A big +1 for these tips. Extremely helpful. Thank you, Noel!

Be aware that some of the settings may cause trouble on a computer not powerful enough, which is why they give you these choices. There is only the one hint, "Reduce on slow machines" but all the options should be evaluated for the computer's ability to implement them. If you hear audio stuttering, that's a clue your settings on quality may be too high (but not the only reason). This thread reinforces the idea that you should buy the best CPU you can afford for your BIAB computer, and secondarily, have adequate fast RAM.

I have all the 'best' settings Noel has described.

In Step #4, I really wish the checkbox were in the Preferences RealTracks dialog, instead of the Song Settings where it must be set for each song. There is a checkbox for Avoid Transpositions in New Songs that appears in Preferences, Overrides. That is global, but it is not entirely clear it is the same setting (I think it is, though). Also while this setting says it improves quality, be aware the tool tips say it may reduce variety in the arrangement. These settings are ever a balance, I suppose.

In Step #3, take note of what Noel did NOT check: under Tempo/Pitch stretching quality, there is a check box for Use +/- RealTracks for generation. The +/- tracks are a way that BIAB used to handle transposing the performance. As I understand it, the Elastique algorithm now in use (which seems to have improved over the years) makes that older +/- method not even needed. Leave this box unchecked in the audiophile version.

There's an additional gem of knowledge in there that a PG Music staffer revealed in a thread a year or so ago: when you prepare a song on a 'regular' (non-audiophile) version and Freeze the tracks, and take that frozen song to an audiophile version, BIAB will load the audiophile sound files (WAV if present, otherwise FLAC). I had always thought the actual audiophile tracks were saved IN the song (because the frozen song file was so much bigger), but instead the instructions to load the best available sounds are saved in the song. Hence the trick of changing the location of the sounds you want, as Noel described.

BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.