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Wasn't sure if I should post this in the main BIAB For Windows forum or here, but... BIAB might finally have some credible competition, at least for one instrument. http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/ezkeys/
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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I just looked at EZ Keys on the Sweetwater website. How might it compare to the Akoustik Piano program that I have now?
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As far as sampling goes, no idea. In this context, a piano is a piano is a piano. On the other hand, being able to change the chords in MIDI sequences and export them to new MIDI sequences... that's an accompaniment-program trick -- i.e., the long-transformed SuperJam, the hopelessly-out-of-date Jammer, the far-too-tricky OneManBand... and Band In A Box.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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Well, I think that our BIAB trumps all of the rest in simplicity of use vs result.
--Mac
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I saw the demo that Mitch Gallagher from Sweetwater did on EZ Keys - looks pretty behind the times in comparison to BIAB capabilities as it pertains to autoaccompaniment. That's a hard thing for me to say, since I normally say the opposite about PG products - but mostly related to their user interface and interface with plugins and so forth.
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Oh, absolutely, they're behind the times, certainly way, way behind what's possible with BIAB. Thing is, they're also either working on or planning to release soon EZ Guitar and EZ Bass. That being the case, I think it gives PG a ready-made ad campaign or two, which very well might put BIAB and RB into more prestigious company.
I admit that, even though they're supposedly a Playa because of EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer, I think Toontrack is something of a joke. I love the ideas behind EZ Drummer and EZ Mix, but I just don't think they sound very good. And EZ Drummer is not easy to use, compared to BIAB, BFD, or Addictive Drums (I happened to get all three of those drum programs on superb deals this past fall). And registering Toontrack stuff is a royal PITA.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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But don't you find it interesting that Sweetwater chose to feature this product? I wonder how much Toontrack had to pay to play?
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But I suspect some people will give EZ Keys a try because they think it has a more modern, sexy looking interface and might be easier to learn than BIAB.
Tony
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I have played with the EXmix 2 Demo and it does have some nice but limited presets. However it does not let you have much control with just two knobs to tweak. Of course they want you to buy the producers addon packages at $49 a pop to get that just right mix. I have heard some nice mixes with it on some other forums and it is true that it takes a lot of load off your cpu. It might attract some users who want a easy way of getting a decent mix without tweaking knobs and effects for hours only to find out it sounds worse than when they started. I personally have my own effects chains and presets that I prefer to use.
Brian
BIAB 2026 Ultrapack- Fender Studio Pro 8, Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio, Luna Pro
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"Available only at Sweetwater". Wouldn't worry about it digging into PG sales. Most folks on the street have no idea what Sweetwater is, but they can walk into Guitar Center and find BIAB.
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Quote:
"Available only at Sweetwater". Wouldn't worry about it digging into PG sales. Most folks on the street have no idea what Sweetwater is, but they can walk into Guitar Center and find BIAB.
The exclusive availability is for a limited time, IIRC. Sweetwater is a tough nut to crack to figure out what their philosophy is. For years, they didn't sell Behringer gear; don't know if it was the inability to get the kinds of margins they wanted or on 'principle' (remember all the Behringer controversy about them supposedly copying Mackie and BBE designs), or something else - but for the last year or so, they've carried Behringer.
-Scott
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Quote:
I have played with the EXmix 2 Demo and it does have some nice but limited presets. However it does not let you have much control with just two knobs to tweak. Of course they want you to buy the producers addon packages at $49 a pop to get that just right mix. I have heard some nice mixes with it on some other forums and it is true that it takes a lot of load off your cpu. It might attract some users who want a easy way of getting a decent mix without tweaking knobs and effects for hours only to find out it sounds worse than when they started. I personally have my own effects chains and presets that I prefer to use.
Brian
Yep, I've got a nice selection of sound toys myself, and I'm loath to switch over -- especially to something that expensive. If I'm gonna sink that much money into a new mixing/mastering tool, I'll go a little further and pick up Ozone, fer cryin' out loud.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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BiaB & RB are pretty much essential tools for writing and arranging,
loading Real Tracks into my DAW for finetuning, FX, and etc.
Then I 'slice & dice' multiple Real Tracks to taste in my DAW.
One area I've where I've always wanted a little more is Piano parts.
The ones in BiaB work well in context with the other instruments
but don't stand alone very well - Intro's - Outtro's - breaks.
(btw - I have 3-4 fairly high quality Piano Romplers)
I'm just doing a little research now, and there is a demo. (limits?)
I'm looking at EZkeys as an addition to BiaB, not to replace it.
I'd be interested in hearing any opinions.
Boyd
Win10 - 16GB-RAM - BiaB 2019 - Mixbus 4 - Slate Bundle - Komplete 10 - Ozone 8 - Neutron 2 - Waves Gold
Ample Sound Guitars & Basses - Pianoteq 6 - SSD5 - SD3 - JamStix 4 - Omnisphere - UVI Falcon - EastWest Play
Sonarworks Reference 4 -
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Boyd, the EZ Keys demo's limits are: you can't drag & drop, you can't save anything, the Favorite section of the browser is disabled, and the thing detunes itself every little while. That said, it seems to be relatively useful -- which kind of amuses me, because the same interface is a pain when I'm working with EZ Drummer -- and the piano licks are very much BIAB-style backgrounds. A little more variety in some places. Obviously, an excellent piano sample set.
As with EZ Mix and EZ Drummer, Toontrack is obviously planning to make their money by publishing more piano styles, which is fine... but I really do find their stuff overpriced, even in the bundles. If they have a good sale on it -- half off or better -- I'll probably pick it up, but not before.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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I tried the demo and I do think it sounds very good,
BUT you have to enter all the chord changes into
each and every midi clip clip you use with it.
From Toontrack's EZ keys support forum:
"No, it's not possible to 'freeze' the chord progression in the Song Track and drag new MIDI on top of the progression.
It's an interesting idea for sure, but not sure if it's possible to implement."
So, BiaB wins another round!
I suppose, if one could find midi piano files,
you could simply make some custom styles to accomplish something similar.
Boyd
Boyd
Win10 - 16GB-RAM - BiaB 2019 - Mixbus 4 - Slate Bundle - Komplete 10 - Ozone 8 - Neutron 2 - Waves Gold
Ample Sound Guitars & Basses - Pianoteq 6 - SSD5 - SD3 - JamStix 4 - Omnisphere - UVI Falcon - EastWest Play
Sonarworks Reference 4 -
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- 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
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- 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
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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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