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Joined: Jun 2010
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 110 |
Hi All, I'm treading the waters again concerning this topic, which is more specifically: What kind of "soft" drums do folks out there use in their set ups at home/studio? I've been doing some lite reading of a few packages out there such as: ---EZDrums (toontrack) and ---BFD related (from fxpansion) About 2 years ago, I purchased DrumCore3 (which in my case, is highly under-utilized!). This product has a nice mix of midi and audio (primarily audio) and some great kits and artists. Here's a link for a peek if you're curious: DrumCore etc In my particular case, I've trained on a drum machine (DR-660) for years (yeah, back BEFORE there was software for this kind of thing!). I rarely use this approach any more; too limiting obviously. The other "drum" groove source I have at my disposal are the patterns entrenched in my Yamaha Motif XS-6 synth/workstation. Which is great, BUT, getting those grooves to my DAW is tricky and the synch is never as I expect it to be within the DAW (which is another subject...sorry). Finally, I have some loops (which are good starting points, but suck in general for polished work). Enough about me...as you can see, too many options, most are laborious, and well, I'm just looking for more insight from the community. Consider this an open discussion and opportunity for you all to share your experiences, likes and critiques of your favorite thing to use to get you grooving! This stuff seems to get better all the time (unlike me). In the end, drums are THE hardest, most difficult sonic attribute to get nailed down in my "solo" one man, half-show-in-the-basement, kinda musician world. Thanks in advance for your input!
JOHN 10:10
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Joined: Jun 2010
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BTW: Feel free to post links for products, demos, and any personal music that showcases your stuff!
JOHN 10:10
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It's difficult when you're by yourself. Here you are alone working with a bunch of software and equipment trying to emulate the sound of a collaborative effort of a group of excellent players. It's impossible and that's the frustration in this. I'm a pretty good keyboard player but can't play a lick of guitar. I know kinda sorta what I want to hear in a guitar part but I can pick out all the loops or guitar RT's in the world and maybe not find what I think I want. But, bring in one of my college trained guitarist friends and in two seconds he comes up with something I would have never thought of and it sounds great. That's why people put bands together.
To try to answer your question, look at Jamstix at rayzoon.com It's a completely different type of drum software. They use specific drummers styles if you want, you have complete control over every element of the drum kit plus it can "jam" to a certain point by itself. It's pretty cool.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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FLAN. I tend to do things the hard way! My drum tracks are all programmed individually as midi tracks and then played through a software VST drum machine which is essentially just a sample player. I even make up my own wav samples so that I get exactly the kits that I want. I find it gives me the flexibility I want for breaks where I want all the instruments to move together. Think Jessica by the Allman Brothers. As a shortcut, midi grooves can be imported from such as your Motif and then quantised if the sync isn't spot on. You can then just write specific bars for the breaks. The VSTi which I use is bigbadabom 24/2 and it's free from http://www.vstplanet.com/Instruments/VST_Drums8.htmIt'll hold 24 wav samples with full control, including comprehensive EQ, on every drum. It may be time consuming, but I eventually end up with the effect I want. ROG.
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Another big fan of Jamstix. It does have a learning curve to fully utilize, but the forum is great, and it is powerful.
Sadly PG products can not fully use all the features, but we keep hoping they will solve that issue soon.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
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Jamstix, BFD and RMIV user here. Also I tend to use loop CDs and DVDs with time stretching - most of the time, the loops are what sound most 'real' to my ear.
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Wow! See? Great input! Thanks...and now I'm drooling over Jamstix.
*rolling my eyes*
Sheeeeeeeeeeesh.
That product is pretty darn cool I must say...very, very smart indeed.
The real life emulation is incredible...to go from "loop-poop" to real drummer is awesome.
Well, not quite "real"...but a whole lot easier to haul around huh?
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Be advised that the jamming feature of the Jamstix software does not work with PG products, though many have asked. It becomes a somewhat expensive MIDI playback module at that point.
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Rockstar (which by the way, I'm sure you are!):
I see you mentioned ye ol' RMIV---interesting. This piques a bit of interest because, as fate would have it, I actually HAVE this VST as it was included in Mackie's Tracktion 3 DAW I got back in '08 (wow, how time flies).
What's more dispicable than that is...well, I've never really tried it out (maybe I should duh).
In truth, I'm not exactly sure why...maybe at the time, it seemed slightly "archaic" and unfamiliar and or complicated.
Because of you, I am again interested...it could yet be another rock yet unturned?
Tell me how you like it...or not.
I hear BFD comes highly recommended also...it looks very impressive and probably blows RMIV away (really, I'm simply assuming that...I could be wrong).
Thanks again for your insights!
JOHN 10:10
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I use RMIV when I'm doing an electronic track and I'm looking for the right 808 or 909 feel. I use BFD when I'm 'playing' the drums for a track using my midi keyboard. It has a great set of accents/flams/etc. and the 'mic' settings are intuitive and can be used to great effect. I use Jamstix when I'm lazy - though it can be cantankerous as well (Try to do reggae with it), and lastly, I will use loops when I already have a song structure figured out in my head and I simply want to get the songwriting over with and fleshed out, and flushed out of my head. Each has it's purpose.
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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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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
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Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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 10 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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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