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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 |
I'm having a real hard time with BIAB Styles. I find some really good MIDI Tracks out there, but when I bring them into BIAB, I can't find a style to match them, especially RT/RD. Can BIAB read the MIDI file and come up with a close match or am I missing something here. I don't have time to create my own styles from scratch, have tried Norton Music for styles, but nothing comes close. Any suggestions? I'm looking for quick and automated or am I dreaming here? 
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 would recommend spending a little time listening to some styles. The StylePicker has some very good tools for helping you find a style. On the left side of the window is the Category section. Narrow down choices by picking one of these, such as Raggae. There is a Search button where you can enter the name of a song and it will find a style match if possible. Then there is a 'Show Styles by Feel and Tempo' dropdown box. Once you find a style you like, you use this to find other matching styles. With so many styles, I'm sure you can find what you want.
If you're importing a Midi track, BIAB won't do what you want unless you enter the chords, tempo, and style. Once these are set, you can import the track(s) into either the Melody or Soloist. Any other part will be erased once you press play. There are plenty of sites with BIAB arrangements already done. Try searching the web for 'BIAB songs'. Yahoo has a really big selection.
R
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,278
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,278 |
You might like to check out the Style Creation Wizard. Styles created via this wizard often resemble the original midi file.
Martin
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259 |
I feel your pain. Been there done that. A couple of times, I just could not find the style I wanted in BIAB. I then went to real band and set up tracks and put my own instruments and notation in. Mostly I did this by copying a piano part or just putting in my own harmony from a fake book or whatever else I could find. But, you can find songs, midi, biab, etc., already done and modify, copy or whatever. Sometimes I have been able to get a song done pretty fast. Other times it has taken me many hours to get what I wanted. Finally, I mght have had to just live with something that was almost there but not quite. To me sometimes Stylemaker is just overwhelming. If I'm trying to come up with a Christmas carol with just a few parts, I don't even use it.
Cornet Curmudgeon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Usually when someone asks about this they want to create an exact cover of something. Biab is not good at that, it's designed to create backing tracks to practice or play along with, not create covers. For that, stay in Real Band. There, you can keep the elements of your midi file that have the song specific hooks and riffs you want but you can still add Biab tracks. As you've already found out, many time's the RT's are not suitable for this, use a good midi synth like the Ketron and midi tracks can approach the RT's in quality and you still have exact control over them. Many times just adding a background RT like a strumming guitar part or a partial RD part adds such an element of authenticity that you're fooled into thinking the whole thing is audio, not midi.
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: May 2007
Posts: 1,616
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,616 |
You still need the chords to generate a RT part.
R
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,511
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
When I wrote my first style disk, I thought that would complete BiaB. Then I found a lot of songs that didn't fit the styles that both PG and myself provided, so I wrote some more -- and then I needed more and more and more. After a while I decided that you can't have too many styles. Although a multitude of styles makes it harder to find a suitable one, your chances of finding just the right style is increased. And as jazzmmamal stated, cover version styles are hard to find. Why? I discovered this myself. Fairly early in my style writing adventure, I wrote a style for the Elvis Presley song, Don't Be Cruel and I found out, it was only good for Don't Be Cruel and nothing else. That signature guitar lick just identified that particular song. Writing the Don't Be Cruel style actually took more time than it would have to take a more generic style and then add the signature guitar lick in Real Band, Power Tracks Pro or some other MIDI sequencer. So I came to realize that auto accompaniment styles are best to be written as more generic rhythms. Song specific motifs are best added in a MIDI sequencer, because if they were included in the style, the style would only be good for one song. To read how I make backing tracks for my duo, using BiaB and a MIDI sequencer, plus how I use them on stage, go to: http://www.nortonmusic.com/backing_tracks.htmlInsights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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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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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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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
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- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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- 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
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