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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196 |
I can't switch to the Mac version of BIAB 2009.5 (now 7), unless I can get it working with a half-way decent software synth, for times and places when a hardware synth isn't handy. Since there's no Forte for Mac, I'm using Bandstand with BIAB 2009.7, and overall it works well, per the information on PG's web site (use OS X Core midi and the BIAB Virtual Output to talk to Bandstand running as a standalone application.) The big exception is: Bandstand's Brush Drum set. I can select it via BIAB from the 8 or 9 drum sets Bandstand has available, but it sounds horrible: strangely metallic, like someone is playing the lid of a garbage can. In comparison, even the built-in Apple DSL brush sounds are much more believable. Is this something I'm going to have to live with? (I can't.) Am I overlooking some issue here? (I would guess Bandstand's brush sounds follow the normal GM patch numbers.) Or is there another software synth out there that will sound reasonably good and work with the Mac version of BIAB?
One more question: a lot of the Bandstand sounds are OK, but in addition to the brushes issue, some are weak, and there is only one GM sound bank. If I want to use Bandstand on several MIDI channels, but another software or hardware synth (Garritan?) on other MIDI channels simultaneously, will BIAB 2009.7 for Mac let me do that? (I seem to recall I couldn't do that with the Windows version of BIAB, which always seemed strange.)
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 404
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 404 |
Quote:
One more question: a lot of the Bandstand sounds are OK, but in addition to the brushes issue, some are weak, and there is only one GM sound bank. If I want to use Bandstand on several MIDI channels, but another software or hardware synth (Garritan?) on other MIDI channels simultaneously, will BIAB 2009.7 for Mac let me do that? (I seem to recall I couldn't do that with the Windows version of BIAB, which always seemed strange.)
The Mac version is in fact more flexible than the Windows version as it allows to choose a different *port* for each instrument channel. So basically you could route each instrument channel to its own dedicated software or hardware synth.
In particular, there is also "QT Music Instruments" available in the port menu. So for example, if you're running Bandstand standalone via BIAB Virtual Output, and you don't like the brush sounds, just choose QT Music Instruments individually for the Drums port to use its brush sounds in combination with Bandstand for the other instruments.
PS. Note that the GM standard does *not* define the mapping of specific brush sounds (tap, slap, swirl) to note numbers. For example, Roland and Yamaha use different numbers. BIAB and QT Music Instruments are both using the Roland numbers and thus perfectly compatible. But I've found that high-quality software brush kits in general are not directly compatible with BIAB and require some remapping. Unfortunately Garritan's JABB is an example of this.
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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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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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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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