I poured over all the forums looking for information on what people think is the best Sound Source for MIDI parts in BIAB. Seems a lot of the information is dated and wanted to ask what everyone thinks iS the best they are currently using. Looking for something lightweight with good sounds. Does not have to be over the top like I could get with my Native Instrument Library or similar, just enough to get a better idea of the parts being played and doesn't sound like a toy as it does with the windows option. I want to set as default synth so I can set and forget. I will tweak sounds outside of BIAB.

That's a no brainer from my perspective.

Download the fully-functional Coyote ForteDXi Demo

http://www.pgmusic.com/coyotefortedxi.audvid.htm

The demo is fully functional for 30 days after you install it. Once you have decided to purchase Coyote ForteDXi, it may be purchased through PG Music's online payment system. The registration fee is $40 US, and this entitles you to technical support from Coyote's responsive support staff. After purchasing ForteDXi a registration key will be sent to you by email.

You might want to try a free soundfont 2 player:

http://www.best-free-vst.com/plugins/virtual-instruments/soundfont-sf2-player-01.php

and a good soundfont gm set like:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/2as606szvw1pbw8/OmegaGMGS2.sf2

sound demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqATMtEOcAA

Also remember that you can load SF2s into either Kontakt or SFZ. You have both.

I think that the ForteDXi is a great place to start for what you have indicated your requirements are.

Thanks to all for the reaponse. I tried both and went with Forte DXI. It gave me the true "set it and forget it" I was looking for. could not seem to make that happen with SFZ players

Whoo Hoo, I win! Is there a prize?

Although the "free" option from MarioD was tough competition and should get honorable mention award.

I like the Coyote Forte DXi, too.

But I use a hardware module from Roland.

I prefer external sound modules to soft-synths.

I have a few, and the one that has the best GM sound set is the Ketron SD2.

Advantages:

1. They never get orphaned by an OS or specification change. My 1987 Yamaha TX81z and Korg DDD-5 worked with my Atari ST, Pre-Windows DOS, and Mac classic II. They still work today
2. I've since added synths from Roland, Korg, Edirol, Peavy, Akai and Yamaha without losing anything. A few of the great sounds on my TX81z are still perfect for some songs and have not been improved by different kinds of synthesis found in newer computers.
3. Since they do not require the computers CPU do 'do the math' for every note and every nuance they sounds can be stored in ROM and much more realistic and complex
4. Also since they do not rely on the computers CPU I can hook a dozen of them up at the same time, choose the best sound from one to be the bass, another for the guitar, another for the kick drum, another for the snare, another for the piano, and so on
5. They have no apparent latency. Actually it's about 5ms +- 1ms so you can mix them together without adjusting the tracks for the different latency amounts of each different soft synth. Soft synths can have a latency of almost a half second.
6. Since there is no latency to speak of, you can record live parts at the same time.

Disadvantages

1. You need an external amp/speaker set
2. They take up desktop or rack space

But there is more than one right way to make music. This is my way.

Insights and incites by Notes

Notes, my BiaB GM sound source is an old external Kawai G-Mega tone generator! Its a vintage 2003 unit but it still sounds great for GM!

Disadvantage #3. Rendering in BIAB doesn't work directly; you have to record the sounds in real time.

This search was due to me never being at my desktop music setup with all of my toys. So external will not work. I recently upgraded a surface pro 3 to a surface book 2 with as much power as I could get. I like how it gives me the ability to be creative even when I am not near home. Even in table mode, detached from the keyboard the surface book 2 performs great. The Forte did the trick

Can Coyote Forte DXi be used in a DAW? Wondering Cubase 9 specifically?

Thanks!

I haven't looked to see if Cubase supports DXi, but if not:
http://www.1manband.nl/synthie/index.htm

LoopMidi works better than LoopBe as it tends to mute it's self.
https://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html


To use ASIO on both https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/banana.htm

I wonder if there is a way to take the audio output of the small Ketron SD2, go through a tiny Audio-USB interface, feed it back into the computer, and have it play.

I suspect there is.

Notes

Coyote Forte is a 32-bit DXi (not VSTi) synth; so it's only going to work in a DAW that supports 32-bit DXI synths.

It works fine with PGMusic RealBand (BIAB's companion DAW), and should work fine in any 32-bit DAW (many let you install both 32-bit and 64-bit concurrently, although many are now going to 64-bit only, so you would need to check). But it's not going to work in a 64-bit DAW.

There is still available a DXi to VSTi converter that might want to try. Note that I do not have any experience with this. I copied this from a search:


http://www.xlutop.com/buzz/zip/shell2vst.zip

this converts all installed dx plugins to valid vst plugins.
there's an exe in the zip and a dxshell.dll/dxishell.dll. just drop the appropiate dll onto the exe and there's a folder created at the same location the exe is placed. in that folder are the created vst versions. just copy the vst versions into your vst plugin folder where your host will find them. beware, this procedere converts _all_ dx plugins, make sure you just copy the ones you need to your vst plugin folder. however, there might be plugins that refuse to work if they're strictly bound to a specipic host (i.e. some plugs by cakewalk don't work, they are giving you the appropiate message when you try to load them). also beware that, if you have waves plugins installed, these are dx plugins by nature, they'll be converted, too.
other than these minor issues this worked flawless for me.
regards,
brok landers
BIGTONEsounddesign
gear is as good as the innovation behind it-the man"

Thanks folks. Cubase 9 is 64 bit only, at least for vst. Just thinking using it for more than just BIAB. Not looking likely.

Mike

If you have Cubase 9 you have Halion Sonic (or SE); more versatile than Forte 1.6 (GM only, last updated in 2007), with it's GM2. HS sounds IMO also better. For BIAB use you need jBridge to create the 32 'shell". In my case it all installed automatically. With Halion Sonic open: go to OPTIONS, and set it to GM mode, BIAB remembers the GM settings ever after you make here.

shell2vst.exe BTW is a Waves tool to do with unpacking their VST3 waveshells to separate files; i think waves works with DXi protocols which automatically runs as VST in Steinberg stuff.

PS FXexpansion used to have a DX to VST wrapper, but it seems to be non available today. -F

I agree 100%. Sooner or later I always run into problems with software synths, hardware is bullet proof.

Tony