Tutorials & How-To's
New tutorials are added to the top of the list. We also have an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section.
- Band-in-a-Box for Mac - Download and Install Manager Help ('One-click Installer') - This is the easiest way to install Band-in-a-Box packages in version 2021 and higher.
- Band-in-a-Box for Windows - Download and Install Manager Help ('One-click Installer')
- Band-in-a-Box for Mac - Installation and Setup FAQ - Some common questions about Band-in-a-Box installation and setup (Mac). This is targeted toward version 2019 and higher and individual installs. Starting in June 2022, the Install Manager is an easier way to install.
- Band-in-a-Box® Hard Drive Troubleshooting Tips - You should be able to plug your Band-in-a-Box® hard drive into any available USB port and start using Band-in-a-Box®. If you are having trouble, we hope that these tips will get you up and running quickly and easily.
- Downloading and installing RealTracks (Windows) - Instructions and tips for downloading Windows Band-in-a-Box packages with a lot of RealTracks, especially useful for people who purchased a 'download-only' (e-delivery) version of the UltraPAK.
- Downloading and installing RealTracks (Mac) - Instructions and tips for downloading Mac Band-in-a-Box packages with a lot of RealTracks, especially useful for people who purchased a 'download-only' (e-delivery) version of the UltraPAK.
- Band-in-a-Box 2018 and earlier for Mac - "wrong architecture" crash at bootup - This tutorial outlines possible solutions for a specific crash that occurs on some macs with 32-bit versions of Band-in-a-Box (version 2018 and earlier).
- Error Message at startup: Band-in-a-Box® (Windows) is unable to write data to the BB folder - Band-in-a-Box® needs to be able to read and write files in it's own folder. There are a few things you can do to fix this error.
- RealBand Setup (paths for BBW, RealTracks, RealDrums) - This describes how to select the correct Band-in-a-Box®, RealTracks, and RealDrums folders so that Song Generation works in RealBand.
- RealTracks style list - Shows which RealTracks instruments are included in each of the RealTracks sets, and also explains how to tell which ones you have installed.
- RealDrums style list - Shows which RealDrums styles are included in each of the RealDrums sets, and also explains how to tell which ones you have installed.
- Band-in-a-Box® for Windows - No Sound / MIDI Driver Setup - This tutorial explains what to do if you have no sound in Band-in-a-Box® for Windows.
- Band-in-a-Box® for Macintosh - No Sound / MIDI Driver Setup - This tutorial explains how to get sound in Band-in-a-Box® for Macintosh, and describes CoreMIDI setup.
- RealBand for Windows - No Sound / MIDI Driver Setup - This tutorial explains what to do if you have no sound in RealBand for Windows.
- PowerTracks Pro Audio for Windows - No Sound / MIDI Driver Setup - This tutorial explains what to do if you have no sound in PowerTracks Pro Audio for Windows.
- Make your own UserTrack with Band-in-a-Box® 2014 and higher - This tutorial will show you how to go about making your own UserTrack.
- Making RealDrums Styles with Band-in-a-Box® - This tutorial explains how you can make your own custom RealDrums styles, using templates provided by us. You can make RealDrums with either the PC or Mac version of Band-in-a-Box®.
- Band-in-a-Box® LS3 files - This tutorial explains how to use LS3 files to add custom styles to the StylePicker list. This is technical information mainly intended for third party stylemakers.
- Band-in-a-Box® for Macintosh & GarageBand - Band-in-a-Box® (Macintosh) songs can be imported into GarageBand or other music editing applications. You can save any Band-in-a-Box® song as a standard MIDI or audio file and import it into GarageBand in a few simple steps.
- Using RealDrums in PowerTracks Pro Audio - RealDrums can be used with PowerTracks Pro Audio version 12 (and higher). RealDrums are actual recordings of studio drummers, which are pieced together by PowerTracks to create a unique "real" drum track that is played along with other audio and MIDI tracks in perfect time.
- How to install a DXi synth. - General information and tips about DXi synths, and how to install the VSC-DXi on Windows Vista.
- Rendering Band-in-a-Box® (for Windows) songs to wave and burning an audio CD - The process of converting a Band-in-a-Box® song to wave is referred to as "Rendering". This tutorial walks you through how to render your Band-in-a-Box® songs to wave/MP3/WMA and burn an audio CD that you can play in any CD player.
- Rendering MIDI to wave with RealBand or PowerTracks Pro Audio - This tutorial will walk you through the process of converting MIDI to wave and burning a CD with RealBand or PowerTracks Pro Audio.
- Making a custom Patch Map for Band-in-a-Box® (Windows) - Explains how to re-map patches for a non-General MIDI synth, and use higher bank patches on any synth.
- Making a custom Patch Map for Band-in-a-Box® (Macintosh) - Explains how to re-map patches for a non-General MIDI synth, and use higher bank patches on any synth.
- Editing the patches.ini file and creating a patch map for RealBand or PowerTracks Pro Audio - Explains how to create a patch map so you can select any patch on any bank of your synth by name.
- Running Band-in-a-Box® for Macintosh as a non-administrator (Standard) user. - What to do if you have permissions problems when running Band-in-a-Box®.
- Using Native Instruments Bandstand with PG Music software. - Bandstand is a General MIDI compatible synth, however because the samples are so large, there are some extra steps that might be necessary to use it successfully with Band-in-a-Box®. The concepts apply to some other synths with large samples.
- How to use repeats, 1st/2nd endings, DS/DC al coda, and DS/DC al fine in Band-in-a-Box®. Includes quick tips on solving the most common problems.
- Using the Garritan Jazz & Big Band and Garritan Personal Orchestra with Band-in-a-Box® and PowerTracks Pro Audio.
- Understanding Band-in-a-Box® (Windows) latency settings - This in-depth tutorial explains how latency works, and how to use the latency settings in Band-in-a-Box® 2006 for Windows and higher.
- Introduction to Digital Audio - New to computer music? Unsure what digital audio is all about? This tutorial starts at the beginning and explains digital audio, waveform diagrams, and more...
- BeBop Bass Solo with Band-in-a-Box® - Are you a Bass player who is feeling left out? Do you wish that you could have Band-in-a-Box® create a bass solo that is as diverse and creative as the solos it creates for all of the other instruments? There is a way!
- MIDI Basics - To help you better understand some of the basic ideas associated with MIDI, we've prepared this short article on the MIDI standard and General MIDI.
- MIDI in a Nutshell - You've heard lots about MIDI, but don't fully understand what it is. No worries. MIDI is a potentially complicated subject, but the principles behind it are actually very simple.
- General MIDI Instrument list and Drum Kit map
- List of chords recognized by Band-in-a-Box® and PowerTracks Pro Audio.
- Band-in-a-Box® Amplitube demos: Compare Amplitube tones to the original sounds.
- Dare to Compare: MIDI Synths and RealTracks
Show older archived tutorials >>
- Running Band-in-a-Box® 11 and earlier on OSX - Band-in-a-Box® versions 7, 8, and 11 run under Mac OS 8 and 9. They will also run under OS X in "Classic mode", which is the OS X emulation of the OS 9 environment.
- Using TC Helicon Audio Harmonies - Solo vocal or instrumental audio tracks come alive with the TC-Helicon Audio Harmonies feature, included in both Band-in-a-Box® and PowerTracks Pro Audio. Here are some tips on how to use this amazing feature.
- Compressors and Mastering - Your recorded music isn't as loud, as full or as rich sounding as the music you hear on professional albums. Chances are you aren't using 'compression' - one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) mastering tools in an audio engineer's arsenal.
- Taking Out the Thwack - The issue of "Thwack", or pushing your sound card into digital overdrive/overload, has been discussed in many forums over the last few years. The problem is that when transistors are pushed or overloaded with voltage/sound output they produce a square wave. The result of a square wave to our ear is a brittle sound.
- Using the Band-in-a-Box® Stylemaker Part 1 - In this tutorial, we will endeavor to give you an overview of how Band-in-a-Box® uses styles to generate Songs.
- Using the Band-in-a-Box® Stylemaker Part 2 - A continuation of part 1, including some more advanced topics.
- Making Custom Audio Loops With Band-in-a-Box® - If you are looking for unique new loops why not turn to Band-in-a-Box® for some creative assistance? One of the great benefits of Band-in-a-Box® is that it comes packed with the genuine licks, riffs and patterns that are played by top musicians of all kinds. The huge repertoire of styles includes Rock, Pop, Techno, Jazz, Fusion, Blues, Country, Bluegrass, Gospel, Classical, Ethnic, Praise and Worship - the list goes on and on.
- Band-in-a-Box® vs. PowerTracks Pro Audio - The Peanuts, or the Raisins? Learn about the key differences between Band-in-a-Box® and PowerTracks Pro Audio here.
- Using SBLive! SoundFonts - The SoundBlaster Live uses a sample format known as 'SoundFonts.' The card itself only comes with a few General MIDI (GM) SoundFont Banks. However, SoundFonts are user definable. This means that you can create new SoundFonts to dramatically enhance the quality of your MIDI sounds.
- IRQ's and Windows 95/98/NT - IRQ conflicts occur when more than one device tries to access the IRQ controller at the same time, using the same IRQ number.
- Using Multiple MIDI Output Devices on Windows 95/98 - Many of our Windows users have questions regarding MIDI driver setup: "How do I get the drums to play out of my Alesis drum machine?" "I like the upper bank sounds from my Awe32, but I prefer the piano patch from the Roland SCC1. How can I get them to play back at the same time?" The answers to these problems lies in the elusive MIDI MAPPER.
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News and Notes
December 20, 2024
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Windows® Today!
If you’ve already purchased Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Windows®, great news—a new update is now available! This update introduces a handy new feature: a vertical cursor...
December 18, 2024
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Windows®: Boot Camp: The AI Lyrics Generator
With Band-in-a-Box 2025® for Windows®, we've introduced an exciting new feature: the AI Lyrics Generator! In this video, Tobin guides you step-by-step on how to...
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