I enjoy creating music with RealBand but I can never get an acoustic snare drum sound that I like. In terms of plug-ins I have Forte Dxi, CoyotoWT, VSC Dxi (I suspect that I am not using the correct terminology when describing the plug-ins... my apologies). Of the three, I like the Forte sound the best.
I am trying to get a sound that has that ring that you hear with a snare. After the snare has been hit there is that little high pitched ring as the drum kind of “pops.” Hopefully you understand what I’m trying to say.
Currently, I’m getting too much of the snare sound (Shhzz). If I add reverb, I just get more Shhzz. Basically, although I can tell that the sound is an acoustic snare, the sounds don’t sound life-like. It's as if there is no presence to the sound.
I am wondering if you have any tips. Is it a case of trying to tweak the sound or is it a case of trying to find different plug-ins?
Also, sometimes I think I am getting close to a good snare sound with a nice decay and ring but as soon as I add another drum sound such as a hi hat, the snare sound loses it’s ring and decay. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
To get a good snare sound you need to start with a good snare sound. And I know the ring you're talking about.
As sweet as BB & RB are, the drums are all on one track and that makes it a difficult job to pull one part of the kit out of the mix. Personally I'd love to be able to pull the kick and snare out a bit. Maybe even the hats. Using a multiband compressor and some judicious EQ, you can get close, but still not with the freedom you have having everything on it's own track.
Using a general midi synth like you mentioned is also just slightly better IMHO if only because of the control over the track levels, certainly not in the quality of the sound to any great degree. You would also need to be a drummer or think like one and take the time to program the midi to get a realistic sounding drum track.
Some of the sample based synths and ones with loops are going to be your best bet. Addictive Drums, Battery, Slate Drums, BFD, or Jamstix have GREAT sounding kits and some of them are automated and will create a fairly decent and believable drum track, and are drag & drop simple to use. Of course, to get the better sounds, you have to pay the price to get in the door.
I have a few sample based VST's for drums. Jamstix is one of them. You can tweek every part of the kit and even change damping and head size among the many other variables. I still tend to use RB drums because it's easier.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Jally, here's your problem. The Forte Dxi is $40. The VSC is 25 years old. The Coyote Wavetable is nothing more than the freebie software synth that comes with every Windows PC.
You're not going to get good sound out of any of those for drums or anything else for that matter.
Jally, that ring was sometimes achieved by having a metal folding chair next to the snare that rang when the snare was hit hard enough.
Some small snares have that ring to them if you get the head good and tight and tuned, but normally it isn't an effect you can add later.
If you want to try, 2-4k on EQ can help define it, but if it isn't there to begin with it's hard make it sound like it is. If you have a Reverb with EQ built into it you can 'emulate' the ring, but still, it isn't going to be the same. Again, cut lows and push 2k or so .. maybe a combination of EQ and Reverb
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Rally, I just remembered something from years ago. We had a forum member named Mac who was our absolute top dog tech guru. For whatever reason he stopped posting a couple of years ago.
The Forte DXi came out maybe 8 years ago. Mac discovered the samples used were in Gigasample format. At the time Gigasampler was a sensation with great sounding samples. Their samples were also huge like I remember the Bosendorfer piano by itself was over a gig in size. Mac replaced the entire Forte GM soundbank with Gigasamples and wrote about exactly how he did it. Don't ask me how now, it's been years and even with what I know, it's above my pay grade.
You sound like you don't know a whole lot about this (if I'm wrong, I apologize). This stuff is tricky. Just one example, to use a GM soundbank in real time all of the samples have to be loaded into your RAM. If the samples only take 500mb, no problem but what if the entire soundbank is 8 gigs? Far easier to learn how to use a dedicated drum plugin for the drum track.
Finally to state the obvious, good sounds cost real money. When it comes to midi, Biab has no sounds of it's own, all PG gives you is the bit of software that converts your basic Windows synth into the Coyote Wavetable that Biab can use. The quality of midi sounds is dependent on what midi synth you have. The costs can go from $40 for the Forte to literally thousands. Right now I use Sample Tank 3, others use hardware, some use more expensive software like Kontakt, some can't stand the hassle of midi and just use the Real Tracks.
Bob just jogged my memory with his last post. BiaB comes with a SFZ player so why not search the Internet for drum kits? Maybe there is a kit that has that snare sound.
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Where was this info when I was buying AD1 and 2, eZDrummer, ... LOL
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Was there anywhere in there that he said if he is or is not talking about Realdrums where everything is on one track? If so, if he is boosting and cutting the an EQ he is boosting and cutting ALL the drums. It would be SO GREAT if RB could put kick, hat and snare on discrete tracks and all the toms and fills and cymbals could go on an aggregate track. Then we could EQ and reverb up the snare all by it's lonesome.
I posted, promoted, and literally gave away the DR-005 many years ago (and for many years after), mainly because you could use wave, mp3, SF2, and many other sampled sounds with it quite easily. The developers gave me clearance to post both the ZIP/Install and the key here on these forums (specifically). Any Sample Player can theoretically do this if you put in a little effort.
Sample the sound you want for the snare, shove it into DR-005 (or 008 or any other sample player) and you can have 'that sound', controlled by MIDI.
To get 'that sound' from a generic GM synth is much more of a challenge though. It can be emulated, but it ain't easy .. and YMMV. I'd rather try to re-sample it than create it from a generic synth.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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