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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2004
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OP
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has anyone here used Soundblaster soundcards for Biab? Some of the older ones support ASIO and if I am not mistaken these soundcards come with a GM set of soundfonts; would they sound better than the VSC stuff or Coyote Forte? I want the highest quality midi sounds
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I have a pretty sophisticated external Audigy ZS soundcard with two in-build synths, spdf, etc. (This is not to be confused with the Audigy cards that come with some laptops.) While the MIDI sounds are good on the synths, VSC and Forte sound better to my ears.
The advantage of the Audigy is that it can have soundfonts loaded into it (but there is free software that will do that, too; e.g. sfz player). The disadvantage is that whenever I change my operating systems (or upgrade my computer), it usually takes me a day or so to get the card working. I've learned that Creative are not noted for their support. When I changed from XP to Vista, I did not realize that Creative did not make a Vista driver. They do now, but it was very annoying at the time. Although it does a good job, I wouldn't recommend my soundcard from an "ease of setting up" perspective.
Regards,
Noel
Last edited by Noel96; 10/08/11 06:54 AM.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2024
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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A usb type midi module, like the Ketron SD2 (sold on this website under hardware), is better sounding than any software module, unless you WANT to preload sounds one at a time to put into Realband one track at a time using soundfonts, which can be expensive to purchase. Have a look at Garritan, they have sets of sounds.
I'm pretty sure you get a money back deal if you don't like it.
There is also a .pat file to download and then you have all the higher bank sounds in the 'box'. My band in a box uses a box for sounds and a box to mix them. A boxed set.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
I want the highest quality midi sounds
This is a dangerous statement. The highest quality is something like a Yamaha Tyros 4 or a Korg Pa3x keyboard. Both are right around $4,000. Right below them are some of the high end VST synth/samplers like Kontakt, Halion or Native Instruments Komplete 8 Ultimate that's on sale right now for only $999. These kinds of things qualify for "highest quality". A Soundblaster card, the VSC or Forte DXi are way, way down at the bottom of the list. Even the Ketron SD2 or my Sonic Cell for around $400, are somewhere in the middle.
You have to spend some real money for high quality midi sounds. If you're talking highest quality for around a hundred bucks then yeah, a Soundblaster with some freebie soundfonts you can download, the VSC or the Forte are about it unless you can find a used Roland JV series hardware sound module on Ebay for $100 or so.
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 2004
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Journeyman
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OP
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Quote:
Quote:
I want the highest quality midi sounds
This is a dangerous statement. The highest quality is something like a Yamaha Tyros 4 or a Korg Pa3x keyboard. Both are right around $4,000. Right below them are some of the high end VST synth/samplers like Kontakt, Halion or Native Instruments Komplete 8 Ultimate that's on sale right now for only $999. These kinds of things qualify for "highest quality". A Soundblaster card, the VSC or Forte DXi are way, way down at the bottom of the list. Even the Ketron SD2 or my Sonic Cell for around $400, are somewhere in the middle.
You have to spend some real money for high quality midi sounds. If you're talking highest quality for around a hundred bucks then yeah, a Soundblaster with some freebie soundfonts you can download, the VSC or the Forte are about it unless you can find a used Roland JV series hardware sound module on Ebay for $100 or so.
Bob
Dangerous? Oh my god, let's hope nothing blows up....quick quick, run for cover 
Kontakt is not GM compatible, since you would have to load a sound at a time for every track of the midi file, which is too complicated because some sounds might not have the full registers as recorded in the midi file, etc...I have already tried it since I have Kontakt as well as some Eastwest libraries, which are def the best ones.
I also have a Tyros 2 of which, yeah it has definitely the best GM sounds I have heard anywhere and a fantastic instrument to boot, the classical guitars sound as good or better than my Eastwest library.
What does JV series hardware have to do with all that? I had a Roland XP80 many years ago (same JV engine), it's now too outdated and the GM sounds on it were like, 1 mb in all, since the whole ROM was 8 mb
I am talking about GM compatible stuff....not sounds that you have to load one at a time. I'll try Biab with my Tyros 2 , that might do the trick
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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thanks Noel, I thought that the Soundblasters were way better than the VSC...if that's not the case then I won]'t waste my time
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2004
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thanks John, I might go for a used SD2 then, I really don't want to load sounds one at a time....I tried that with my Eastwest Goliath and it was too long winded.
Now that I think of it, I have a fantastic sounding Yamaha Tyros 2, I'll see how it works with Biab as it has a really pretty sounding collection of samples.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Apprentice
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I use Soundblaster X-FI card for midi. You can create your own soundfonts with Vienna Soundfont studio. Also there are many Soundblaster soundfonts on the web for free on the web.
Vienna Soundfont studio allows you to copy samples from almost ANY synth and create your own custom soundfont bank.
The Vienna Soundfont application is available on the web.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I have found that VSTSynthFont (see www.synthfont.com) allows me to ditch Creative altogether. I am sick and tired of their pathetic drivers and hamstrung, back-level hardware. Creative only cares about the gaming and home-theater market, not MIDI musicians; case in point, notice how many new Creative products do not support MIDI at all. Kenneth Rundt has been maintaining this excellent software for years. VSTSynthFont allows you to use soundfonts without needing a Creative product. This works seamlessly with BIAB.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
Kenneth Rundt has been maintaining this excellent software for years. VSTSynthFont allows you to use soundfonts without needing a Creative product. This works seamlessly with BIAB.
...and gives you the ability to do direct renders using your favorite soundfonts, since it's a VSTi.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2025/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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You are right, John. I apologize for ranting...but I am still smarting from the DanielK incident, if anyone remembers that. It took a hack-and-fix by DanielK to unlock the potential of the PMCIA laptop card that Creative produced. What did Creative do? They went after DanielK on copyright grounds; they should have hired him.
On another note, I have worked with the Creative X-FI Elite Pro with good results. I suppose you get what you pay for.
Anyway, the SynthFont suite of freeware (donorware?) is outstanding. I use it both with PG Music products as well as NoteWorthy Composer with no problems.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
You are right, John. I apologize for ranting...but I am still smarting from the DanielK incident, if anyone remembers that. It took a hack-and-fix by DanielK to unlock the potential of the PMCIA laptop card that Creative produced. What did Creative do? They went after DanielK on copyright grounds; they should have hired him.
On another note, I have worked with the Creative X-FI Elite Pro with good results. I suppose you get what you pay for.
Anyway, the SynthFont suite of freeware (donorware?) is outstanding. I use it both with PG Music products as well as NoteWorthy Composer with no problems.
Bull!
I've been using that Creative card, the Audigiy2ZS Notebook, for many years with KX drivers. The people at KX, Eugene Garilov, specifically, was give the code in order to develop these drivers. I still use this card with KX and it far outperforms and provides features that are not available on any other card except the most expensive.I have 8 analog outs from WDM drivers,bunches of effects, etc. You are right though. I believe but not sure that DanK as you say did not get permission but indeed hacked.That would not be Creative's fault. It's any Co choice to choose whether to continue/not continue support for their products.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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"Bull"? What is incorrect in my statements? I tried to use KX drivers numerous times, but the Audigy2ZS support was very slow in coming, well behind the capability of the DanielK drivers at the time. This may have changed by now, but that's moot as far as I am concerned; PCMCIA is faded glory. Creative would not even admit at the time that hardware synth capability was disabled on the card and entirely replicated through a very limited soft-synth that clipped volumes and limited polyphony to 32 voices. The DanielK drivers revealed their misrepresentation, and fixed the problems all at the same time. The least that they could have done was acknowledged this; I suppose turning to KX was their feeble attempt to do so. By the way, the X-FI Pro Elite I purchased would not work without a huge driver download right out of the box, too. Sorry, I'll buy Behringer, but I will not buy Creative (let's open another can of worms  ).
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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The part that was incorrect was This Quote:
It took a hack-and-fix by DanielK to unlock the potential of the PMCIA laptop card that Creative produced.
.KX did this many years ago.If you meant the DanK drivers put back what was lost OK. BTW you can't just try KX. It's very complex and not for the faint of heart.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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THANK YOU MR CRESSLJ!!!
I have been looking for this program for YEARS! (VSTSynth) I have a nice collection of Sound Fonts, but Creative software hasnt worked for quite a while. This is just what I need!
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