I need an answer to this:

"Xtra Styles PAKs won't work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition."

I have the Everything PAK that I purchased many years ago.

Will this Xtra Style PAK 11 work with it?

Thanks

Hi

You are possibly getting Styles Paks confused with Program Editions.

The XTRA Styles Pak 11 will work with your BiaB if you have the BiaB 2021 UltraPak or higher

Because the Everything Pak you have is not recent, it will not contain all the RealTracks the new styles will use, so the answer is probably not.

If your EverythingPAK is Version 2016 or newer, then there are some Xtra Styles PAKs that could work. You'll notice that each of the 1-11 PAK 'squares' on this page says what version they were developed for: https://www.pgmusic.com/xtrastyles.php?os=win

I always find these PAKs and option so confusing!

If it's any consolation, I doubt that you are alone on this.

Hi biab-user, if you ever need clarification or advice on what PAKs are best for you, you can contact us directly with your questions; either over live chat, phone, or email sales@pgmusic.com. We're happy to help!

My rule of thumb is that the Xtra Styles PAKs will work correctly for the year they are released and up, not back.....it has worked for me for all the Xtra Styles PAKs so far!

Why can't these Xtra Style be used with my old Everything pack.

Can't I use the my existing Realtracks? What is the difference between the old Realtracks and the ones that come with with the Xtra Style PAK 11?

Does this mean that there is no point in buying any new styles, because they will be not backwards compatible?

I think of it the other way around. Xtra Styles don’t give you any new RealTracks. They are combinations of existing RealTracks that PG Music has invented and tested, saving you time, but you could have done this yourself.

Each new Xtra Style pak shows off the new features of the newest release of BIAB. The Xtra Styles combine new and old RealTracks to give you suggestions for new sounds. Some of their suggestions I know I would never have thought to try.

Think of it this way:
The 'Tracks' are the patterns of individual musical performances of specific instruments.
The 'Styles' are the way in which several 'Tracks' are associated/combined together to produce a musical performance.

If you don't have the correct Tracks, it's not possible to produce the desired Style.

OK, I came up with a better analogy.

The 'Tracks' the the individual 'ingredients' that make up a 'Recipe'

The 'Style' is the combination of the correct 'ingredients' to put the Recipe together to deliver a result.

Does that clarify the 'components'?

That's helpful. The tracks are the ingredients, yes. Perhaps the style is the recipe. Different cooks make different recipes with the same ingredients = different styles? Something along those lines... I'm better at music than cooking.

The style is the arranger/producer and the tracks are the band.

The style is the band.

The tracks are the band members.

If a style/band requires a track/drummer from 2021 and you don't have it then your style/band will be drumless!

Yes, you can substitute different tracks(ingredients) to the style(recipe), but it will be a variation of the intended style(recipe). And it might sound(taste) different

Basically, you could categorize Xtra Paks as User Syles. I've created some out of existing RTs from the past combined with current. No big changes, just nuances to enhance the feel, mainly.

Thanks everyone, for explaining in such creative ways!

I'll have to wait until I see some heavy discounts before I make the decision to buy the essential PAK. Until then I can happily use styles from the large library that I already have. Even have a go making my own.

So if I want to bake a cake but don't have the right RealTracks will it still bake? I just wanted to add to the confusion and include some more cooking references!

Just a joke.

The Essential Pak? Talk like that just adds to the confusion. (said with a big )