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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
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Journeyman
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Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
I'm still pretty new to BIAB, started using this year in August with the 2019 Windows version. With that said, however, I've been able to get a pretty decent setup by mining the forums here for tips. As others are hinting at there is no one-stop or one-size-fits-all solution for getting good MIDI sounds working in BIAB. I'll share the highlights of what I have found to be useful so far:

Cakewalk TTS-1 64 bit VSTi Plugin (free as of 8/2019)
Link to one forum posting:
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=5116166&#Post511616

It's got a lot great sounds including a lot of controls, and I use it quite a bit for electric guitar, electric piano, and some of the more tricky instruments like Harmonicas and some of the wind instruments.

DSK Instruments
https://www.dskmusic.com/

A very unusual and quite expansive collection of VSTi plugins. Some of the sounds are quite good, and you can get many of them for free, but donations are welcome. The only downside that I have seen is that some of them are 32 bit so require the J-Bridge plugin to work on BIAB 64 bit, and I have had a couple crashes when loading them. You have to give them a few seconds to load before you start clicking around.

This is another excellent thread:
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=541333#Post541333

This one references two other components which I have used among others, and which I have had great experience with.

*Coolsoft SoundFont Player (already mentioned in post above this)
*Timbres of Heaven soundfonts from Don Allen

You can also find some of the patch maps that come with BIAB for Roland, and access them by using the option "Select Higher Bank Patch (from .pat file)" when selecting a Midi instrument, and then pointing to some of the PAT files included with BIAB. I believe there are others which are available and posted in this forum, with instructions on how to download them. There are some very cool sounds in these sets.

Overall I tend to use the Plogue Sforzando VST plugin for a lot of songs and just hashing out new song ideas, especially the pianos. You can download the latest Aria Engine and also the some additional free sounds such as some Light instruments from Garritan at the Plogue site.

I'm still at the very beginning stages of finding my way with BIAB and MIDI and figuring out what things I need from BIAB that will work for my goals, so I strongly recommend that you invest some time in really diving into the forums to see what topics are helpful for you. I had to make a conscious choice to limit what I was going to take on with BIAB because it is just so packed with features. When you start tacking on VSTi's and plugins and RealBand, and other products that can interface with it, you can feel like your pursuing a new career in music technology instead of creating and performing music.

Speaking to others who may be getting started, I can now say, with the help of the folks on this forum, the PG Music Staff, the massive library of tutorial videos from PG Music on YouTube and other sources, I've reached a point where I have some pretty decent sounds and I know which sources I want for most of the instruments and I'm able to get some of my ideas put into some decent sounding songs. I just tell myself that they will get better and more sophisticated as I slowly build up my skills and knowledge of the product and the technology. I think it's very easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of features in the product and it's power, and I think it's an amazing value for what it does, but I've found that you can do some pretty amazing things with just a few of the features and a few decent instruments. It only gets better from there.









Last edited by EdZ314; 12/02/19 08:29 AM. Reason: Typo

Ed Z

Soundcloud profile
https://soundcloud.com/user-415064494
BIAB user since 2019
iPad Mini, Garageband for iOS, BIAB for Windows 2020 UltraPAK, Xtra Styles packs 6-9, Windows 10 Lenovo PC, Kontakt Player, SpitFire LABS, SampleTank 4 CS, some Soundfonts


Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
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Journeyman
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Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
** Resolved - not infected - see below**

@Doctormidi, @Brille, others

I noticed there was a posting in this same topic about the WinLive Synth driver getting picked up as some sort of malware and that it was a false alarm. That may very well be the case but I downloaded it and tried to run it but it was blocked by Kaspersky Anti-Virus and when I uploaded the file to VirusTotal.com it reported that it was being detected by Trapmine as *possible* malware, so I'm going to upload a copy to my AV vendor and see if they can confirm or clear it. I've already contacted the vendor, Promusic Software to report my results and I'll report back on what I hear from both or either.

**Update 12/2/19**
Changed sentence about Trapmine above. Trapmine is an Artificial Intelligence tool that VirusTotal uses to detect as-yet-unknown malware, so it could certainly be a false positive. It simply indicated that it sees something that was not typical, and no specific signs of malware. I'll see what Kaspersky comes back with - I opened a support ticket and uploaded the file for analysis

**Update 12/3/19**
The false positive alert from the antivirus is resolved. The antivirus vendor has cleared it and it is no longer blocked. I've got it installed now and it works like a champ. I also contacted the vendor and they responded very quickly, so good stuff all around.

Last edited by EdZ314; 12/03/19 07:12 PM.

Ed Z

Soundcloud profile
https://soundcloud.com/user-415064494
BIAB user since 2019
iPad Mini, Garageband for iOS, BIAB for Windows 2020 UltraPAK, Xtra Styles packs 6-9, Windows 10 Lenovo PC, Kontakt Player, SpitFire LABS, SampleTank 4 CS, some Soundfonts


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PG Music News
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These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!

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We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles

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  • Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
  • Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
  • Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
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  • Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
  • Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
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Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!

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If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

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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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Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

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In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

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Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!

We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!

If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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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