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time to get a midi keyboard.
Confused about what way to go, i.e. midi keyboard controller no sounds, or Roland , Yamaha and get extra benefits like styles ,patches etc.
Any input as to what others have done would be great.
Was looking at the Roland bk3 anyone have/know anything about this one or any good similar boards. ?
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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time to get a midi keyboard. Any input as to what others have done would be great. I have no idea what your music taste/goals are or what level of song writing/recording your are trying to achieve. My personal take...knowing what I know now and all the options available I would just go with a simple midi keyboard controller without all the onboard sounds or midi sequences. IE: Roland A-49 Keyboard Controller - Black For the patches/sounds I would buy modules (flat black boxes) that cater to the kind of music I want to play or record. IE: although dated, I have and still use the: Roland JV-30 (1994 - as a controller only - all sound oscillators died some time ago) Roland MBD-1 Roland MVS-1 Proteus FX (These can be gotten used pretty cheap.) Or....forget the modules, save real estate and just buy the VST programs of your choice....there's likely hundreds to audition and choose from. I would not steer anyone to a pricey keyboard workstation with all the built-in patches/bell/whistles unless you're rolling in buckaroos. If you are actually a gigging musician then these suggestions may not be applicable. But....that's just me. Hope that helps. Do some research....choice is yours...good luck.
Last edited by chulaivet1966; 06/07/17 11:51 AM.
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Are you a mod wheel pitch bend wheel person or a joystick person? This matters more than brand. Why? Because you can't buy a Roland with mod and pitch bend wheels and you can't buy most other brands with joysticks.
The big problem with joysticks are that you can't control the modulation and leave it in a certain position. This severely limits half of the usefulness of a joystick, and in my opinion it's why even Korg offers the wheels now.
You left Casio off the list, but their offerings nowadays often run circles around the other brands for price/performance.
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Remember that if you buy a controller with no sounds, you have a controller with no sounds. If you buy an actual synth, you can use it as a controller with the volume off so you don't play the onboard sounds. That way you have both your controller and a synth. I have a practice keyboard that I use in my downstairs where I have a "secondary" music area so if I get an idea I can pop it into a DAW down there rather than hike up those steps and power everything up for just 10 minutes to plunk down a skeleton of a song. Hit some pawn shops! Now I suggest strongly against the "toy level" things that Yamaha makes with the little speakers onboard. They are usually not all that durable and the sounds on them are tinny and cheap.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.
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Thanks guys for the advice,
I already have a Roland sonic cell, I do use this in gm. mode.
And was looking to add a keyboard so I could use the patches.
I'm not a fluent keyboard player, I get by on chording and thought I could be using it too add a wee bit more character to my tracks.
If I am going to spend about 400.00 gbp, That's when I thought midi keyboard no sounds or keyboard wi
th sounds.
Ill keep looking and researching.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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I'd also say get something with speakers and built in sounds. As Eddie pointed out, you can always turn the volume down.
My advice would be to get at least a 61 key synth. Midi out can be either midi port or USB. And weighted or unweighted keys depends on you. I prefer the weighted keys because I was a piano player and piano's have weighted keys. Also you might wish to consider touch sensitive keys. The harder you press, the louder the initial note, again, just like a real piano.
And yes, the Casio brand has come a very long way from the cheap sounding stuff they were known for years ago.
I have a Yamaha DX-27S and something from radio shack that was given to me. The DX-27 is my standard piano here.... non weighted, non touch sensitive. Go figure.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Hi
This is such a difficult Question as has been said much depends on you reasons for
Wanting it.
If you buy a full keyboard with on board voices you can use this as a midi module for BIAB all keyboards of this type will have a set of basic GM midi voices + a whole other host of panel and extended voice banks however to access the later in BIAB you will need a PAT file or a Sona instrument def file to convert..
This way you get a sound module and a keyboard.
Have a look at the YAMAHA DGX range these have a full set of XGlite Voices and a full size 88 note piano
Personally I have a YAMAHA CVP 405 in polished mahogany but it’s the size of a baby Grand piano BIAB is great played through this using its voices and using the full key bed for playing.
But for every day use I use a NOVATION IMPULSE 61 Controller keyboard via an AKAI IEpro interface to my laptop then use various VSI /DXI etc in BIAB
Just some thoughts
Mike
BIAB2021 UltraPlus,AsusN55S1Tbssd, W10/64,Akai EIEpro Yamaha CVP405,SquireStrat, CoolsoftVMidSynth Novatation Impulse61 Ctr kbd, Cwalk blab Kontakt http://mikesmusic.byethost16.com/
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The Graphite 49 (49 key) is terrific. Great action on the keys with plenty of programmable buttons and keys. It was worth absolutely everything I paid for it. The size is good enough to play pretty much any individual instrument parts you want to program in and it makes for a decent control surface. 2 years still going strong!
Last edited by Deryk - PG Music; 06/10/17 12:22 PM.
Cheers,
Deryk
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I did order the m-audio Oxygen 49 , I sent it back too flimsy.
Keys spongy terrible feel , I did think for the price it would have been better.
That's when I thought a decent loaded keyboard, with decent keys better feel, solid structure as long as it had midi in/out.
And sounds would be a plus and being able to use it on GM Mode etc.
And now I had to raise a bit more cash to get as best I can keyboard synth.
I just felt that I was being short changed as such with the keyboard being just a controller.
Thanks great response .
P.S. Now going to check out The Graphite 49 and YAMAHA DGX range.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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I'm not a fluent keyboard player, I get by on chording and thought I could be using it too add a wee bit more character to my tracks.
If I am going to spend about 400.00 gbp.... As far as I can tell, you have not said if you own Band-In-A Box. If "chording" is the extent of "a bit more character", then you need to investigate and understand what BIAB can do for you... let a stable of the top musicians in the world "add character" FOR you. The money that you are considering spending on a keyboard could get you WAY more if you buy and learn to use BIAB RealTracks... If you spend the time it will take you to figure out that keyboard learning to use BIAB RealTracks instead, you could be on your way to creating incredible recording... instead of trying to figure out how you will make that keyboard give you anything worthwhile...
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I did order the m-audio Oxygen 49 , I sent it back too flimsy.
Keys spongy terrible feel , I did think for the price it would have been better.
That's when I thought a decent loaded keyboard, with decent keys better feel, solid structure as long as it had midi in/out.
And sounds would be a plus and being able to use it on GM Mode etc.
And now I had to raise a bit more cash to get as best I can keyboard synth.
I just felt that I was being short changed as such with the keyboard being just a controller.
Thanks great response .
P.S. Now going to check out The Graphite 49 and YAMAHA DGX range.
I had the same issue with a silver generation Oxygen 49. Terrible key feel.
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Floyd I have biab 2017 everything pak and all add ons that I know of
I just never really took to the real tracks I don't know what it is, I find them a bit too busy in the sound department.
so I bought a sound module and now I hear a better potential in the midi side of things especially when I add real drums and maybe an acoustic strum guitar real track.
I honestly don't know what it is I use sonar artist as my daw and I have spent a good bit of money on plug ins etc this past year.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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Floyd I have biab 2017 everything pak and all add ons that I know of
I just never really took to the real tracks I don't know what it is, I find them a bit too busy in the sound department.
so I bought a sound module and now I hear a better potential in the midi side of things especially when I add real drums and maybe an acoustic strum guitar real track.
I honestly don't know what it is I use sonar artist as my daw and I have spent a good bit of money on plug ins etc this past year.
If you had the Everything pak and aren't using the RealTracks, you really ought to spend some time investigating them. There are plenty of RealTracks that are not as busy. Try some of the Held versions... Perhaps you could add a link to one of your songs to give us an idea of what you do... or a link to a song in a style that you are trying to create - perhaps someone here could suggest some RealTracks to use... Or - it might be that some of the new Loops would fit the bill for you - there are now 1000s in BIAB...
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your right Floyd I don't think I gave them enough time or effort,you have given me food for thought.
Im going to go back and do a little more on them I don't even know what held is.?
I do believe it is me as I hear you guys doing all the stuff you do and I got round to thinking, maybe its because I have the compressed files.
Thought about upgrading again to the wav ones but as someone already said on here you cannot d/load this and delivery custom is another 40.00 + gbp.
What's that banging noise!!, Just me banging my head against a brick wall
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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...maybe its because I have the compressed files.
Thought about upgrading again to the wav ones but as someone already said on here you cannot d/load this and delivery custom is another 40.00 + gbp.
The "compressed" version - as you call it - is no different than the "wav" version - for your purposes. Upgrading will not change things for you at this point, so get past that thinking. Everything I do is using the "compressed" version.
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point taken Floyd been at it all night reading the manual as I go.
I have opened real band out of curiosity when I got biab, now I've been on it all night.
I now see were my downfall started, generate tracks etc.
This is a great programme the more I delve into it , the more I understand why you guys rave about it.
To be honest opened it first time and thought , a wee toy daw.
Now it does more than any daw because its a follow up to biab where you take it a bit further, been reading older posts about things in the forum
I will hang on to the money I was ready to spend on the keyboard a bit longer , I think it may be going elsewhere .
TA FOR THE WAKE UP CALL.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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If you want to seriously develop keyboard skills, and it sounds like you are not necessarily a classically trained piano player - then you have some questions to ask yourself. 1. Do you want to become a better piano player through practice and exercise? 2. Do you think that you will supplement BIAB through your own soloing on keyboard and using either a built-in to the keyboard sound source or external hardware based sound source, or with a software based instrument? (Based on your response immediately above, I am thinkng that the answer to this question is "No" at least for now. 3. Do you think you will ever gig in a band as a keyboard player? If so, what style do you see yourself playing; classic rock or country, gospel, modern rock, progressive rock, R&B, etc. 4. How is your back? (related question to #3) All of these questions should guide your choice of keyboard. Answer to question #1 immediately divides the field of choices significantly. If your answer is 'yes' to question 1, then do not consider any non-weighted keyboards. Period. It's my opinion, and held by many others, that you cannot improve true piano playing skills with unweighted keys if that is your only keyboard you have to practice on. This also somewhat determines the number of octaves you should be choosing. I would not buy anything less than a 76 note keyboard if the answer is yes to question 1. If the answer to question #1 is "No", then the field of choices is much wider, including weighted keys, but many more choices with unweighted keys and fewer octaves. For some styles, weighted keys are a detriment. For example, playing classic rock and R&B organ; it's better to have unweighted keys for that (my opinion - some do just fine with this, but I can't). I'm actually playing a real Hammond these days (M3 with speaker defeated going into a Leslie amp/cabinet simulator). I also believe synth soloing or even simulated acoustic instrument soloing is better achieved on a non-weighted keyboard (with mod and pitch bend wheels in my case), because that's what I've done for the past 30+ years. In this case, 49+ key keyboards work well, and going to fewer numbers of keys starts to force you into a single-handed technique. For synth soloing, this can actually be just fine if you have handy octave +/- buttons for the free hand. This is one area where the Oxygen 49 layout was pretty great for the left hand; mod and pitch bend wheels at the ready as well as octave +/- buttons right there in perfect position for it. (Here's an image of the silver edition Oxygen 49 where you can see the octave buttons right above the mod and pitch bend wheels https://www.google.com/search?q=oxygen+49&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGzqa1u7PUAhVJ8IMKHQ87BWIQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1440&bih=765#imgrc=KpSsy7ULZBZWQM:) Here's a track I did several years ago using the M-Audio Oxygen 49 with only freeware VSTi. At about 4:40 into the track, I'm making very extensive use of the mod wheel (for the filter settings) and the octave +/- buttons to dance across the octaves, and the pitch bend wheel for nuanced wiggle on the solo line. There is a glitch that occurred right at the beginning of the song related to either .mp3 encoding or placement into Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/rockstar_not/rockstarnot-ambishot-2-1Answer to question #2 seems like you are already answering this. Question #3; specific to organ. Here's a track where I contributed s some classic rock organ, with an unweighted keyboard and the GSi VB3 plugin. The slides on this song and how fast they were done (I played this live to the track) would have been almost impossible with a weighted keyboard. https://soundcloud.com/rockstar_not/hitched-collab-jeff-desantis-w-scott-lake4. Try to get a lightweight keyboard if you are gigging.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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