Is there a way to add instruments into the "Band-In-A-Box" default in ST 2.5 ? If so, how would I add some Brass instruments so they show up in that area of ST when I use it in "select Hi-q Midi Patch?"

Thank you,

Trax

1. Don’t forget that the NEWER Hi-Q sounds are NOT Sampletank 2 sounds; they are Sforzando (synthfont) sounds

2. Assuming you actually MEAN the older Sampletank 2 Hi-Q sounds then:

Open BIAB,

Set your Default Synth to Sampletank2 and I HIGHLY recommend that you use the VSTi (go find .dll - it will be called "SampleTank2.x.dll" wherever you told it to install the VSTi version) - DO NOT USE the DXi version one (the DXi has issues)

IN EACH channel (part) within ST2 select whatever sound you like for bass (default part/channel 2) , piano (default part/channel 3) , …guitar (default part/channel 7) …etc.

After you have it set the way you want it you will see in that same window (the “ VST/DX Synths Plugins” window) a “Save Group” button – save it.

I recommend you save this “group” (config) with a name you will remember and let it save to the default location (that why you don’t have to remember WHERE it is) .

You od the “save group” (which creates a .tgs file) in case you ever change the default synth (from say ST2 to TTS-1) then when you want to re-use ST2 and its set of sounds just LOAD that group

Larry

Thanks, I have ST 2.x working fine. What I'd like to do is "add" some instruments (brass/Strings/Choir etc) to the ST 2.x when it opens. Is that possible to do in ST 2.x by itself?[i][/i]

Thanks for your reply and advice, I appreciate it.

Trax

In the Sampletank 2.5 window you will see a button labelled "Prefs", it's at the bottom of the set of buttons alongside the big "2" on the right-hand side.

Click that button and you will be able to browse for the location of all the instruments you have installed. They should be in a sub-folder called "Instruments". (I moved mine a long time ago to another drive and I can't remember now where they originally installed). Hopefully the PG Music instruments will also be in that folder, if not you will need to move them there.

Turn the "Relist On Startup" option to ON and next time it starts Sampletank 2.5 should rebuild the list to show all the instruments in the folder you have pointed it to.

Once the list has been rebuilt you can then turn the "Relist" option off.

I hope this helps.

Addit
Sorry, I should have read your original question more carefully. This will only make the additional instruments available in the Sampletank window. I don't think there is any way to add additional instruments to the PG Music HiQ instruments window.

That's correct, we cannot add instruments to the PG HiQ list, they control that.

This again goes to the issue of using a high quality softsynth that is not GM. GM is simple and it's great from a convenience pov but if you want total control of the instruments using a non GM synth (which is all of the big names you hear, ST, Kontakt, Halion etc) you have no choice but to keep adding them manually part by part.

Nobody but Biab users and a few others cares about GM because it's too restrictive. Using Sfz you can create your own GM soundbank and use that if you like but as far as a simple plug and play solution regarding GM, sorry we're on our own unless you want to spend some money on hardware like the Roland SD50 or a Ketron module. Those have good sounding GM soundbanks.

Bob

I used to use a Tyros keyboard before we had RealTracks and I enjoyed it's instruments that were as good as the RT's, but in midi format.

I have never messed with soundfonts or vst's etc, so I am sort of lost there. I am looking for another keyboard to use with Biab once again, but PG Team *should* have added more then just the basic Hi-Q Instruments, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what we have and what they have done for us in order to get Biab sounding more professional. I just wished we had a few more H-Q ones. I requested it in the Wishlist, so we'll see

Trax

Good samples are proprietary like everything else. This is a good Wishlist reuest but it raises the question, what's the source of the samples? I'm pretty sure the HiQ sounds are based on freebies and they have already given us the best available. Anything else would have to be paid for and that's assuming another company would even agree sell it in the first place.

Bringing top players into a studio for sample recording is expensive because the raw recordings are just the beginning. They have to be put into the correct format, keymapped and tons of other things. And of course, if PG starts paying for good samples that raises the cost for everybody.

This in turn raises the question that has come up many times, why doesn't PG create their own softsynth using their own samples? I can only guess and it's probably because that's not their business model and they don't want to reinvent the wheel. Without simply buying the tech from someone else they would have to create a new synth from scratch without stepping on someone else's patents.

The only reason the HiQ patches exist was IKM gives away the basic Sampletank program. Now it's the free SFZ player. Both are free and PG has made them work with Biab which is great but you still need great samples to start with.

Bob