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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2011
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I have a problem that might be easy to solve. I just don't know how and I've been wondering about it for a long time.
The real tracks and the HiQ Instruments (Jazz Combo), which come with Band in a Box, have about the same volume and can therefore be easily combined. But when I combine other samples, for example from the Garritan library supplied with Finale, the latter are much quieter. I always have to set the Garritan tracks in the mixer to 127 and all other tracks to 20 or so to get a reasonably balanced volume.
Are the samples so differently loud and can I adjust it somewhere so that all samples have about the same volume level?
What about the "Garritan Jazz & Big Band 3" package. Are these samples similar in Volume to the HiQ-Instruments and the Realtracks supplied with Band in Box?
Biab/RB latest build, German Language Pak, Win 10/64 Pro, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM. Notation SW Finale, StaffPad, SmartsScore – Playing Double Bass, Guitar, Piano
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
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All Garritan instrument volumes are not controlled by the volume control, but instead by the modulation wheel instead. You can control this easily for the melody or soloist track by inserting a CC command to set the mod wheel value for that track high enough to get the volume you want; not sure about the other tracks, however, and I'm not in front of my music machine to test it out.
You might be able to control it in the Aria VST interface as well.
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: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382 |
According to the manual for Aria Player for Finale, the track volumes will respond to MIDI CC7 (which is what our volume sliders send), and the Mod Wheel will also affect volume, as John mentioned.
Brille, if you go to Options - Preferences - MIDI Options, is "Zero the ModWheel Controller when stop pressed" checked? If it is, be sure to uncheck it.
Also, does moving the Mod Wheel on the Aria interface help? The default setting is likely pretty low, hopefully moving it with the mouse will do the trick, and it doesn't reset itself. I don't have that plugin here to test it though.
If needed, John's idea of inserting a MIDI CC to the Melody or Soloist track should also do the trick. Hit the "#" button in the Notation Window to get to the Event List, click Insert, and choose Control Change. The CC for Mod Wheel is 1, and a value of 127 would get you full volume.
If Aria is on a track other than Melody or Soloist, you could use Copy - Copy Special - Copy/Move Tracks to copy that track's content to Melody or Soloist, insert the MIDI CC, then use the same command to move it back. Alternately, you could insert the MIDI CC pretty easily in RealBand.
I'll come back if I think of any other ideas.
Thanks
Kent
PG Music
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
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There is no easy answer to this Brille. It's called digital audio and everybody has different ideas about it. This is where Biab's limitations really show up.
Basically Biab is designed to work with a GM synth. GM synths are created with a balanced set of samples. That's why you can use the Coyote Wavetable or Forte Dxi and it's all balanced fairly well. But as we all know the overall sound quality of GM is anywhere from decent to awful. When you move over to dedicated VSTi's the developers could care less about GM. Each sample stands on it's own and is designed to be used in a DAW where you have complete control of your tracks using the mixer. The best ones allow you to interface with a hardware mixer and you can balance those tracks very easily.
Not so easy in Biab. Yes, Biab can work with VSTi's but it's not a DAW, it's really supposed to use a GM synth. This is why pretty much everybody on this forum will tell you to use a GM synth to get your basic song together for the chords and overall layout then move it to a DAW so you can start adding your VST's to replace the GM instruments for mastering.
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: Sep 2011
Posts: 943
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Kent (and all the others).
Thanks for all the advice, but I haven't really made any progress in this point.
I (usually) don't use an external MIDI keyboard. I want to use the Garritan sounds exclusively as better sounds within BiaB (without transferring everything to a DAW).
I already read that the Garritan samples put the volume on the mod wheel. But that doesn't help me within BiaB. The Aria VST player has a mod wheel, but this unfortunately does not work as a volume control. The Sforzando VST Player does not even show a mod-wheel.
And yes, Options - Preferences - MIDI Options, "Zero the ModWheel Controller when stop pressed" is unchecked.
I also tried to put a CC 7 (127) into the MIDI track via #, but even that doesn't change the low volume. And I don't want to buy the Garritan JABB 3 package without knowing if the samples are too quiet.
The JABB-3 is advertised on the BiaB website as an third party sound extension to BiaB - how do other users solve this volume problem?
Biab/RB latest build, German Language Pak, Win 10/64 Pro, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM. Notation SW Finale, StaffPad, SmartsScore – Playing Double Bass, Guitar, Piano
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Brille -
For Garritan instruments, you need to put a CC 1 (with some value) on the MIDI track to change the volume. Set it for 127 for very loud and lower numbers where you want it softer.
That being said, Garritan sounds are really much better controlled in a DAW than in BIAB. You can do it, but it's a lot of work, and of course if the MIDI data is on anything than the melody or soloist track, you run the risk of everything getting overwritten when you regenerate.
That being said, here's another thing you can try that might help out. On your track with Garritan instruments, insert the PGDynamics plugin in the second VST slot for that track, which will compress the Garritan output effectively making it louder (and I would probably put PGPeakLimit in the third slot to make sure you don't get any digital thwacking). That might help even out your volumes. Worth the few seconds it takes to try it.
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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Excellent answer Bob. To add one more thing good DAWs have mixers included that will work the same as your hardware mixer suggestion. I use Studio One Pro 4 and its mixer works fine. I adjust different VSTi volumes with it with no problems.
Love is grand.
Divorce is twenty grand!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 943
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OP
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Bob,
Thanks, to add a compressor in the next slot sounds like a good idea, i will try this out!
Biab/RB latest build, German Language Pak, Win 10/64 Pro, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM. Notation SW Finale, StaffPad, SmartsScore – Playing Double Bass, Guitar, Piano
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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