Band-in-a-Box^® for Mac DAW Plugin New Features

New Features in Version 6.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2024)
New Features in Version 5.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2023)
New Features in Version 4.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2022)
New Features in Version 3.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2021)

New Features in Version 6.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2024)

The Band-in-a-Box VST DAW Plugin has over 20 new features including near instant playback direct from disk, to audition various styles without creating WAV files. You can now load chords from MIDI files. There's support for Shots/Rest/Holds on Utility tracks, and more! For Reaper® DAW users, the Plugin has added built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box files to/from Reaper tracks, including tiny lossless files of instructions which play audio instantly from disk.

Instant Playback in StylePicker
The StylePicker can now let you audition styles with the current song, without rendering tracks. Select a style in the StylePicker, and press the green play button. You will instantly hear the song played with the selected style.

Rendering in StylePicker
You can now render tracks in the StylePicker. Press the new [Render Tracks] button in the StylePicker, select track types (WAV files, WAV master, RealCharts, MIDI files, MIDI master, etc.) with the checkboxes or the preset buttons, and press the [Render Tracks Now] button. The Plugin will then render the tracks.

Load Chords from MIDI File
Go to File - Load Chords from MIDI File, and select a MIDI file. The Plugin will use Band-in-a-Box chord recognition functions to process the MIDI file and write the chords to the Chord Sheet.

Shots, Rests and Holds for Utility Tracks
Rests, shots, and holds now work for the Utility tracks. And if you want to exclude the Utility tracks from rests, shots, and holds, you can use u1 to u16 for Utility #1 to Utility #16. For example, if you type C.u1, all tracks except the Utility #1 track will rest.
You can also use the Chord Builder to exclude the Utility tracks from rests, shots, and holds.

Reload some or all of the previously used RealDrum stems
We've added the ability to store stems in the recently used RealDrums list. This lets you easily reload some or all the stems of a RealDrum that you have previously used.

Generate Staggered Tracks
The plugin is now capable of generating staggered tracks. This means you can now cmd-select tracks 1, 3, and 5 and right-click to generate just those tracks.

StylePicker GUI Improvement
The [Actions] button is renamed to [Options] and it's now located above the list.
The [Rebuild] and [Add-ons] buttons are also moved to above the list.
The green button to play the audio demo is renamed to [Demo] and it's now located above the list.
There is a [+] (demo options) button that shows a menu to set demo options.
The [Load Demo Song] button is removed. You can now use the [+] button to load a demo song for the current style.
There is an option in the [+] button menu to play the song, not the audio demo, when double-clicking on a style.
The buttons for controlling audio demo volume, allowing loop playback of demos, and opening the folder of the demo are removed. You can now use the [+] button to control these functions.
A text box and [+] [-] buttons to change the tempo of the song preview are added.
The Stop button stops both the song preview and the audio demo.
The size of the memo box changes as the StylePicker window size changes.

Reaper Panel (***Special new feature for Reaper users only***)
For Reaper users, the Plugin has added built-in specific support for the Reaper DAW API allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box files to/from Reaper tracks, including tiny lossless files of instructions which play audio instantly from disk.
When you run the Plugin from Reaper, there is a panel to set the following options.
- BB Track(s) to send: This allows you to select the Plugin tracks that will be sent Reaper.
- Destination Reaper Track: This lets you select the destination Reaper track to receive media content from the Plugin.
- At Bar: You can select a bar in Reaper where the Plugin tracks should be placed.
- Start Below Selected Track: This allows you to place the Plugin tracks below the destination Reaper track.
- Overwrite Reaper Track: You can overwrite previous content on the destination Reaper track.
- Move to Project Folder: With this option, you can move the Plugin tracks to the Reaper project folder.
- Send Reaper Instructions Enable this option to send the Reaper Instructions instead of rendering audio tracks, which is faster.
- Render Audio & Instructions: Enable this option to generate audio files and the Reaper instructions.
- Send Tracks After Generating: This allows the Plugin to automatically send tracks to Reaper after generating.
- Send Audio for MIDI Track: Enable this option to send rendered audio for MIDI tracks.
- Send RealCharts with Audio: Enable this option to send RealCharts with audio.

Various Stability Improvements and Bug Fixes
- K+command not working correctly in the chord sheet.
- Transpose number of semi-tones not working.
- Enabling Style Mix track causes plugin to always generate wav files.
- RD Stems not loading from SGU.
- String localization errors.
- Generating disabled track shows error message.
- Crash when BB folders cannot be found.
- Problems playing multi-instrument MIDI track.
- SGU with 2-bar ending is now converted to 4-bar ending when opened in plugin.
- Saving tracks to SGU folder should reset when opening a new song.
- Bass track on style page not generating in some cases.
- MIDISuperTrack not generating in some cases.
- The Plugin prompts to save when no changes have been made to song.
- Recent files not being found when saved without extension.
- When the Plugin opens a file, check if there is a directory called "SGUNAME-SavedTracks" to point to.
- Generating drum stems with no style results in full mix for each track.
- "Harmonize" not working.
- Changing "Separate Audio Channels" should update immediately.

New Features in Version 5.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2023)

There are over 40 enhancements to the Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin, including Drum Stems (separate tracks from the different microphones used during the actual recording sessions), 4 color schemes to choose from, enhanced chord settings, improved undo/redo operation, "Rebuild StylePicker" notification whenever rebuild is required, EZ RealTracks/RealDrums Folder Locations dialog and much more!

Drum Stems
Drum stems are now available in the Plugin. Drum stems are separate tracks from the different microphones used during the actual recording sessions. You can find which RealDrums have drum stems if you look at the "Stems" column in the RealDrums Picker. It will tell you how many microphones were used for recording.

Color Schemes Available
There are 4 color schemes (skins) to choose from. Types include "Classic," "Flat," "Dark" and "Light" and can be changed in the General Settings of the Preferences dialog.

Chord Settings Enhancements
Deleting MicroChord in dialog immediately removes it from the overall chord.
All '7' chords are visible in Chord Theory tab.
Current bar display is larger and easier to read.
Bar, beat, and play buttons are moved under current bar display on the right.
Labels in the MicroChords tab only allow legal chord inputs.
The Chord Settings dialog now supports 3/4 time signatures.

Preferences Enhancements
Changing standalone preferences resizes the window.
The Preferences dialog no longer has a delay when being opened.
Spacing and layout margins are improved.

Undo/Redo Enhancements
Undo Song Start includes Part Marker in transaction.
Changing Part Marker triggers "Generation Needed" icon.
Changing Song End triggers "Generation Needed" icon.

"Rebuild StylePicker Notification Enhanced
The "Rebuild StylePicker" notification displays whenever style rebuild is required.

Yellow Messages Enhanced
The notification messages that appear at the bottom right of the screen are enhanced. They are smaller, occupying less of the screen.

EZ RealTracks/RealDrums Folder Locations Dialog
When you rebuild a style list, you can confirm and set the correct locations of your RealTracks and RealDrums folders.

StylePicker Enhancements
A style chosen as a prototype always shows in the list, even with a filter applied.
A progress bar will show at the top of the StylePicker during style rebuild.
Style rebuild shows a dialog to confirm RealTracks/RealDrums folder locations.
The StylePicker launches when a style is not found and shows you replacement suggestions.
The [Action] button - “Reset Dialog to Default” menu item sets both the StylePicker main screen and StylePicker Options dialog to default.

RealDrums Picker Enhancements
A right-click menu is added with commonly used functions (e.g., clear filter, set or edit favorites, show similar or compatible RealDrums, etc.)
You can set favorites by using the right-click menu or clicking on the [*] column.
The Choose RealDrums from Favorites and Recent dialog shows favorites followed by recently used RealDrums. The list can be filtered with text string. For example, type fusion to find the ones with fusion in the name.
There is a Favorite RealDrums Editor that allows you to re-arrange/add/remove your favorites and add comments, which are searchable in the filter.
A “Similar” button is added that shows RealDrums that are similar to the currently selected one.
There is a new menu item in the [#] filter button to find RealDrums with stems. 

RealTracks Picker Enhancements
The “Stems” column is added to show you the number of microphones used for recording.
There is a new menu item in the [#] filter button to find RealTracks with stems. 
A right-click menu is added with commonly used functions (e.g., clear filter, set or edit favorites, show similar RealTracks, etc.).
You can launch the StylePicker that will show only styles that use the selected RealTracks.
You can set favorites by using the right-click menu or clicking on the [*] (Set as Favorite) button.
The Choose RealTracks from Favorites and Recent dialog shows favorites followed by recently used RealTracks. The list can be filtered with text string. For example, type banjo to find the ones with banjo in the name.
There is a Favorite RealTracks Editor that allows you to re-arrange/add/remove your favorites and add comments, which are searchable in the filter.
A “Similar” button is added that will show RealTracks similar to the currently selected one.

Send MIDI Data to Embedded Synth
We've added the ability to select MIDI synth to use for receiving MIDI data when "Send MIDI data to embedded synth" is enabled.

Artist Performance Tracks Loaded with Song.
The artist performance tracks will be loaded with songs.

Other Enhancements and Fixes
- Help is added to the File menu.
- "Most Recent Style" is now saved for all plugin instances.
- Band-in-a-Box status icon changes color when opening the StylePicker.
- Slash chords now play with low root 8vb.
- When loading a song with utility tracks, the track table scrolls to the first page.
- Zoom in on the Chord Sheet now works properly.
- Scrolling the Chord Sheet now moves one row at a time.
- Changing selected beat in chord settings resets "beat" value.
- Beat in the Chord Settings properly changes when you click on arrows.
- MIDI tracks reset position when changed.
- The Plugin does not lag during playback of long songs.

New Features in Version 4.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2022)

There are over 40 enhancements to the Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin, including a new Chord Settings dialog (with Chord Builder, Chord Theory, and MicroChords tabs), the MicroChords feature (the ability to enter multiple chords per beat, four pages for a total of 32 tracks (8 style tracks, 16 utility tracks, and 8 multi-riff tracks) plus a Style Mix track, the ability to drag MIDI chords and markers to DAW, volume sliders for each track, the ability to save/load chord progression, and much more!

Chord Settings dialog with Chord Builder, Chord Theory, and MicroChords
There is a Chord Settings dialog which includes Chord Builder, Chord Theory, and MicroChords.

MicroChords (multiple chords per beat)
You can now enter up to 4 chords per beat, and the MicroChords in a SGU/MGU file will be written to the chord sheet.

Four pages on the track table
The track table now has 4 pages for a total of 32 tracks (8 style tracks, 16 utility tracks, and 8 multi-riff tracks) plus a Style Mix track.

Drag MIDI chords and markers from the plugin to DAW
- You can drag the [C7] button (above the chord sheet) to the DAW to export chords and markers in a MIDI file.
- "Save Chords to MIDI File" has been added to the File menu and the [C7] button right-click menu.
- "Load Chords from MIDI File" has been added to the File menu and the [C7] button right-click menu.

Volume sliders for each track
The new volume slides on each track allow you to control volume individually.

Save and Load chord progression
You can now save and load a chord progression using the new File menu commands ("Save chord progression" and "Load chord progression")

Drum Stems
Drum stems are separate tracks from the different mics in the RealDrums recording. They can be loaded to separate tracks.

[VI] button above chord sheet for chord display options
The [VI] button has been added to above the chord sheet and clicking on it shows a menu with options for types of chord symbols to display.

[MicroChords] tab in Chord Settings dialog
Clicking on the new [MicroChords] button in the Chord Settings dialog allows you to enter MicroChords, rests, and motifs.

Hotkey to open MicroChords dialog
Typing M <Enter> on the chord sheet opens the MicroChords dialog.

Generate all pages
The [Generate] button now generates tracks in all pages, not just the pages displayed on the screen.

Output RealChart for RealTracks along with audio
Preferences-DAW Settings has a new "Send MIDI Data to DAW" setting with 3 options (Never, Only for MIDI Tracks, Always) and this allows to output RealCharts for RealTracks along with audio

Option to always disable audio when generating MIDI-only styles
The new option in Preference-Rendering allows you to always disable audio when generating MIDI-only styles.

Track label should reflect what region is generated if any
Previously, the track labels did not reflect what region is generated if any.

Undo/Redo buttons
We've added convenient Undo and Redo buttons above the chord sheet.

Reset track volume slider to 0
You can shift-click on the volume slider to set the volume to 0 dB.

Load an audio file on any track
You can now load an audio file on any track.

Load a MIDI file on any track
You can now load a MIDI file on any track.

Changed "Extra" tracks to "Utility" tracks
Previously called "Extra" tracks are now called "Utility" tracks.

Exclude "Style Mix" from scrolling
When you scroll the track table, the "Style Mix" always shows at the top so it can be accessed from any page.

Style Mix [ALL] button now drags all style and utility tracks
Previously, when you dragged the Style Mix [ALL] button, only style tracks were dragged.

Black background for render options in Preferences dialog
The Preferences-Rendering dialog now has a black background.

Updated some preference settings to use a drop-down menu
Some settings in the Preferences dialog now have a drop-down menu instead of a checkbox.

Five menu options added for StylePicker
We've added following menu options to the StylePicker.
- Choose styles similar to current
- Band Styles (best RealStyles)
- Choose Style from Song Title Browser
- Recently Used Styles
- Favorite Styles

Sample rate/bit depth options in Preferences menu
Preferences-Rendering now have sample rate and bit depth options.

Have MIDI-only option for each track
The MIDI-only option for each track gives you the ability to specify if you want audio rendered from MIDI tracks. Previously, this was not possible for a single track and could only be applied to all tracks during a generation.

Pad/no pad partial renders
The new Preferences option allows you to add/remove bars of silence before a partial render. For instance, if you just render bar 4-5 of an 8-bar song and this option is checked, it will add 3 bars of silence before the 4th bar comes in.

StylePicker Picker Enhanced
- Additional row has been added to the mixer area for Utility tracks.
- The Other filter button has more menu items.
- The Set # column shows HalfDouble for Half-time/Double-time variation styles.
- We’ve added more user categories (e.g., Xtra12 All Styles, XPro Styles, Style Demos with Vocals, etc.)

New Features in Version 3.0 (included with Band-in-a-Box^® 2021)

The Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin offers great new features including enhanced audio rendering, support for displaying two chord types, the ability to change audio output channels, and we've added table view buttons. Now you can import MIDI markers and tempo map, export chord markers as a MIDI file, generate all ungenerated tracks, and much more!

Audio Rendering Enhanced
Rendering is faster.
The default bit depth rendering is 24 bit.
The highest quality tempo stretching setting for élastique is used when rendering. You may be using a lower quality setting for playback in order to increase performance, but this is not necessary when rendering to an audio file.

Preferences dialog reorganized with tabs
The Preferences dialog has been organized with tabs for [General], [Rendering], [Folder Locations], and [Audio/MIDI Settings].

Global chord display options
You can use the new option in the Preferences dialog to set chord display globally. (Preferences dialog > General tab > Chord Display option)

Chord Builder dialog
We've added the Chord Builder, where you can hear and enter chords by clicking on the root, extension, and other chord options. You can open the Chord Builder with the [Chord Builder] on the toolbar.

Volume sliders
You can easily change the volume for each track with the new volume sliders. When the tracks have been generated, click on a speaker icon on the track table and drag the volume slider horizontally.

Dedicated synth for MIDI playback
The Plugin now plays MIDI notes through a default synth (Apple DLS Music Device on Mac). For example, if you right-click on the chord sheet to preview chord progression, you will hear the chord played as a MIDI piano note.

Clickable MIDI and audio channel buttons to set channels
You can click on the MIDI and audio channel buttons on the track table to change the channels.

Set folder path for saved tracks for that instance
When you save the song into a new directory, the Plugin will ask if you want to move all the saved tracks into that directory.

Preview chord progression as MIDI
To preview the chord progression as MIDI, right-click on a bar on the chord sheet and select Preview Chord Progression from the menu. Stopping playback can be achieved by clicking elsewhere on the chord sheet.

Options to store and load chord progression in chord sheet context menu
The new options in the chord context menu allows you to store the chord progressions and load them later.

Hide the top of the plugin
You can hide the top of the plugin with a new arrow button to the left of the [Tracks + Chords] button. This will save space that you may not need to see.

Button in preferences to open plugin log of green/yellow messages
The [Open Plugin Log] button has been added to the Preferences dialog. Clicking on this button will show you a list of green/yellow messages. (Preferences dialog >Rendering tab > Open Plugin Log button)

Custom chord font options
You can now select the font for the chord sheet with the new option in the Preferences dialog. (Preferences dialog > General tab > Chord Font option]

Line between Generate and Custom buttons
A line is now drawn between the [Generate] and [Custom...] buttons to separate the two visually.

Style mix enabled by default
The Preferences option to include a mix of the style tracks is enabled by default. Note that when the style mix track is disabled, it will be excluded from generation. You can enable/disable the style mix track by using the "+" button or right-clicking on the track.

High-quality tempo stretching option for rendering
There is a new option in the Preferences dialog to use the high-quality tempo stretching for rendering tracks. (Preferences dialog > Render tab > Use High-quality tempo stretching option)

Load Chords from MIDI File option added to chord sheet context menu
We've added an option to load chords from MIDI file to the chord sheet context menu.

[C7] button to export/import chords
There is a new [C7] button at the bottom right corner. You can drag it to the DAW to export chords in a MIDI file. Right-clicking on it allows you select items to include in the file. The menu also includes an option to load chords from a MIDI file.

Click status message area to bring any open bb window to front.
If you click on the status message area at the bottom of the Plugin window, any open Band-in-a-Box window (e.g. StylePicker, RealTracks Picker, etc.) will appear in front of the Plugin window.

Set output channels for tracks with audio
There is a new option that allows you to essentially setup "multi-channel output". That means that instead of having all audio output going to channels 1 & 2, you can route output to other channels like 3 & 4, etc. You can access this feature by clicking on the blue audio output display next to the track description which appears after you've generated it.

Copy/Paste to/from Band-in-a-Box®
Plugin now supports copy/paste special to/from Band-in-a-Box®. Paste Special from Band-in-a-Box® to the Plugin using the "Paste Special" option in the chord sheet context menu or with command+shift+V.
1. Copying from the Plugin to Band-in-a-Box®
- Highlight the bars of your song in the chord sheet and press command+C or right-click on the chord sheet and select Edit - Copy from the menu.
- In Band-in-a-Box®, go to Edit - Paste Special or press command+shift+V to paste the contents from the Plugin into Band-in-a-Box®.
2. Copying from Band-in-a-Box® to the Plugin
- In Band-in-a-Box®, go to Edit - Copy Special - Copy Song(s) to Text on clipboard or File(s). Then, in the dialog that opens, press the [OK-Copy to Clipboard] button.
- In the Plugin, press command+shift+V, or right-click on the chord sheet and select Edit - Paste Special from the menu.
Using command+shift+V to paste will paste not only the chords but the entire song. If you want just the chords then you can use command+V.
(Note: The hotkey command+shift+V in the Plugin will only work this command isn't already designated in the DAW.)

Global bar offset for sync playback
You can now set a bar offset value to delay playback in the DAW by a certain amount. Press the [Sync] button and enter a value for Bar Offset. For example, a value of 10 means that when you play through the DAW, the Plugin will not begin to play until bar 10, which helps if you have your whole music project delayed by 10 bars.

Export Chords option added to chord sheet contextual menu
You can use the new Save Chords to MIDI File menu option to export chords.

Part markers included in Copy/Paste
When you copy and paste chords, part markers will be included.

Display two chord types
The Plugin can display two chord types in the chord sheet. Click on the chord sheet, go to Chord Display > Also show..., and select a chord type.

Set action for new session
You can now set the action to perform when starting a new session. (Preferences dialog > General tab > Action for New Session option)

Set default style
There is a new option to set the default style to use when starting a new session or saving a song with no style. (Preferences dialog > General tab > Set Default Style option)

Save with default style
Saving song with no style will save with the selected default style.

Generate all ungenerated tracks
The Plugin can generate all ungenerated tracks. Press the [Custom...] button and select All Pages (Ungenerated tracks only).

Table view buttons
Table view buttons [Tracks + Chords], [Track Table] and [Chord Sheet] have been added so you can switch to display both the track table and the chord sheet, the track table only, or the chord sheet only.

Change audio output channels
You can now change audio output channels for an audio track. To do this, click on the light-blue audio channel button next to the track description on the track table.

Select MIDI channel
You can now select a MIDI channel for a MIDI track. To do this, press the [+] button on the track table and go to Set MIDI Channel.

User friendly file names
There is a new option for "User friendly file names" of rendered tracks. (Preferences dialog > Rendering tab> Simplify File Names option)

Export chord markers as a MIDI file
You can now export chord markers as a MIDI file. Hold the shift key while dragging from the chord sheet. There is also an option to include a click track or block chords. You can select this option with the General > Chord Export Option in the Preferences dialog. Block chord voicings can be changed by editing bbpluginchords.txt.

Import MIDI markers and tempo map
You can now import MIDI markers and tempo map to the chord sheet. Just drag a MIDI file onto the chord sheet.

Yellow flash for status messages
The Plugin will show a yellow flash for status messages to highlight actions.

Tempo and time signature info
Tempo and time signature info are now included in the fold/unfold feature.

Highlight bar during playback
The option is added in Preferences dialog to highlight bar only during playback. [Preferences dialog> Rendering tab> Highlight Bar From DAW option]