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Chapter 2: Summary of New Features

We’ve added 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 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.  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 the existing note, 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!