Sales FAQ:
PowerTracks Pro Audio

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Last updated:  Wednesday, 26 June 2024

1. What is PowerTracks Pro Audio?
2. How can I order PowerTracks Pro Audio?
3. Do you have a PowerTracks Pro Audio demo?
4. What new features are there in the latest version of PowerTracks Pro Audio?
5. What is the difference between PowerTracks Pro Audio, the PowerTracks Pro Audio PowerPAK and the PowerTracks Pro Audio MultiPAK? What are the MultiTracks?
6. What are the differences between RealBand, Band-in-a-Box, and PowerTracks Pro Audio?
7. Is it true that you offer a 30-day money back guarantee on your products?
8. What are the recommended system requirements for PowerTracks Pro Audio?
9. Do you offer technical support after I purchase the program?
10. What shipping methods do you offer? Is there a download-only option?
11. Do I need to be a musician to use your products?
12. Why is the price of your products so low?
13. Are your prices in US dollars?
14. Do you offer special academic pricing for school systems?
15. Is it safe to use a credit card over the internet?
16. How can I register my software?
17. I placed an order, but didn't receive an email confirmation.
18. Can I purchase a complete User's Guide for PowerTracks Pro Audio?
19. What types of files does PowerTracks Pro Audio save as?
20. Do any of your products convert audio files to midi?
21. I just placed an order, but I am unable to download the software. What should I do?
22. When I try to install the program I get a message that the "setup files are corrupted".

1. What is PowerTracks Pro Audio?

PowerTracks Pro Audio is a professional, fully featured, 48 track digital audio and MIDI sequencer for Windows. This program allows you to assemble music layer by layer and track by track using MIDI or digital audio, or a combination of the two.

2. How can I order PowerTracks Pro Audio?

There are several ways to order from PG Music Inc.

Place your order online using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, UnionPay, or PayPal. After you place your order, you will receive an email with your link to the download page for your purchase.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact one of our customer service representatives by email at sales@pgmusic.com, via our Live Online Chat, or by phone at 250-475-2874 (direct), 1-800-268-6272 or 1-888-PGMUSIC (toll-free in the USA and Canada), or 800-4746-8742* (toll-free outside of the USA and Canada).*Where Universal International Freephone service is available. View International Access Codes.

3. Do you have a PowerTracks Pro Audio demo?

We don't have a demo program available for download currently, however we do have a 30 day money-back guarantee. You can watch some video demos here.

4. What new features are there in the latest version of PowerTracks Pro Audio?

With each version upgrade, we add many great new features.

PowerTracks Pro Audio 2023 offers great new features and enhancements, including MIDI Vocoder and Fix Tuning modes for Audio Harmonies, MicroChords (up to 4 chords per beat), Reverse Audio Effects, easy Tab key navigation on the Chords window, smoother mouse wheel operation on the Tracks window, and much more!

Learn more about all of the new features in PowerTracks Pro Audio 2023!

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2022, we added the ability to install multiple plugins from a folder at one time, improved Audio Chord Wizard detection routines, the ability to record mixer movement for the masters/subgroups, a new Transpose/Stretch All Tracks dialog lets you transpose/stretch/reduce all tracks and then conveniently save to a new file, there's new settings to save selected tracks only and exclude muted tracks when saving all tracks to individual files, an option to save all tracks to a compressed format, and much more!

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2021, we added 64-bit support! PowerTracks now supports 64-bit VST/VSTi and 64-bit DX/DXi plugins without needing to use jbridge. 4X's faster audio DSP processing (using SIMD), allowing smoother playback & faster rendering for a larger number of tracks, and much more.

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2020, we added a new audio scrub button in the Audio Edit window that lets you click and drag to hear a section of audio, there's a new audio harmony feature that uses élastique, and the latest version 3.3.0 of Élastique and 1.04 of Harmony from zplane.de is included, allowing for enhanced stretching and audio harmony. Drum notation can now be saved to Music XML, Hammer-on, pull-off, and slide will now be saved to MusicXML, you can now open .mxl (a compressed format) and .musicxml files, in addition to .xml files, and more!

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2019, we added Drum Notation Support, enhanced the Notation Window, updated the support within the Event List Window, applied Tracks Window Enhancements, an updated look with a new toolbar background color and icon set, and much more!

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2018, we added Windows Audio (WASAPI) driver support, ABC Notation format support, 12/8, 9/8, and 6/8 time signature support in the Notation Window, Guitar and Big Piano Window enhancements, an updated Audio Chord Wizard, and much more!

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2017, Music XML (notation export/import) has been enhanced. We've worked with Finale, GuitarPro, and Sibelius to enhance features and compatibility with Music XML. We've added support for time-based VSTi plugin, and Pitch shifting and tempo stretching has been greatly enhanced with the integration of the newest version of the world-leading Elastique 3.

For PowerTracks Pro Audio 2016, we added the ability to Load and save MusicXML files, render a track as an ACID Loop and export it to BB Loops folder, save the Chords Window as video. Also, snapshots of the VU input meter on the main toolbar are now displayed in the Tracks Window while audio is being recorded, Gain Nodes are added, and much more.

For version 2015, we added Load and Play Videos. Now you can load videos that you have already downloaded from YouTube or elsewhere into the PowerTracks Video Window. The audio is extracted from the video to the audio track, and you can slow down video and audio to help with learning and transcription, with Hi-Quality audio preserved at extreme tempo slowdowns. There is direct support for 64-bit VST plugins using jBridge. Since PowerTracks has built-in support for jBridge, you just use your plugins as you normally would, by selecting 32- or 64-bit plugins within PowerTracks. (JBridge is a third party product.). Live Transpose for audio tracks, with Hi-Quality transpose in semitones and cents. Slow down and transpose any audio on the fly. And much more.

For version 2014, we reorganized the user interface for easier and more intuitive use. The toolbar buttons are arranged in groups according to function. New Node-based automation is now available to automate your mixes with precise volume cuts, boosts, and fades on any track. The Tracks Window now lets you resize track heights individually by dragging the border with the mouse. Vocal Synth support automatically generates synthetic vocal tracks from a MIDI track that contains lyrics.

For version 2013, we made looping easier with the new Ctrl-Space Bar command, the Event List has been improved, it's easier to save files to a favorite folder, and to add part markers in the Chords window. You can import WAV files directly from the Tracks window popup menu without going into the Audio menu, and there's added support for audio formats like .MP3, .MP4, M4A, and .WMA files, including Jukebox play. You can add multiple songs at a time to the Jukebox play list and stop and start Jukebox playback with new hot keys when you're in the Jukebox window, or with the space bar when you're out of the Jukebox window.

Version 2012 added 30 new features including many GUI enhancements, a video help button, new hot key commands, custom colors, FX and Solo buttons for individual track strips, additional buttons for custom Bar Settings, new options to save a highlighted region or an entire track as a WAV, WMA, MP4, or M4A file, improved RealDrums arrangements, easier tempo changes, improved audio stretching, and much more.

Version 2011 brought with it big improvements to the sound of the audio tracks with a new élastique Pro V2 time stretching and pitch transposition engine so that they sound more natural over a much (3x) wider range of tempos. There are new MIDI and audio transpose options for key signature changes, replacing the previous Yes/No dialog for MIDI transpose. Tempo changes are easier too, with improved audio time stretching from the new élastique Pro V2 time stretching and pitch transposition engine.

In Version 2010, we added a Conductor mode with over 80 functions, giving you full control over live performances; a Plug-in mode to drag n' drop files to another sequencer/DAW or to Windows Explorer; Audio Chord Wizard enhancements; and automatic tempo mapping for MIDI performances recorded in free-time.

5. What is the difference between PowerTracks Pro Audio, the PowerTracks Pro Audio PowerPAK and the PowerTracks Pro Audio MultiPAK? What are the MultiTracks?

All PowerTracks purchases include the latest version of PowerTracks. The PowerTracks Pro Audio package also includes RealDrums Sets 1-3. The PowerTracks PowerPAK adds RealDrums Sets 1-10; the PowerTracks MultiPAK includes all our RealDrums Sets 1-29, as well as MultiTracks Volume 1&2.

Each MultiTracks volume contains 30 original jazz, blues, and rock songs recorded by top studio musicians. The songs are provided in "multi-track" audio format, so when you open them with PowerTracks, you will see each instrument on a separate track.

6. What are the differences between RealBand, Band-in-a-Box, and PowerTracks Pro Audio?

Band-in-a-Box is an intelligent automatic accompaniment and arranging program, which means that you can go from nothing to complete song arrangements in as little as a few seconds. Simply enter chords to a song, choose a style of music, and Band-in-a-Box generates a full band arrangement complete with Bass, Piano, Drums, Guitar, Strings, and more.

Band-in-a-Box can generate MIDI tracks, which are played through a MIDI synthesizer and displayed in notation, and it can also generate RealTracks and RealDrums, which are intelligently compiled from audio recordings of musicians playing real instruments.

Band-in-a-Box has many other amazing intelligent features such as automatic Harmonies, Ear training modules, the Soloist (which generates professional quality solos over any chord progression), and the Melodist (which can create entire original songs from scratch with Chords, Melodies, Intros, and Solos).

PowerTracks Pro Audio is a professional, fully featured, 48 track digital audio and MIDI sequencer. This program allows you to assemble music layer by layer and track by track using MIDI or digital audio, or a combination of the two. Unlike Band-in-a-Box, PowerTracks Pro Audio does not generate any music for you. Instead, it gives you complete control and flexibility to record, edit, mix, and master your music.

You can start from "scratch", recording your MIDI tracks or step-inputting them, and recording digital audio tracks. Or you can work from existing audio and MIDI files that you have imported into the program for further processing. Many people have used Band-in-a-Box in conjunction with PowerTracks, by exporting songs from Band-in-a-Box as MIDI or wave files then importing these files into PowerTracks.

RealBand combines many of the features from PowerTracks Pro Audio and Band-in-a-Box into an all-in-one sequencing program with automatic accompaniment.

As with Band-in-a-Box, you can type in chords to a song, choose a style of music, and it will generate a complete band arrangement that can include MIDI tracks, RealTracks, and RealDrums. Band-in-a-Box and RealBand are compatible with all the same song and style formats, so any style that you use in Band-in-a-Box can also be used in RealBand. Unlike Band-in-a-Box, RealBand does not have many of the additional "intelligent" features, such as the Soloist, Melodist, Harmonist, Vocal Harmonizer, Chord Substitution Wizard, and automatic Melody Embellisher. Developing song ideas and using the program as a educational or practice tool are easier to do and more suited to Band-in-a-Box.

As with PowerTracks, you have complete control over recording and editing your music track by track, as well as mixing and mastering using full-featured Tracks and Mixer Windows. You can 'freeze' your "BB" (Band-in-a-Box) generated tracks then fine-tune them, you can re-generate each track individually or re-generate a range of bars. You can layer as many additional MIDI or audio tracks as you want. You can assign any combination of DX/VST effects to individual tracks, aux busses, or the main output. You can assign different DXi/VSTi synthesizers to individual MIDI tracks. You can merge all your tracks to a single stereo wave file or compressed audio format and burn an audio CD. And you can do ALL of this without ever leaving RealBand!

The latest versions of both Band-in-a-Box and RealBand are included in any Band-in-a-Box first-time purchase or upgrade!

Here is a comparison of some of the features in Band-in-a-Box, RealBand, and PowerTracks Pro Audio.

Feature description	Band-in-a-Box	RealBand	PowerTracks
Intelligent Automatic arrangements using BB (Band-in-a-Box) styles			x
Re-generate a specific range of bars of a BB track			na
Re-generate one "BB" track at a time.			na
"Freeze" and edit BB generated tracks, save your edits.			na
RealTracks support			x
RealDrums support
MIDI recording and editing	19 tracks	48 tracks	48 tracks
Multi-track digital Audio recording and editing	1 track only, basic editing
Load and play MGU and SGU (Band-in-a-Box song) files			x
DXi and VSTi support
Includes Coyote WaveTable DXi synth			x
Multiple DXi/VSTi synths can be used a single song	x
14 PG DirectX audio effects included
TC Helicon audio/vocal harmonizer		only if you have PowerTracks
Audio Chord Wizard (chords from MP3)
On-screen Guitar and Piano
Powerful and full-featured multi-track Mixer Window	x
Full featured Tracks Window with track overview panels	x
Notation and Lead Sheet windows
Automatic Melody and Solo harmonization		x	x
Soloist (Auto-generate original solos)		x	x
Melodist (Auto-generate original chords, melodies, and complete songs)		x	x
Re-harmonist (Auto-create a chord progression for your melody)		x	x
Automatic Melody embellisher		x	x
StyleMaker		x	x
Hybrid Style Wizard		x	x
Ear Training module and educational music arcade games		x	x
Automatic Soundtrack generator		x	x
Chord Substitution Wizard		x	x
Big lyrics window
Graphical MIDI "Piano Roll" editing window
Merge song to stereo wave file and burn a CD
Display song forms using repeats and 1st/2nd endings		x	x
Practice Window for learning and practicing your instrument		x	x
Software Guitar Tuner
Guitarist (Auto-create original guitar chord solos)		x	x

7. Is it true that you offer a 30-day money back guarantee on your products?

Yes! We offer an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee on all products purchased directly from us. If for any reason you decide that the product is not for you, we will refund you the purchase price of the item.

8. What are the recommended system requirements for PowerTracks Pro Audio?

To get the best performance from PowerTracks Pro Audio, you will want a fairly up-to-date computer. PowerTracks Pro Audio runs on Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10/11 (32 or 64-bit) (Windows 10/11 recommended for best performance), and requires a Pentium class (or better) processor, a minimum of 128MB of available RAM, and 75MB hard disk space minimum, plus about 100MB per RealDrums Set. Digital audio recording requires more hard disk space, about 10MB per minute of recording.

9. Do you offer technical support after I purchase the program?

Yes. We offer extensive technical support for all PG Music Inc. products. All technical support is free and unlimited for registered customers. You can e-mail us, use our Live Online Chat, or phone us toll-free (from most countries). Please visit our Support Page for more details and contact information.

10. What shipping methods do you offer? Is there a download-only option?

We offer download only (electronic delivery) for PowerTracks Pro Audio packages.

11. Do I need to be a musician to use your products?

No! Our products can be used by anyone, regardless of their musical ability. Although we have many satisfied customers who are professional or amateur musicians and educators, you don't have to be a musician to use or enjoy our products.

12. Why is the price of your products so low?

Peter Gannon, the president and founder of PG Music Inc., states that he set out "..to create software that I would want to purchase and use myself." To this end, we strive to create quality software that is affordable and fun to use, while performing at a professional level. One of our goals is to give you, the customer, more than you ever expected when you purchased the program.

13. Are your prices in US dollars?

Yes, all of our prices are shown in US dollars.

14. Do you offer special academic pricing for school systems?

There are Site License and LabPAK purchase options available to schools and other educational institutions who are interested in purchasing 5 or more copies of Band-in-a-Box for one location (like a computer or music lab). We also offer custom pricing for school-wide, district-wide, and even state, provincial, or national licensing. For more information please visit the Educators Page or contact marketing@pgmusic.com.

At this time, we do not offer an academic/educational discount on individual purchases of our software.

15. Is it safe to use a credit card over the internet?

Every modern browser comes with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption technology. This allows information that you pass to our servers to be encrypted during transmission, without you having to set up anything special. We also have installed a digital security certificate on our servers, which certifies that we are who we say we are when you're connected.

16. How can I register my software?

We have an Online Registration Form. Note: If you purchased your software directly from us, you are automatically registered.

17. I placed an order, but didn't receive an email confirmation.

The email confirmation is sent out the moment your order is processed. First, check your email program's "spam" or "junk" folder; the email could have been sent there. If not, you may have entered an incorrect email address into the order form, or (rarely) your ISP has blocked the email. Please contact us if you can't find the email.

18. Can I purchase a complete User's Guide for PowerTracks Pro Audio?

A complete PDF version of the manual is included with the program.

19. What types of files does PowerTracks Pro Audio save as?

PowerTracks Pro Audio saves songs in its proprietary format (.SEQ), which includes both Audio and MIDI data, as well as mixer settings, text comments, and other information about your song. You can also save songs as Type 0 or Type 1 Standard MIDI Files (.MID), Karaoke files (.KAR), .WAV files, and a variety of compressed audio files, such as .MP3. You can import any of the file types above into the program.

20. Do any of your products convert audio files to midi?

PowerTracks Pro Audio comes equipped with a Pitch to MIDI conversion tool, and this will convert monophonic .wav files into MIDI. A trumpet, saxophone, or single human voice would be a good candidate for this type of process, whereas a guitar chord (multiple notes) would not. For polyphonic audio files (more than one instrument) the technology needed to convert an audio file to MIDI note-for-note is not available. However, the latest versions of both Band-in-a-Box and PowerTracks do include the Audio Chord Wizard, which will automatically figure out the chords from any MP3, WAV, or WMA (Windows Media) audio file and display them!

21. I just placed an order, but I am unable to download the software. What should I do?

All PG Music software is available for immediate download.

After placing your order, you will receive your order confirmation email. This email contains the link(s) to access your Downloads page, and the Band-in-a-Box Serial Number if you ordered a Band-in-a-Box package.

Click on the link(s) in your order confirmation email to go directly to your Downloads page for each product. If the Install Manager is available for the product, there will be a link to download it at the top of your download page list. Complete instructions and troubleshooting tips for the Install Manager ("One-click installer") are available:

• Tutorial for Windows
• Tutorial for Mac

Or, watch the "One-click Install" video:

• Video: Using the One-click Installer on Windows
• Video: Using the One-click Installer on Mac

If you have created an account on pgmusic.com, you can also access your downloads by logging into your account and clicking the "My Products" page. This page lists all your recently purchased serial numbers and downloads. If you do not see your recently purchased product on your My Products page, it may not have been connected with that account. This could happen if you used a different email address when you ordered, or were not logged into the account. Contact us if you need help with this.

If you did not get an order confirmation email:

• You may have typed in the wrong email address when you placed the order. If so, please contact us to correct this and we can resend the email.
• Your email program may have a utility that filters out possible junk emails and puts them in a separate mailbox. Check to see if you have a 'Spam' or 'Junk' folder, for example.

Additional product download troubleshooting and tips

• The Install Manager will only work for orders placed on March 2021 or later. For any order (including orders placed prior to that), you can still access the downloads on your 'My Products' page by logging into your account at www.pgmusic.com/account.
• Files can either be downloaded using the "Install Manager" or via individual download links. On the download page, check the box "Show all downloads", and this will allow you to download the individual installer files using your web browser. For the large Band-in-a-Box packages that consist of many installers, the Install Manager should normally be used since it greatly simplifies the download and install process.
• If when you click on a link, you get a 404 page, error message, "page cannot be displayed", or something similar (but other web pages work fine for you), the problem is likely at our end. Please contact us ASAP so that we can fix this.
• Download speed varies considerably based on many factors including your available bandwidth, geographical location, our server load, time of day, and more. If you are downloading a large Band-in-a-Box package like the UltraPAK, the download could take anywhere from a couple of hours to over a day. If the connection speed is MUCH slower than what you expect (based on your measured connection speed - e.g. search 'internet speed test') you may want to wait and try again later, or contact us if the problem persists. Sometimes slow downloads are beyond our control, such as if there is a malfunctioning router somewhere between you and our servers.
• For individual downloads, troubleshoot by trying a different web browser to make sure it isn't a browser specific problem (e.g. old cached file).
• If you get an error message such as "not a valid Win32 application", "there is no program associated with this file", or "setup files are corrupted" when trying to run a downloaded installer, this typically means that the file is corrupt due to your internet connection being interrupted partway through the download. Remove the file from your hard drive and download it again.
• Security software (Anti-virus, firewalls) can sometimes interfere with installs. Symptoms might include the file being 'quarantined' or blocked when you try to run it. These are typically 'false positives'. Please contact us to report the problem. On Windows, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen will often block old installers (2019 and earlier) by default, and you need to allow them to 'run anyways'. On Mac, you might get a message such as "file cannot be checked for malicious software" on older installer packages that are not notarized. You can still install the file by control+clicking on it and clicking Open.
• If you are having trouble with a Band-in-a-Box download and would like have the physical copy shipped, or you are having a problem not covered here, please contact us for further assistance.

22. When I try to install the program I get a message that the "setup files are corrupted".

This normally occurs with downloaded programs. This error may occur when double-clicking on an installer that was downloaded from our site. It means that the setup file is the wrong size or the file failed a CRC (cyclic redundancy check). Most likely something went wrong when you were downloading the file, for example your internet connection may have been lost. Delete the file that you downloaded and try the download again. Note that your browser may have cached the old (corrupt) file, so to be sure, before downloading the file again delete your internet browser's cache. Then, right-click on the download link and select Save As. If the download seems to happen very fast the second time, that's an indication that it's still the old file.