Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
OK, gotta explain this one. I know a bass guitar teacher who highly recommends creating a custom style in BB that when applied to any entered chord progression in BB, will turn that song into what he calls a harmonic metronome. The concept is that he has created this in such a way that the only thing that plays is a staccato guitar skank right on beats 2 and 4 but with the harmonic information at the appropriate spot in the chord progression. He feels this helps immensely with timing, but also with a slight bit of harmonic information while practicing his bass part through the chord progression of the song. I chatted with PG and they did not know anything about this but referenced something called the BIAB Stylemaker.

Can community members let me know how to start making something like this? I am not sure really where to start or if this is really possible. Thanks!

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,066
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,066
Found this. I simply did a search under Harmonic Metronome and it showed up.

There are a couple of more search finds but I did not look in depth at them.

https://how-to-play-bass.com/the-harmonic-metronome-in-band-in-a-box

It says you can register for free and download his styles that he made to use as a Harmonic Metronome but I could not find them.

Looks pretty simple in my opinion. He is using a single midi instrument to play on beats 2 and 4 and the goal is to play along with the song and your playing on beats 2 and 4 should match the BIAB song. You should also be able to use a RealTrack instrument set up to play a shot on beats 2 and 4 and be silent on beats 1 and 3.

Sounds like a timing exercise.

I have not tried it yet. Someone else play with this and let us know if it is worth using or not.

Last edited by Joseph Land; 02/15/25 10:16 AM.

BIAB2026
Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!)
WA6NCB

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,066
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,066
I did not know Google had a Patent website but here is a very in-depth report on one that was invented back in the 1990's. And this is very in-depth.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5515764A/en


BIAB2026
Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!)
WA6NCB

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
Thanks for the thoughts. Unfortunately that author no longer provides the custom made "style" for download, but sells a course on using BB for bass practice for quite a high price. Darn.....

Interesting Patent.

Last edited by Moonbeam9067; 02/15/25 10:15 AM.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 232
Welll I actually had a conversation with the author of that Harmonic Metronome idea and he did not supply a custom style, but gave me instructions on how to experience the idea. He said:

1. Set up a chord progression. Make sure it's on the 'B' substyle.
2. For style, choose the 'CROWDING.STY' which ships with all editions of BIAB. You can search for it and use the 'OPEN STYLE FROM DISC' command.
3. SOLO the guitar channel.
4. Press play.
5. BINGO!

So I did that and discovered that indeed it did work! The guitar stab or "skank" was MIDI and so I wondered if I could replace that sound with a RT sound for better sonic quality??? I fussed around a but was over my head. I am not sure how to replace the MIDI guitar track with a RT sound that would again be a staccato stab but of a RT instrument. Is there a way to do this?

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
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!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.

Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.

Holiday Weekend Hours

As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:

April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours

Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!

— Team PG

Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!

If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!

If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,253
Posts802,378
Members40,075
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
Schusterpech, Kingloud, Elle, bechda, geswho22
40,075 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 128
zedd 111
DC Ron 88
rsdean 87
vicarn 60
Today's Birthdays
dryan08
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5