The sound fonts are OK (SFZ) but I found them to me just slightly better than a good midi piano. Note: I have stopped using SFZ because I have a few samples that are so much better and realistic sounding.
The better sounding ones, the ones with multiple layers are the ones that are going to cost you some money. BUT.... if you're a keyboard player, investing in good quality piano samples should be a given.
I like the inexpensive sampled pianos in the old Cakewalk Sound Center and also some of the Native Instruments stuff. Ivory Piano, wehich I don't have but have heard, also rocks. When you can put some headphones on and listen, and really wonder if that was a real piano or is it sampled..... now that's a good piano. SFZ isn't even close to that.
If you don't need something played exactly, as in, can it jam to the tune or does it require specific notes..... Real Tracks pianos in Real Band and BB can do that and they sound really good. But if you need a specific set of notes played..... you'll need a good midi synth with samples.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 08/15/1810:30 AM.
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.
You can select the .pat file Dgx 303 or Dgx 305 in Biab and it will ALSO allow you to access the upper banks in the XGLite GM synth. Click on the Midi button displayed with the midi plug "icon" (2nd row and 2nd from last in the main Biab screen) and click midi/audio driver set up there.
A box will open and under synthesizer/soundcard you scroll down and can select either the DGX or XG Generic in that box. Once you have selected them, Biab should ask if you want to install the .DK (drumkit) set up for the XGLite synth you are using.
****Note**** You select this installation AFTER you have installed the XGLite Synth.
Once those are installed, you can THEN access and select the higher banked patches in Biab. If you want to save your settings, don't forget to save song with patches etc . . .
Biab is an amazing tool to compose music with. Once you have learned the few basic (chord settings,bar settings, harmony function etc) entry options, you will understand and HEAR the difference during a style/song playback.
The rests, pushes, harmony select in bar settings give you EXACT control of whatever track(s) you are trying to accomplish in Biab. They are very powerful tools and learning curve, but once you get the jist of how to enter/operate them in Biab, you will be making backing tracks/songs in NO time.
Yes indeed you can use the dgx file supplied in Biab as I said in my post. But as it is for a full Yamaha DGX keyboard it will offer you a few voices that you don’t have in the vst that I posted .like some of the internal dgx voices that are sent from the DGX panel buttons.. This is why I made a dedicated XGlite pat for you, However the vst is fairly tolerant and if it does not recognize the msb / lsb it will fall through to lsb 000 and give you the basic xg / gm voice for the patch. So you should get a basic voice from the same family say piano for patch 000 001. choir for patch 000 53 etc. So you may not notice. Have fun Mike
The rests, pushes, harmony select in bar settings give you EXACT control of whatever track(s) you are trying to accomplish in Biab. They are very powerful tools and learning curve, but once you get the jist of how to enter/operate them in Biab, you will be making backing tracks/songs in NO time.
Trax
I disagree, at least with the "real tracks," we have found that the jazz piano players are way to busy. There's no way to make them just splash the chords evenly. I've seen other posts on this forum that said the same thing. From what I was told, the only way to get control is by using MIDI and the stylemaker to edit what the piano player does during the measure. But I'm having a hard enough time just trying to get the MIDI working. It's a shame everything moved to software synths and got so complicated to the point it can't be used unless you're a guru.
For many versions of BB I was able to use the Roland Cake TTS-1 but for some reason BB refuses to recognize it. It says it's not a valid 32 bit plugIn. It always worked. I will try it in realband and see if I can get it to work. Any ideas? about how to get it back working. I hate Cyote my soundcard sounds better than it.
TTS-1 works fine here. How are you loading it? TTS-1 is a DXi, not a VSTi synth, so it gets registered as a DXi in the registry and just appears as a plugin in BIAB and RealBand. You do not go out and try to load the .DLL file like you do with other VST/VSTi's.
Also, if you (for example) recently re-installed Windows and applications and only installed the 64-bit version of TTS-1, that's not going to work either. You have to install one of the 32-bit versions of the Cakewalk DAW's to get the 32-bit version of TTS-1.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Does BandLab even issue the 64 bit version of Sonar. I only installed the 64bit version so I need to reinstall Sonar again with the 32 bit version? I have all the files I think. Thanks
Also, if you (for example) recently re-installed Windows and applications and only installed the 64-bit version of TTS-1, that's not going to work either. You have to install one of the 32-bit versions of the Cakewalk DAW's to get the 32-bit version of TTS-1.
what John said.
You need to install a 32-bit version of CAKEWALK/SONAR/MUSIC CREATOR applications to get the 32-bit TTS-1 - that is not a BIAB issue. And be aware that the new free Cakewalk by Bandlab is ONLY 64-bit and will ONLY install 64-bit TTS-1 an overwrites the the 32-bit DXi file that was in the shared folder.
see this old thread (applies to ANY 32-bit install of Sonar or Music Creator)
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
otherwise you're chasing the Yamaha site in Japaneses only not to find it.
that 7zip file in the above link contains two files the .dll and an HTML it's just a GM VSTi .dll so use it like any other. The html is a readme, and at this point just a historicla noce to know, but if you aren't a geek, don't read it! it will confuse you and make you think you need other files - YOU DO NOT - all you need is the .dll
(I have a Monatge7 so I spend a lot of time on various Yama sites - and even in English they are a lot of clicks to get nowhere)
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
For many versions of BB I was able to use the Roland Cake TTS-1 but for some reason BB refuses to recognize it. It says it's not a valid 32 bit plugIn. It always worked. I will try it in realband and see if I can get it to work. Any ideas? about how to get it back working. I hate Cyote my soundcard sounds better than it.
Or get this one? Sounds quite good IMO: Halion Sonic SE3 FREE PS there's an update too, but i think you'll have to register for download. As it's 64 bit you'll need jBridge for BIAB; on my system Halion 3 SE (paid version, more sounds) loads automatically as jBridge 32bit conversion. Once addressed in BIAB as default synth, it's IMO still one of the best sounding GM2 VSTs; note that in Halion's options you'll have to set it to GM-mode at Program Changes. See picture. It remembers the setting made here OK for BIAB. PS XGlite comes close, but Halion SE has some sounds done quite better, and has a proper interface showing available sounds by name on the GUI.
Tested quite a few GM VSTs in the past, Coyote Full, Edirol, Cakewalk, also paid for Sampletank Omnisynth2, then turned back to Hypersonic (Steinberg) for ease of use and sounds. All paid versions. The one above IMO is the best choice for BIAB, and its free to boot.
PS: As i bought Halion 6 i still have a license for a full, thus not the cheaper educational version, of Halion 5 for sale. Also with a Halion SE version and GM2 on board; PM me if interested, and you'll need a Steinberg Dongle to run it. THIS ONE is still 32bit and 64bit. - F
To whom are you talking? the installer has the sounds included, usually installs them in C:\Users\--LOGIN NAME--\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Content as VSTsound files. Do any thing ?? is it showing the GUI? You need jBridge to get it to create a 32bit dll for BIAB to work with. Or try to find a (free) Halion Sonic 2 SE. I'm not sure if there ever was one. Should look like picture in the post above.
You can't use jbridge with the TTS-1 because jbridge is just for VST/VSTi's, not DX/DXi's.
Halion Sonic SE3 has a 64bit VST dll somewhere, on my system here: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\HALion Sonic .. on my system jBridge converts is automatically, but you could manually convert it to a .32.dll. Convert it and look that one up in BIABs default synth settings.
Originally Posted By: beatmaster
fiddler I opened it on the stand alone and I have the Gui just no sounds to pick or see..?. Do I have to direct it to the sounds or,../.?.
Look in the library (searching option) settings, you'll have to find the .VSTsound files then manually, totally i guess around 2GB, but the installation should work automatically really. Tricks how to get to them thus to load automatically by addressing the files via shortcuts at the appropriate location in C:/Users etc.
I posted this on a Steinberg forum regarding missing Halion file finding errors:
Quote:
Install your VSTsound files in one folder, f.i in a VSTsound folder on anohter drive. The installers usually put them here: C:\Users\-USER NAME-\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Content Do a search too, there might be other places .... Move them all from there to the new location .... Make shortcuts inside that new location after the move. Move all the newlymade shortcuts back to C:\Users\-USER NAME-\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Content. Your errors should be gone ....
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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