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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10 |
Has anyone used BIAB in a live performance situation. I want to be able to cue up songs (tracks) in BIAB and use some MIDI Surface Controller to control start/stop/rewind/ff, etc. If not, I will have to render RT/RD into my DAW (Sonar 8.5) and control it from there. Any idea's? Looking at a MIDI foot pedal controller as well.
Giovanni Stefani
HP Spectre X360 Laptop
Intel i7 8550
16GB DDR3, 1 2TB NVMe SSD
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
BIAB UltraPAK 2020, Cakewalk Sonar Platinum by BandLab
Midas M32c Digital Mixer
Midas DL32 Digital Snake
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616 |
I use BIAB all the time in live venues. If you have a keyboard, using the Conductor feature you can do almost anything using it. See pg 99 of the User Manual. If not, BIAB can be programmed to use a playlist and wait until a footswitch is pressed to begin play. Delcom makes switches that work fine with BIAB found here. R
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 10 |
Rachael, Once again thanks! My keyboard player would rather not up his hands to use the conductor feature. I assume you are assigning a keyboard key to MIDI to activate the conductor. I will check out the manual. He uses a sustain pedal, but doesn't have an issue using a MIDI footswitch to start the playlist. The problem I have, even if I render BIAB as mp3 backing tracks is controlling the start and stop times during live performances without seeming cheezy. Hands-free is the way to go. Thanks for the tip on Delcom, I will check them out.
Giovanni Stefani
HP Spectre X360 Laptop
Intel i7 8550
16GB DDR3, 1 2TB NVMe SSD
Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
BIAB UltraPAK 2020, Cakewalk Sonar Platinum by BandLab
Midas M32c Digital Mixer
Midas DL32 Digital Snake
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
It can also wait or pause for input. There can be a delay so you press any switch that is programmable on the floor, or a key on a laptop. I use mp3's and press play when I want the next piece and add in a drum and bass lead in then come in on the piece either before the 1st bar or at the first bar.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 299
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 299 |
Harpman,
I use BIAB created backtracks a lot in solo performances.
I don't use computer however, it's all on CD's.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722 |
Many of us do just that and have been for years. Also many of us use BIAB right from the laptop ear phone jack to a PA or mixer. Works Great!
Later,
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92 |
I've been using BIAB for gigs for over 10 years now. I'm a sax player that plays dinner music in restaurants. Before RT and RD it was a little easier because you didn't need a fast computer. I don't use set list I just like to play what comes to mind so while one song was ending I'd pull up the song list and find another tune. After RT's that became a bit of a problem. That's when I broke down and bought a new laptop. Since my music is mainly for background, the time between tunes isn't that big of a deal. I must say though that my new laptop loads most songs between 3 to 6 seconds. I don't use surface controllers much but I like the Tranzport. I've used it on occasion and it worked great. If you aren't familiar with the Tranzport it's a wireless controller that works up to about 30 feet. Good luck with your setup!
Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
BIAB, Reaper, Encore, Sibelius
Roland SD-50
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31 |
For what it's worth, I export the mono wav tracks from BIAB into one of two different loopers as separate parts. The loopers seem a little more dependable and less fragile than a laptop..and if they should ever crash, it's an easy fix to dump the parts back in. Occassionally, I import the bass and drum parts into my DR880 drum machine. The sounds are a little better for these parts. Using the looper allows me to also build parts live too. Being able to arrange on the fly is pretty easy. So, for me, BIAB just kind of provides the skeleton of the tune. My inflated 2 cents... 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
I use RB with the Jukebox set to pause between songs. All I have to do is hit the 'R" key to start the next song. I also have Power Tracks open and minimized so that if I get a request i can load it into PT without having to disturb my RB JukeBox. Once the request is over I minimize PT ,Hit the "R" and we're back in the set list.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92 |
How many guys are in your group?
Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
BIAB, Reaper, Encore, Sibelius
Roland SD-50
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
1 so I guess it ain't a group.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,725
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,725 |
Sure it is John it's a Baaaaaaaaaaaand a Real Band! 
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
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 92 |
I play in a group, the rhythm players are all brothers. Rich Biab on piano; Rob Biab on guitar; Keith Biab on drums; and Doug Biab on bass. Sometime Jim-Bob Biab sits in on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo.
Dell Studio 16 Laptop i7 with 256 gig SSD
BIAB, Reaper, Encore, Sibelius
Roland SD-50
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
Look at my signature. I've had that on there for a long time.
It was an inside joke. Still get the "Oh you're not a band you're like Karaoke". Good thing I don't own weapons.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,725
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,725 |
I got that the other day with a "sort a like Karaoke right" crack. I just said "yup without the off key drunk wannabe singers!"
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
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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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PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!
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Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
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!
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