Hi Peter, in the company post referenced, I noticed this answer:

A. Our VST DAW plugin has up to 14 tracks available -twice the number of the desktop version!

Can I surmise from this statement that the priority of PGM is shifting towards the plugin for other DAWs? Will these additional tracks be incorporated into the desktop version?

I'm still with BIAB 2017 and didn't see enough in 2019 to compel me to upgrade at this time. If this is the only way I'll get additional, new, or premier tracks, then I guess it's time to learn a new DAW and go with the plugin? I was told my customer service that RealBand is still 16-bit while BIAB moved to 64-bit. Sounds like RealBand won't be updated and improved either Thanks.

I'm not Peter but I can answer that the new VST Plugin is indeed the only [non-kludge] way to get more tracks in BIAB than you already have. Of course, only PG Music can answer the question of whether the plan is to extend that into the 'regular' versions of BIAB. It's a good question.

While there is a limit of 8 tracks in BIAB, using the same techniques that artists, engineers and producers have done since the invention of multitracks, one can easily generate dozens of tracks and dozens of instruments in a BIAB song without use of a DAW, RealBand or any type of external recording other than BIAB. It can be done without the degradation that had to be dealt with in analog recording so multitrack recordings completed in a BIAB project are for all practical purposes, first generation quality tracks.

Among all the new features, midi and RealStyles and RealTracks, BIAb upgraded the medley feature making it easier to control and use the already existing 10 instrument per channel (track) of the BIAB Mixer. Utilizing the Medley feature in conjunction with creating sub-mix (mix buss) and the bounce technique where you are creating sub mixes commonly known today as Stems, It's easy and fast to create a song completely within the BIAB program with 70 instruments and two dozen tracks. More if it's desired or necessary.

Sub Mixes and Bouncing techniques will work in 2017 BIAB and any version since the inception of the Audio Track and Performance Tracks.

The idea of the plugin is to help build songs in a full featured DAW, where it can be mixed and mastered down with tracks added in the DAW like instruments played or vocals or whatever.

Over the years there is always clamor to turn BiaB into a full multitrack studio with all the trappings of a Cubase or Cakewalk. I don't think this will ever happen since it has not yet and the plugin bridges the gap. Why not ask Cubase to add all the generation features of BiaB? that will never happen cause it would take years of development to do that and years of frustration as you try to make that happen through the patches and builds it would take to stabilize a major change like that.

Now PGM might open up the mixer like in the plugin and that might be cool. I hope they continue on this path of development and not try to add to much to BiaB but really fix all its little niggles. Just look at the growing pains with the VSTi. I would hate to see the Big program go through that much change. Let's see what comes of the plugin first and get 64 bit stable. Which by the way is running pretty good here.

Matt and Charlie, perhaps I misinterpreted Peter's post which appears to be pulled at the moment? Are we just talking available tracks in Band in the Box? Agreed, that's no big deal at all. RealBand has 48 tracks! I took it to mean that there are double the passes (14) of performances on RealTracks, rather than 7 in 12 keys. I think that's what he said, but again I can't find that post now.

I think the post is still available, here

Right on Charlie.
I used to know how to edit tracks with a razor blade. Keep this stuff in perspective.

Ihaven't looked but is the ability to stack players onto a single track in BIAB no longer available?

"Our VST DAW plugin has up to 14 tracks available -twice the number of the desktop version!" I think I totally misinterpreted this. It's talking about the number of open tracks available, not more RealTracks performances being available, correct? I jumped to a conclusion based on Soloists having 7 passes.

Easy to get cornfussed with these thangs!

Just the opposite. It's not only still available, but the Medley option has been expanded in version 2019 so that each individual instrument on a channel can have the volume level adjusted. Open up the RealTrack Picker and the page has been modified to include a new box to set the volume for each individual instrument. Also, though I haven't tested this yet, count the number of additional instrument tracks allowed to be added and there's 10. The First slot has the original RealTrack inserted and then 10 additional tracks for a total of 11 tracks per channel. There are several selections to how these tracks play on the song project, including have all the tracks play simultaneously. As far as I can tell, these instrument changes are also automatically cross faded because I never have issues of the two instruments interfering with each other. Also note these instruments do not have to be different instruments such as flute, trumpet, sax, etc. PGMusic also created new Medley RealStyles for 2019.

Track instruments can be variations of the same instrument by the same artist. For instance, use a strumming acoustic guitar by session artist A from one style and a Fingerpick acoustic guitar by session artist A from another style and you'll likely be getting the same guitar being played by the same artist and they may work great together with your song. Similarly, if a guitar by artist B plays different strumming patterns between A Part markers and B Part Markers and the artist is included in another Style that he plays different Part A and B strumming patterns that vary from the first Style, you possibly can get 4 different strumming patterns for your song, all on the same channel, with the same guitar by the same artist. Using the StylePicker in BIAB can be very useful in finding complimentary instruments by the same artist.