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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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With Band-in-a-Box® 2017, we added the Natural Arrangements option!

If you give a pro musician a complicated chord progression, with fancy extensions like C7b9b13 or Gm11, the musician may reinterpret these rather than playing them exactly as written. This can achieve a much better sounding arrangement because the musician has freedom to choose from similar chord extensions. Now you can get Band-in-a-Box to do the same thing, with options to set this on a global basis, song basis, or individual tracks!

How?

There is an "Arrangements Options" dialog accessible within Prefs - simply choose "Arrange" and you will see on the bottom left of this dialog the option for "Natural Arrangements (re-interpret complex chords)". Within the drop-down menu for this, you can choose:
- Never (even if set in song settings)
- Disabled (unless set in song settings)
- Always for Jazz (unless disabled in song settings)
- Always for All Genres (unless disabled in song settings)

You can also choose to use this setting for just one song, using the "Song Settings" button - just choose the "Enable for this song" option within the drop-down menu on the middle right of this window.

Looking to set this for a specific track or tracks within the song? You can do this too! With the song open, go to Track Settings | Set Natural Arrangement, and select an option.

Have you used this new feature in Band-in-a-Box 2017?


Callie
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Indeed many of us have, and I find it really does improve the sound. Voice leading is far better, and fewer range jumps occur. This is a terrific new feature. Even better is the ability to control it globally, by song, or by track.

Callie, I will just mention that, when we discussed this new feature in beta testing, we never did learn exactly what is going on. Several of us guessed, and there were some guidelines stated by Dr. Gannon. Perhaps this is proprietary info, and we will respect that, but if it isn't, it would be nice to know more about the algorithm at work here. As a composer, I really need to know what to expect when I want a particular upper extension, whether I can enable this feature or not.


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
it would be nice to know more about the algorithm at work here. As a composer, I really need to know what to expect when I want a particular upper extension, whether I can enable this feature or not.

Yeah, I completely agree with this, Matt.


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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
Callie, I will just mention that, when we discussed this new feature in beta testing, we never did learn exactly what is going on.
Same story on our (Mac) end, now that you mention it smirk


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Yep, I agree with the comments. I have never used the feature because of these reasons and I get kinda fed up with the nagging pop-up note. Arranging and improvising are both problems


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Originally Posted By: Graham Martin
...I get kinda fed up with the nagging pop-up note.
Actually, I just may be able to help you with this bit:
In the global preferences for the way you want the NA function to behave, there's also a separate setting for the messages part of the feature. There you can set the frequency of those "nagging" things quite independently of what you've otherwise set for the feature itself, including turning those messages off entirely if you so desire cool


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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
...it would be nice to know more about the algorithm at work here. As a composer, I really need to know what to expect when I want a particular upper extension, whether I can enable this feature or not.
I'd think getting some dedicated guideline videos with audible demonstrations of the actual differences in the outcome each time should really suffice, with greater appeal to the novice and learned alike.
No real need to get into intricate "algorithm", "proprietary info" or what have you, that might only complicate matters without cause.


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Icelander, was this feature even in BIAB 2016 for Mac?


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
Icelander, was this feature even in BIAB 2016 for Mac?
Not '16, nope. Didn't realise it had been for a year on your end either...not that I'm surprised wink


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No, it was introduced in version 2017 for the PC also. I was just going by your signature.


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
No, it was introduced in version 2017 for the PC also. I was just going by your signature.
Oh right, thanks for reminding me to update that bit! shocked


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Fixed, sorry for the confusion cool


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Got it, thanks. Makes more sense now.


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins

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Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.

Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!

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If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!

Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.

Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano

Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

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