PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows A few more questions. Thanks.

Hi all!!!!!!

My apologies if I've posted this in the wrong section.

A number of members responded to my first post with some very helpful answers and suggestions, which I appreciated very much. Today, I have listened to a number of songs in the 'Users' Showcase' and I'm very impressed! There are some really talented people on this forum.

I'm currently working towards purchasing either the Everything Pack or most probably, the Audiophile Edition of BiaB 2012. Why the Audiophile Edition? 1) Because I don't want to have to download any files; 2) Because of the uncompressed files. I have a friend who said she would like to work on a few songs with the view of producing a professional - type CD in the future,(her CD, not mine) so this is where I feel the uncompressed files of the Audiophile Edition would be the better option at this point ... and, I believe uncompressed files are quicker and easier to work with. Some say they can hear the difference between the compressed and uncompressed files; others say they can't hear the difference, but I feel the uncompressed files would be better to work with in regard to a pro-type CD. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong regarding this.

I have a few more questions I want to ask in the hope of being guided in the right direction. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. As far as software / hardware, all I have so far is:

- Pending purchase of BiaB.
- Roland A90 EX Master MIDI controller - 1997 model. MIDI connections = In: 2, Thru 1, Independent Out: 4. It has a sound card but no recordable device on it like a Hard Drive for example.
- Kontakt 2.

I will need to get some kind of Audio / MIDI Interface and a Microphone because I will be using acoustic instruments and voice on a number of tracks as well as soft synths, sound libraries etc. I was just wondering what else I will need in order to fully utilize Band-In-A-Box and incorporate BiaB into a fully - functional DAW.

I was also curious as to what other people are using in the way of:
- sound cards / Audio / MIDI interfaces ... (brands and why you chose them ... pros and cons)
- type of keyboards
- studio monitors (speakers)
- type / brand of microphone and why you chose it... pros and cons. (I've worked with Senheiser microphones before and really like them but they cost a lot of $$$$, but I guess you get what you pay for.

I took note of a couple of users suggestions to my first post and checked out the KVR home page and the free downloads. (Many thanks for including the link to KVR). I will be downloading the following from their site sometime soon: Audacity, Crystal and a few others.

I look forward to hearing from anyone who can offer some assistance.

Kindest regards,
Dome

If you don't want to download any large files, you still have the option of ordering the Standard edition of BiaB, just ignore the Instant Download and wait upon the company to send you everything already installed on the USB hard drive.


--Mac

This is a Ford or Chevy discussion, but I will pile on anyway.

M-Audio Fast Track Pro is my interface. Honestly, though people will weigh in with different opinions, when you think about what it does, outside of form factor they are not really all that different. There's a lot of "soundcard" discussion, but this hardware is essentially playing back recorded sounds, not generating them. Just translating the math involved with recreating/interpreting what is already there.

My keyboards are all OLD. I use Ensoniq keyboards. The company went out of business in the late 90s, so that gives you an idea how old they are. However, another matter of taste. I like the way they sound. Harv mentioned the interface. Well, as deep as I get into it, it's the bank button, and the patch button. I don't tweak sounds, don't bother with MIDI at all because of something I will mention later.

My mics are all Shure M58. I have one M57 that is a carryover from my live days and that was used to mic instruments.

I have powered Wharfedale monitors. 100w and teh slew rate is great so they can burst and recover without any lag.

Depending on how you choose to roll, your "off sound" gear is important. I just changed to a Behringer control surface so everything I do is digital now, but for years I was all analog so I have a ton of gear. I have 4 Alesis digital reverbs, 2 Behringer 31 band EQs, a drum machine, a vocoder, and a MIDI patching system that allows me to change master and slave at a touch. Too much to explain here, but I will say that after some programming it makes it very simple to change master and slave configurations. I have MIDI controllers but I rarely use them. All M-Audio, a 61 key, a 49 key, and a 25 key. Also a MIDI drum pad controller that I rarely use. I buy a lot of gear for a specific reason and then it sits in the corner when I'm done.

I haven't mentioned 6 guitars and 4 saxes....

All a matter of what you want to do and what you need to get it done.

I'm using Focurite for the audio interface, because I like the pre-amps, but there are lots of other good ones around. Midi is taken care of by an Alesis Q49 keyboard connected via USB. Most of my sounds are from VSTi now, but I do still have a DX7 and a Korg Poly 800. (Eat your heart out Eddie!)

I agree with rharv about mics. An SM 57/58 plus a decent condenser will see you through most tasks. Monitoring is Yamaha/Tannoys, but once again, most modern monitors will sound ok. It's all down to personal preference and what you've got to spend.

ROG.

Poly800 was one of the early digital synths, not analog. Had one for many years, my friend still has it, and it works. I recently put the Juno 106 back out, had to make sure it was still working.

I don't miss the analog days much; VCF and VCA had a lot of 'slop' depending on power and conditions. Digital is much more reliable.
That said, the moog is still around. Fun to tinker with.

Okay, without getting into a pi$$ing contest, this is from the Korg rep who I know from his days when he was the Ensoniq rep. Thankfully he keeps everything.

Note what I have made bold.


Features at a glance
Year of release: 1984
Polyphony: 8-voice
Presets: 64
Keyboard: 49-keys (four octaves)
Responds to velocity: no
Sound generation method: analog
MIDI: yes, in-out

The rest cut for lack of relevance. His reply contained this quote: "I might give you 'hybrid' because it did have some digital features, but it was really an analog sound source."

Buckeye Nation wins again.

Ditto on the M-Audio 1010LT. Very reliable.

Learn something new every day.
It was DCO but has VCF, so indeed a hybrid.
"It also stood out from many other synths at the time by operating like an analogue synth but had digital oscillators,"

I don't miss it.

I DO, however, miss my Poly6. The strings and clavinets were brilliant. And the organ in the Roland Juno 60 was great.

The organ in the Ensoniq ESQ-1 is great though. That synth was a gem and I will always have one. I am on my 3rd and I am always looking for another to have in the background. I also have the EPS16+ sampler and a rather big sound library, and that really covers me for sounds when I need something to sweeten what Real Band gives me.

Back to the original post though, it is important to a prospective buying to understand that I sweeten just because. Most of what I turn out is just Real Band. It sounds that good. This is why I continue to steer you toward Real Band. When you start creating parts from Real Tracks you get high quality clips to paste together performed by top dudes.

If you are considering an SM58 you should consider the Behringer XM8500. I own both and I gotta say, at 25% of the SM58's price, the XM8500 is an awesome value!

Hi guys!
Not sure if I'm doing this right by posting this reply here, as I'm new to forums in general and not sure of the proper procedure. I have PM'd all of you to thank you for your help and suggestions. Your knowledge and experience are a great help to me. I will be checking out all of the equipment you mentioned as soon as I can. Thank you all again for taking time out to assist me.

Kindest Regards,
Dome