I make a lot of suggestions that to me seems like the obvious thing to do in this day and age from using so many other audio applications other than PG apps, though it might seem like ramblings, something out of the realm of science fiction to PG and other users here, it is in reality where the PG apps should be. PG app have for a long time been liken to XP 32bit compared to using the Win7 64bit of other audio apps. Microsoft made this leap ahead for the better they didn't just cosmetically update XP to Win7 like 98>Me it was all NEW. I remember XP was great after 98/Me but you still got so many crashes, freeze ups, reinstalls on a regular basis, this was incredibly stressful but I have had Win7 64 since it was released and have had maybe 2 crashes in all that time, NO STRESS, i repeat NO STRESS. PG apps are still in that XP crashing error timewarp and there is a lot of denial, resistance to change. The magic of what PG apps can do is held back soooooooo far by the interface from it's true potential compared to where other 64 bit audio applications are, the great RealTrack/Drum musicians and the music they produce are totally let down by the interface, the interface should be the same quality as the musicians themselves, the software itself should be a work of art, high end professionalism. The reliability, professionalism and performance of the musicians should be the same as that of the software. Just because of the magic that it produces, doesn't mean it's okay to have the old 32bit programing , "make do" interface and get away with it, as the chickens will still eat whatever you throw at them no questions asked. Sure you can tweak it, cosmetically change and add new features to it each year and old users will still buy it regardless but it does not do it true justice of where it can and should be. Sure you can get away with using it like you could with XP on a simple, stressful, unreliable level. It should not have to stay on the level it is, maybe most user that buy it now just use it to make up songs and post them in the UserShowcase. There is greater potential for it to be used in a more professional way also, but for that it needs a 64 bit Professional 24bit 48khz Audiophile version. It should not be still marketed for just fun, learning music, hobbyist or accompaniment market, sure it started out that way with all the cartoon style graphics.
Don't put 64bit 24/48 BB-RB Pro version in the too hard basket, do the RT musicians say "No, I'm not playing that it's too hard, give me something basic, the users will "make do" with it" ?
I have spent some much time imputing and working out ways of doing things to make it better because of all the problems I encounter using it, I just feel it is so much wasted time and NRG if it goes nowhere and things are just cherry picked.
In other beta/feature request forums it flows, you make the suggestion - it's implemented "now" - downloaded - there is feedback and thankfulness and it works. In PG forum this action if any can take years n years, 10 years even and results in incredible stress and frustration. Is this the way that it has to be and there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it, it's just the way things work around here and will always be that way forever ?
I don't want to wait another 10 years to come back here.
Excellent points Pipeline, respectfully & thoughtfully explained. Since you've started this conversation once more I'd like to offer my standard suggestion...create a RealTracks VSTi!
This would work as a Kontakt plugin maybe? Don't even bother upgrading the BIAB/RB interface; leave it as-is for the current satisfied customers. Keep it on the same "upgrade" schedule adding a couple of new tricks every year.
Hire a UX expert to design the RealTrack UI and maybe even a team of devs to create it. All of a sudden you would have a world-class product that every Kontakt owner would want! In fact, NI might even want to fund some of the dev in order to sell more Kontakt! Maybe make it a one-year NI exclusive working only with Kontakt but after a year you make it available as a straight up VSTi.
Keep only the main features like multi-riff and bar-by-bar generation to allow maximum control over the generated tracks. Go further by publishing an index of some sort to allow me to pick and choose riffs to build my track if I want. Leave out a lot of the obscure features that add little to the most common usage like Play Jukebox and Generate Title (I'm sure there are quite a few like this that are rarely used and would not add much value to the VSTi product). You would not need the mixer at all and all of the PG effects could be dropped since I have my DAW and tons of plugs there.
Yes you are right again ! a RealTracks/Drums/Midi VSTi (VST for audio only app) Leave the other apps how they are and you load that basic operation VST in your High End 64bit DAW and it won't have a massive learning curve for regular DAW Studio users.
Okay I will put the Cryogenics on hold and hope that it comes out soon.
Yes you are right again ! a RealTracks/Drums/Midi VSTi (VST for audio only app) Leave the other apps how they are and you load that basic operation VST in your High End 64bit DAW and it won't have a massive learning curve for regular DAW Studio users.
Okay I will put the Cryogenics on hold and hope that it comes out soon.
I think I just need a holiday from it all.
Well, I just wanna say I greatly appreciate your hacks and tips! You have saved me more than once with tips like how to switch from normal to DI guitar RTs!! Without your advice I would have had to trial and error it for hours and possibly never got it where I wanted it but with your folder switching tip it just worked! And some of your tips about integration with RapidComposer I am looking forward to trying but just have not had time yet.
I think this is all you would need in a vst ? so you can enter the chords directly in the track (zoom track in for tight chords), Generate Button to give all the generate options including MultiRiffs, tracks just drag n drop into DAW along with the realchart midi, maybe you could have the notation/tab come up on double click a realchart track ? you can easily add extra realtracks/drums to a recorded session or generate up the complete style. Basically to keep it as simple as possible to avoid any crashes.
I think this is all you would need in a vst ? so you can enter the chords directly in the track (zoom track in for tight chords), Generate Button to give all the generate options including MultiRiffs, tracks just drag n drop into DAW along with the realchart midi, maybe you could have the notation/tab come up on double click a realchart track ? you can easily add extra realtracks/drums to a recorded session or generate up the complete style. Basically to keep it as simple as possible to avoid any crashes.
That would be a great start and they could use all of us as guinea pigs. Baby steps...get a basic VSTi working...add features...package and sell it!
They could learn a LOT from RapidComposer in this area!
And Open/Save to import your chords/song from SGU/SEQ and Save to SEQ. It could have a chord track drag export button that will drag a midi track out that has chords and chord names as markers, that most DAWs read.
I think the VST will need to be able to import/drag a tempo mapped midi from the host into the plugin track for tempo changes or if it was like a live recording that was mapped after. (ACW is good for creating Drum Tempo Maps, just open a drum track from a live recording with the ACW in RealBand, then you just generate a Metronome track up, then save the Metronome Midi track, open the midi in a new session in your DAW then drag all the live tracks in.) This will let the plugin get an accurate map for RealTrack/Drum/Midi generation rather than following the tempo changes up as the host plays.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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