Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I'm at the limits of my midi understanding here, and would be grateful if anyone can help me.

My input keyboard is touch sensitive and my output 'synth' responds to the 'touch' input from it. (Am I talking about 'velocity'?)

I want to record some stuff as 'organ'. Just for this, I'd prefer to have no touch response - as a real organ would not. Just absolute on (key down) and off (key released).

In Biab, are there any settings I can use to achieve this ?

Any pointers much appreciated.

Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
You should be able to turn off the Touch inside your keyboard somewhere. Consult the manual for the keyboard.

Certain keyboards do this automatically when organ patches are selected, others don't.


--Mac

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
I like my organ to have touch sensitivity. Still works, and I've had that thing for years. Never searched for the off button. I did notice an increase in volume when I got glasses with built in bi-focals.


John Conley
Musica est vita
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165
You can use 'edit-change velocity' in a lot of PGMusic sfotware to change the velocities to full on/off after-the-fact. But as Mac said, the keyboard should have this adjustment also.


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
Thanks, as always, to all of you who have offered a comment.

In turn:

re Mac's: it is possible to set the (midi-out) keyboard to be not-touch-sensitive for the purposes of playing it directly. But none of the external controls have any effect on sounds created by midi input. It doesn't have the auto-cut-off you mention. The manual, in its implementation chart, has:
Velocity Note ON 9nH, v=1 - 127
Note OFF 9nH, v=0
but I don't understand quite what that means, or, more to the point, how I might use it in Biab.
(I could play what I want directly on the keyboard, and use its onboard sequencer to record it. But the actual keyboard is fairly horrid - that on my midi-in instrument is far superior. I would rather go that way if it is possible. )

re John's: in general, I agree with you, John. I think it's an interesting example of 'our sort of technology' actually pushing the envelope, musically speaking, that it enables us to play pretty authentic organ sounds with touch sensitivity, and the combination gives a different colour to what's played. But in this case, I do want a pedantically-authentic sound, and also there are some 'stretches' in the piece where it's very difficult to sustain the legato without an audbile difference in touch.
And re rharv's: yes, there's more than one way of simulating the effect, post hoc. I could edit the piano roll, for example. But, again, what I really want to do is play it in in the 'real' way.

The simple question remains: can Biab do this, or not ?

BW

Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Gee my sense of humour does not connect without a smirk or wink maybe? I might try another angle and be obtuse but if I get equal about it, you can sum up parts of me as a square. Punishing you all.

On a serious note, unlike the post several above here, I have a Rodgers/Roland keyboard and if I don't want it touch sensitive, I hammer it. But to get the bass the way I like I usually hit the bass notes harder, and transpose down an octave, giving it a sound like pedals.


John Conley
Musica est vita
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
BIAB can't do that in realtime.

What is the brand and model of your keyboard?


--Mac

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 507
R
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
R
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 507
Quote:

But, again, what I really want to do is play it in in the 'real' way.

The simple question remains: can Biab do this, or not ?


If perchance you're asking whether BB can filter out aftertouch, try this: in the Prefs window, click "Rec. Filter", and untick "Channel Aftertouch". If that doesn't work (possibly because you have "key aftertouch"), I'm not sure what will, but you might also untick "Other Controllers". Worth a try.

But if you're asking if BB can filter the note event to a constant velocity in real time, no, don't think so.

-Ron

EDIT - Oops, sorry, Mac already answered.

Last edited by rkl122; 11/14/09 08:13 PM.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
Thanks, Mac (again) and Ron, for the confirmation that Biab can't do it.

I use a couple of other softwares from time to time between the midi-in and midi-out, and one of them has probably more midi parameters than Biab, so I'll look at that. The trouble is (as I said at the beginning ) I'm pretty much at the borders of my understanding here - I'm not even clear exactly what midi value would be involved.

(for what it's worth: my midi-out is a Yamaha PSR K1, which was basically a short-lived variant on the PSR 293 and 295 models. Cheap kit as an instrument but (to my ear) a pretty good set of samples as a 'hard-synth'. )

Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
Mac

2 last supplementary questions, if I may ?

Suppose my midi-out was the Ketron ? Would things be any different - does that have the automatic hard-touch adjust for organ patches you mentioned ?

And it's obvious you've used midi for years. Is there a midi command line that would, with a fair wind and in some other software, do what I'm looking for ?

Best wishes

Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,261
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,261
Band-in-a-Box may easily switch off touch sensitivity via Pref/Channels/Options... -> Boost THRU Velocity by "127".

Have Fun


Martin
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
The above sounds reasonable, everything would be at the same velocity.

I've not tried it.

The volume on the Ketron seems flat to me, in other words Band in a Box is giving me a master volume but I lose touch sensitivity. In cases where I want that I use the volume slider on my keyboard, as both the ketron and the keyboard are going out to the mixer. So I can 'override' the Ketron and use my keyboard. I'll pull out a midi cable and give you my version of the permutations. I have one or two situations a month where I need volume control, and a put an expression pedal in the mix, so I can mute the playing like you would on an organ.


John Conley
Musica est vita
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
John

I appreciate the offer, but hold the front page for the moment. I'll check Martin's suggestion (thanks,Martin); and also I have a hint from another source that 'midi filter' might do it. I've just looked at the screen, and I would have thought that the default settings (which are what I have, never having looked at the screen before ) would already be doing it - but there is the further option of knocking the filter right back to just 'Notes' and seeing what happens.

Will post again in due course.

many thanks


Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
Well, guys, this is what online forums are all about. We've got there in the end. We may not strictly have increased the sum of human knowledge, but at least a bit of it is more exposed to general view than it was.

I've checked out three options:
1. Martin's suggestion (switch off touch sensitivity via Pref/Channels/Options... -> Boost THRU Velocity by "127") works absolutely. It means the sound is a bit loud as you record, but adjustable (melody or soloist) on playback, and there is no touch sensitivity at all.

2. I noticed that in the same box is another option - a check box for 'Controllers Thru', which is on by default. I did a recording with this box unchecked, and no Thru Velocity Boost.

3. I've also checked out opt>preferences>RecFilter, and unchecked all boxes except 'Notes' (and no change from default in the Pref/Channels/Options settings. )

Both 2 and 3 gave a very hard touch, but not absolutely touch-insensitive. If you hit a note extra hard there was a slight gain, and if you touched more lightly, there was a significant drop in volume, but the touch was hard enough that you didn't get unwanted micro-variations e.g. when making an awkward leap in the fingering. So either of those settings are actually very useful, because in effect they give you 2 or 3 voices off one setting.

But Martin's (1) does absolutely and exactly what I was looking for.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed

Ian G.

Last edited by idgraham; 11/15/09 06:05 AM.

Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Touch sense is NOT Aftertouch. Two entirely different parameters.

Changing Velocity after the fact isn't the best way to do this either. Blast, blast, blast -- and the player has no sense of dynamics while recording the track. Putting the artist "in the dark" is never a good thing to do.

The Ketron SD2 organ patches do not respond to the Touch data sent by any keyboard. Good thing.

As an old and *real* hammond organist, I need more than just the lack of the touch sensitivity to play a MIDI organ keyboard *corrctly* -- I also must have an Expression Pedal, connected to the MIDI keyboard and set to send CC11 Expression values. But it takes time which may be measurable in years to be able to use the foot properly for dynamics in organ playing. Pumping the pedal in time to the music is the sure sign of a noob.

The MIDI Touch parameter is a CURVE. Most prosumer level and above MIDI controller keyboards offer a selection of different touch curves for the user to pick from and for patches that need touch sensitivity, such as pianos, finding the right Touch Curve for the player's style is essential to getting the most realistic sound. For example, the best of MIDi piano samples can "machine gun" if the touch is set too light for the player. Not realistic and not good.

Many consumer MIDI keyboards do not have the ability to turn off the touch sensitivity on the organ patches. This may be a good thing, however, as one can emulate the Expression Pedal with touch when they don't have the pedal or are not adept at the proper use of the Expression Pedal in organ playing. As with anyhing else, this is accomplished by changing your playing style to suit the occasion. With those kind of conusmer grade keyboards, I find that I like leaving the Touch Sense ON when playing organ patches for that reason.


--Mac

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,719
P
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
P
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,719
for future reference pg 43 of the psr-k1"s manual

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/port/PSRK1E.pdf


The Touch Response feature gives you the natural expressiveness of an acoustic instrument, such as that of a real piano—letting you dynamically alter the volume of the notes with your playing technique and strength. If you want to disable this feature and have all notes sound at the same volume, set Touch Response to OFF.
■ Turning Touch Response on/off
Turn the Touch Response on or off by pressing the [TOUCH] button.
When the Touch Response is on, the Touch Response icon in the display lights up. When Touch Response is off, the icon goes out.
■ Setting the sensitivity of Touch Response


Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
And there is a button on the front panel of the thing labeled, "Touch"...

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,165


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
I
Apprentice
OP Offline
Apprentice
I
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 189
But none of that affects the way the keyboard responds to midi from outside.

Ian G.


Late-developing enthusiast for jazz / blues. Principally pianist
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,693
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,693
I don't get it. I've played B3's since 1963 and used way too many synths to mention. Every synth manufacturer for the last 40 years knows a "audio organ patch" (sorry John <grin>) is not touch sensitive. Your keyboard controller has nothing to do with it, just pick the correct patch on your synth. The dynamics comes from the expression pedal like Mac says. Now, some of the more expensive synths like my Kurzweil also include several "dynamic organ" patches if you need that but I never use 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.
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
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

Join the conversation on our forum.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.

Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!

Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.

Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano

Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,304
Posts777,522
Members39,612
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Claudio Paolini, bjornen71, CATBELLOU, Banjopotamus, BudLab
39,612 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 148
zedd 119
DC Ron 107
nonchai 103
WaoBand 102
rsdean 87
Today's Birthdays
Manos
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5