I've followed the steps for using playable realtracks but I'm not hearing any of my playable notes. I've enabled playable realtracks, muted the realtracks in the area, selected the notes and made them playable but when I play it back, there are no notes played. Any idea what I;m doing wrong?
When you select the Playable RealTrack, are you seeing this message and selecting Ok?
This message confirms and assigns to the Mixer Channel the Playable RealTrack instrument. Playable RealTracks are midi and have to have a midi instrument assigned in order to hear the notes selected as Playable RealTracks.
Also normally, a RealTrack is on the Mixer Channel selected to edit with Playable RealTracks.
Yes, I clicked YES to that message. In my case, I'm trying to edit the bass notes. Same thing happened in the Notation mode (and Piano Roll). It's funny, I can edit the piano and the drums, but not the bass. Do I do any settings prior?
I mostly edit in Piano Roll and complete editing instructions are in the Help File. But I don't think editing is causing you not to hear the Playable RealTracks.
Regardless the version of BIAB you have, Playable RealTracks feature works the same. Here's a link to PG Music's step by step tutorial
I watched that video and followed the instructions. I hear the bass notes before doing anything in the piano roll but as soon as I make it playable by clicking the Playable Track button, I lose sound. In the video, you hear the sound when he clicks the notes (black bars turn to red), but I don't hear anything. This occurs only for the bass. Strange...
Yes, it's a bit strange. I'm guessing we are overlooking something simple. It's most likely a setting.
Let's try this. Playable RealTracks are Hi-Q instruments. Assign a Hi-Q instrument to a normal midi track. The track labels are yellow for midi tracks. If the pathway is correctly set, you should hear sound. If not, then we can assume we've narrowed it down to the Hi-Q pathway or settings.
I suggest doing the test with a new song project. Open BIAB. Select any midi style. Type S9 into any measure of the Chord Sheet to load the style's demo SGU chart. Test to ensure the song has loaded and plays. With the test set up, assign a Hi-Q instrument to any style instrument other than drums. This is done by right clicking on the channel, Select Midi instrument (Patch) and Hi-Q instruments are first on the list.
This is done by right clicking on the channel, Select Midi instrument (Patch) and Hi-Q instruments are first on the list.
I didn't know what you mean by "on the channel" but I right clicked the "Base" in the Mixer view, selected Midi instrument, selected Hi-Q instrument, and then I selected Hi-Q 033 01 Bass Acoustic Upright. I opened the Piano Roll view and I could hear the bass sound. Then I clicked the Playable Track button, but no message (because it's already Hi-Q instrument?) and I could hear the bass sound this time!
So I created the mute region and edited some bass notes. But when I played it, the bass notes disappeared.............
Regarding "on the channel" - Channel is the input signal path of a physical mixing console and that's why gain, EQ, panning, aux outs, Fx outs, group outs, faders, and such are called the Channel Strip. A Track, which is the common name for a DAW channel, refers not only to the channel path, but the entire recording path that's inclusive in all DAWs. Technically, a BIAB Mixer Channel isn't as full-featured as a DAW track and I said channel without thinking because it's been driven into my brain for many decades. You made the right choice highlighting and selecting the bass track.
< I opened the Piano Roll view and I could hear the bass sound. Then I clicked the Playable Track button, but no message (because it's already Hi-Q instrument?) and I could hear the bass sound this time! >
Perfect. Now we know the path and settings are correct.
< So I created the mute region and edited some bass notes. But when I played it, the bass notes disappeared............. >
Yes. You're correct and BIAB did what is expected.
Your two results above reflect the definition of Playable RealTracks concept. Underlying midi data on a RealTrack mixer track requires the instrument on that track to be a RealTrack. Activating the Playable RealTrack function, the RealTrack instrument will mute and the muted region sound will come from the Hi-Q midi instrument playing the muted region midi data.
If you still have your test project, freeze the track, load a RealTrack instrument on the bass track you've edited and activated the Playable RealTrack feature and when the song is played, you should hear the Playable RealTrack region playing the midi data and the actual RealTrack audio thereafter. Sound is generated differently for audio RealTracks and Midi instruments. In the test song, a midi style and instruments were loaded by default and playing verified the pathway and settings. In your second statement, the midi was overwritten and disappeared because there was no RealTrack assigned to the track at that time to generate new underlying midi data. Freezing the track preserves any custom midi data you insert onto the track.
... So I created the mute region and edited some bass notes. But when I played it, the bass notes disappeared.............
Yes, as advised, freeze the track, otherwise BIAB will generate new audio, which will overwrite your edits.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
I couldn't save the last test project, so I made it again. I did exactly the same steps.
Now from here, the new instruction. I froze the Bass track. I right clicked the Base in the Mixer view, select RealTracks, then selected "Bass Acoustic Jazz Sw 110. I played in the Piano roll view, there's no bass sound at all.
Let's start from scratch again and this time we'll follow a series of screenshots I took of a short song I created and that worked once the steps were completed.
From the screenshots, enter 8 bars of chords, use the style same style that's in the screenshots and play the song to confirm everything plays as it should. Mute the Brass Melody and load the RT sax onto Utility #1(RT 2387) and generate. We're using the Sax to replace the Style Brass track. Open the Piano Roll View and Select the UT#1 Sax. The Sax midi notes should be visible. Mute bars 1,2,3 and select the notes in those bars and change the notes to playable. Solo the Sax track and press play and both the green Playable RealTracks and the black RealTrack should play.
The Screenshots will post across several posts.
Give that a try and we'll see if we get sound this time.
I hadn't thought about you not having that particular style. My intention was simply have your project and mine identical through each step. The style doesn't matter so if you can repeat the setup and test, I can follow along with your steps and use the style you select. I should have the style you use from the pro version.
OK, I chose BeachCar, the top one in my style picker window. I entered 8 bars of chords same as yours, hit the play button to generate. I muted the Bass in the Mixer window, right click on Utility #1, select RealTracks, but then again I didn't have Sax (2387), so I chose Sax Alto (456) Open the Piano Roll View and Select the UT#1 Sax, I see the Sax midi notes Mute the region, bars 1 & 2, then selected the notes by Shift and left click, the notes turn to red. I clicked the Playable track tool button, clicked "Change selected notes Playable" I didn't know what you mean by "Solo the sax track" so I just played it. The green bars don't make any sound but the black bars make sound.
... I muted the Bass in the Mixer window, right click on Utility #1, select RealTracks, ....
What happens if you don't mute the Bass in the mixer window?
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
The green bars don't make any sound but the black bars make sound.
Sounds like there's a problem with the MIDI synth . Can you look in the mixer in the Plugins tab to see if there's been a plugin added to the Utility 1 track?
I've had a chance to look at your song file, and the song plays fine. The first 4 bass notes are "Playable" notes, and they play properly.
Try going to Options > Return To Factory Settings, then when it asks for Most or All choose ALL. Then close and re-open BIAB.
If that doesn't help, it sounds like the issue is in your install somewhere - perhaps try reinstalling BIAB. You don't need to remove anything, just reinstall BIAB into your current installation. When doing so, make sure to install Sforzando, the Playable RealTracks, and the Hi-Q Instruments files at the same time. If you use the USB drive we sent you to reinstall, you may need to download and install the latest update afterwards.
Hello. I re-installed the program last night. I have the USB form but I installed from the website. It's working! It took like 5 hours to download and install, but it's all good now.
A good outcome then. Thanks for letting us know your results.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
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