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Chapter 3: Band-in-a-Box 2019

Overview of New Features

.We’ve been busy and added 64 new features and an amazing collection of new content, including 202 RealTracks (double the 101 that we’ve often released in the past), new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Low Man” and Re-amped “12-Key” Metal/Thrash Electric Guitar RealTracks, RealDrums transcriptions, Xtra Styles PAKs 6 & 7, and more!
We have Bonus PAKs with 40 RealTracks in addition to the 202 new RealTracks, so in total an amazing 242 new RealTracks are available!
The Bonus PAKs also include 12 new MIDI SuperTracks, two new Instrumental Studies Sets with “Train Beat” and “Country-Pop” guitar riffs, 10 “Low Man” and Re-amped “12-Key” Metal/Thrash Electric Guitar RealTracks, 12 MIDI SuperTracks, “Look Ma! More MIDI!” - 30 MIDI Styles, 21 RealDrums transcriptions, and 18 Artist Performances.
In addition, there are over 140 new RealStyles that use the new RealTracks.  These include great Americana, Vocals (low voice mmms), new Blues Horn sections, and more!  Plus, we’ve made a new Xtra Styles PAK 6 (released December 2018) with 162 Xtra styles and Xtra Styles PAK 7 (released September 2019) with 164 Xtra styles.  (Xtra styles are styles based on previously released RealTracks.)

Band-in-a-Box 2019 Features and Additions

There are many exciting new features in Band-in-a-Box 2019!  First off is our brand-new 64-bit version of Band-in-a-Box, which works well with the latest plugins and 64-bit OS features!  We’ve also made and include a 64-bit VST/AU/AAX Plugin of Band-in-a-Box, which you can use inside your favorite DAW (GarageBand, Logic, Reaper, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Ableton, PreSonus, etc.) to generate styles, RealTracks, RealDrums, Multi-Riffs, etc.  There’s a completely redesigned SongPicker, which shows information for up to 50,000 songs and has useful filter and search features including search by chord progression and/or melodic phrase.  We’ve added advanced filters to help you with searches for RealTracks, RealDrums, and MIDI SuperTracks.  These include search by feel, time signature, tempo, RealCharts, and more.  You can now control the loudness of each RealTrack in the medley.  Notation enhancements include drum notation, drums RealCharts (transcriptions of some of the RealDrums), quick entry of forced accidentals, and more.  We’ve added 300 more song titles to the Song Titles Browser.  The Melodist now uses RealStyles to generate chords and melodies.  Audio Harmonies are enhanced with BB-Harmony engine providing sophisticated harmonies with passing tones to your audio track.  And much more.

Additional New Content Available for Band-in-a-Box 2019

- 202 RealTracks
- 6 MIDI SuperTracks
- 120 Instrumental Studies
- 15 All-MIDI Styles
- 21 RealDrums Transcriptions
- 2019 Bonus 49-PAK
- Xtra Styles PAK 7
- Xtra Styles PAK 6

202 RealTracks with great new Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Funk, Country and World styles.

• 60 Jazz, Blues, Funk & Latin RealTracks
  The Jazz, Blues, Funk & Latin collection this year contains an amazing assortment of legendary musicians.  We’ve added more Drums and Percussion from the amazing Alex Acuña, well known as the drummer for Weather Report and many other seminal fusion groups.  With this collection, along with the master guitarist Ramon Stagnaro, there are Brazilian Bossa & Samba styles (10) as well as many more Latin American styles (11) with RealTracks “firsts” such as the “Bajo Sexto,” a Mexican stringed instrument.  This set also features the requested “RumbaFlamenca” styles.  We also have new Modern Funk RealTracks (10) from some of New York’s most exciting musicians.  Guitarists Bob Lanzetti, Mark Lettieri, drummer Sput Searight, and percussionist Keita Ogawa are all part of some of the most exciting funk and world music projects coming out of New York and are now RealTracks artists.  There are new “Fiery” Harmonica Soloists (5) from LD Miller, who won first runner up on the first season of “America’s Got Talent” with his amazing harmonica performances.  We also have amazing new Blues Rhythm and Soloist Guitars (4) from the amazing Sol Philcox, as well as new Funky Acoustic Guitar (3) styles from Colin Linden and Joe Robinson.  There are also new Djembe & other percussion styles (7), from Keita Ogawa, Tango styles (4), and Modern Jazz Waltz Drums (2).  To top it off, we’ve added to our collection of Horn Section styles with some great, growly Blues Horns (4)!
  
  
• 70 Pop, Rock & World RealTracks
  We have some amazing new pop, rock, and world styles with Band-in-a-Box 2019.  The perennial favorite Brent Mason has recorded some beautiful new pop soloists on both Electric and Acoustic Guitar (8).  We also have wonderfully spacey “Cinematic” Electric Guitar (4) from Darin Favorite, as well as beautiful new 12-string and 6-string “Campfire” Acoustic Folk styles (16), and Rock & Grunge Acoustic Guitar (4) from Quinn Bachand.  In addition to this, we have Pop-Rock Pedal Steel (4) with a modern edge from the Nashville great Eddy Dunlap, “Southern Pop” Drums (4) from Land Richards, and a set of laid-back singer-songwriter guitar and piano (6).  To round off the “world music” side of things, we’ve added new Klezmer (12) accordion, guitar, bass, and drum styles as well as “A Taste of Europe” set of accordion and guitar (4).  These feature world champion accordionist Cory Pesaturo.  We also have a set with upright bass playing basic pop styles, as well as pop accordion (8), which are all very useful in a wide variety of styles.
  
  
• 72 Country, Americana & Celtic RealTracks
  With Band-in-a-Box 2019, we’re introducing an amazing new RealTracks guitar artist, Johnny Hiland!  Johnny is a Nashville legend known for his blistering fast “Chicken Pickin’” soloing style, and we have three soloist styles that we’re proud to present in our “Chicken Pickin’” (3) with Johnny Hiland!  We’ve also expanded our collection of “Americana” RealTracks, with new keyboards (4) from a CMA winner Mike Rojas, resonator guitars (6) from Eddy Dunlap, nylon and electric guitars (6) from Brent Mason, acoustic bass (1) from Byron House, drums and percussion (6) from Bryan Owings, fiddles (2), mandolins (6), and another RealTracks first: 5-string fiddle (5) and mandola (5) from Andy Leftwich!  We’ve added to our collection of Celtic styles with another RealTracks first: amazing Celtic cellos (9) by Natalie Haas, which includes options both for the common “Celtic Chopping” technique, as well as styles that utilize long, flowing lines.  Also, on the Celtic front we have new 12-string, and nylon guitar styles (6) from Quinn Bachand, which utilize another RealTracks first: “DADGAD-Guitar tuning”.  There’s also a set of Celtic soloists (8), so you can have an improvised solo over your chord progression in the styles of a Celtic jig, reel, or hornpipe.  And for the icing on the cake, we’ve added a new background vocal RealTracks style with Gospel “Mmms” Vocals (5), which includes options that utilize four doubled voices, or combinations of the individual voices!

MIDI SuperTracks Set 28: Pop Basses (6 MIDI SuperTracks)

With MIDI SuperTracks Sets 28, we’ve added 6 new MIDI SuperTracks to our collection.  In the past we’ve had jazz bass MIDI SuperTracks, but for the first time we’ve added pop bass styles (6), perfect for acoustic or electric patches.  And, since they’re MIDI, you can pick ANY patch you like, for example, a really cool synth bass!  Or, you could go with a classic electric bass or upright acoustic!

Instrumental Studies 7: Brent Mason 12-key Country Pop Guitar Licks

Instrumental Studies 7 features specially curated licks and riffs performed by legendary Nashville guitarist Brent Mason, with amazing country pop lick that work great over many different genres and many different progressions.  These licks are presented in a way that makes it great for learning, with these short riffs looping, making them perfect for practice. And, the chord progressions behind the lick changes with each loop, giving you great insight into DIFFERENT ways these licks can be used.

MIDI Styles Set “Look Ma! More MIDI 1” (15 styles)

This year we have included a special treat for MIDI fans in the free Bonus PAK - 15 new all-MIDI styles!  These styles are a mix of classic MIDI tracks and MIDI SuperTracks, and do not include any RealTracks or RealDrums. We’ve included styles from the pop and rock genres.  These styles have all been mixed to sound great with the built in MIDI Synths but can be tweaked by you to match your custom sound bank perfectly.

21 RealDrums Transcriptions

21 RealDrums now have drum notation, which can be viewed by filtering “RealDrums with RealCharts” in the RealDrums Picker.

Our “2019 Bonus 49-PAK” contains great additional content!

• 40 Unreleased RealTracks
  There are 40 amazing bonus RealTracks available with our 2019 49-PAK!  This includes more great Latin and Funk RealTracks & RealDrums (15) with amazing drummers & percussionists Alex Acuña, Sput Searight, and Keita Ogawa, as well as a bassist Alex Al and a guitarist Bob Lanzetti!  There are also many bonus Americana styles, with even more mandola and 5-string fiddle (4) as well as amazing baritone electric guitar (6) from RealTracks favorite Brent Mason, and drums by Bryan Owings (1).  There are also many more Celtic guitar styles, including DADGAD-tuning acoustic guitars (2), nylon & 12-string guitars (4), and the beautiful “Celtic Songwriter” styles (2).  In addition, we have “Cinematic Metal” guitar styles (2) from Nashville stalwart Darin Favorite, and “Mountain 16ths” (4) with Mandola, 5-string fiddle, and acoustic guitar from Andy Leftwich and Quinn Bachand.
  
  
• MIDI SuperTracks Set 29: More Organ, Piano & Accordion (6 MIDI SuperTracks)
  With MIDI SuperTracks Sets 29, we’ve added 6 new MIDI SuperTracks to our collection.  This features some beautifully played keyboards (4) by Nashville great Mike Rojas, great with our existing Americana styles, but also great with a wide variety of Band-in-a-Box styles.  There are also new European accordion styles (2) performed by the award-winning virtuoso Cory Pesaturo.
  
  
• 10 “Low Man” and Re-amped “12-Key” Metal/Thrash Electric Guitar RealTracks
  We’re pleased to present 10 new “Re-amped” and “12-key” RealTracks of our most popular metal/thrash guitar styles.  These hard rock and metal guitar styles draw on our previous RealTracks material but have been “re-amped” with exciting new guitar tones, and each RealTrack has material in all 12 keys, so the audio does not need to be pitch shifted, meaning the result will always be pristine distorted guitar tones.  This includes slow “thrash” styles, both rhythm and soloists playing metal over a wide tempo range, as well as “Low Man” styles, which emulate the popular method of tuning down the guitar 4-6 semitones to get a wonderful growly low tone.
  
  
• MIDI Styles Set “Look Ma! More MIDI 2” (15 styles)
  These 15 additional all-MIDI styles are a mix of classic MIDI tracks and MIDI SuperTracks from the jazz and country genres.  These have all been mixed to sound great with the built in MIDI Synths, but they can be tweaked by you to match your custom sound bank perfectly.
  
  
• Artist Performance Set 9: Celtic Flute with Geoff Kelly
  Artist Performance Set 9 features 18 traditional Celtic tunes performance by the Vancouver-based flautist and Pennywhistle player Geoff Kelly.  Geoff is a founding member of the legendary Canadian band, Spirit of the West, and also performs with the Irish Rovers and many other musicians and groups.  In this set, Geoff performs traditional tunes with Celtic RealTracks backing him up, in many cases this includes the new Celtic RealTracks released with Band-in-a-Box 2019.  There are also several tracks where Geoff duets with previous Artist Performance musician Daniel Lapp on fiddle.
  
  
• Instrumental Studies 8: Brent Mason 12-key Train-Beat Guitar Licks
  Get ready for some amazing Country Train-Beat licks with Instrumental Studies 8!  This set features 120 licks (10 in each key) presented in a way that’s great for learning!  The idea is that each of these 120 licks is presented in a separate Band-in-a-Box file, with the same lick repeated over a variety of chord changes.  This gives you great insight into different ways these licks can be used.  And, you can slow them down to learn, and speed them up as you get better at them!

We also have new products available as add-ons, and for use with Band-in-a-Box 2019.  Note: These items are sold separately and not included with Band-in-a-Box package or Bonus PAK.

Xtra Styles PAK 7 (Released September 2019)

164 amazing new RealStyles await you in Xtra Styles PAK 7!  We've dreamed up some great new arrangements for your songwriting, production, and teaching needs in four volumes: Jazz 7, Country 7, Rock/Pop 7, and Americana 2.  Check out some of these fully-produced styles like atmospheric folk, Western swing chicken pickin’, dreamy Southern rock, smooth jazz with world percussion, Brazilian samba, acoustic grunge, and ’90s R&B.  We've even included two great new MultiStyles that use up to eight substyles!  Do yourself a favor and take home this comprehensive and imaginative collection of styles today!

• Americana 2: The second offering of Americana Xtra styles explores the American roots of blues, country, and folk genres in 35 new RealStyles.  The result is a collection of fresh arrangements that are inspired by - but not limited to - the traditions of American music.  You will be treated to ethereal and atmospheric folk arrangements, emotional fingerpicking ballads, acoustic-heavy blues ensembles, engaging folk rock bands, and so much more!  If you want a collection of musical styles that borrows from the past and looks to the future, look no further than Xtra Styles PAK 7: Americana 2!
  
  
• Country 7: For the seventh volume of country Xtra styles, we've taken country music from every generation and turned it on its head to create a new spin on something familiar.  This manifests in musical styles such as country rock with fretless bass, modern and mellow waltzes, Western swing chicken pickin’, dreamy Southern rock, and more!  If you're looking for something more conventional, do not fear.  We also have some great country chicken pickin’ RealStyles and an amazing cowboy campfire MultiStyle that has eight substyles in total!  There are 43 new country RealStyles included. Don't miss out on the unprecedented collection of country sounds included in Xtra Styles PAK 7: Country 7!
  
  
• Jazz 7: Xtra Styles PAK 7: Jazz 7 offers 43 new RealStyles including a number of unique rhythms that have never been used in our previous jazz styles.  For example, we have styles with traditional Brazilian percussion, even-eighth pop jazz grooves, jazz funk fusion with syncopated modern funk drums, smooth jazz with world percussion, and more!  We have even included a great Brazilian samba MultiStyle that includes a total of six substyles!  A number of world music styles and rhythms have influenced our arrangements in this must-have volume of jazz RealStyles!
  
  
• Rock-Pop 7: We continue to bring you the latest and greatest pop and rock trends in Xtra Styles PAK 7: Rock-Pop 7 with 43 new RealStyles!  That's not the whole story though.  We've included so many other styles, like 12-string classic rock, ’90s R&B piano ballad, hip hop beats, and retro funk with clav.  Take a trip back to the end of the twentieth century with candle-lit acoustic grunge or get people on the dance floor with modern funk pop.  Whatever your rock and pop music needs, there is something to please everyone in Xtra Styles PAK 7: Rock-Pop 7!

Xtra Styles PAK 6 (Released December 2018)

Xtra Styles PAK 6 is here with over 162 great new RealStyles that combine our existing RealTracks in new and creative ways!  We have new volumes for jazz, country, and pop/rock, as well as an amazing assortment of traditional folk and jazz styles.  There are also five new MultiStyles available, with at least one in each genre PAK.  Each of these MultiStyles includes 6 substyles so you can create more diversity within your arrangements.  Styles include Americana-inspired country folk, Latin fusion with nylon guitar, skiffle, jazz swing with harp, modern pop and rock chart-toppers, hard rock, zydeco, and multiple European folk styles.  Don’t miss out on this comprehensive library of fully-produced RealStyles!

• Country 6: Country Xtra Styles 6 brings you 42 amazing new RealStyles that cover the entire country spectrum.  You will find anything from dramatic ballads to Americana-inspired country folk and even modern country rock.  And to top it off, we’ve also included two MultiStyles that both include six substyles!  One is a fretless electric bass ballad with pedal steel and the other is a fast rockabilly swing style.  Classic or modern, subdued or in-your-face, Country Xtra Styles 6 is a comprehensive collection of country styles that will help you compose or give your old songs new life!
  
  
• Jazz 6: Add variety to your jazz RealStyles collection with 43 great new RealStyles in Jazz Xtra Styles 6.  Mellow jazz with 3-part vocals, Latin fusion styles with background nylon guitar, classic skiffle, and medium jazz swing with harp are all things that can be found in the latest installment of Xtra jazz styles.  But it doesn’t end there because we’ve also included a six-substyle bossa MultiStyle for your enjoyment!  Jazz Xtra Styles 6 takes some of your favorites and adds a little twist for something familiar yet refreshing.  Get it today!
  
  
• Pop/Rock 6: We’re back at it again with 42 new pop and rock styles in Pop Xtra Styles 6!  Some of these styles are based on the latest trends in pop, alternative, hip-hop, and rock music while others are creative takes on classic music styles.  This installment has an “xtra” dose of rock ‘n’ roll and a generous helping of Americana-inspired folk music.  We’ve even included a six-substyle pep-squad pop MultiStyle.  Are you excited to hear the latest and greatest sounds in pop and rock music?  Then check out Pop Xtra Styles 6!
  
  
• Traditional Folk & Jazz 1: Traditional Folk and Jazz Xtra Styles 1 will bring you the beautiful acoustic sound of yesteryear with 35 new RealStyles.  Many kinds of traditional folk music are explored, including Canadian, Italian, French, Irish, and Gypsy folk music.  As for jazz, we’ve included some Gypsy jazz and stride-piano styles as well.  We’ve even thrown in a six-part zydeco MultiStyle with accordion!  Don’t forget the sounds of yesterday - pick up this lovely collection of traditional folk and jazz styles now!

Xtra Styles PAK 5 (Released July 2018) - 160 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and MIDI Styles.

Xtra Styles PAK 4 (Released November 2017) - 150 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Folk & Beyond.

Xtra Styles PAK 3 (Released June 2017) - 160 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Americana.

Xtra Styles PAK 2 (Released December 2016) - 161 RealStyles for Jazz, Country, Rock-Pop, and Bluegrass & World.

Xtra Styles PAK 1 (Released August 2016) - 164 RealStyles for Jazz, Country, Rock-Pop, and Singer/Songwriter.

Summary of New Features

We’ve added over 64 new features to Band-in-a-Box 2019, including...

Band-in-a-Box 64-bit version for Mac^®

There is a new 64-bit version of Band-in-a-Box.  This has the newest features of Band-in-a-Box 2019 and is a modern 64-bit audio app.  This means it can use the latest audio drivers and plugins that are designed for the 64-bit audio engine on your Mac^® OS.

Band-in-a-Box VST/AU/AAX DAW Plugin

The Band-in-a-Box VST/AU/AAX DAW Plugin is separate from the Band-in-a-Box application and works directly inside your DAW (GarageBand, Logic, Reaper, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Ableton, PreSonus, etc.).  The Plugin uses the content (RealTracks, styles, etc.) present in your Band-in-a-Box folder to generate audio or MIDI racks that you can drag/drop from the Plugin into your DAW.  (There is a separate documentation for the plugin, including videos, on our website.  https://www.pgmusic.com/support.bbmplugin.htm)

The Plugin also has the Multi-Riffs feature, which generates 7 different tracks using the same RealTracks.  Each of the 7 tracks generated will be the same RealTracks, but play different variations. For example, if you are creating an 8-bar guitar solo, it will generate 7 different guitar solos, allowing you as a producer to select the best parts to choose to use in your song.  Check out the Band-in-a-Box 2019 full features video for a demo of this feature at time 17m:10s: https://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbmac.htm

New!  USB 3.0... Speed Thrills!

The UltraPAK and UltraPAK+ are now pre-installed and ready to use on super-speed USB 3.0 hard drives!  Faster hard drive transfer rates will enhance the program operations (faster time to generate tracks, reduced audio artifacts) and offer faster transfer speeds (typically up to 3x faster).  Also available as a ~120 GB download.

SongPicker Redesigned with many Great Features

• The completely redesigned window shows information for up to 50,000 songs
• The song list build is much faster.  Approximately 150 songs get added per second.
• There is a progress bar.  This will appear if the song list build is taking more than 3 seconds.
• You can see the chord progression for the selected song in the list.  It can be copied and pasted to a text file.
• Many filters are available.  You can filter the list by subfolders, genre, feel, time signature, style, songs with melody, soloist, lyrics, key signature, tempo range, and the year of file dates.
• You can search songs that have similar chord progressions and/or melody fragments.

Advanced Filter to Search for RealTracks, RealDrums, and MIDI SuperTracks

A useful filter [#] button has been added in RealTracks Picker, RealDrums Picker, Best RealTracks, and MIDI SuperTracks Picker dialogs.  It allows you to quickly filter the list by many elements including type (soloist/background/chording), feel (even/swing, 8th/16th), time signature, artists, and more.

StylePicker Enhancements

• If the style list needs rebuild, it tells you that within the StylePicker instead of a message that requires a response.
• The rebuild is faster than before by 75%.  It takes 1/4 of the time now.
• While the style list is being rebuilt, you can see the progress inside the StylePicker.
• The style list can be filtered by a specific RealTracks/RealDrums/MIDI SuperTracks or RealTracks/MIDI SuperTracks in a certain number range.
• Each style now has a genre “intensity” score and you can filter the style list by a certain score range.
• You can filter the style list by a specific Xtra Styles set.
• The dialog to select an Xtra Styles set has a button to take you to the PG Music website that shows information about Xtra Styles sets.
• The StylePicker can list all styles (including N/A styles) in the default display.
• The Set number display is improved, including sort by type and Xtra Styles.

Drum Notation Support

• All the MIDI Drums have drum notation.  Play the MIDI Drums and open the Notation window.  Then, select the Drums track and you will see drum notation.
• Drum notation can be entered by a user on the Melody/Soloist track.

RealDrums Transcription (RealChart)

Some RealDrums have drum notation.  Currently, 21 RealDrums can show drum notation, and you can find them with the [#] filter button in the RealDrums Picker.

RealTracks Medley Enhancement

You can now control the loudness of each RealTrack in the medley.

Audio Harmonies Feature Enhancement

The feature now uses BB-Harmony engine when you select the N voices above and M voices below.

Song Titles Browser Enhancements

• We’ve added 300 more song titles including requests from users, so there are now over 10,600 titles.
• The chord density filter is available.  You can also filter the list by chord complexity.
• The memo area displays chord density and complexity for the selected title.

Melodist uses RealStyles

The Melodist uses RealTracks styles instead of MIDI styles to generate songs.

More Extreme Transpositions on some RealTracks

All the “Low Man” and “Re-amped” 12-key metal/thrash electric guitar RealTracks support this feature.

Notation Enhancements

• Notation is much clearer, not jagged, on retina screens.
• Clicking close to a stave line will put a note on the stave line instead of between stave lines.  Previously, you had to click extremely close to a stave line to insert a note on it.
• In the Notation Window Options dialog, the clefs split point asterisk indicates that C5* is middle C.
• The clefs split point can be set by the spin controls.
• You can quickly enter forced accidentals from the right-click menu.
• A new track type (Drums) is available for the Melody and Soloist tracks.
• Holding down the control key and pressing the zoom in/out buttons results in finest possible incremental adjustment in size.
• There’s a keystroke entry mode, which lets you enter a melody entirely using keystrokes.  The keystrokes are N to enter a note, up/down cursor to change its pitch, M to enter an additional note a third above, and left/right cursor to move the time line.
• A new button in the Print Options dialog lets you quickly print a “chords only” fake sheet. You can also access this from the right-click menu on the Chord Sheet.

Hotkeys Added

• Typing a time signature (4/4, 3/4, 2/4, or 1/4) enters it in the current bar.  0/4 clears the time signature from the current bar.
• Style load functions - 11 hotkeys added.  s1<return> opens the StylePicker, s3<return> opens the Song Titles Brower, etc.
• Song load functions - 13 hotkeys added.  ss<return> opens the SongPicker, ss2<return> opens the Recently Played Songs, etc.
• RealTracks - 6 hotkeys added.  rt< return> opens the RealTracks Picker, rt2<return> opens the RealTracks Settings, etc.
• RealDrums - 4 hotkeys added.  rd<return> opens the RealDrums Picker, rd2<return> opens the RealDrums Settings, and rd3<return> opens the RealDrums QuickList.
• Loops - rl <return> opens the Pick a Loop dialog.

Other Features

• The latest version of Plogue Sforzando (1.952 / 64-bit) is included.
• Fewer flash messages appear at a time.
• The élastique engine has been improved and updated to 3.2.9 / 64-bit.
• The Audio Harmony engine has been improved to version 1.4 / 64-bit.
• Maj chords will play more accurate with longer phrases.

And more!

Introduction to Band-in-a-Box 2019

Let’s take a closer look at the great new features in Band-in-a-Box 2019!

Band-in-a-Box 64-bit version for Mac

There is a new 64-bit version of Band-in-a-Box.  This has the newest features of Band-in-a-Box 2019 and is a modern 64-bit audio app.  This means it can use the latest audio drivers and plugins that are designed for the 64-bit audio engine on your Mac OS.

You can tell that the 64-bit version is running by the startup screen or the About Band-in-a-Box dialog (Help | About Band-in-a-Box).

Band-in-a-Box VST/AU/AAX DAW Plugin

The Band-in-a-Box VST/AU/AAX DAW Plugin is separate from the Band-in-a-Box application and works directly inside your DAW GarageBand, Logic, Reaper, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Ableton, PreSonus, etc.). The Plugin uses the content (RealTracks, styles, etc.) present in your Band-in-a-Box folder to generate audio or MIDI tracks that you can drag/drop from the Plugin into your DAW.
(There is a separate documentation for the plugin, including videos, on our website.  https://www.pgmusic.com/support.bbmplugin.htm)

The Plugin also has the Multi-Riffs feature, which generates 7 different tracks using the same RealTracks.  Each of the 7 tracks generated will be the same RealTracks, but play different variations. For example, if you are creating an 8-bar guitar solo, it will generate 7 different guitar solos, allowing you as a producer to select the best parts to choose to use in your song.  
Tip: Check out the Band-in-a-Box 2019 full features video for a demo of this feature at time 17m:10s: https://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbmac.htm

New! USB 3.0... Speed Thrills!

The UltraPAK and UltraPAK+ are now pre-installed and ready to use on super-speed USB 3.0 hard drives! Faster hard drive transfer rates will enhance the program operations (faster time to generate tracks, reduced audio artifacts) and offer faster transfer speeds (typically up to 3x faster). Also available as a ~120 GB download.

SongPicker Redesigned with many Great Features

The SongPicker has been completely redesigned.  It shows information for up to 50,000 songs.  There are many filter features for finding songs.  You can also search songs that have similar chord progressions or melody fragments.

	On the large toolbar, press the the large [Song] button.
		On the small toolbar, press the a small button of two notes.

This will launch the SongPicker.

The SongPicker will show songs in Band-in-a-Box/MySongs,which is your “home” folder.  This is an empty folder but is used for you to put any songs.

  You need to press the [Rebuild] button to build the song list for this folder.

If the song list build is taking more than 3 seconds, you will see the progress at the top of the window.

If you want to see the song list in other folders, press the [Change] button.  You will see some menu options to choose folders.  There is also an option to always open the home folder.

You can change the width of any column in the list by dragging the boundary.  This customization will be remembered between sessions.

Title - This is the title of the song.
SubFolder - If the folder has subfolders, they will show here.
File - This is the file name of the song.
Melody - A  letter “M” indicates that the song has the Melody track.  A blank column means that the Melody track is empty.
Soloist - A letter “S” tells you that the Soloist track is present.  If the column is blank, the Soloist track is empty.
Lyrics - If the song has note-based lyrics, a letter “L” will show in this column.
Key - This is the key of the song.
TimeSig - The number shown is the numerator of the time signature, so “4” means the song is in 4/4 time and “3” means it is in 3/4 time.
Tempo - The tempo of the song displays.
Genre - This tells you the genre of the song.
Feel - The feel (even/swing, 8th/16th) will show in this column.
Form - This shows you the song form.   For example, if 1-32*3 is shown, the chorus starts at the bar 1 and ends at the bar 32, and there are 3 choruses in the song.
Date - The file was last modified in this year/month.

In the area below the song list, you can see the chord progression of the currently highlighted song.

You can copy and paste it into a text file.

The song list can be filtered st in many ways.

Type in any text, and the filtered list will show songs that contains the text in any field.

The “Subfolders” button allows you to filter the list by a certain subfolder of the current folder.

You can use “Genre/Feel” button to filter the list by genre, feel (even/swing, 8th/16th), or time signature.

The “Chords/Melody” button allows you to filter the list by a chord progression and/or a melody fragment.

The “Other” button is to filter the list by a certain style, songs with melody/soloist/lyrics, certain keys, tempo range, or file dates from certain years.

The Songs with Custom Chord Progression item in the “Chords/Melody” filter menu helps you find songs that contain a chord progression that you specify.

When the Custom Chord Progression Match dialog opens, type in a chord progression using a vertical line for a bar line.  (e.g. Dm7 | G7 | C |)

If you want to find the progression that is relative to the key of C (i.e. Dm7 is IIm7), then you should enable the “Only match if relative to this key” checkbox and set the key to C.
This function will always find the progressions in every key; for example, it will find | Am7 | D7 | G.

The Songs with Chord progression matching current song item in the “Chords/Melody” filter menu will help you find songs that has a similar chord progression in the selected range of the current song.

In the Song Chord Match dialog, specify the range by entering the start bar number and the number of bars.  When you press the [Update] button, the chord progression in that range will display.

With the Songs matching melody bar range item in the “Chords/Melody” filter menu, you can find songs with a similar melody fragment in the selected range of the current song.

When the Song Melody Match dialog opens, select the source track (Melody or Soloist), and specify the range.

If you want to find songs with a similar chord progression and a melody fragment in the selected range of the current song, select the Songs matching Chords and melody bar range menu item.

In the Song Chords and Melody Match dialog, select the source track (Melody or Soloist) and specify the range.

There are more buttons in the SongPicker for opening and finding songs.

The [Open] button closes the SongPicker and allows you to load any song from the standard Open Song dialog.
Press the [Recent] button to close the SongPicker and show the list of recently played songs.
The [Fav] button exits the SongPicker and allows you to select a song from the list of your favorite songs.
The [Search] button allows you to find a song that contains a certain text in any field. You can continue the same search with the [G] button.
Press the [Rebuild] button to rebuild the song list for the current folder.  The song list build very fast; approximately 150 songs will be processed per second.
The [Action Menu] button allows you to select additional options.
You can reset the dialog with the [Defaults] button.

Advanced Filter to Search for RealTracks, RealDrums, and MIDI SuperTracks

A useful filter [#] button has been added in RealTracks Picker, RealDrums Picker, Best RealTracks, and MIDI SuperTracks Picker dialogs.

It allows you to filter the list by many elements including:

• type (soloist/background/chording)
• feel (even/swing, 8th/16th)
• time signature
• RealTracks/MST numbers in range
• set numbers in range
• tempos in range
• direct input available (guitar recorded with no effects)
• simpler versions
• RealCharts (transcriptions available)
• “Hi-Q” high quality notation available (for guitar and tab)
• recorded in all 12-keys
• video RealTracks available
• main genre of the music
• RealTracks/MST artist

The filter [#] button in the RealDrums Picker works like the one in the RealTracks Picker.  It includes a drums specific option, which can filter by RealDrums transcriptions (notation).

StylePicker Enhancements

The StylePicker has been enhanced with many great features.

If the style list needs rebuild, it tells you this inside the StylePicker instead of a message that requires a response.

While the style list is being rebuilt, you can see the progress inside the StylePicker.  Previously, the progress was shown in the yellow flash messages at the bottom right of the screen.  Now, in addition to that, it will be shown in the progress bar at the top of the StylePicker.  Moreover, the rebuild is faster than before by 75%.  It takes 1/4 of the time now.

The style list can be filtered by a specific RealTracks/RealDrums/MIDI SuperTracks or RealTracks/MIDI SuperTracks in a certain number range.  To use this feature, press the [Other] filter button in the StylePicker.  If you want to find styles that use RealTracks #362, for example, select Styles that contain a specific RealTracks or MIDI SuperTracks from the menu.

When the dialog opens, select 362 and press OK.

The list will be filtered to show styles that contains RealTracks #362.

Each style now has a genre “intensity” and you can filter the style list by a certain score range with the [Other] button menu.

You can also filter the list by a specific Xtra Styles set.  Press the [Other] filter button and select Show Xtra Styles Set Only from the menu.

This will open the Choose Xtra Styles Set for Filter dialog.

The [More Info] button will take you to the PG Music website that shows information about the Xtra Styles sets.
Select from the list and press OK.  The StylePicker will then list styles that are included in the selected Xtra Styles set.

The StylePicker can list all styles (including N/A styles) in the default display. Previously, you could see all styles including N/A styles by enabling Show ALL Styles including N/A (not found) Styles in the [Other] filter button menu, but pressing the [Clear] button reset the list to show only available styles. Now, with a new option, you can see all styles including N/A ones even when all filters are cleared.  To use this feature, press the [Action] button and select Set Dialog Options.  Then, In the StylePicker Options dialog, enable the Default display should include all styles (available and N/A not available) option.

 

Drum Notation Support

All the MIDI Drums have drum notation.  Play the MIDI Drums and open the Notation window.  Then, select the Drums track and you will see drum notation.

In the clef area, you will see a guide telling you what drum notes are used in that line of notation (e.g. Kick, Snare, HiHat).

The drum notation shows on the Notation window, Lead Sheet window, and printout.

For the Melody or Soloist track, you need to set the track type to “Drums” either in the Notation Window Options dialog or with the menu command Melody (or Soloist) | Track Type.

RealDrums Transcription (RealChart)

Some RealDrums have drum notation.  Currently, 21 RealDrums can show drum notation, and you can find them with the [#] filter button in the RealDrums Picker.

Here is a list of 21 RealDrums with drum notation.

AmericanaRoots16th^ FunkRock^ FunkHalfNotePulse FunkHalfNotePulseTambo BluesRockEv^ BluesRockShuffle^ JazzTerryClarke^

NashPopBallad^ NashBrushBalDbKEv16^ NashClassicWaltzSw^ NashCrossovrSw16^ NashTrainEv16^ NashvilleBrushesClassicShuffle NashvilleBrushesBalladPushEv16

Nashville128^ Nashville68^ NashvilleShuffle^ Nashville2Beat^ NashvilleEven16^ NashvilleEven8^ NashvilleOutlaw^

  If the RealDrums has drum notation, a small green underline will be added to the Drums track button at the top of the screen.

RealTracks Medley Enhancement

You can now control the loudness of each RealTrack in the medley.  To do this, press the [Medley] button in the RealTracks Picker to open the Create a Medley of different RealTracks dialog, and enter a dB offset value for each RealTrack.

Audio Harmonies Feature Enhancement

The audio harmonies feature that was introduced last year now uses BB-Harmony engine when you select the N voices above and M voices below.
After you record an audio (e.g. vocal, sax, etc.), you can create harmonies by opening the Audio Edit window and selecting Harmonize from the [Edit] button menu.

The Audio Harmony dialog now has the option to use sophisticated Band-in-a-Box harmonies by just choosing the number of voices above and below the recording.  It also has options to double the voice (unison) and transpose down/up octave.  For example, after you have recorded your sax playing, select 4 harmony voices, make 3 voices above, and make one of them an octave below.  You will then get a 5-part sax section harmony.

Song Titles Browser Enhancement

We’ve added 300 more song titles including requests from users, so there are now over 10,600 titles.  (Note: Song titles provide tempo and style information, not the chords or melody to the songs.)

The chord density filter is available.  For example, you can search titles that have chord changes in every 1-4 beats.  Press the [Other] filter button and select one of the menu items below Filter by Chord Density.

You can also filter the list by chord complexity.  This is scaled by 1 to 10; 1 means simple with few chord changes and 10 means complex with many chord changes.  Press the [Other] filter button and select one of the menu items below Filter by Chord Changes.

The memo area displays chord density and complexity for the selected title.

Melodist uses RealStyles

The Melodist now uses RealStyles instead of MIDI styles to generate songs.  This feature is enabled by the new “Use RealStyles” checkbox and you can also choose a different RealStyle by pressing the [Choose (2)] button.

If you prefer MIDI styles, you can uncheck “Use Real Styles.”

More Extreme Transpositions on some RealTracks

All the “Low Man” and “Re-amped” 12-key metal/thrash electric guitar RealTracks support this feature.

Notation Enhancements

Notation is much clearer, not jagged, on retina screens.

The right-click menu in the Editable or Staff Roll mode Notation window has an option to change the current beat resolution.  Previously, the only way to do this was to right-click on the time line.

Clicking close to a stave line will put a note on the stave line instead of between stave lines.  Previously, you had to click extremely close to a stave line to insert a note on it.

previously:

now:

In the Notation Windows Options dialog, the clefs split point asterisk indicates that C5* is middle C.

The clefs split point can be set by the spin controls.

You can quickly enter forced accidentals from the right-click menu.  Previously, you could only enter them from the Note Edit dialog.

A new track type (Drums) is available for the Melody and Soloist tracks.  To see the Melody (or Soloist) track in drum notation, set the Melody (or Soloist) track type to drums with the option in the Notation Window Options dialog or with the menu Melody (or Soloist) | Track Type.

When the track type is set to Drums, you can enter drum notation to the track.  Right-click on the Editable or Staff Roll mode Notation window and use the Insert (or change) Drum Note menu item.  For drum notes shown on the left in the drum guide (e.g. China, Splash, Crash2, etc.), you can also click on the corresponding vertical position of the drum note you want.

Holding down the control key and pressing the zoom in/out buttons results in finest possible incremental adjustment in size.

There’s a keystroke entry mode, which lets you enter a melody entirely using keystrokes.  The keystrokes are N to enter a note, up/down cursor to change its pitch, M to enter an additional note a third abive, and left/right cursor to move the time line.

	Hit the N key to enter a note at the current time line.
	While the note is highlighted, use the up/down cursor keys to change its pitch.
	If you want to add a note a third above the existing note on the current time line, hit the M key.
	Use the right/left cursor keys to move the time line.

A new button in the Print Options dialog lets you quickly print a “chords only” fake sheet.

You can also access this from the right-click menu on the Chord Sheet.

Hotkeys Added

Hotkeys have been> added to set the time signature for the current bar.  Just type a time signature (4/4, 3/4, 2/4, or 1/4), and it will be entered to the current bar.  Typing 0/4 clears the time signature from the current bar.

11 hotkeys have been added for loading styles.

s<Enter>	Opens the StylePicker.
s1<Enter>	Opens the StylePicker.
s2<Enter>	Shows the Best RealStyles list.
s3<Enter>	Opens the Song Titles Brower.
s4<Enter>	Opens the Recently Played Styles dialog.
s5<Enter>	Opens the Favorite Styles dialog.
s6<Enter>	Loads a style from the disc.
s7<Enter>	Loads the previous style (alphabetical).
s8<Enter>	Loads the next style (alphabetical).
s9<Enter>	Loads the song demo for the current style.
s10<Enter>	Plays the audio demo for the current style.

13 hotkeys have been added for loading songs.

ss<Enter>	Opens the SongPicker.
ss1<Enter>	Opens the SongPicker.
ss2<Enter>	Opens the Recently Played Songs dialog.
ss3<Enter>	Opens the Favorite Songs dialog.
ss4<Enter>	Opens a song from the disc.
ss5<Enter>	Opens the SongPicker.
ss7<Enter>	Opens the previous song (alphabetical).
ss8<Enter>	Opens the next song (alphabetical).
ss9<Enter>	Opens a MIDI file.
ss10<Enter>	Opens an audio file.
ss12<Enter>	Opens the song demo for the current style.
ss13<Enter>	Opens a Karaoke file.
ss14<Enter>	Launches the Audio Chord Wizard.

6 hotkeys have been added for RealTracks.

rt<Enter>	Opens the RealTracks Picker.
rt1<Enter>	Opens the RealTracks Picker.
rt2<Enter>	Opens the RealTracks Settings dialog.
rt3<Enter>	Opens the Select Best All RealTracks dialog.
rt4<Enter>	Opens the Select Best Chording RealTracks dialog.
rt5<Enter>	Opens the Select Best Soloist RealTracks dialog.

4 hotkeys have been added for RealDrums.

rd<Enter>	Opens the RealDrums Picker.
rd1<Enter>	Opens the RealDrums Picker.
rd2<Enter>	Opens the RealDrums Settings dialog.
rd3<Enter>	Opens the RealDrums QuickList dialog.

A hotkey has been added to open the Pick a Loop dialog.  Press rl<Enter>.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this introduction to Band-in-a-Box 2019!

Have Fun!