I auditioned about 20 of the Country Bass RTs, but none really had the simplicity of the midi bass in the Zydeco style I wanted to use, although the Calypso could have worked. Others were just too high.
After reading and re-reading this post, I finally figured out how to invoke the Hi Q Sampletank electric bass. Very nice improvement,.
Thanks to Noel, Larry, John, et al, for the screen shots and comments.
Quote: Peter said in another thread that Blake from PG Music did the Acoustic Bass patches.
I was lurking on IKM's forum and they talked about how anybody can create a new ST instrument patch.
There's so many obscure things hiding in the documentation of all this music software. That's why trying to decide which one is best for you is almost impossible because even old time users don't know all the little things any particular piece of software can do.
Thanks to all the folks who posted on this, has been a great help in trying to set it up with biab ultra pak 2012.
From all the good advice and screenshots posted on here it has been easy to set up and seems to be a sticky when I reopen biab, another good synth to use in future.
One small little needley thing which probably happens with other biab windows as well.
When I finally get to the sampletank window in biab and do some work there, If I minimise the sampletank widnow then its impossible to get it back again later on without restarting biab.
Closing the sampletank window has no such problem as then its easy to bring it back.
Thanks again for everyones great efforts that made it easy for the rest of us.
Quote: When I finally get to the sampletank window in biab and do some work there, If I minimise the sampletank widnow then its impossible to get it back again later on without restarting biab.
The minimised icon will be located on the lower bottom left of your screen. If you have an auto-hiding task bar, it's possible that this might appear over the icon when you move the mouse down and will subsequently hide the icon.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
I've been using Omnisynth 2 for several months after reading this thread, and it offers the best software general midi sounds I've heard yet after searching several years through gm soundfonts. But having to click on "program ch" in Sampletank 2.5, then choose OmniSynthGMbnk1.stmp each time I load BIAB is really getting tedious. That's because I make other screen adjustments in BIAB to get it set up the way I want it on my monitor. Has anyone found a solution for this problem?
- Jim
Band in a Box 2025 build 1125, Studio One 7.1.1, AMD 3900X, 32gb ram, Windows 10 Pro 22H2 64 bit, Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820, Yamaha CP33, TriplePlay midi controller
Does BiaB have the 'Load Group' option in the DXi window? If so I've had luck in RB using this to save/load certain settings.. saves a step or two anyway. Worth a shot.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
I tried the Load Group function in the dxi window. No, that does not work. I'll just put up with it. Thanks.
--Jim
Band in a Box 2025 build 1125, Studio One 7.1.1, AMD 3900X, 32gb ram, Windows 10 Pro 22H2 64 bit, Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820, Yamaha CP33, TriplePlay midi controller
The thing to remember is ST itself is not a GM synth and the Omnisynth is also not a GM synth, it's simply a collection of GM numbered instrument patches that is accessed by ST which is, all together now, not a GM synth.
Nobody but us Biab'ers gives a rip about GM. Since Biab is simple to use, you don't have to be a digital audio wizard to use it. The problem that creates is a lot of Biab customers don't understand this stuff and think "why can't I just press play and it all works?" It's because you're in the digital audio world now grssshopper and as soon as you want to go beyond using the basic Coyote Wavetable or Forte synths, you're in deeper water and that requires some education. And patience. And willpower. And not throwing your computer against the wall. Ask me how I know this...
GM has always been the old throwaway soundbank for synths. It's mostly used for playing midi files off the internet, that's it. Someone who's creating their own midi files from scratch won't use GM, why should they when as mentioned above the regular non GM sound banks gives you 23 pianos or 33 guitars, 19 basses or whatever else to choose from?
Everybody else in the digital audio world wants the best individual track sounds they can get and GM ain't it, 114 instrument patches? Pffft, nobody cares about that. If people did care IKM wouldn't be blowing it out for ten bucks, right? That means if we're using Biab and we don't want to go through the hassle of setting up each track individually for each song we have to jump through these hoops to get the best GM sounds we can.
. >>>...I tried the Load Group function in the dxi window. No, that does not work. ...>>>
I have something similar that works, kind of. In Sample Tank I picked out my favorite bass, piano, drums, etc ... set to match up with BiaBs channel pref defaults. In Sampletank I saved this as a "Combi."
In practice I begin a song using Coyote. This gives the GM compatability BiaB requires, so I can hear what I an doing automatically.
My next-to-last step is to call up Sampletank, click on the word 'LOAD,' and then call up the "combi" I had saved earlier.
Then, I can go to sample tank again and change each instrument to another Sampletank selection, if needed.
(The last two steps are optional, and frequently skipped.)
Jazz Mammal has it right, and he explains it well. GM compatibility reflects a kind of old-school thinking. I tried setting up ST to be GM compatible and realized that my head was in the wrong place. Sampletank is just not meant to work that way.
Flatfoot sez: Call me when 'Talent-in-a-Box' is ready to ship! -- [8{>
Scroll down to a post from Jim111, he explains it.
It sounds quite a bit more complicated that it actually turns out to be.
Essentially, if you navigate to <span style="color:red">C:\Program Files\IK Multimedia\Instruments\OmniSynth 2<!--color--></span>, you'll find a folder called "GM Prog Chng Bank". This folder contains the midi maps for general midi. Jim suggests copying these to x:\bb as it makes them easier to find because one of the maps needs to be loaded each time BIAB is started.
To load a map ...
1. Click on the VSTi button. (If you cannot see this displayed, click on the <span style="color:red">>><!--color--></span> to the right of the yellow cross to view icons that are not on the menu bar.)
2. Click on "Load Default Synth" (1); the dropdown sythn menu (2); select SampleTank (3).
3. When SampleTank loads, click on "Program CH" (1) and then select "Open Map" (2).
4. Now navigate to the map files at <span style="color:red">C:\Program Files\IK Multimedia\Instruments\OmniSynth 2<!--color--></span> and select either one of the STMP files. (It's definitely easier to fine the files if they are copied to x:\bb.)
That's it.
Open one of the midi-only styles in BIAB and double-check that SampleTank is indeed now operating as a GM synth.
All the best, Noel
When i get to the final step, "loading the GM .stmp" file, I get an error notice that says "Check that all included instruments are installed?"
I can load and play the GM set w/in ST 2.5, so I know they have been installed correctly. The file paths ST uses drives me nuts. I installed them (OmniSynth 2) into my ST 2.5 folder so I could locate them easier.
ST 2.5 in my Biab set up currently shows the Biab file/path and plays fine. I would like to be able to use the OmniSynth 2 GM set up. I have to load each BB part on every song/style etc. I can also load them via selecting the HQ route as well.
Let's stay here, OK? So to pick it (continuing your original issue from "off topic").
I maybe misreading what you just said above - but it implies that you put Omnisynth 2 libs folder in the x:…\IK Multimedia\ folder (which is the IK APPLICATIONS folder) not the IK Instrument folder. But again I may have read your words TOO literally.
If you followed all the above pics and instructions from Noel et al above and see my new "clarifying" pics below (to make sure OmniSynth 2 is where it needs to be and where ST is looking for it ) then it should work??
Also so as not confuse this any further this has zero to do with BIAB, Rea, Band or Powertracks - getting ST 2.5 and Omnisynth 2 to load up what you want is strictly setting up ST correctly and putting files where ST is looking. In other words, you could run the standalone executable "SampleTank 2.5.exe" outside any PG product to set this up and test it.
Good luck Larry
Win10Pro,i9,64GB,2TBSSD+20TBHDDs,1080TI,BIAB'24,Scarlett18i8,Montage7,Fusion 8HD,QS8,Integra7,XV5080,QSR,SC-8850,SPLAT,FL21&others,Komp.14,IK suite&others, just a guitar player-AXE FX III &FM9T, FishmanTP, MIDIGuitar2, GK2/3'sw/GI20
As an afterthought - there is nothing to "see" in ST GUI UNTIL after the first GM MIDI file starts to play through it, then ST will populate the part "slots" (1 upto 16 parts) on the left hand side of the GUI with instruments.
As a FINAL afterthought if you open BIAB, set the "Default Synth" slot in the "Plugins" pulldown to ST 2.5 (the VSTi; stay away from using ST DXi it causes some issues), set up ST with OmniSynth 2 with the GM "script" (STMP) file as described above (once you figure it all out) and as long as you don’t change the Default Synth then ST 2.5 will always load with BIAB and be ready to go as a GM "module."
The actual SIMPLE answer is: no one here really needs to because IK has already made one available!
All a SampleTank 2.5 user needs is: 1) SampleTank 2.5 (free or full), 2) the add-on OmniSynth 2, and 3) know how to use those two products, irrespective of any PG application like BIAB.
I think because PG has been providing the free SampleTank 2, when they could have simply told folks that there is a free one available and pointed folks to the IK MM site to obtain it, that somehow PG is ultimately responsible to explain how to use SampleTank and OmniSynth together to get GM.
PG provided HQ instruments that use (depend) on the ST DXi for playback of the samples could have installed ST DXi ONLY and "hid" it from other uses within BIAB. Like some plugins provided by Cakewalk that will not work outside Cakewalk (i.e, exclusive to CW), or Mixcraft provided VB3 and a few other plugs that only work within Mixcraft, etc.
Larry
Last edited by Larry Kehl; 05/29/1504:20 PM.
Win10Pro,i9,64GB,2TBSSD+20TBHDDs,1080TI,BIAB'24,Scarlett18i8,Montage7,Fusion 8HD,QS8,Integra7,XV5080,QSR,SC-8850,SPLAT,FL21&others,Komp.14,IK suite&others, just a guitar player-AXE FX III &FM9T, FishmanTP, MIDIGuitar2, GK2/3'sw/GI20
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac 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!
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 Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac 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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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