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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693 |
I was wondering what had gone wrong. I knew that I had, at one time, been able to add audio effects to MIDI instruments, such as my Melody track. However, even though my melody was playing correctly through the software synth (I use VSTSynthFont), my VST plugin list for the Melody track was empty.
I finally found that assigning VSTSynthFont to the first VST slot for the Melody track allowed me to then add audio processing such as Reverb, Dynamics, and even Amplitude3 to the remaining slots. For instance, I was able to find an excellent Amplitude effect for the steel drums part.
Now, I'm not quite certain what routing is going on in the back-end of BIAB, such that SynthFont can be assigned as the overall synthesizer, but then reassigned to a single track; I probably knew at one time how back-end routing worked, but have long forgotten. It works, though, for which I am glad. The value of being able to add audio processing to MIDI instruments during live performance can hardly be overstated!
Joel
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844 |
For MIDI tracks, the first plugin slot needs to be the VSTi instrument you use. Then you can install effects VSTs into slots 2, 3, and 4. If you are using the default VSTi, then you could assign effects to the default VSTi rack, but that will affect all tracks using the default. If you want to use effects with the default VSTi, but not affect other tracks, you need to load another instance of that VSTi into slot one of track you want the effect applied to.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693 |
Thanks, John. On my desktop system, equipped with a Creative SB Elite, I disabled hardware synthesizer and enabled VST. I then assigned VSTSynthFont as the default software synth.
I could not assign effects until I assigned the VSTSynthFont in slot 1 for the track itself (as you pointed out). However, unlike my laptop configuration, the desktop system simply clicks upon starting a song, and no sound is produced (even RealTracks) at all. I had to reassign Coyote as the default software synth, and then VSTSynthFont seemed to work fine assigned to the Melody track, and all the effects worked as well.
Unfortunately, this means that I would have to manually update every song to this configuration, or I will get vastly inferior results from Coyote.
I also was getting concerned about system stability. This configuration wasn't working all that reliably. Being that I develop tracks on the laptop, and place them on the desktop for live use by those who know only how to load and start a song...
I finally gave up on trying to do this altogether. It was several hours of frustration. End result: no effects on MIDI (except on the laptop, for some reason).
Joel
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,844 |
What driver were you using on the desktop? That may be affecting the sound you get, and I've found there are some VST's that just refuse to work unless you are running ASIO.
Also, I know occasionally I have to reset my FastTrack Pro ASIO interface (usually by just choosing another driver, then reselecting the M-Audio ASIO driver), otherwise, I get weird sounds.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
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Joined: Jun 2005
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All these issues is the reason you should not be running Biab live on a gig. Create your songs at home, get them the way you want them to sound and then render them to wavs. Those wavs or MP3's if you're worried about space can be played in a variety of players including a smartphone. Just plug in a mini adapter into the phone or tablet or whatever headphone jack and run it to your PA.
There are tons of setlist or jukebox apps for mobile devices even including ones that link a lyric or music chart to the song itself. Click on the song and the chart pops up with it.
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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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 693 |
I apologize for the late reply...
Well, I wouldn't think that PG Music would want to advertise that BIAB is not "live ready." I have used the product for many years in a live situation (church setting) without problems...
The major issues was, starting with BIAB 2010 onward, the mess on the screen became so intolerable that I could no longer get anyone to use the program. This appears to be fixed in BIAB 2017, with the ability to customize toolbars, but not in the 2015 version I have!
Sigh...unfortunately, I do have to agree with you, though. I find that I am using BIAB live less and less, if for no other reason than that projection software generally allows for linking mp3/wav files, making it easier to have backing for projected lyrics available when needed.
So much for the "Conductor" mode...
Joel
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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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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
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