42. How do I install Band-in-a-Box®, RealDrums, and RealTracks?

If you purchased the external USB hard drive version of Band-in-a-Box®, you just need to run the 'Band-in-a-Box® Setup' package on the root level of the hard drive. See this topic for more information on hard drive versions.

 

General Installation Instructions

  1. If you downloaded the software using electronic delivery, mount the downloaded .dmg (disk image) by double-clicking on it. If you are installing from disc, insert the CD or DVD and navigate to the root level of the disc.
  2. Double-click on the Band-in-a-Box® 2009 package (pkg) and follow the installer instructions. Band-in-a-Box® will be installed to the '/Applications/Band-in-a-Box®' folder on the Macintosh system Hard Drive.

    Note that you cannot choose a different location to install the Band-in-a-Box® folder, so if you see a [change destination location] button, you can ignore it (this button shows up some Macs for an unknown reason). You CAN however choose a different location for your RealTracks and RealDrums folders by pressing the [CUSTOMIZE] button - see the tips below for more info on this. For most users, the default installation is the best.

  3. You may have received other files/discs with additional RealTracks and RealDrums. Follow the same steps to install each of them.
  4. You can unmount the disk image when the installation is complete, either by dragging it to the 'trash' (eject icon), or by clicking on it and pressing command-E. Note that this will not delete the files from your computer, the dmg file will still be there.

 

Additional tips for installing RealTracks and RealDrums

  • By default, the RealTracks and RealDrums audio files are installed into the '/Applications/Band-in-a-Box®' folder in the RealTracks and Drums subfolders, and this is recommended for most users.

  • If you would like these installed in a different location, press the [Customize] button on the Installation Type screen, and select the destination volume and folder name. One reason you may want to install to a different volume, is because these folders are much larger than the rest of the Band-in-a-Box® files, so having them on a different hard drive saves space on your system drive.

  • Alternatively, you could move the RealTracks and Drums folders manually at a later time. If you have a lot of RealTracks to install and have enough free space on your hard disk, you may find it easier to install to the default location (rather than selecting the custom folder for each install), then move the folders when you have finished installing.

  • Either way, you will want to make sure that you have ALL RealTracks in a single folder and ALL RealDrums in a single folder.

  • There are some files that are always installed to the Band-in-a-Box® folder even if you chose a custom location for your RealTracks and Drums folders. These include Band-in-a-Box® styles (.STY files), Demo songs (.MGU and .SGU), and other data files that are required for the styles to work.

  • If you decide to use a 'custom location' for the RealTracks and Drums folders, remember to specify this location in the Preferences dialogs within the program - Windows | RealDrums Settings and Windows | RealTracks Settings.

 

Installing and Running Band-in-a-Box® as a non-administrator user

Band-in-a-Box® can be installed on a standard or administrator account, but always requires an administrator password. Standard users should be able to run Band-in-a-Box® from the defalt location in /Applications/Band-in-a-Box®. If you are having trouble with this, See this topic.

 

Tips for Band-in-a-Box® 12 and earlier users

  • The current version of Band-in-a-Box® is backward compatible with all of the styles and songs from your earlier versions.

  • The current version of Band-in-a-Box® (2009 and higher) is installed to the '/Applications/Band-in-a-Box®' folder. Version 12 and earlier were installed to the root level of the hard drive (or Home folder), into a folder called 'Band-in-a-Box® ™ Folder'.

  • If you previously had the MegaPAK or UltraPAK, and opted for a regular upgrade to the current version, you may want to copy some files from your earlier version to the /Applications/Band-in-a-Box® folder. In particular, you could copy the CONTENTS of the Styles folder and the CONTENTS of the Soloists folder to the same folders in the new version. You could also copy the Style Demos, Sol Demos, and Mel Demos folders, into the Style Demos, Soloist Demos, and Melodist Demos folders in the new version. Remember to only copy the contents of these folders, rather than replacing the whole folder with the older one.

 

Miscellaneous tips regarding Band-in-a-Box® updates and add-ons

  • If you are installing updates or add-ons to a USB hard drive version of Band-in-a-Box®, and you are running the program directly from the hard drive, make sure to select [Change Install Location] and "Install on a specific hard drive".

  • If you are reinstalling or upgrading Band-in-a-Box®, note that Band-in-a-Box® 2009 and higher always install to a folder called 'Band-in-a-Box®' in the Applications folder. If you want to perform a "fresh" reinstall of Band-in-a-Box® but keep a backup copy of your existing Band-in-a-Box®, one strategy would be to simply rename the Band-in-a-Box® folder to something like 'Band-in-a-Box® Old' before doing the new installation. To keek a backup copy of an older version, but still upgrade existing files, you could make a duplicate of the Band-in-a-Box® folder (click on it and press Command+D) before upgrading.

  • If your preference is to keep the Band-in-a-Box® folder somewhere on your hard drive other than in the Applications folder for whatever reason, then you will need to move it back to Applications before installing an update.

 

Latest news and updates

We recommend checking our website periodically for Band-in-a-Box® updates. Patches for the current version can be downloaded for free.

Band-in-a-Box® program updates:
http://www.pgmusic.com/support_macintoshupdates.htm

RealTracks and Drums updates:
http://www.pgmusic.com/support_macintosh_realdrums.htm


Last edited by Alyssa - PG Music; 09/09/18 04:38 AM.
Alyssa - PG Music