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RealBand
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114 |
I have an old Yamaha SB-01 Tone Generator somebody gave me years ago and I've never used it. Does anyone know anything about them and if so do you think it's worth hooking up or is it so antiquated that it would have little to offer
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
Do you mean an FB-01, perhaps?
If so, it's a high-grade 4-op FM synth. It does not produce very realistic instrument sounds, of course, but it was a nice machine to play.
Larry
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
FM synth?
These days, relegate that to the occasional "retro" sound.
For use with BIAB or any program that demands the recreation of instruments with MIDI, there are a lot of better sounding options out there today that take advantage of digital sampling vs FM synthesis.
We tried and true MIDIOTS have a word for the sound of an FM synth: "Cheezy"
Still you may find it fun to play with and get to learn the MIDI format, etc.
--Mac
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RealBand
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 114 |
Hmmmm...that's what I thought, back in the attic it goes. I'll save it for "Antiques Roadshow" 2025 
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
Cheezy? I'd say then there are hundreds of cheezy Country or Pop tunes of the '80s done with the yamaha DX7 or TX 816. Of course they only used that one infamous "electric piano" patch.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199 |
Silvertones,
In the 80's, the DX7 or TX816 were hardly 'cheezy', because they were state of the art. Today, however, with advances in technology, I have to agree that for general use, they are unsuitable. However, where you are looking for a realistic 80's sound, they are hard to beat.
Xan, the FB-01, if that's what you have, is a great little module, but falls short of even the Roland VSC.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Here's a keyboardist who can make a claim for mental damage from having to use the DX7 "back in the day".
Arguably one of the most popular keyboards ever, judging from the sheer proliferation of 'em, they could only do what they could do.
Sitting here recalling BIAB running in W3.1 driving the DX7 brings chills. Could only use it for practicing, there was no way to do music production with those sounds IMHO.
Today we can buy (or possibly even get free) VSTi plugins that emulate the DX7 in entirety, BTW. But FM synthesis, even when you have full control of every parameter, can only do so much. And building your own sound is a job for a rocket scientist. On top of that, no matter how well you worked the internals, the most you'd end up with was a close approximation of any target instrument sound.
And silvertones is right about that one lonely Epiano default patch on the thing. It got way too much use at the time. And IMHO it generated way too much treble stuff. Nice for a minute, got very old by the third song of the first set.
This does serve as a reminder of just how far the technology has come, though. Between the sampling and the modeling, keyboardists have incredible options these days. I remember when the choices consisted of the B3 organ, the Wurlitzer piano, the Rhodes piano and the Hohner clavinet. Doggone it, I also remember lugging all four of them to the same gig. Today I'd just roll the Kurzweil deck in there and hand the soundman two Line Outs.
--Mac
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
That's why the grin. It was/is cheezy. At $1800.00 for 1 patch !!! Not even multi timberal. I used mine as a controller for my JV 880.
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
IIRC I managed to get BIAB to play the bass, drums and guitar tracks at least out of my old DX7.
They just sounded like crap.
But to be fair, I got a lot of work done with the pair at the time, just being able to hear the drums, bass and chording when practicing, and even invoking the BIAB MIDI soloist to learn some new solo tricks was worth the price of admission. And then there's the dynamic processing of the gray matter between the ears which kind of ironed out the cheese because I simply got used to dealing with it.
The sound may have been less than desirable, but the joy of having a bass player and guitarist who were always in tune and a drummer who never rushed nor dropped a beat was enough. And they were always available at anytime.
--Mac
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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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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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