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Wasn't sure if I should post this in the main BIAB For Windows forum or here, but... BIAB might finally have some credible competition, at least for one instrument. http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/ezkeys/
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2025 • Reaper 7 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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I just looked at EZ Keys on the Sweetwater website. How might it compare to the Akoustik Piano program that I have now?
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As far as sampling goes, no idea. In this context, a piano is a piano is a piano. On the other hand, being able to change the chords in MIDI sequences and export them to new MIDI sequences... that's an accompaniment-program trick -- i.e., the long-transformed SuperJam, the hopelessly-out-of-date Jammer, the far-too-tricky OneManBand... and Band In A Box.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2025 • Reaper 7 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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Well, I think that our BIAB trumps all of the rest in simplicity of use vs result.
--Mac
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I saw the demo that Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater did on EZ Keys - looks pretty behind the times in comparison to BIAB capabilities as it pertains to autoaccompaniment. That's a hard thing for me to say, since I normally say the opposite about PG products - but mostly related to their user interface and interface with plugins and so forth.
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Oh, absolutely, they're behind the times, certainly way, way behind what's possible with BIAB. Thing is, they're also either working on or planning to release soon EZ Guitar and EZ Bass. That being the case, I think it gives PG a ready-made ad campaign or two, which very well might put BIAB and RB into more prestigious company.
I admit that, even though they're supposedly a Playa because of EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer, I think Toontrack is something of a joke. I love the ideas behind EZ Drummer and EZ Mix, but I just don't think they sound very good. And EZ Drummer is not easy to use, compared to BIAB, BFD, or Addictive Drums (I happened to get all three of those drum programs on superb deals this past fall). And registering Toontrack stuff is a royal PITA.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2025 • Reaper 7 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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But don't you find it interesting that Sweetwater chose to feature this product? I wonder how much Toontrack had to pay to play?
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But I suspect some people will give EZ Keys a try because they think it has a more modern, sexy looking interface and might be easier to learn than BIAB.
Tony
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I have played with the EXmix 2 Demo and it does have some nice but limited presets. However it does not let you have much control with just two knobs to tweak. Of course they want you to buy the producers addon packages at $49 a pop to get that just right mix. I have heard some nice mixes with it on some other forums and it is true that it takes a lot of load off your cpu. It might attract some users who want a easy way of getting a decent mix without tweaking knobs and effects for hours only to find out it sounds worse than when they started. I personally have my own effects chains and presets that I prefer to use.
Brian
BIAB 2025 Ultrapack- Studio One Pro 7 Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio
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"Available only at Sweetwater". Wouldn't worry about it digging into PG sales. Most folks on the street have no idea what Sweetwater is, but they can walk into Guitar Center and find BIAB.
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Quote:
"Available only at Sweetwater". Wouldn't worry about it digging into PG sales. Most folks on the street have no idea what Sweetwater is, but they can walk into Guitar Center and find BIAB.
The exclusive availability is for a limited time, IIRC. Sweetwater is a tough nut to crack to figure out what their philosophy is. For years, they didn't sell Behringer gear; don't know if it was the inability to get the kinds of margins they wanted or on 'principle' (remember all the Behringer controversy about them supposedly copying Mackie and BBE designs), or something else - but for the last year or so, they've carried Behringer.
-Scott
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Quote:
I have played with the EXmix 2 Demo and it does have some nice but limited presets. However it does not let you have much control with just two knobs to tweak. Of course they want you to buy the producers addon packages at $49 a pop to get that just right mix. I have heard some nice mixes with it on some other forums and it is true that it takes a lot of load off your cpu. It might attract some users who want a easy way of getting a decent mix without tweaking knobs and effects for hours only to find out it sounds worse than when they started. I personally have my own effects chains and presets that I prefer to use.
Brian
Yep, I've got a nice selection of sound toys myself, and I'm loath to switch over -- especially to something that expensive. If I'm gonna sink that much money into a new mixing/mastering tool, I'll go a little further and pick up Ozone, fer cryin' out loud.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2025 • Reaper 7 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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BiaB & RB are pretty much essential tools for writing and arranging,
loading Real Tracks into my DAW for finetuning, FX, and etc.
Then I 'slice & dice' multiple Real Tracks to taste in my DAW.
One area I've where I've always wanted a little more is Piano parts.
The ones in BiaB work well in context with the other instruments
but don't stand alone very well - Intro's - Outtro's - breaks.
(btw - I have 3-4 fairly high quality Piano Romplers)
I'm just doing a little research now, and there is a demo. (limits?)
I'm looking at EZkeys as an addition to BiaB, not to replace it.
I'd be interested in hearing any opinions.
Boyd
Win10 - 16GB-RAM - BiaB 2019 - Mixbus 4 - Slate Bundle - Komplete 10 - Ozone 8 - Neutron 2 - Waves Gold
Ample Sound Guitars & Basses - Pianoteq 6 - SSD5 - SD3 - JamStix 4 - Omnisphere - UVI Falcon - EastWest Play
Sonarworks Reference 4 -
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Boyd, the EZ Keys demo's limits are: you can't drag & drop, you can't save anything, the Favorite section of the browser is disabled, and the thing detunes itself every little while. That said, it seems to be relatively useful -- which kind of amuses me, because the same interface is a pain when I'm working with EZ Drummer -- and the piano licks are very much BIAB-style backgrounds. A little more variety in some places. Obviously, an excellent piano sample set.
As with EZ Mix and EZ Drummer, Toontrack is obviously planning to make their money by publishing more piano styles, which is fine... but I really do find their stuff overpriced, even in the bundles. If they have a good sale on it -- half off or better -- I'll probably pick it up, but not before.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2025 • Reaper 7 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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I tried the demo and I do think it sounds very good,
BUT you have to enter all the chord changes into
each and every midi clip clip you use with it.
From Toontrack's EZ keys support forum:
"No, it's not possible to 'freeze' the chord progression in the Song Track and drag new MIDI on top of the progression.
It's an interesting idea for sure, but not sure if it's possible to implement."
So, BiaB wins another round!
I suppose, if one could find midi piano files,
you could simply make some custom styles to accomplish something similar.
Boyd
Boyd
Win10 - 16GB-RAM - BiaB 2019 - Mixbus 4 - Slate Bundle - Komplete 10 - Ozone 8 - Neutron 2 - Waves Gold
Ample Sound Guitars & Basses - Pianoteq 6 - SSD5 - SD3 - JamStix 4 - Omnisphere - UVI Falcon - EastWest Play
Sonarworks Reference 4 -
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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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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
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These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
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Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
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- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
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- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
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Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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