# Band-in-a-Box — Real BackingTracks from Chords

> AI-powered music creation tool for generating backing tracks from chord progressions. (iPhone/iPad app by PG Music Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/band-in-a-box/id397173717 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [PG Music Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/350594075)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.80/5 from 34 App Store ratings · 114 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 771 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-12-01
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/band-in-a-box/id397173717/reviews.md

## What is Band?

Band-in-a-Box® for iOS – Your Personal Backing Band!


Band-in-a-Box for iOS is a powerful music creation tool that works as a standalone version of the popular award-winning desktop software. Now, you can create, play, generate, and transfer songs directly on your iPhone or iPad—anytime, anywhere! Includes chords, professional lead sheet and notation display and print out of chords, melody, lyrics, tab and more!


Create A Professional Arrangement in Two Minutes


Building a song from scratch takes less than two minutes! Simply type in any chord progression using standard chord symbols (e.g., D, B7, C/E), choose from thousands of styles, and press play—Band-in-a-Box instantly generates full backing tracks that sound incredible, thanks to our industry-leading RealTracks, featuring real musicians playing real instruments.


Not only can you hear your song, but you can see it too—watch it play on the guitar fretboard, in tab, or in standard notation.


Key Features:


Band-in-a-Box® for iOS is so easy to use! – Create, play, and arrange great sounding songs easily. Includes chords, professional lead sheet notation, and the ability to display and print chords, melody, lyrics, tabs, and more.


Thousands of Styles – Choose from an extensive library of genres: jazz, rock, pop, country, blues, hip-hop, EDM, punk, Americana, world, and more!


Instant Backing Tracks – Generates MIDI and RealTracks accompaniments in seconds.


RealTracks & RealStyles – Enjoy high-quality, real-instrument backing tracks.


Generated Solos – Band-in-a-Box not only creates backing tracks, but will also generate solos based on your custom chord progression—an excellent tool for learning and improvisation!


Chord Sheet & Notation – View songs on the chord sheet, professional notation, tablature, and drum notation.


Interactive Instrument Displays – Watch MIDI notes being played on the guitar fretboard or piano keyboard in real-time.


Seamless File Management – Load and save individual or zipped song files. Export, print, and share via AirDrop, Messages, Email, and more.


Customizable Display Options – Works in both portrait and landscape mode, with a choice of dark mode or light mode.


Record Your Own Melodies – Capture your ideas by recording directly to the melody or soloist track using a MIDI controller.


Mixer & Editing Tools – Adjust instrument volume, edit chords, and fine-tune your tracks with the Chord Sheet Editor.


Song Demos – Browse and listen to demo songs in different styles to find the perfect sound for your track.


Built-in Help & Tips – A handy HELP button provides guidance and useful tips on using the app.


…and much more!


Perfect for Musicians, Songwriters, and Educators


Band-in-a-Box for iOS is the perfect tool for practicing improvisation and music theory, songwriting, and music production. Whether you’re learning your favorite songs, experimenting with different musical patterns, or composing new tracks in minutes, this app is for you!


Band-in-a-Box® for iOS – Your Ultimate Songwriting & Practice Companion!

## Key features

- Instant backing track generation
- Thousands of musical styles
- RealTracks with live musicians
- Chord sheet and notation display
- Generated solos for improvisation
- Interactive instrument displays
- Record melodies via MIDI

## What do users think of Band?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎵 Excellent for solo musicians and on-the-go practice
- ☁️ iCloud integration for seamless file access across devices
- 🎹 High-quality RealTracks and realistic accompaniment sounds
- 📱 Convenient mobile access to BIAB songs from desktop
- 🎯 Intuitive interface for chord entry and song creation
- 🔗 Server-based architecture reduces storage requirements
- 🎼 Good for arranging jazz standards and practice sessions
- ✨ Significant improvement in new 2.0+ versions

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability issues
- 💾 Critical file saving and loading failures
- 🔧 Changes to songs don't apply to playback
- 🎚️ Instrument adjustments and muting don't work
- 🔌 Requires constant server/WiFi connection for functionality
- 🎛️ Limited editing capabilities on mobile device
- 📊 Poor voice leading in accompaniments
- 🔄 Inconsistent notation generation
- ⚠️ Lack of customer support and documentation
- 🪟 Screen layout issues on iPhone devices
- 🎵 RealTracks sound synthesized and poor quality
- 🔐 Difficult setup process with IP address configuration
- 📉 Abandoned development for Mac users
- ⏸️ Playback sync issues with chord display

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when saving songs
- Changes to chords, styles, and form not applied to playback
- Cannot generate RealTracks, only MIDI output
- Notation feature shows whole bar rests instead of arrangements
- Playback sync lag with chord display (2+ measures behind)
- Cursor position out of range during playback
- App freezes when touching song title area
- Files not saving to local storage or Files app
- Song data loss after updates
- Instrument settings not persisting
- Server connection failures and timeouts
- Transpose function disappeared in recent updates
- Style gets stuck and won't change
- Inconsistent RealTracks generation
- Pick server option missing in some versions
- Screen controls hidden on iPhone due to notch design
- App doesn't rotate to landscape mode

**Most requested features**

- Loop function for specific song segments
- Transpose functionality for practice in all keys
- Multiple chords per measure entry
- Ability to change key automatically for transposing instruments
- Mute individual instruments
- Change instrument types (electric to acoustic)
- Adjust instrument volume levels
- Go To and Loop conductor features
- Change number of choruses on mobile device
- Landscape orientation support
- Offline editing capabilities without server connection
- Manual and comprehensive documentation
- Export to email and messaging apps
- Better Mac OS compatibility
- Rotate portrait orientation 180 degrees
- Standalone functionality without desktop BIAB required

## Recent user reviews (10 of 114)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/band-in-a-box/id397173717/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Unintuitive

*2026-05-14, version 2.0.6*

I can’t get it to accept “Em7,A7” in one measure so I’m giving up (IPhone user)

### 5/5 — Thanks for great app

*2026-03-07, version 2.0.6*

This app is great. On my iPhone I can create or access iCloud music on the go with ease. No laptop no iPad. At home I can create on iPhone laptop or iPad. Save songs to iCloud. Access all my songs while I’m out on iPhone. This is great for my solo act. All I carry now are my saxophone Bose S1 and iPhone. BAM!

### 1/5 — Can’t change style or form

*2025-12-19, version 2.0.6*

For some reason this product has gone from being a fantastic tool to complete rubbish.

I have been a user of BIAB on Windows for a while and have found it to be a great songwriting aide.

I recently downloaded the iOS version for my iPad a few months back and was happily using it until today when all of a sudden it has gone nuts. None of the changes I make to a file get applied to playback.

No changes means chords, styles, form…nothing!


The product has basically become useless.

Such a pity….

### 5/5 — Awesome App

*2025-10-25, version 2.0.6*

I have been a user of the PC version of BIAB for many years (from way back in the days of DOS). I like how they have set up the ios version with the server link to regenerate backing tracks. Took a bit of trial and error to get the hang of the workflow. Good job!

### 5/5 — Review

*2025-10-18, version 2.0.6*

Band in s Box is a wonderful song and performance app that lets you create your own music the way you want it. It lets you create a style for whatever genre you prefer and create a melody that you prefer. 
Whenever you type in your chords to be played in whatever key you wish you can generate a song style that you like and create your own song the way you want it. 
It’s fun and easy to use for your own personal taste in music. 
Have fun and enjoy.

### 2/5 — K

*2025-10-02, version 2.0.6*

Downloaded 2.0.6 ver . Will not play/ generate realtracks, only midi. The pick server option is missing. 
Would love to use , has many other useful features but the midi audio is a non starter.

### 2/5 — Really??

*2025-09-28, version 2.0.6*

Unless I’m missing something, and I truly hope that I am, it is NOT possible to enter two chords (or more) into a measure.  I find it hard to believe that they would release this without this most basic of chord entry options.  I called PGMUSIC and received no help whatsoever.  The person I spoke to had no answer and promised me a call back from someone familiar with the app.  This never happened.  So for now the app sits in a “waiting for updates” folder on my iPad.  Please tell me that there is a way to do this and I will immediately update my review.  Hoping for the best.

### 3/5 — Wanted to like it.

*2025-09-07, version 2.0.5*

So what it’s doing sounds good when you generate. Problem is, once it generates none of the instruments will adjust, or mute, you can’t change say the guitar (or any of the other instruments)from electric to acoustic ect. I know how to do it, but nothing happens when changes are made. Which kinda makes this un-usable. Needs an update to get the bugs out.

### 2/5 — Styles broken?

*2025-08-27, version 2.0.5*

It will constantly get stuck on a style and then not change what it’s playing even if I go in and change chords it will just play this sequence over and over

### 5/5 — I need a Loop function

*2025-07-11, version 2.0.5*

If I want to practice a specific segment of an entire progression, I hope I could select the segment and press a Loop button to loop the section. Please add the function.

## Frequently asked questions about Band

### What does Band-in-a-Box do?

Band-in-a-Box is a music creation tool that generates professional-sounding backing tracks from simple chord progressions. It uses RealTracks, featuring real musicians playing real instruments, to create accompaniments across thousands of styles. You can also view chords, notation, and tabs, and even generate solos for practice or composition.

### How quickly can I create a song arrangement?

You can create a full backing track arrangement in under two minutes. Simply input your chord progression using standard chord symbols, select a style, and press play. The app instantly generates the accompaniment, allowing you to hear your song come to life.

### What are the key features of Band-in-a-Box for iOS?

Key features include instant backing track generation with RealTracks, thousands of musical styles, chord sheet and professional notation display, generated solos for improvisation, interactive instrument displays, and the ability to record melodies via MIDI. It also offers seamless file management and customizable display options.

### Is Band-in-a-Box free to use?

Based on the provided information, Band-in-a-Box is a paid application. It does not appear to have in-app purchases or advertisements, suggesting a one-time purchase model for the full functionality.

### Who is Band-in-a-Box for?

This app is ideal for musicians, songwriters, and music educators. It's perfect for practicing improvisation and music theory, songwriting, and music production. Whether you're learning songs, experimenting with musical patterns, or composing new tracks, this tool can assist you.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.7 — 2026-07-15

This is a major new release. Now create, generate, and play songs on iPhone and iPad (MIDI and RealTracks styles!). High quality music notation/tab display and printout. On-screen guitar fretboard and piano. And many more new features! Latest version: 2.0.7, July 14th, 2026. New features available on our app support page. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.ios.htm

### 2.0.6 — 2025-09-22

This is a major new release. Now create, generate, and play songs on iPhone and iPad (MIDI and RealTracks styles!). High quality music notation/tab display and printout. On-screen guitar fretboard and piano. And many more new features! Latest version: 2.0.6, September 19th, 2025. New features available on our app support page. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.ios.htm

### 2.0.5 — 2025-06-13

This is a major new release. Now create, generate, and play songs on iPhone and iPad (MIDI and RealTracks styles!). High quality music notation/tab display and printout. On-screen guitar fretboard and piano. And many more new features! Latest version: 2.0.5, June 12, 2025. New features available on our app support page. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.ios.htm

### 2.0.4 — 2025-05-28

This is a major new release. Now create, generate, and play songs on iPhone and iPad (MIDI and RealTracks styles!). High quality music notation/tab display and printout. On-screen guitar fretboard and piano. And many more new features! Latest version: 2.0.4, May 27, 2025. New features available on our app support page. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.ios.htm

### 2.0.3 — 2025-02-16

This is a major new release. Now create, generate, and play songs on iPhone and iPad (MIDI and RealTracks styles!). High quality music notation/tab display and printout. On-screen guitar fretboard and piano. And many more new features! Latest version: 2.0.3, Feb 14, 2025. New features available on our app support page. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.ios.htm

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## More apps by PG Music Inc.

- [BB Remote](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bb-remote/id447841206)

All apps by PG Music Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/350594075

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*