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Chapter 1: Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of Band-in-a-Box^® 2023 for Windows^®!

Band-in-a-Box 2023 for Windows is here!

We’ve been busy and added over 70 new features and an amazing collection of new content, including MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Song with Vocals” Artist Performances, XPro Styles PAK 4, Xtra Styles PAK 14 & 15, Playable RealTracks Set 2, Playable RealDrums Set 1 & 2, new sets of “RealDrums Stems” and more!

There’s more great news! Version 2023 UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile users get all 222 new RealTracks with 150+ RealStyles and Pro users get 45 new RealTracks and 80 new RealStyles with the RealCombos Booster PAK 2. That's more RealTracks and RealStyles for everyone!

We have Bonus PAKs with 60 RealTracks (20 more than we’ve released in previous versions!) in addition to the 222 new RealTracks, so in total an amazing 282 new RealTracks and RealDrums are available! There are 404 new “Playable RealTracks” Hi-Q sounds, which match many of our RealTracks, so you can easily switch from RealTracks parts to MIDI notes while maintaining the instrument sound! ALL Playable RealTracks and RealDrums now also have audio demos. The Bonus PAKs also include 2 new Artist Performance Sets, containing over 50 original songs with vocal performances by a variety of talented singers! There are also Instrumental Studies Sets including Rockin’ Blues Soloing and more Classic Country Guitar Soloing. There are also new RealDrums Stems, which allow you to access the individual wave files from each different mic used to record many of our most popular RealDrums! There are also over 30 new MIDI SuperTracks, including styles designed to work with the new SynthMaster Player plugin included with Band-in-a-Box 2023!

In addition, there are over 100 new RealStyles that use the new RealTracks. These include new jazz, fusion and funk styles that feature legendary drummer Mike Clark! We have lots of requested blues styles, including new guitar and harmonica with Pat Bergeson, lap steel with Rob Ickes & Eddy Dunlap, and more blues with Nashville great Johnny Hiland. We’ve also expanded our Bossa piano soloing, with styles using both soloing and left-hand comping. There are also exciting new Funk & Soul Horn Section and requested Latin pop styles. In the “pop, rock, & world” category, we’ve added many requested “southern soul” drums, guitar, and bass. There are also requested Prog-Rock styles, as well as “80s” New Wave Guitars. There are new exciting Boogie & Gospel Piano with Nashville great Kevin McKendree. There are vocal Doo-Wop styles, as well as Modern Pop. There are also requested Metal styles featuring new drums, basses and guitar, and the guitars are all “12-key,” meaning Band-in-a-Box does not need to use any pitch shifting on the audio, making for a more consistent tone no matter what chords you enter. And we’ve also included requested World Styles, expanding our collection of Sitar, Tabla and Dholak. For country, americana and Celtic, we’ve greatly expanded our extremely popular “Producer” “Explosive” Country Guitar Styles with three sets of radio-friendly guitars from Nashville legend Brent Mason, designed to be layered into a polished "produced" sound. We've also added more indie-folk, singer songwriter styles, requested autoharp styles, and more contradance piano & guitar. The 2023 Bonus 49-PAK includes even 60 more RealTracks, including Nashville “Producer” Guitars, more Rock & Soul Organ, piano, requested bongo RealDrums, and a RealTracks first:  Erhu!  This requested instrument originated in China, and is similar to a violin. And there are new requested Reggaeton & K-Pop RealDrums, more fusion drums from Mike Clark, and more Soul Guitar & Horns!

Band-in-a-Box 2023 Features and Additions

There are over 70 New Features in Band-in-a-Box 2023. This includes Many Major New Features. First, there are Partial Track Re-Generations, with an on-screen Regeneration Panel and an Always Different setting to get up to 40 variations on any RealTracks. Undo - Track Generation and Undo - Song Generation is added. You can now copy, cut, paste, delete, insert, and do other editing functions to the RealTracks/RealDrums tracks, while preserving the ability for the tracks to re-generate new material. Auto-Save Song prevents data loss. Playable Tracks are enhanced for Playable RealTracks (404 new Sforzando sounds, 700 total - all with Audio Demos), and now include Playable RealDrums, MIDI SuperTracks and MIDI tracks. There are now RealTracks Stems, separate isolated tracks available for multi-track RealTracks like Horns (e.g., Crooner, Blues), Vocals, and String Quartets. Master Track Volume Automation for fadeouts, crescendos etc. added. SynthMaster® Player synth included, with modern/techno sounds. Audio Input monitoring to hear your audio input (e.g., electric guitar with effects) through to Audio Out. Arpeggiator sounds available. EZ Selection of your RealTracks/RealDrums Folders. Help for “Style not Found” providing info and lists of substitutes. Generate Intros using Song Chords. RealDrums Fills control, Enhancements for StylePicker - Preview, Prototypes and Rebuild. And more!

Additional New Content Available for Band-in-a-Box 2023

• 60 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks
• 34 MIDI SuperTracks
• 30 All-MIDI Styles
• 12 Instrumental Studies
• 40 Artist Performances
• 50+ RealDrums Stems
• 10 Playable RealDrums, with Audio Demos
• 400+ Additional Audio Demos for Playable RealTracks
• 700+ Audio Demos for All New and Existing Playable RealTracks
• SynthMaster Sounds and Styles, with Audio Demos
• RealCombos Booster PAK
• XPro Styles PAK 4
• Xtra Styles PAK 14
• Xtra Styles PAK 15

222 NEW RealTracks
Band-in-a-Box 2023 contains an amazing assortment of new RealTracks & RealDrums! These include new jazz, fusion and funk styles that feature legendary drummer Mike Clark! We have lots of requested blues styles, including new guitar and harmonica with Pat Bergeson, lap steel with Rob Ickes & Eddy Dunlap, and more blues with Nashville great Johnny Hiland. We’ve also expanded our Bossa piano soloing, with styles using both soloing and left-hand comping. There are also exciting new Funk & Soul Horn Section and requested Latin pop styles. In the “pop, rock, & world” category, we’ve added many requested “southern soul” drums, guitar, and bass. There are also requested Prog-Rock styles, as well as “80s” New Wave Guitars. There are new exciting Boogie & Gospel Piano with Nashville great Kevin McKendree. There are vocal Doo-Wop styles, as well as Modern Pop. There are also requested Metal styles featuring new drums, basses and guitar, and the guitars are all “12-key,” meaning Band-in-a-Box does not need to use any pitch shifting on the audio, making for a more consistent tone no matter what chords you enter. And we’ve also included requested World Styles, expanding our collection of Sitar, Tabla And Dholak. For country, americana and Celtic, we’ve greatly expanded our extremely popular “Producer” “Explosive” Country Guitar Styles with three sets of radio-friendly guitars from Nashville legend Brent Mason, designed to be layered into a polished "produced" sound. We've also added more indie-folk, singer songwriter styles, requested autoharp styles, and more contradance piano & guitar. The 2023 Bonus 49-PAK includes even 60 more RealTracks, including Nashville “Producer” Guitars, more Rock & Soul Organ, piano, requested bongo RealDrums, and a RealTracks first: Erhu! This requested instrument originated in China, and is similar to a violin. And there are new requested Reggaeton & K-Pop RealDrums, more fusion drums from Mike Clark, and more Soul Guitar & Horns!

• 77 Jazz, Blues, Funk & Funk RealTracks (Sets 401-411): Our new Jazz, Blues, Funk, and Latin RealTracks include new drums with Mike Clark for Fusion, Funk, Swing, and more! We've got you covered with new funk, blues, 2-handed bossa piano soloing, organ soloing & comping with Charles Treadway, and gritty blues harmonica with Pat Bergeson that pairs well with the new gritty blues guitar with Johnny Hiland! There's also new RealDrums, electric guitar, and acoustic piano all playing in a Latin style by Miles Black, Mike Durham, and Wes Little, and more!
  
  
• 78 Pop, Rock & World RealTracks (Sets 412-422): This new collection covers a lot of requests we've received for styles like southern soul, prog rock, and 80s new wave, and we didn't stop there! We've added siter, tabla, dhoulak, Dave Roe's funky bass playing, doo-wop pop vocals, Kevin McKendree's piano playing, Pat Bergeson's gritty harmonica, 12-key guitar, and more!
  
  
• 67 Country, Americana & Celtic RealTracks (Sets 423-429): Our Country, Americana, and Celtic RealTracks boasts not one - not two - but THREE new "Producer" country guitar playing sets with Brent Mason! We've also added some great acoustic guitar, nylon guitar, and fingerpicking styles by Quinn Bachand, old-time autoharp, guitar soloing with Johnny Hiland, contradance styles with Daniel Lapp on piano, Quinn Bachand on guitar, and more!
  

60 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks
Our 2023 49-PAK is loaded with 60 AMAZING bonus RealTracks – 20 more bonus RealTracks than we’ve offered in the past! There’s a new instrument added to our RealTracks collection: the Erhu, a classical Chinese violin with two strings! Electric guitar sounds by Brent Mason (7), Mike Durham (14), Tom Britt (1), and Darin Favorite (13) are included, along with Brian Allen (12) on electric bass, Miles Black on electric piano (1), Quinn Bachand’s acoustic guitar playing (1), and lap steel by Rob Ickles (2). Charles Treadway brings the rhythm organ (4), and there’s 70s soul electric bass by Dave Roe (3) and 70s soul electric guitar played by Pat Bergeson! We’ve also included bongo drums (5), tambourine tracks (3), a cowbell, and more!

MIDI SuperTracks Set 36: Funk & Jazz Piano
This Funk & Jazz MIDI SuperTracks Set features the likes of Kevin McKendree and Miles Black. You’ll find a mix of faster paced bouncy and lively piano playing, as well as paired back, mellow, and soothing rhythms and soloists in a variety of genres such as bossa, boogie, Latin jazz, and more.

MIDI SuperTracks Set 37: Contradance Piano
This Contradance set showcases old-timey rhythm piano in both even and swing feels played by Daniel Lapp. The set has an overall jaunty and playful vibe to it that would be well suited towards folk and jig dance songs.

MIDI SuperTracks Set 38: Funk & Blues Electric Piano and Organ
Charles Treadway and Kevin McKendree show off their organ and piano skills in this Funk & Blues Electric Piano and Organ set. This set ranges from classic funk, busier and high energy playing, all the way to a slower and smoother blues funk, and features both rhythm instruments and soloists.

MIDI SuperTracks Set 39: SynthMaster
This SuperTracks Set is specifically designed to utilize the award-winning SynthMaster Player Synth by KV331 Audio that is included with Band-in-a-Box 2023. This collection provides a selection of synth pad, bass synth, and arpeggiators in a variety of styles, like fast rhythm funk, trance, dance and more.

MIDI Styles Set “Look Ma! More MIDI 9: Pop Oldies”
If you enjoy working with MIDI, you’re going to love the 15 Pop Oldies MIDI styles included with Look Ma! More MIDI 9! The More MIDI 9: Pop Oldies set includes a large variety of styles, like R&B, New Orleans, rockabilly, Texas rock, blues, rock n’ roll, Gospel, smooth jazz, and even more great Pop sounds!

MIDI Styles Set “Look Ma! More MIDI 10: Acid Jazz”
We’ve blended genres like funk, soul, hip hop, jazz and more to bring you Look Ma! More MIDI 10: Acid Jazz. There are 15 Styles included, with combinations like funk, fusion & hip hop, techno & EDM, blues, funk, smooth jazz & R&B, and more!

Instrumental Studies 18: Rocking’ Blues Soloing
Instrumental Studies Set 18 includes 6 electric guitar solo studies to learn from, including two straight Texas blues, two jump blues, and two Texas blues shuffle!

Instrumental Studies 19: Modern Country Soloing
Learn some modern country electric guitar soloing with Instrumental Studies Set 19! We’ve included two studies each of country waltz soloing, modern country ballad soloing, and swinging country rock soloing!

Artist Performance Set 13: Songs with Vocals Volume 3
You've requested more original songs with vocal performances, and we've delivered. “Songs With Vocals Volume 3” offers 20 more Band-in-a-Box MGU (song) files, each with vocal performances on the melody track, many with additional harmony vocals as well! This volume includes the gospel-pop "As If (I Could Get Away), funk-rock "As Purple Turns to Blue," 90s soul "Better Not Wait Too Long," and more. Use these to practice your mixing skills or just for listening and enjoying!

Artist Performance Set 14: Songs with Vocals Volume 4
You'll find 20 more Band-in-a-Box MGU (song) files in “Songs With Vocals Volume 4.” Some of these performances in this volume include the modern-pop "And I Forgive," country-shuffle 'Been to the City," the slow hard-rock "Butterflies and Thunderclouds," and more. Each of these have the vocal performances on the melody track, many with additional harmony vocals as well!

RealDrums Stems Set 3: Jazz, Latin & World
RealDrums Stems Set 3 adds stems for 29 RealDrums styles. The “RealDrums Stems” feature allows you to select a RealDrum that has this feature enabled, and then when you generate it, it ALSO generates the SAME drum part, but putting each of the microphones used to record the session on its own track! So, rather than just a stereo mix of the drums, you’re ALSO getting, for example, the mics on both sides of the kick drum, the hi-hat mic, the room mics, etc. In addition to that, any percussion instruments that were added to the drum part are also included. This set features exciting Afro-Cuban percussion ensembles, as well as other great Jazz, Latin & World styles, such as “Island16ths,” “PartidoAlto” and more!

RealDrums Stems Set 4: Pop, Rock & Country
RealDrums Stems Set 4 adds stems for 22 RealDrums styles, including AltRockSlowSteady8ths^, BluesRumbaFastPercEv^, Metal8thsDoubleTime^, and many more! The “RealDrums Stems” feature allows you to select a RealDrum that has this feature enabled, and then when you generate it, it ALSO generates the SAME drum part, but putting each of the microphones used to record the session on its own track! So, rather than just a stereo mix of the drums, you’re ALSO getting, for example, the mics on both sides of the kick drum, the hi-hat mic, the room mics, etc. In addition to that, any percussion instruments that were added to the drum part are also included.

Playable RealDrums with audio demos
Drum roll please... we’ve added Playable RealDrums! Just like the Playable RealTracks, you can now customize these RealDrums performances with the exact notes you want. You’ll then hear those notes using a MIDI sound created from the RealDrums recording. These Playable RealDrums also include clickable audio demos.

Playable RealTracks Set 2 Playable RealTracks Set 2 (~400 additional audio demos or Playable RealTracks)
Continuing where Set 1 left off, we've added 404 more Playable RealTracks. Plus, we've now added clickable demos for all of these sounds, and we've also added demos for all of the previously released Playable RealTracks. These Playable RealTracks Hi-Q sounds match many of our RealTracks, so you can easily switch from RealTracks parts to MIDI notes while maintaining the instrument sound! Customize the RealTracks performance by adding your own notes. You will then hear those notes using a MIDI sound created from the RealTracks recording. This means you can get the RealTracks to play the notes you want at key parts of the performance, either augmenting or replacing what the RealTracks is playing, for any sections in the song.

RealCombos Booster PAKS styles
With RealCombos Booster PAK 2, Pro and MegaPAK users receive 45 new RealTracks and a whopping 80 new RealStyles! These include classic country swing, bluesy soul, bluegrass, folk-pop, praise & worship, jazz ballads, jazz funk, modern rock, funky blues, and much more!

SynthMaster Sounds and Styles, with audio demos
Version 2023 includes the award-winning SynthMaster Player Synth by KV331 Audio. This has thousands of presets that are especially useful for modern, techno and arpeggiator sounds. SynthMaster support has been built into Band-in-a-Box so you can easily choose thousands of SynthMaster sounds, or choose “Load Hi-Q patch” dialog to choose from presets made by PG Music. Styles can be made to play with SynthMaster sounds without any need to load it. Plus, we’ve released MIDI SuperTracks Set 39: SynthMaster (Included in the 2023 Free Bonus PAK) that uses a mix of SynthMaster sounds, MIDI SuperTracks with arpeggiators and RealTracks.

XPro Styles PAK 4
Coming in hot it’s XPro Styles PAK 4! We’re back once again with the fourth entry in our XPro Styles PAK series with 100 brand new RealStyles and 30 additional RealTracks and RealDrums that can be used to add a little spice to your Band-in-a-Box® Pro version!
We’ve got you covered with 25 Rock & Pop, 25 Jazz & Funk, and 25 Country styles. To round out our 100 RealStyles, we’ve put together a collection of 25 styles that focus on the cajon as well as drums played with mallets! Here you can find everything from happy pop to funky bossa nova to minimalist singer-songwriter styles! The included 30 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any version of Band-in-a-Box and these additional RealTracks and RealDrums are not included in any Pro or MegaPAK package!
Here are some examples of what we’ve created for you: ambient pop beats, soft Americana ballads, modern mellow country, jazz-rock fusion, slow folk-rock, soulful baritone guitars, country shuffles, and many more! Variety is the spice of life, so add some to your RealStyles library today!

Xtra Styles PAK 15
Hey ho! Here we go! You want styles?! We got ‘em! Xtra Styles PAK 15 has got you covered! We got your rock and your pop, not to mention our usual jazz and country styles but this PAK also includes an entire volume dedicated to MultiStyles! A first for our Xtra Styles PAK collection! Never has there been a better time to dive in and see the phenomenally multitudinous combinations one can conceive with MultiStyles! Ok, maybe that was a bit wordy… suffice to say it’s a lot! What it really comes down to is this: You want fresh, premium styles? Xtra Styles PAK 15 has you covered! Here’s a short list of what is included: funky jazz pop, modern country boogie, 80s glam rock, country pop grooves, heavy alternative rock, quiet rockabilly, New Orleans funk, 12-8 blues rock, ambient rock ballads, and many more!

• Rock-Pop 15: This sublime collection of styles curated for Rock+Pop volume 15 will have you bouncing around the room full of joy one moment and then sitting in thoughtful contemplation the next! You can even dress up and rock out to showy 80’s glam should your heart desire! We’ve got synth rock, we’ve got blues rock, we’ve even got some slow gospel rock. There’s something for everyone!
• MultiStyles: For the first time ever, we’ve included an Xtra Styles PAK volume dedicated solely to MultiStyles! Here you’ll find a wonderful mix of rock, pop, and country styles ranging from bluesy doo-wop and quick Cajun zydeco to a classic country shuffle! Other styles include outlaw country, alt rock ballads, modern synth pop, and even some retro electro soul! See all the amazing combinations you can create with Xtra Styles Pak 15: MultiStyles!
• Jazz 15: Jazz 15 features a splendid mix of jazz, funk, and Latin styles for your aural amusement. Here you can find a funk style featuring only 4 guitars and a drum kit juxtaposed with a quiet and subdued piano and vibraphone duo. You can also find modern jazz, cool bossa nova, fusion-funk soca, and even a swinging big band with a clarinet soloist. Whatever your jazz needs, we have you covered!
• Country 15: The final volume of Xtra Styles PAK 15, our country pack delivers a swell mix of styles ranging all the way from happy folk waltzes to smooth country soul and even some funky country pop! Whatever your cup of tea may be, we’ve brewed up something nice for you here! Other styles include: easy country boogie, minimal cinematic western, a rockabilly-outlaw country fusion, pop country, and many more!

Xtra Styles PAK 14
What’s that?! An auspicious need for more premium Band-in-a-Box styles? Fear not! For Xtra Styles PAK 14 has you covered with 140 brand spankin’ new styles for your listening pleasure! As usual, Xtra Styles PAK 14 covers the basic genres: rock, pop, jazz, and country. In contrast to previous years, we had SO many great ideas for pop styles that we decided to create an ADDITIONAL 50 styles all contained in a volume of their very own! Now you can easily jam along to epic heavy metal or relax to some chill, ambient grooves! Spark your imagination and spur your creativity with all that Xtra Styles PAK 14 has to offer! Here’s a quick snapshot of what you can find: heavy symphonic metal, big band mambo, ambient lo-fi jazz, psychedelic space rock, spaghetti western, energetic pop punk, New Orleans funk, Appalachian jaw-harp folk, acoustic rootsy funk, piano power ballads, and many, many more!

• Rock-Pop 14: This Xtra Styles volume runs the gamut of pop-rock history from heavy metal and 70’s psychedelica all the way to passionate acoustic rock and energetic pop-punk! You’ll find folk rock, alternative rock, funk rock, and even sedimentary rock! OK, we made that last one up, but what we didn’t make up is how deep the layers go! Break apart this volume and you’ll find many more wonderful rock styles to tumble around with and shine up your own unique ideas!
• Pop 14: An expansive genre in and of itself, we couldn’t just limit our pop styles to half a volume and so here we’ve collected 30 amazing styles for your listening pleasure. You can find funky folk-pop jams right next to electro synth grooves and 12-string singer-songwriter styles up against vintage 50’s pop. More styles include folk-reggae, synth pop, 70’s pop-funk, and lo-fi grooves. In this volume, there’s something for everyone!
• Jazz 14: Not to stray too far from convention, Xtra Styles PAK 14: Jazz 14 brings more of what you know and love in jazz, funk, and Latin stylings. Examples of some of these delightful styles include: modern jazz fusion, New Orleans soul, big band mambo, stride jazz, organ trios, funky sambas, and even some smooth jazz grooves! Whether you want to relax in your chair, dance up and down the stairs, or snap along without a care, Xtra Styles PAK 14: Jazz 14 has you covered!
• Country 14: For our country volume, we’ve put together a collection of styles from across the country landscape ranging from modern pop country all the way to Appalachian folk music. You’ll find styles that hearken to the days of spaghetti westerns and styles that reminisce over rural old-time folk and even a few cheesy country ballads! Other styles include: alternative country rock, slow rockabilly blues, driving train beats, and even some modern bro-country rock. Don't miss out on this amazing collection!

Xtra Styles PAK 13 (Released June 2022) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Singer-Songwriter

Xtra Styles PAK 12 (Released December 2021) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Blues

Xtra Styles PAK 11 (Released May 2021) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Half & Double-Time

Xtra Styles PAK 10 (Released December 2020) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Folk Celebration

Xtra Styles PAK 10 (Released December 2020) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Folk

Xtra Styles PAK 9 (Released May 2020) - 200 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Folk

Xtra Styles PAK 8 (Released December 2019) - 164 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Celtic

Xtra Styles PAK 7 (Released August 2019) - 164 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, Americana.

Xtra Styles PAK 6 (Released Dec 2018) - 162 RealStyles for Jazz, Rock-Pop, Country, and Trad Folk & Jazz.

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.