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I'm a relatively new BIAB/Real Band user. I make backing tracks for my acoustic guitar/vical gigs. So far it's been great. I'm looking for a modest price sampler for more realistic sound quality (for tunes where real band tracks are not appropriate). Mainly I use drums, acoustic bass, and piano for backing.
I downloaded the sample of the Forte DXi, which for only $40 has a great sounding bass. Piano and drums are better than my current DXi, but could be a lot better. Any suggestions for a synth/sampler to try?
Brian
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Does the Ketron sample?
I know it has great sounds..
I still really like my Juno-G which is a synth/sampler..
A little more than a ketron in price though.
Give the Ketron a listen, it may be a great choice for you when you get into the price comparisons of samplers versus synths.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I use Roalnds TTS, Sound Center and Studio Drums, all free in the Cakewalk MC5 package, which other than the instruments i do not use, but for $39 it was a steal, add Forte to that and you have a lot of choices.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Zoom Livetrack L-8
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SD2 does not sample.
The least expensive and possibly one of the most powerful samplers available just may be lurking in any Creative soundcard from Live! forward, but the cost of entry is a lot of studying up on the use of the thing so many people don't even know nor care about it.
--Mac
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Quote:
SD2 does not sample.
The least expensive and possibly one of the most powerful samplers available just may be lurking in any Creative soundcard from Live! forward, but the cost of entry is a lot of studying up on the use of the thing so many people don't even know nor care about it.
--Mac
Please, say more.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Okay, but I won't say all that much more, simply because its been a few years since I used the Creative cards seriously.
Check out an old program for the Live! series cards called, "Vienna".
--Mac
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Quote:
Quote:
SD2 does not sample.
The least expensive and possibly one of the most powerful samplers available just may be lurking in any Creative soundcard from Live! forward, but the cost of entry is a lot of studying up on the use of the thing so many people don't even know nor care about it.
--Mac
Please, say more.
What Mac is referring to is that the Creative Live and some later cards (not the USB cards) have a great sample playback capability in the form of SoundFonts. They can also be used to sample - that is, use their input stages, etc. to record samples. With a .wav editor, and the Vienna SoundFont creator software, you can construct a lovely sample set. Or you can use any number of the free and payware sampler softwares.
But the soundfonts can be loaded into the Creative card's internal memory, not taxing the computer's memory whatsoever. The only problem is that depending on the card, the fonts can take a long time to load - and they load initially on bootup of the computer if you don't unload them at your last use.
It's one of the reasons I bailed on using the internal memory of the card and started using sfz to play back soundfont sample sets.
I'm sure Mac will weigh in and correct if this isn't what he was referring to.
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Scott,
Couple of things. First, the cards use the main computer memory, not the memory on the card, there is none anymore. There used to be on the old AWEs, but not on the later Audigy series of cards.
Secondly, trying to get any of this to work on anything newer than XP will be a disaster. I'm not even sure you can find the SoundFont editor for Vista.
Brian, unless you are looking for custom samples, or plan on purchasing a lot of sample libraries, the Ketron SD2 is a cost effective solution. While it does not have a sample capability, it has enough of the most used sounds to cover almost anything you want to do. If you're looking for that old oak log being beaten with a huge stick, you'll need a sampler (and a lot of patience, and understanding of HOW to make a sample) for that, but if you're looking for multiple piano, bass, drums and other high quality instruments, check out the SD2.
Do an internet search for SD2 demos to hear what it can do.
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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All very enlightening. I hadn't thought of Soundfonts as samples, although they clearly are.
I may reconnect the old Audigy. I have Vienna, and I have half a dozen disks of really nice 'Fonts.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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I have not found any better sounds than the banks I have made. I call them soundfont10.sf2. I have not been able to add effects to sf2 until after I record the track in audiio then I can add any effects I want. This might be the reason that some other vsti are preferred because they can use mide effects. But if you put some delay or effects affter the track is an audio track I have not been able to find better sounds. You can use these fonts with a creative card or a wrapper called synth font which is a vsti plug in that you can load into real band or biab. These are the best of the best. I have been using sound fonts for 8 years now. I bought forte I never use forte because the soundfont10 is better according to my ear. Remember what is the best is very opinionated what one person hears might not be the same as what somebody else hears. http://www.4shared.com/file/108879762/6e113bec/soundfont10.htmlhttp://www.4shared.com/file/108881640/f40fed4b/VSTSynthFont.htmlLet me know How you like them?
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RealBand
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,815
Expert
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I tried out your soundfont10 set -- it would really take a long time to do a good comparison. I tried a classical midi file. You sounds are fine. However I do think the SGM-V2.01.sf2 basic file (at http://www.geocities.jp/shansoundfont/ ) is pretty hard to beat as a freebie. Shan sends you to another web site, where I couldn't find that download: here's another link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V5YNBFROKevin
Last edited by Kemmrich; 06/28/09 04:36 AM.
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,439
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G'day Dusty, mate, I think you need a third alternative on your poll: "not sure", or maybe "partly". Please read what follows as a reflection of my personal requirements and taste and not as a serious criticism of your patch selections. I am well aware that personal taste is an important consideration and I have no wish to offend you. I have a test piece I use that shows up the instrumentation I mostly use and it was OK until the 'bone started - then it was: " WHAT?". With that synth patch replacing the 'bone this soundfont has limited usefulness for me. Sorry mate, but brass is my primary requirement (I play a 'bone and am a little fussy about it as a result). - Whatever that 057 patch is supposed to be, it ain't a 'bone.
- The trumpet at patch 056 has poor attack but the sustain after the attack isn't too bad with a nice (if very slightly heavy) vibrato. I'd prefer it if it were a little "brighter" though. The trumpet at patch 030 sounds a little closer but I miss the vibrato. Being at patch 030 causes the sf to be not GM which can create problems if one is unaware of it.
- The tuba is quite OK.
- The muted trumpet (patch 059) sounds like most synthesized muted trumpets... Usable but not quite right. The one at patch 031 sounds the same - why have 2 that sound the same when the 2nd contributes to a departure from the GM set?
- The Horn patch sounds like there is more than one horn (maybe 3 or 4?) and they don't all start at the same time...
- The Brass Section sounds like all brass section patches - not right on it's own but seems to work within the orchestration
- The other patches that reflect my particular instrumentation needs are mostly pretty good: Acoustic Piano, flute, bass guitar (patches 32 to 35), drum kit and vocals. The vocal patch is a little different to what I'm used to but seems to work pretty well in the mix.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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Creative Vienna Soundfont editor seems to work fine on my Vista (32) computer. I've got the SoundBlaster X-Fi Gamer soundcard. Vienna doesn't come with the driver set; you have to download it separately and install it as a separate application. But it seems to work fine here.
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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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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The Fluid Soundfonts has a very nice upright bass. For those wanting a Steinway grand, Pianosounds has a free soundfont. For nylon guitar (bossa), check out HammerSound. Easy to find using Google. In my opinion, these run circles around the VSC sounds.
R
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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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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 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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Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
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