Your new multi‑view GUI is a great step forward, but it also exposes a deeper issue.
Transport‑based apps rely on one global transport model. In BIAB, every view behaves differently — looping, cursor position, and transport state all break apart. Until there’s one consistent standard across views, I can’t stay in the program long enough to build real workflows.
Please make this a priority, because a unified transport model would immediately improve usability for every customer. Thanks
Studio One (latest version), Win 11 23H2 , i9 -10940X 3.3 GHz, 32GB Mem, a 4K 40" monitor, PreSonus Studio Live III Console as interface/controller. secondarily test on Reaper, Cakewalk, and S1 on Surface Pro 3 Win 10 (latest versions).
It's mind boggling how the designers think this kind of behaviour is OK. I think this year's upgrade has been overall quite a good one but one of the things I hate is click/menu/click/click for things that should be a very simple single click. Unfortunately, 2026 has added a few more to the list.
Jeff, you have clearly articulated multiple shortcomings in the design that really do need to be resolved.
I hope that PGM Developers take action on these items as a matter of urgency. Thanks for your hard work and considerable efforts to not only improve the program, but to identify major shortcomings and make recommendations on how these should be resolved.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
The Good News: The changes to the GUI in v2026 were wonderful, and allowed us to "see" our BIAB music in a whole new way. Now with Jeffs illustrations we can now envision the obvious next steps needed. I hope PGM looks long and hard at this vision.
The Bad News: I am afraid these next steps may not get the priority they need. Fact is, some of us older guys don't have time to wait for yearly updates. So having these enhancement coming in a timely fashion would be much appreciated.
Stuff like this is why i have never completed a project with any kind of recording in BiaB. I have built many backing tracks but always move on because the underlying functionality is to complicated. I always have to dig around to find how to accomplish something that is that is basic functionality in any other software package. Peter, Andrew, if you are reading this please listen. This is at the very core of what is needed. If you want to really make BiaB a standard in more studios both home and professional, you need to clean these type things up.
What you did this year was epic in visual experience. But it truly exposes the core issues many of us have been talking about for years now. Standard DAW behavior.
Last edited by Rob Helms; 6 hours ago.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
It is like there have been several different software developers sitting isolated in different buildings with no communications between them and no overall design approach to follow.
If it was me and I thought I had all the necessary skills inhouse I still would have brought in some external GUI help to make a short audit of the software. Things like this would have come up on the table long long time ago. Now the users have to point it out again and again end even have to make videos to demonstrate the issues.
I really hope this will be fixed very soon, and I agree with the posts above it is a stopper! One only tends do the simplest work in BIAB and then move away as soon as possible.
BIAB 2026, Studio One 7 Pro, Song Master Pro, Win11 Home. i7-9700K CPU, 32GB, ESI MAYA44eX, ZOOM UAC-2, Guitar Pro 8, Transcribe, (EZKeys2, EZD3, SD3, EZBass, EZMix3) Amateur: fiddle, guitar, vocal, beginner on bass.
I always have to dig around to find how to accomplish something that is that is basic functionality in any other software package.
It's the software's biggest let down. It gets infuriating. I'm fine with using computers, software and hardware, very much above average and yet after 20 or more years, BIAB still drives me insane, so much that I just can't be bothered to do anything more than the basic stuff with it and just quickly move it to the DAW.
Even today I had a typical experience. Wanted to create a simple click / metronome over a backing. Everything turned into something problematic until I just give up with frustration. I know of no other software that I couldn't have done this in under one minute. Ended up discovering what I think is another bug while I was at it but had to give it in cos I couldn't take any more.
There’s no doubt about the industry standard for looping. It’s a single global toggle in the transport. The new BIAB GUI makes it clear how much users struggle with inconsistent behavior across views. Looping, and cursor position all change depending on where you are, and that breaks workflow. The existing Transport Loop icon could simply become a true global toggle that works the same in every view.
Studio One (latest version), Win 11 23H2 , i9 -10940X 3.3 GHz, 32GB Mem, a 4K 40" monitor, PreSonus Studio Live III Console as interface/controller. secondarily test on Reaper, Cakewalk, and S1 on Surface Pro 3 Win 10 (latest versions).
+1 for everything the OP posted in that excellent video!
My perspective is similar and well known. I LOVE what I can get out of BIAB! It is way out beyond AWESOME! But I HATE using BIAB to mine for those audio diamonds! Or, at least, I used to! I have to say this 2026 update is the best thing PGM has ever done to improve the GUI and UX! After many hours of using this new version I find I am starting to actually enjoy using BIAB! Now, with that said, I still bail out of BIAB as quickly as possible and do all of my leveling, panning, mixing, fx, cuts/pastes, etc. in my DAW. And that is because of the very things the OP has illustrated. It is just not close to being complete for those advanced tasks to actually finish a song. And, before Charle F. (for whom I have immense respect) can jump in and point out that you can do everything inside BIAB including slopping the hogs and trimming the bushes, I get that some things CAN be done but they are so difficult and obtuse and unpredictable that I will not bother to even try when better tools exist that are quick and easy to use.
So, 2 main points...1) AWESOME work on the UX in 2026 and 2) LOTS left to do to really make the built-in functions and features accessible to average users!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
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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!
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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)
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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)
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