Chapter 3: GuickStart Tutorial

Let’s take a close look at the great new features in Band-in-a-Box 2025!

BB Stem Splitter

This amazing tool separates an audio file containing multiple instruments into individual tracks - bass, drums, guitars/piano, vocals, and residual sounds. These tracks are then added separately to your song, allowing you to generate Band-in-a-Box tracks to play along with. Using advanced AI and machine learning techniques, this process, also known as “audio source separation,” offers greater flexibility and creative control in music production. For example, you can import vocals from your favorite singer and rearrange the backing tracks in Band-in-a-Box to create a unique, personalized mix.

The stem tracks can be added to either the current song or a new song. To add them to the current song, go to File | Import | Import Using Stem Splitter or Audio | Import Using Stem Splitter. Alternatively, press S T E M S Enter on your keyboard. To add them to a new song, go to File | Open Special | Open Using Stem Splitter.

First select a file by typing its directory or pressing the [Choose] button at the top of the dialog. The file should be an audio file (MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV, WMA, etc.) or a video file (.MP4). If you want to split the existing audio on the Audio track, press the [Use Existing Audio Track] button

You can choose to process the entire song or just a portion using the Amount to Process dropdown. Since creating the stems can take some time (usually 10-30 seconds for a full song), you may want to select a smaller section for previewing the results.

In the Stems to Include area, you can choose which stems to add to your song. Typically, you'll want to include all the individual tracks as well as the master track, but if you want to include only certain tracks, you can customize your selection here.

Master is the original audio file.
Bass is the bass part of the song.
Drums contains drums or percussions.
Guitar/Piano contains the rhythm section instruments like guitars, keyboards, strings, etc.
Vocals contains all vocals including harmonies. The vocals won't be separated from each other and will be loaded onto a single track.
Residual is optional and may be nearly silent or contain faint, non-instrument sounds. When all stems including the residual are imported, the result should sound identical to the original audio file.

The File Options area allows you to select additional options.

With the Create New Song checkbox, you can choose to add the stems to either a new song or the current song.
Check the Disable Style option if you don't want the Band-in-a-Box style tracks generated when you play the song, allowing you to hear only the stem tracks.
The Destination track (first) dropdown allows you to select the destination track for the first stem. The rest will be placed on the next tracks.
The text entered in the Track labels prefix field will be used for the track names for generated stems.
If you enable the Preserve WAV files option, WAV files for each track will be saved in the same folder as the original audio file. The audio .WAV is always 16 bit 44.1 KHz.

When you are ready, press the [OK - Generate Stems] button. For a full 3-minute song, the process may take 10-45 seconds to complete. The routines use multiple CPU cores, so it will be faster on fast machines with higher performance and more cores.

Once the stems are generated, they will be added to your song and will appear in the Mixer.

You'll see a Master track, which is the original audio file, unchanged. Normally, you want to mute this track because you will be hearing the same thing on individual tracks. It is set to mute (red) by default.

Now you can play these tracks as a group, remix them, or mute/solo any individual track. The possibilities for creative fun are endless!

To play these tracks in sync with the Band-in-a-Box style tracks, simply set the song to the same tempo as the source file. This ensures perfect timing and seamless integration. It's more likely that the source file has various tempos. In this case you should open the Audio Chord Wizard (Audio | Audio Chord Wizard), mark the bar lines, and let it figure out the chords of the song. Once the song is synced and the chords are entered, you can select RealTracks, MIDI SuperTracks, Loops, etc. or change a style to play along with any or all of your tracks.

When you save the song with a name like MySong.sgu, stem tracks will be saved with names of MySong followed by the track name and a .wav extension (e.g., MySong #1.wav). If the source file is saved as Sunshine.mp3 in C:\songs and you choose to preserve the .wav files, the stem tracks will be saved as .wav files (16 bit, 44.1KHz) in the same folder (C:\songs) with the names like Sunshine-bass.wav, Sunshine-drums.wav, etc.

In addition to the Stem Splitter, there is also a Stem Splitter Player. While it offers similar functionality, this window allows you to play the stem tracks without triggering the Band-in-a-Box style tracks to play. To open it, go to File | Open Special | Open Stem Splitter Player or Audio | Open Stem Splitter Player

The Stem Splitter Player offers additional features, including a dedicated library of previously stemmed songs, allowing you to easily retrieve and play them at any time. Enjoy exploring and having fun with the Stem Splitter Player!

VST3 Support

Band-in-a-Box now supports VST3 plugins, allowing you to use them alongside VST2 and DXi plugins for MIDI or audio tracks.

To use VST3 plugins, open the Mixer and click on the [Plugins] tab. Then, select the track you want to apply the plugin to, and right-click on the slot where you want to use the plugin. Normally, it’s the first slot unless you’re adding multiple plugins to the track. From the menu, select Choose VST3 Plugin from the menu.

This will open the VST3 Selector window. When you first open this window, the plugin list will be empty, and it will ask you to scan for VST3 plugins. Answer “Yes” to begin the scan. Once the scan is complete, you will have a list of VST3 plugins to choose from.

The plugin list is displayed with columns, and clicking on a column heading allows you to sort by name, format, category, manufacturer, or version number.

The [Options] button provides functions such as adding a scan directory, removing the selected VST3 plugin, showing the folder of the selected VST3 plugin, and more.

You can press the [Rescan] button any time you have new or updated plugins.

To load a VST3 plugin, double-click on it in the list or by press the [Choose] button.

Here is the VST3 of Sforzando loaded. Now you can use the VST3 plugin just like other plugin types such as VST2 or DXi.

If you want to remove the loaded VST3 plugin from the track, right-click on it in the Mixer and choose Remove Plugin from the menu.

AI Lyrics Generator

Band-in-a-Box has many more AI features, including creative songwriting functions that suggest or generate themes, styles, titles, and even entire song ideas. It also offers customized AI lyrics generation, allowing you to create lyrics from scratch, generate the next line, or experiment with rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, related words, or alliterations. You can enhance your existing lyrics by adding vivid imagery, emotion, richer vocabulary, or more natural phrasing. The AI Lyrics Generator consolidates all these features, allowing you to easily tailor your lyrics to fit your song. With six lyric modes - Word Suggestions, Inspiration, Songwriting, Improvements, Full Song, and Custom - you can refine your lyrics in numerous ways.

To access these features, go to the menu Edit | Lyrics | Open AI Lyrics Window or press the A I L Enter keys.

AI Lyrics Mode: There are six modes to choose from.

1. Word/Phrase Suggestions: Find rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, related words, or alliterations for a specific word or phrase.
2. Songwriting Assistant: Chat with the AI assistant to help develop your song idea.
3. Inspiration: Generate song themes, titles, or even entire song ideas, complete with examples.
4. Lyrics Improvement: Refine, rewrite, extend, or add to your lyrics.
5. Full Song Lyrics: Generate complete song lyrics matching a specific form (e.g., AABA), the number of lines per section, and other details.
6. Custom: Ask the AI anything and have fun exploring creative ideas!

Mode 1 - Word/Phrase Suggestions: Find rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, related words/phrase, or alliterations for a specific word or phrase.

This mode lets you input a word or phrase and find rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, related words/phrases, or alliterations. You can enter a word or phrase by typing it directly or by selecting text from other memo controls, such as the scratchpad.

If you have a song idea with a specific theme, genre, or lyrics, enter them in the "Common Elements" section. This will ensure that the rhymes, synonyms, and other suggestions are tailored to fit your song.

Mode 2 - Songwriting Assistant: Chat with the AI assistant to help develop your song idea.

Simply start the conversation with something like, "Let's get started" or share your idea, such as "I want to write a country song about hard work and blue-collar life." Alternatively, you can start by asking for themes suggestions, choose one, and the generate lyrics based on that theme.

Mode 3 - Inspiration: Generate song themes, titles, or even entire song ideas, complete with examples.

The Complete Song Idea function generates lyrics for an entire song, incorporating any information you provide, including details from the "Common Elements" section. At the end of the suggested lyrics, you'll see style suggestions to use in Band-in-a-Box. Click on the [Styles] tab of the MultiPicker Library and type the suggested styles (e.g., Traditional Country, Americana, Southern Rock) into the text filter area to find them.

The Themes function provides various song themes based on any ideas you input. For example, you could suggest a theme like "Driving my truck back home" and the AI will generate a variety of related themes or topic, such as:
- Wide open roads and endless skies
- Nostalgic memories of home
- The comfort of familiar places
- Chasing sunsets on the highway
- The feeling of freedom behind the wheel
- Songs played loud on the radio
- Reconnecting with roots and family
- Journey through small towns and fields
- The thrill of the open road
- Reflection on life while driving

The Titles function generates song titles that align with your desired theme or genre.

Mode 4 - Lyric Improvements: Refine, rewrite, extend, or add to your lyrics.

In this mode, you can enhance your lyrics in the following ways:
- Refining phrasing for a more natural flow, vivid imagery, richer vocabulary, and deeper emotion
- Suggesting the next line to complement your lyrics
- Rewriting the lyrics for a fresh perspective
- Expanding the lyrics to develop the theme further

As with other modes, any information entered in the "Common Elements" section will help tailor the response to your specific settings.

Mode 5 - Full Song Lyrics: Generate complete song lyrics matching a specific form (e.g., AABA), the number of lines per section, and other details.

This mode generates a complete song of lyrics that match the form and number of bars for each section you specify. For example, if each line of lyrics represents two bars of music, then 4 lines of lyrics would equal 8 bars. So, if you want a 32-bar song with 8-bar sections, select a form like AABA, set 4 lines per section, and choose the number of words per line.

Mode 6 - Custom: Ask the AI anything and have fun exploring creative ideas!

You can ask anything in any wording you prefer. For example, you might ask "What are the notes of an F9 chord?"

The Common Elements section applies to all lyric modes. It allows you to optionally provide information about your song, such as its theme, genre, language, lyric fragments, and creativity level.

There is a User Scratch Pad where you can save your ideas. This space is for your use only, allowing you to copy and paste your thoughts or AI-generated suggestions so you won't lose them. The contents of this pad will be saved to the current song.

MIDI Patch Picker

There’s a new one-stop MIDI Patch Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches (instrument sounds) to choose from, all categorized by GM numbers

To open it, press the F7 key, and then press the [Patches] tab.

There's a track selector that allows you to confirm or change the current track. Your selection from the patch list will be applied to this track.

You will see a complete list of MIDI patches, and you can search for a patch by name or filter the list by Instruments, Types, GM, Hi-Q, Playable RealTracks, Drums, and/or SynthMaster.

You can hear a pre-made demo of the selected patch by pressing the [Demo] button. The [+] button provides options to enable internet-based demo playback, loop the demo, and adjust its volume.

The [Favs] button will show a menu of favorite GM patches that are set in the Favorite Instruments dialog (Options | Preferences | [Favorite Patch]).

Press the [Apply] button to assign the selected patch to the current track. To assign the patch to the current track and play the song, press the [Generate] button.

MultiPicker Library Enhanced

The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with new tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and all tabs are logically organized.

There is an option to open the MultiPicker Library instead of modal dialogs for the pickers and AI/Assistant features.

When opened, the window will automatically return to the last tab you were viewing.

Press the F7 key to open the MultiPicker Library, and click on the tab to access each feature.

The [Songs] tab opens the SongPicker, which displays information for all songs in a specific folder, including title, key, time signature, genre, form, and more.

The [Titles] tab opens the Song Titles Browser. It shows basic information for over 21,000 popular songs. Select a song, and it will find styles that match the tempo, key, feel, and other characteristics of the selected song.

The [Chords] tab is for the Chord Builderr, which has sub-tabs for Progression Builder and Chord Picker.

Feature Browser Updated

The Feature Browser has been updated to include the new features for 2025. Press the / Enter keys to open the window, and click on the [New to 2025] button to see the new features.

…and more!

Thank you for taking time to read this introduction to Band-in-a-Box 2025!