ways. Today, with Utility Tracks, a song can have 264 RealTrack instruments if all of the sub-mixer tracks are used.
Multiple midi and multiple RealTracks are available today on all 24 BIAB Mixer Tracks.
As others have pointed out every soft synth has strengths and weaknesses. Some soft synths are multi-timbrel and polyphonic. Others are mono-timbrel and polyphonic or mono-timbrel and monophonic.
Multi-timbral soft synths can produce two or more timbres (also called sounds or patches) at the same time. Soft synth examples include the Microsoft GS Wavetable included in most Microsoft Windows editions, the PG Music modified VSTSynthFont64 Gordon Scott mentions, Coyote WT included with Band-in-a-Box and the no longer available for download Cakewalk TTS-1 Peter Gannon recommended in another post. Hardware instruments also can be multi-timbral such as many consumer electronic keyboards, synthesizers, samplers, and music workstations.
The PG Music provided multi-timbrel soft synths use the General MIDI, or GM, patch list to associate patch names with patch numbers. That way a guitar is always a guitar and a piano is always a piano for example.
Normally you want to select a multi-timbrel soft synth in the Band-in-a-Box Synthesizer/Sound Card selection. (Ctrl+E > MIDI Driver) See 2nd screen shot.
Multi-timbrel soft synths are also polyphonic meaning they can play more than one note at a time. However there are also Monophonic soft synths that are multi-timbrell. Plogue Sforzando plugin is an example.
There are also monophonic soft synths that can only play one note at a time but this is not the place to discuss them.
Look at the screen shots below and you may find it easier to understand what the settings are and how they are associated in Band-in-a-Box.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 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 21 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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.
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