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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14 |
Hey guys and gals, I need some help! I have been reading this forum and different reviews about BIAB and I am just so confused@!!!! This software is a MONSTOR!!!! Now I am not horriblle at computers but I certainly am not an expert. I would like to make backing tracks for songs that I am learning(mostly covers). How hard is it to make a backing track w/o guitar so I can practice my parts. I have learned songs like Hideaway freddie king, Hot rod lincoln, a few johnny cash tunes and I need to practice now especially the timing and precision of my parts on guitar. How do I take a song like Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash or Oh Boy by Buddy Holly and make a backing track? Is it hard to do? Can I just save the mp3 song into biab and it will create a backing track? I am very confused and intimidated by this software but I know it will help me improve my playing I just dont know how difficult or user friendly it really is. On the surface this software looks very complicated??? Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time and help!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,363
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You can mute any track, including guitar, for play-along purposes.
Do you know the chords to these songs? If not, you may be able to find someone who has already entered the chords.
No, the MP3 will not automatically create a backing track. You can use the audio chord wizard to help determine what the chords are, though.
This software is somewhat complicated, but that is because it is very powerful. The more music theory you know, the more easy it will be to learn , but basic general computer knowledge should suffice.
You should watch the videos. That would give you a much better idea of how it works.
These are very general answers, of course. As you get more experience, we can add more detail.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085 |
Hi Badabing,
Don't be intimidated. It's not that complicated to get started having fun. BIAB is primarily an auto accompaniment program and practice tool so it's great for what you want to do. You will need the chords to the song - you can use the ACW with an mp3 to get the chords but it's really easier to start by using a midi file off the internet or typing in the chords from tabs. You can find quite a few songs already done in BIAB format or you can import a midi file and go from there. You won't get an automatic accompaniment that sounds exactly like the record but you can usually find a style with the right feel to get you playing.
It's a learning curve like any new program - I am still learning. Just an average computer user nowhere near geek status. There's a money back guarantee so you have nothing to lose. My suggestion would be to try it. If you get stuck some one will help you solve your issue. In the meantime, if you haven't already, I would suggest watching the video tutorials. Lots of good info there.
Hope that helps.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 493
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 493 |
Depending on which version you purchase, the number of styles to choose from can be considerable. I think there are around 1400 styles at this point (maybe more, don't know without looking but it is a bunch). Most are based on styles of particular artist and/or genre. I would guess Johnny Cash is in there. The style determines the overall feel of the song along with the tempo. Once you have the chords for the song you want to input, typing them in is fairly simple with only a few rules, such as only 4 chords per bar can be entered as BIAB stands now. Putting the song into BIAB is a matter of typing chords and selecting the style. Since you have been reading the forum post for a while now I guess you know about RealTracks and RealDrums. They have (in my opinion) greatly increased the final product you get when you are done tweaking your song. Like Sundance posted above, it isn't hard to get started and once you hear a few bars of your song you will be hooked and want to explore the program further. It is just so much fun and perfect for what you want to do. Give it a go, and the 30 day money back policy is your safety net. If you don't like it, send it back. I bet you won't, though.
Good luck and welcome aboard.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,608
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http://members.shaw.ca/glitch/bbfiles.htmlGo to this site and you'll probably find the songs you need. This will make it easier for you to get started without going through the learning curve. Just mute the parts you don't want in any midi file. Later, Ray
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14 |
You guys are awesome!!!
Just a couple of questions...
Ray,
What was that site you sent me to?????MG3???? I have no idea what those files were????
Sundance,
You said that I could find quite a few songs that were already done in BIAB???? What do you mean??? Is there a location in the software that stores songs? Is it a link to a website??? I can pretty much figure out most songs as far as chords go so maybe I could just plug the chords in and make the bakcing track myself. Most of the songs that I would be interested in making would be of popular genre's or artist's like blues or Johnny Cash sound etc....
Last edited by BADABING; 09/02/10 05:39 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,608
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,608 |
It's Allanah's huge collection of BIAB midi files. Later, Ray http://members.shaw.ca/glitch/bbfiles.html
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826 |
Hi There is a site "Bob Notes Norton" that makes 3rd party styles and fake books and he tends to have more Rock,Pop and such like on his site to purchase all first class stuff,he also sell single styles so you can buy just the ones you want this is the url http://www.nortonmusic.com If you take the whole of the BIAB program there is a lot to learn but when you start to use it i think that its easy to get results almost at once if you read the getting started chapter you will be up and running in a very short time,you type chords into the chord page pick a style and if you have a GM synth it will play with out do anything other then starting it,this is the very basics regards Dave Hoskins
Last edited by jazzband; 09/03/10 01:52 AM.
I always play the right notes but not always in the right order
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Posts: 38,502 |
"MG3" or "SGU" - actually any "MGX" or "SGX" suffix, where the X is either a number or a letter, indicate files that can only be played back in Band in a Box.
These are called, "Melody songfiles" or "Songfiles", the M indicating that a Melody is also present with the tile, the S indicating a Song, with no Melody that the file will play, typically just accompaniment then.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,714
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
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Jazz,
How do you input the fakebooks into BIAB. Can you download them into BIAB after paying for them at Norton's site? I see a lot of songs on those fake books that I would love to have as backing tracks!!!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2010
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Is the finale software included in the "Everything" pack?
How does Omni pack differ from "Everything" pack????
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Quote:
Is the finale software included in the "Everything" pack?
No. Biab has it's own notation function but it's not Finale.
You are so excited about this I feel you need to know something important. Biab is NOT for creating exact covers of classic tunes. You're not going to get it to play those guitar licks from Johnny Cash tunes or the guitar intro to Satisfaction or any other song specific licks. You've got killer rhythm guitar parts, great drum parts, awesome bass parts, good solo parts, very good background pedal steel parts but those are what I call generic groove parts in a given style. Backing tracks. You don't get specific "hooks" that instantly identify a tune. Yes, before someone else jumps in, you can create a style for just one song that does a decent job for that one song only. You don't get those from PG Music because of copyright issues. Bob Norton has a lot of those but even he can't identify it by the proper name for the same reason. You have to listen to the demo and think "Aha, THATS what that is". Also, you can put certain licks on the Melody track like importing that intro to Satisfaction from a midi file for example but if you do that, you've lost the melody. You can also record those parts yourself on the audio track or you can record say an exact bass part onto the bass track yourself in midi and then freeze the track so Biab won't regenerate it the next time you hit play and wipe out your work. Sometimes that works well, sometimes not. Note I'm saying midi. Real Tracks are audio files and are prerecorded. You can't change those.
As a noob at this, Biab is not going to give you a song that sounds like Folsom Prison Blues without a lot of work and even then that's not what Biab is designed for. For that you need to work with midi files and use a sequencer like Real Band. What works great is to have a good midi file but those midi drums suck and you replace them with one of the Nashville Real Drum tracks if it's a country tune. Add a few bars here and there of the pedal steel Real Track and that's icing on the cake. Just that alone can transform a blah country midi file into a great sounding piece of music. Again, covers are best done in Real Band not Biab. That's a whole other subject.
After all this negativity, I will say Biab is simply the best thing out there for creating great backing tracks. Nothing else remotely like it anywhere just don't expect it to give you a song that sounds like the record of anything specific without a lot of input from you.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826 |
Hi
there is a Fake disc which you can buy seperately,togo with the fake book which you can buy seperately and you can buy them together,where you used to have to buy sets of styles you can now buy these separately, this is how i see it i hope this helps,by the way the fake disc does not include any melodies thats why he sells the two together
regards Dave
I always play the right notes but not always in the right order
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14 |
Jazz,
You are the man! Thanks for all of the info!!!
I am not looking for the guitar "hooks" in the backing tracks that I want to create. I want to do those myself. Whether it's me figuring out the parts by ear or by tab I want to do the guitar work myself.
It's more difficult for me to practice the song w/o the backing track from what ive learned. I have found some backing tracks online and practiced some songs with those backing tracks and I noticed that I improved my playing and timing on those songs in which I have backing tracks.
So it is for this reason that I want to create the "rhythm" backing tracks with BIAB so I can do the "fills" and "hooks" of the guitar parts and improve my timing. Maybe even use the backing tracks for performances????
Is this what BIAB is designed to do????
Thanks Everyone for your help!
This software is Very expensive and although I'm sure it is worth every penny as everyone has stated it it still a lot of MONEY!$$$ I'm looking at the "Everything or Omni Packs".
So I just want to make sure that it is a good fit for my needs.
Hope you are all having a great holiday weekend!!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826 |
Hi
I believe that every person who is starting music what ever instrument you choose shoud have a copy of BIAB it helps you in all department of learning music,i think music has got to be fun and you must enoy doing it and this is what to me BIAB provide,i hope you are successful good luck
regards Dave
I always play the right notes but not always in the right order
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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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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
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!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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