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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74 |
Just had my first chance to test-drive the RealTracks Hammond B-3 (blues, background from RT Set 10). Kind of disappointing -- every variation sounded distorted. Same result when I played back several of the WMA files directly from Windows Media Player, rather than with BIAB.
The narrative for the Real Track describes the sound as "Gritty". Funny... I worked with a B-3 player every weekend for two years. His axe never sounded like that. Just a clean, powerful sound from that rotating Leslie cabinet. The BIAB B-3 is virtually useless to me.
Tried downloading and reinstalling the latest posted RT updates for Sets 10-12, dated 11/23/08. Also tried copying the Organ folder directly from the USB drive that contained the 2009 UltraPak -- Of course, they were the same files, and produced the same distorted result.
Has anyone else run into this?
I'm running Windows 98SE on a Sempron 2800, 512MB RAM, 160 MB 7200 RPM drive about half full. Sound card is a Creative SoundBlaster Live. Using no external synths or other hardware of any kind. Boot configuration is extremely "lean and mean".
Drive is defragged weekly and this box has never had an Internet connection.
BIAB version is 2009, build 282.
Thanks in advance!
Jon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 436
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 436 |
ColoradoGuy;
Mine sounded funny too when I just listened to the samples in the folder. The organ was ok in my right speaker, but the left one sounded like a space ship taking off. However in a song, it was un-noticable. I don't know, I have never used it until tonite.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815 |
I used the B-3 here: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6879039 I thought it came out alright, but I guess I ought to listen again (but I can't right now). Kevin
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
The narrative for the Real Track describes the sound as "Gritty". Funny... I worked with a B-3 player every weekend for two years. His axe never sounded like that. Just a clean, powerful sound from that rotating Leslie cabinet. The BIAB B-3 is virtually useless to me.
There are many "voices" to the mighty B, in this instance, the one you got used to was set up for a clean sound, the one recorded for these particular RealTracks is set up for a distorted sound ala blues and rock players.
Perhaps in future pgmusic will record some B tracks from a different organ, but for now, it is what it is. Save it for dirty blues tracks.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 177
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 177 |
I suspect that the BPM element may be slower than the lower limit of the preferred BPM range for the B-3 Real Track instrument. That circumstance invariably results in unstable rendering of the wave based instrument. Try speeding up the passage. Any different?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
"Same result when I played back several of the WMA files directly from Windows Media Player, rather than with BIAB."
And that sidesteps the BPM thing altogether.
No, it is indeed the fact that the particular organ and leslie used to record these RealTracks is set up for a distorted sound and it is intentional.
Whether or not you like that kind of sound -- or more exactly, the type and genre of music in which you would like to invoke a B3 track -- is the issue.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74 |
Thanks for your answers! Mac’s final answer is the one I suspected, but still don’t want to hear.
I was trying to use the track in an instrumental version of “More Today than Yesterday” (Spiral Staircase), and also planned to use it in “Smoke From a Distant Fire” (Sanford Townsend Band). A good B-3 track would make these tunes killers!
Luvs3rds: Thanks for listening to the BIAB samples. For what it’s worth, I had More Today than Yesterday set with all “B” part markers (to keep the drummer cookin’), which had the adverse effect of pushing the B-3 into its “grittiest” mode – which I guess would be called True Grit (nyuk, nyuk).
Kemmrich: I listened to your tune. The B-3 is pretty well buried in the mix (which is fine); so I couldn’t hear any obvious distortion. Since yours is a classic blues tune, the B-3 RealTrack is a perfect fit.
To DrDUBose: I was using the B-3 at 140 BPM, the upper end of its tempo range. When I suspected the distortion was possibly due to time-stretching, I used WMP to get a “second opinion”. But thanks for the thought.
To Mac: I didn’t even know it was possible to get a distorted sound from a Big B (at least one that’s working right). Shows you what I know. You da man.
Since there is only one B-3 RealTrack available at this time, sounds like a “clean” B-3 track is a prime candidate for the Wish List.
Meanwhile, since my immediate objective is recording, I’ll try setting all the part markers to “A” and rendering just the B-3 track. Maybe that’ll tame the beast a little.
Thanks again,
Jon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 368
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 368 |
Jon: If you're interested in recording a clean-sounding B3 into a sequencer program like RealBand, Sonar, etc you might want to consider the VST instrument VB3 by Genuine Soundware http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=24It is a fantastic sounding B3 with 9 drawbars, Leslie and reverb - nearly all the controls from a real B3. It costs 49 Euros -- about $ 63. I bought it a few months ago and am very pleased with the sound quality and the flexibility of the sound. There are audio samples as well as a working demo you can download. The system requirements are listed in the manual as: Minimum System Requirements: • Microsoft Windows 98se/ME/2000/XP • Intel Pentium 3 @ 500 MHz or AMD Athlon @ 500 MHz • 256 Mb of RAM • 4 Mb of free disk space • An ASIO compatible sound card • A 61 keys MIDI keyboard Recommended System Requirements: • Microsoft Windows XP • Intel Pentium 4 Dual Core @ 3000 MHz or AMD Athlon @ 3000 MHz • 1 Gb of RAM • 10 Mb of free disk space • An ASIO compatible sound card with near-zero latency • Two 61 keys MIDI keyboards and an expression pedal VB3 is a VST plug-in, and needs a VST host application to run. John
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114 |
I use the B4 plugin from Native Inst. and it is awesome. It has a great interface but you really won't use it much because the preset styles cover just about everything from Jimmy Mcgriff to Greg Rollie (Santana) although I'm still trying to find the perfect style for Garth Hudson( I know, I know, he played a Lowrie)
Last edited by Zan Cantwell; 03/12/09 07:45 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 74 |
John, thanks for the info. I just listened to the VB3 streaming samples and downloaded the demo. This shows some serious promise! I’ll play with it first chance I get.
Zan, the Native Instruments B4 seems to be the gold standard (Mac swears by it). Thing is, it doesn’t run under Windows 98. And for a vast variety of reasons, I plan to avoid an OS conversion for as long as possible. That’s my story, and I’m stuck with it. Thanks for the thought.
For what it’s worth, I added “clean” B-3 RealTracks to the Wish List. If anyone else feels this would be useful, please go over there and “ditto” my request.
Thanks,
Jon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
The original B4 version 1 ran under win98SE. Perhaps you could find one on ebay or the like if interested.
--Mac
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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