Your first 15 minutes with BAND-IN-A-BOX 2018 

The real beauty is that all the band shows up, on time, not drunk or stoned, just ready to play.

I am a funny Japanese. I watched a good show here. Immediately, I tried BIAB for the first time. Thanks to that, I posted a simple big band-style jazz saxophone solo on RU-vid. Thank you very much! !!　I look forward to your continued success.

Thank you Woody that was an amazing session. I have enjoyed using BIAB for a quick minus one to sing along. Its real fun to put something together with a quick turn around.

That was fantastic. Funnily enough I used to use this programme about 15 years ago also. I rediscovered an old version of it on a pc a few weeks back and spend quite a while playing with it. I became quite intrigued with it - although the tutorial booklet was most confusing. I thought BIAB could be really useful in my work, so i came onto RU-vid to see if anyone's heard of it. And they have indeed! What worries me is that the original programme has now morphed into really complex software now, although, I still recognise a lot of it as above. The original programme is quite complex with all its menus. Fantastic sounds on the video, and a really helpful programme for working out ideas. Excellent!

Hey Woody, thank you! I've been playing with BiaB for a while and you got me started in a more fulfilling direction.

I had never heard of this software before. Very insightful little video. And indeed, great respect for a music software that has been around since 1990!

Muchas gracias. Soy de Costa Rica y me pasó igual que a ti. Dejé de usar BIAB y compré 2019 y con tu clase creo que ya estoy de nuevo haciendo musica.

Just bought the basic BIAB package and found this very helpful to get a foot in the door. Thank you :-)

Hi Woody . . . Great introductory tutorial. Well done! As is the case with many of those who've commented on your post, I first used BIAB way back in the Stone Age. At that time it was a pretty cheesy, MIDI-based auto-accompaniment tool. However the novelty of entering one's own chords, tempos and styles, etc. was great fun - and a bit addicting. Ultimately my interest in BIAB kind of waned over the years; however about 10 years ago, I noticed that BIAB's cheesy MIDI sounds had become passe and that the BIAB tracks were then being generated using audio samples, i.e. RealTracks, RealDrums, etc. So I hopped back on the BIAB bandwagon and purchased the EverythingPAK. I actually used that 2010 iteration of BIAB to do the backing tracks for a complete, commercial release, "Feelin' Alright" by the Memory Brothers. That particular CD project turned out surprisingly well and continues to be available on iTunes and Amazon. ( Click link to give a listen: dougkoempelmusic.blogspot.com/2019/09/blog-post.html ) Fast forward to 2020 - the other day I realized that my version of BIAB was nearly a decade old (where DOES the time go!), and I decided I'd better upgrade. So I did and have just received my UltraPAK portable drive. Installation was a cinch; and upon firing up the software, I noticed some significant changes in the user interface (and a lot of new features.) But thankfully the mechanics of the workflow seemed pretty familiar. Nevertheless I thought I'd search out a tutorial for this more-current BIAB version. And yours fit the bill perfectly! Thanks for the fun tour of the new interface and features!

This is awesome. I never used BIAB, but def getting this gem! Thanks for the introduction to it and a gr8 vid!

I've just purchased 2020. Thank you for your help. Looking forward to having lots of fun.

Cool. Thinking about buying 2020 version.Used this back in 1993, it just popped into my head one day lately when I was fed up with my band yet again. At least software generally doesn't have motivation, inspiration or commitment issues.

Yes, I've been using BIAB since the mid 90's. It didn't make sense back then to devote HOURS writing drum parts when this software could do it in seconds! As the Real Instrument Tracks were added, I began using BIAB for everything. I arrange the song, then transfer "Dry" to DAW. The learning curve is fast and results are wonderful especially when creativity strikes me at 3am!

Thanks for video i used a band in a box years ago to write backing tracks with cubase for my work as a entertainer,this look s a great improvement and i will have to look inti buying it.So cheers again.

Love this one, Woody. BIAB is no joke. Great vid!

Thank you Woody. Very clear . Hope to see more help from you for this B in the B .👏🏽🙏🏽

This is a great tutorial. I just started using Band in a Box

Happy to see your interest in BIAB. I joined a harmonica band about 10 years ago and we used it for our backing tracks. The leader of the group showed me how it works and eventually purchased a copy for my iMAC 6 years ago. Sadly, with the iMAC came Garageband and BIAB was shelved. Now I am getting re-interested in it again and hope you show more info and bring me up to speed on new changes and improvements. Sincerely, Jack

I am sold! Great job on the demo.

i have band in a box, have since it came out! i'm getting back into it after 10 yrs. so looking forward to hearing some of the new sounds.

I've got an older version but I forgot how useful It was. Thanks Professor !

Thanks for the video! I ordered the new version of biab today. Like you, I used it years ago. I am looking forward to using it again,

Thanks for the walkthrough - saved me hours of frustration!! Good man

You're great ! Thank you for your video. Made it so much quicker for me to decide and buy it.

i've never used Band in a box, but I used their Power Tracks and Power Tracks Pro Midi sequencers. The midi sequencing software was very much like Passport Design;s Master Tracks sequencer. This was when audio tracks were first being incorporated into midi sequencers. In Power Tracks Pro, you could record one track of audio (.wav files) or you could import sudio from your hard drive.

BIAB is very effective on jazz bass lines. Some of the soloing is quite impressive as well. I did a little jazz combo with a live drummer and sax man. I played guitar and did the programming. We exported the MIDI file and used Sonar (now Cakewalk by Bandlab) as the performance platform after doing most of the arrangement in BIAB. I edited some of the more mechanical sounding parts, muted all but the bass and piano and it worked out pretty well. But you're right. It's really good for practicing. Plus with chords marching along on the screen it makes it easier to follow the chart.

My god!! it's amazing to see how BIAB evolved through these decades... I used to play the 90s version of this software in my old vintage Atari STF, only midi of course, and made lot of fun of it :) today's version sounds miles away and lot more realistic. Congrats to the software company. Thank you Gareth for the tutorial. Cheerio.

I've had about 4 versions of BIAB, just upgraded from 2017 version to the new 2019 version. I love the program. I use it for making some of my soundtracks, adding some of my own music as well. It is possible to record each track separate and import them into your DAW and have as many BIAB tracks for the same song as you want. The new version even has a program that will let you open it in a DAW and use it together with your DAW. The possibilities are endless.

Excellent. Got BiaB yesterday and this helped quite a lot.

I just picked up biab 2022 the full ultra pak and this little tutorial from 2018 was most helpful. I think it's the perfect little intro to some complex software. Well done.

I've had BIAB since it was on floppy disk in DOS!! it's a great program, I use it a lot for making Fake sheets out of Midi Files. I always upgrade the software to the latest version, 2019 should be out end of November or early December. It's also great for trying out new harmonies for songs, and working out the chords of a piece of music from a WAV/MP3 file, so many possibilities with BIAB, thanks for this Woody and I look forward to more from you using BIAB 👍

Thanks. I was dreading the learning curve, but this helped a lot.

Had BIAB years ago , it has changed a quite a bit over the years. I never really got a good feel of how to use it , so many features. Thanks for your videos !!!!

Thank you. This is very helpful, as I am researching if I should buy this program...

Very Cool! Thanks for the demo...if the learning curve is not too hard, I will definitely purchase BIAB.

I got BIAB in the 90's and loved it! I bought the Mac version a couple of years ago and found it really frustrating. The Mac and PC versions are not the same (or at least they weren't then). The GUI still has that Win95 look about it but it's become so busy and convoluted. It works great as auto-accompaniment, or practice/learning aid, but as a compositional tool I found doing things like importing piano or bass from different styles to build a new style, or editing a style to be very cryptic or impossible. I did come up with some cool stuff on it that I exported as a .MID and imported into Reason. I'm glad to see you showing this on your channel. I never thought BIAB was given the love it deserved, as it was never taken seriously. There's a lot of potential there which I think could be of great interest to electronic musicians with a few modifications.

Just bought it, very helpful tutorial, thanks! I plan on using it to inspire songwriting and soloing guitar. Maybe jam into a few different genres from the blues one I'm always in...

Many thanks! this was very helpful for starting!

The first time I used it was in 2008 - made a small piano piece on it and ignored it for 11 years. That version was 5 or 6 computers ago - long lost. I just purchased their new version and was looking for a RU-vid tutorial (yours was the first I clicked on). But they have an extensive tutorial library available - I just haven't got around to looking at it. I'm glad I hit yours - sorta jogged my memory a little. As a composer, the program made me feel a little guilty. I mean, you can begin with no idea of a tune and let it run wild with only a little nudging from your ear and end up with something that sounds pretty good (even on that 2008 one I used). I was impressed, but I felt a bit like a painter who throws paint at the canvas, says, "Hey! That's pretty cool!", and then signs it.

This is really cool -- mine's on the way from Sweetwater -- fun times ahead..!

Nice demo. Would like to see some more. I've been using BiaB for years, mostly for practicing my saxophone solos.

Wow! BIAB has come a long way. It looks so dated though, but sounds amazing.

Just got BIAB and setting it up w simple. I hope to see more on the subject from you.

I forgot all about BIAB. I had it once.I felt it was a bit like cheating. but it sounds great. Loved the Higgledy Piggly Bluegrass. My toes were dancing along. Beverly Hill Billies came to mind Texas Tea. nice one woody, Always wondering what you come up with next. can you imagine how difficult this must have been to programme for the company, sure you do thank you.

Just love BIAB mine is an older version from 2006, still going strong for backing tracks.

I had Band in a Box back in the 90's on floppy disk so many disks loved it

Very helpful. Thank You!

Thanks for the DEMO!!

Thanks just what I was looking for.

What a neat little program! It's a little too automated for my tastes but I can see this being very, very handy for making some quick background music for RU-vid videos.

It's probably a little too automated for my liking but if you are a singer/song writer working on song ideas and need quick backing demos or even want to quickly change style ideas this sounds like a superb tool! Great demo Woody.

First time user. Great video! tx

Nice tutorial Woody 😀 I gotta do a workshop tomorrow by that programme.

Yeah I think i had a go with it on a cover disk about 1994 on a 486 PC

Thanks for great intro. I have 2010 version. Stopped using it cos' it sounded "mechanically synthetic." Thinking of upgrading to 2019 version. I suspect my problem was audio driver. No Coyote Forte then. Any suggestions or advice?

Hi Woody, I'm just wondering if this is the base model "pro" pack that you can purchase for $129? I'm weighing up if it's worth purchasing the see model to create realistic Wes Montgomery jazz backing tracks

I've made a similar leap from 2006 version to 2018 with the Real Tracks, Real Drums, and all. Loved it then. Love it more now. I use and have used it to create original songs, primarily. It is a track, groove, and idea delivery system for me, but it's functions are so broad as to not limit its use to any one "thing". You've barely scratched the surface, but scratched it quite well. I'd like to see you demonstrate the entry and use of things like part-markers, pushes, rest, shots, and holds to vary the rhythmic feel. Either as demo of the software or as part of your main "lesson". Thanks.

Thank you for this introduction.

You are so much fun!

Hi Woody. Thanks - that was great. I have been on the Band In a Box forums for the last month or so, trying to decide if I want to invest in the programme when the new version comes out in December. As moog Dome said in another comment, in a way it feels like cheating to me, but then again my plan - if I do buy it - is to use BIAB to create a quick demo, and then drag it into my DAW and do all kinds of editing and overdubbing there. It might be worth mentioning in a subsequent video about BIAB that there are several different methods for using and/or installing; these different methods include buying the programme on a hard drive, getting it on a flash drive, or installing it on a HD (either by streaming the download, or by buying a DVD and installing it from there. Take care, and I look forward to more of your videos.

A co-writer and I used this back in 2001 to help round off songs. As long as you don't use just those cheesy instruments, and lack of dynamic variance, it's great!.

Thank you very much for the video .... very helpful ... thanks again :)

Woody, can I loadup in Band-in-a-Box somehow: note sheets for a downloaded song ? For example I have written notes, and I want "Box" to perform that - is it possible ?

Definition of serendipity: When you throw an accordion in a skip and it lands on a banjo. :) I used BIAB on a 486 many moons ago, and it seems it has advanced considerably. I like the core program, but I really don't want all the gigabytes of samples. I would rather assign my own VST instruments.

Hi Great explanatory video and it looks a great product. As a very basic guitar player who plays on my own would this be a good tool to have for generating backing tracks to try and play over or play with? Thanks Jeremy

Thanks I enjoyed

Do you have the "cheapest" version? I own an old version and the sound is not what I expect it should be in 2019. Does your version comes along with enough styles? I am mostly interested in Jazz, Blues and Ballad-Styles. The Megapak seems to be out of my price-range.

Biab 2019 is out, you can geniously use it as a plug in in your daw (windows) works really well

I used BIAB many many years ago on my Atari and not since….. Can it export MIDI now so I can use my Komplete 13 and Roland Cloud etc plugins to get exactly the sound Im after? Thank you

The GUI is still unneccesarily bloated, but BiaB is still a powerful program!

Hello, can I overlay your own vocals onto a backing track I've made on BIAB? Thank you, Peter

It will be your best friend its like having a professional multi style band is your poket just by entering the chords name and the style you want it to play and it will generate all the parts drums bass piano ect even leads with any instrument deals

How did you import those real book songs?

Very useful...thanks!

I just got the 2020 version of Band In A Box. Like you, I haven't used it in 20 years or something. I haven't figured it out yet though.

thank you!!...save me a lot of time

Thanks for the intro- had not heard of this software. Do you have a version recommendation? Pro, Ultra, Mega... so many options...

I just bought a software for MAC 3 days ago. It seems it has less features than a Window version.

Hi Woody, I would like to ask you a question. I've purchased bib 2021 pro. On the pgmusic website I downloaded the first of the 3 core downloads, then I installed that first core file. Is it necessary to download and install the other 2 core files as well? I enjoyed your tutorial, I have now subbed to your channel. I wait to hear from you. Thank you. Regards, Ernie.

Thank you for this video. I have subscribed. I'm new to BIAB. I understand what it does, but it is complex. For example, is the fiddle solo at 10:15 available as a "lead sheet"..? 🤔

Began with BIAB in 2004 and used it for rehearsal of new songs for the band(I am a vocalist). Been away from wasting my weekends in lounges for a decade but still like to mess with my copy. Missing real traks so it's midi all the way. Has anyone out there ever used it for SATB arrangement and, if so, are the pitch sounds accurate?

Well, that's pretty impressive.

I’m looking for how to display guitar chord tab

I seen it a bunch of music magazines in the 90s I like this version tho 👍🏽

Thank you for this video Woody. I'm running into something which looks like an issue when running BB in Reaper. The audio driver loaded in Reaper seems to override everything and unless I import the BB chord progression onto a Reaper audio track and then press play, I cannot hear anything. This means I cannot preview any of the chords I choose in BB. Any idea why this might be? I hope I'm making sense. Thank you again.

Like you, I used Band Box many years ago and I can hear from your demo that the improvement is phenomenal. For instance, the (AI?) backing track chords follow each other musically compared with the same thing on iRealpro. Can I add a midi track and/or audio track to a Band Box backing track then record into those tracks, or do I first convert the backing track to audio and do all the business in the DAW?

Cool sound quality! What Sound Module you use in this demonstration?

How do you save the track to play later?

I just received the audiophile hard drive version for Mac. Can I just leave everything on the hard drive or do I need to transfer it over to the MacBook Pro that I use?

I have BIAB. I'm not a good keyboardist at all. So, BIAB has become my session keyboardist, session bassist, and anything else I need to get my tracks sounding professional. And, I use it I midi so that any changes I need to make I can do it. I've used it for Disco, Motown and STAX styled recordings and anything else I need. I haven't found a program that comes close.

I, like you, am about to 're-kindle' Band in a Box due to my 'extra time' with Covid 19.

Hello, you explain very well. I have a question: how do you get the notes of the cord?

Thanks, finally a video where can actually understand what biab is/dos, and how to use it !! Talk about confusing..................

Hallo, the notation panel doesn't work in "My Band in a Box", the message says "The font PGMUS.TTF is not in my system directory". If someone has that font on his computer can he please send it to me please?

Hi! Thank you for the video. I have a question.. When one instrument on drums is much too loud, like a hihat or other, how can I make a little lower?? thank you.

Q: is it possible to use BiaB to create Style Files for Yamaha PSR S970 - if so a tutorial on that would be wonderfully useful. Cheers Woody.

Which bundle do you suggest to have a quite wide base of styles?? All the sound come from coyote wavetable Synthesizer?? Thx Guido from Italy P.S. is it way too difficult to import from iReal pro??

Hi Woody. Thanks for this video. Do you know of any other comparable software programs that do the same thing?

So I get to 0:30, and all I can think is - "Why isn't the knob blinking?" (the MODX in the background) :-)

What is the exact level version of BIAB [including RealDrums, RealTracks and RealStyles] you are using here?