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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2002
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Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2002
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Hi,
I had to get a new laptop and now I'm on win7 instead of XP. I reinstalled BIAB 2008.5 and unfortunately the sound canvas won't install. I tried different versions of it and nothing works.The onboard wave table sounds really bad. I do have bandstand but I remember when I had it installed on my XP laptop a couple of years back that I had all kinds of trouble with it and the sound wasn't so incredible and it took a long time to load.My version might not even be compatible with win 7.I think vista is the latest that's listed on the box.
So I'm looking for an alternative. I did a few searches but I have not come up with anything.
Could you guys make a few recommendations? I'm just using the laptop for lessons not any recording and am looking for something fairly simple and basic.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi gimmeagig, Sounds like you now have a 64-bit operating system. There have been a large number of posts in this forum about how Sound Canvas will only work on 32-bit systems (including Win 7, 32-bit). Here's a some information about it ... http://www.pgmusic.com/rolandvsc.requirements.htmGiven that you have BIAB version 2008.5, the best solution would be to consider buying Coyote Forte. The link below will give you some information on this. http://www.pgmusic.com/coyotefortedxi.htmThe current version of BIAB ships with Coyote Wave Table; this functions similarly to Sound Canvas. Unfortunately, my understanding is that the above wave table does not work with 2008.5. (If you dropped PG Music a quick email, they'd soon tell you.) Hope this helps, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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yes, I have the 64 bit system. I was really hoping there's a newer choice that Coyote. it has been on the market for at least 7 years, right? isn't that almost 100 years in computer years?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Well the wave table sort of uses the stuff in Microsoft wrapped up. Not too bad, not great. Figure out the two products.
I have basically 4 out board synths. or 5.
Like a Ketron SD2 (sold here).
A Roland JV1010
My Roland keyboard..w50 sort of retired.
A Yamaha generic thing.
And my >New Korg.
I almost never use midi anymore, Realtracks. Check out the all real tracks styles.
The some all midi styles.
Then listen to the midi demos, and decide where you want to go.
Other alternatives are available, exploring hardware synths, and software synths.
The world is an oyster, search for pearls.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Journeyman
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Quote:
Hi,
I'm just using the laptop for lessons not any recording and am looking for something fairly simple and basic.
+1 on the fairly simple and basic for BIAB. Anything else gets problematic very quickly. For that reason, I highly recommend the old Roland TTS-1 that comes with Music Creator 5. At $40.00, I think it's the best 'bang for buck' for a pretty much hassle free synth for BIAB. For your daw, if money is tight, I recommend the free synths from IK Multimedia (SampleTank), Native Instruments (Kontakt) and Yellow Tools (Independence Free). Registration, downloading and getting them going can be pretty time consuming but the price is certainly right and there's a ton of good sounds there--all easy to use in your daw. If you only want one of them I recommend SampleTank.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi gimmeagig, If you've just done a fresh install of 2008.5, be sure to visit the update page and download and install the last build update: Quote:
Summary of Changes for Build 281 (December 30, 2008)
Added: Higher Bank Patch Support added. (Support for Higher bank Patches, names displayed, Change of patch at any bar (f5), songs and styles can be stored with these patches). If you use a synth like the Ketron, and like to use higher patches that are not GM or GM2, then these features should be useful to you.
Improved: OpenPrefsFile, insures certain values are set to defaults (mainly useful when loading in older versions of prefs)
Fixed: Undo-Open Prefs File now has correct label "Undo Open Preferences"
Fixed: Render was sometimes regenerating some tracks
Improved: Freeze/Unfreeze improved. Generates the bt0 stretch file at end of freeze, better messages, faster.
Added: Verify RealTracks, RealDrums option added. Accesses as a button in the RealTracks Settings dialog. This utility function checks current RealTracks& RealDrums folders. It verifies that File dates are the same, and BT0 (tempo stretch) files are correct. It takes ~5 minutes, and produces a report in a Checkbt0.txt file (notepad).
Fixed: F5 dialog, entering style changes was not working in some builds. (alternate method of clicking on style name was working)
Added: Realtracks assign dialog now displays more information when a RealTracks is N/A.
-To be available, a Realtracks must have the Realtracks folder (RT Folder), and the ST2 (Soloist) file in the BB Folder.
-If neither is found, "N/A" is displayed.
-If only the RealTracks folder is missing, "N/A RT Folder" is displayed.
-If RealTracks folder is found, but xxxxx.ST2 file is missing from BB folder then N/A xxxx.ST2 is displayed (where xxxx is the name of the missing ST2 file.
Added: The following improvements have been made to the Higher Bank Patches support in Band-in-a-Box:
-Patch name is displayed on screen for higher bank patches.
-F5 dialog can now use higher bank patches, (enable "show higher bank patches" in this dialog"). Choose patch name using dialog, or type in numbers.
-If used for melody or soloist patches, these settings are automatically saved with the song (for other parts bass/drum/piano/guitar/strings you need to enter Save w/Patches dialog,and type FILL w/PATCHES).
-In the save with Patches dialog, pressing “Fill with Patches” now also selects the save with banks option.
-Notation window (leadsheet and printout) displays the patch name
-Using the + button for higher bank patches sets the patches on the screen as well.
-Button added in higher bank dialog, to get more PAT files by connecting to http://www.pgmusic.com/support_miscellaneous.htm
-Styles can store patch changes using Higher Banks.
You don't have to be concerned with all the previous updates issued, the last and latest update will contain all the good stuff from the previous updates as well as the things mentioned above.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi Mac,the latest update for 2008.5 I found was 265 the next one listed on the update page is 287 and that is for 2009. How can i find 281?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2002
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I just checked again and I see 281 listed but it cannot be downloaded from the update page.It is part of 287 which I probably will not be able to install over 2008.5. Right?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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You are probably correct. That was the last update before 2009, but it may have been an early patch for version 2010, as December is when the new version is typically released.
265 is last 2008.5 update.
Last edited by rharv; 04/09/11 09:28 AM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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This is one reason why I prefer external hardware synths to software synths.
Synths I bought in the pre-Windows 3.1 era still work today. I these have ancient, pre-General MIDI synths; Yamaha TX81z, Roland MT32, and Akai S900 that are still useful to me today, even though I bought them when I was using an Atari/ST computer for my sequencing and the PC was still DOS based.
Since then I've added more MIDI synths and instead of losing the old sounds, I just gain more sounds to choose from, so the possibility increases that I can get just the right sound for each song.
I'd advise getting a good, outboard MIDI sound module, and forget about the soft synths. Computer technology will change rendering all present software obsolete and orphaned. MIDI seems to have some great staying power.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2002
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I do have the ketron but I don't want to unhook it every time I want to use it with my laptop. I'm so surprised that no one has come up with a decent sounding GM softsynth setup specificly for win 7.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2011
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Quote:
Quote:
Hi,
I'm just using the laptop for lessons not any recording and am looking for something fairly simple and basic.
I highly recommend the old Roland TTS-1 that comes with Music Creator 5. At $40.00, I think it's the best 'bang for buck' for a pretty much hassle free synth for BIAB.
+1 for TTS-1, I consider that a big improvement on the VSC Platform, with a excellent sounds plus a lot of easy, straightforward tweakability if you want to. Very easy to add a little reverb or chorus to a patch, or change the tone of an instrument if you want to.
Another freebie that has a lot of good patches is the E-Mu Proteus X synth that is a free download.
You're way ahead of me in DAW-ville though, I'm still running XP/SP3 32-bit and no plans to change any time soon....(buries head in sand) 
BiaB 2024
Reaper v7.15
Melodyne Essential 5.3
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I can't seem to find a download link that works for the proteus X.
( did try theis site and even though it is listed as a free download, nothing comes up.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I found it and am downloading it as we speak.I didn't realize I had to sign up for the newsletter first.My bad!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I have the Emulator X Studio which includes Proteus. It sounds good except for the one thing you're talking about here and that is it's not GM. It has a GM soundbank but it's the old (older than the VSC I think)Emu soundchip that they put into the equally old 80's Soundblaster soundcards. It's about as good as the chip on your motherboard, I doubt you're going to like it much. To use the much better non GM Proteus sounds you have to pick what patch you want to use for what instrument in Biab manually. It won't just happen by hitting play like it will with your Ketron or the VSC.
As to your question asking why won't someone build a good quality GM synth the answer is nobody cares about GM. It's only there as a convenience for non musicians to play games or listen to occasional midi files embedded in a website. Or, Biab people like us. Pros or semi pros who use audio/midi recording software want the very best sounds they can get and are willing just like Notes does, to pick and choose the best sounds from many different synths. You don't need GM for that. There's only a very few good sounding GM soundbanks out there and you already have one of the best in that Ketron. I've also got a ton of hardware and 4 top line softsynth packages but for casual GM use with Biab I like the Forte DXi for $40. To me it's a tad better than the TTS-1 but YMMV of course.
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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Hi again, gimmeagig, Quote:
I'm so surprised that no one has come up with a decent sounding GM softsynth setup specificly for win 7.
Just to reiterate my above post, it's not Win 7 that is creating the problem but the fact that your version of Win 7 is 64-bit. (Windows 7 comes in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions.)
I also note that a couple of people have recommended TTS-1 which is obtained by installing Music Creator. As far as I can find out (from both the PG Music and Cakewalk websites), TTS-1 also requires a 32-bit operating system. It would be interesting to know if those who recommended it are using a 64-bit system.
http://www.cakewalk.com/products/musiccreator/feature.aspx/Music-Creator-5-system-requirements
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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So I downloaded the free proteus IX but now I don't know how to get it working in BIAB.Seems like BIAB doesn't see it and I don't know how to get the program to scan for it.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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The TTS-1 works fine on Windows 7 64-bit. It basically gave me back the sounds I used to have with the Roland Sound Canvas. At $40 for Music Creator 5 (which gives you that application plus the TTS-1 and other stuff), not a bad deal. Of course, the Forte DXi is an option, also at $40.
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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@Noel
My understanding is that most 32 bit programs will run in 64 bit Windows 7 but certainly not all. I've not read any threads about Win7 64 bit users having problems with the tts-1 but that doesn't mean there isn't any lol.
Jim
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
The TTS-1 works fine on Windows 7 64-bit. It basically gave me back the sounds I used to have with the Roland Sound Canvas. At $40 for Music Creator 5 (which gives you that application plus the TTS-1 and other stuff), not a bad deal. Of course, the Forte DXi is an option, also at $40.
Hello John,
I have the TTS-1 running biab 2011 build 315 latest. Can't get the TTS-1 to load though It has many times beofre no probs.I get a message saying plugin not supported and that biab can't connect with the TTS-1.
I have tried resetting to factory settings in biab but no good. I have windows 7 32bit. Just wondering if anyone else has similar probs? Maybe I need to reinstall the calwalk software again.
thanks
Musiclover
update : reinstalling has got it back. I have never been really that into the TTS-1 as I prefered the roland vsc. Will play around a bit with it since you say it can give similar sounds to the vsc.
thanks 
Last edited by musiclover; 04/11/11 05:38 AM.
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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!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 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.
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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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