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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 71 |
Hi all I have trawled through lots of posts about which software synth to use etc but none really seemed to address what I am wondering about. So forgive me if there is any duplication here, I did try to RTFM first! Using Windows BIAB 2018. Windows 10, 64 bit. I am putting together backing/practice tracks for blues/Americana/Country covers band. Using the built in GM sounds gets things going but sound awful. So I am looking for a good quality sound module for Drums. Just standard Blues/Rock/Country kits, nothing techno!! Bass. Nice vintage Fender electric and smooth acoustic uprights. No synth bass! Keys. Nice trad upright bluesy piano and electric keys like Rhodes, Hammonds etc. Nothing techno! Not fussed about guitars (I play those :)) or millions of daft sound FX. I think you get the picture  I am not too worried about price, just want it to 1. Sound good/authentic 2. Work reliably 3. Not be too much of a bear to implement in BIAB/RealBand Any suggestions will be very gratefully received! Thanks in advance Mark
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all...
BIAB 2019 Mac on a MacBook Pro. All paks & Styles.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753 |
I often use the free Studio Instruments that come with the free Cakewalk by BandLab. I don't use them in Cakewalk, BandLab, BIAB or RB. I use them in Reaper because that's what I am used to and productive using.
SI Drums, SI Strings, SI Bass and SI Electric Piano (which doesn't have a plain old piano) For SI Bass you may need to move your bass midi file up an octave but it's no big deal once you get the hang of that.
For piano I often use the free Keyzone Classic by Bitsonic.
For a slightly more complicated structure but way more choices I often go to SampleTank 3.
If you are not worried about price at all check out the Native Instrument offerings.
Does the noise in your head bother me ?
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,685
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,685 |
Ketron sd 1000.. ive used/owned a load of rolands and this is way better. The videos etc, on you tube do not do this wee beauty justice. http://www.ketronmusic.co.uk/products/ketron/micro_modules/sd1000.html
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
I am lucky in that I have a number of good synths having built up a fair collection through owning Sonar and having purchased several keyboards etc. If I do go down the midi path I would normally use Dimension Pro (it may no longer be available) for guitars and bass or odd instruments. For strings I go to Studio Instruments. I use Addictive Drums or Session Drummer (Cakewalk) (Studio Instruments are similar). For piano I have Addictive Keys also several others. I would often seek a sound I like and use an SFZ file pulling that into Dimension Pro you can pull SFZ files into Sforzando which you already have with BIAB. If not Sforzando is a free download from https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html There are many SFZ files about with well recorded guitars, strings etc. Tobias mentioned the Studio Instruments that come with Cakewalk they are ok and well recorded instruments. I rarely use midi these days nearly all I use are RealTracks adding only bits for fills or intros etc. My two bobs worth Tony
Last edited by Teunis; 10/02/18 11:30 PM.
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362 |
I will second Tobias. If you can afford it, Native Instruments has some of the best sampled instruments around. If you go to to their website they have a lot of demo songs for each of their instruments, so take a listen and decide for yourself.
Will
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,848
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,848 |
Native Instruments just released Kontakt v6 and a host of other instruments.
I have found that I got a lot of bang for the buck by buying the Komplete Ultimate (originally got it on sale at significant savings) and have upgraded from v8 through v9 through v10 through v11 and am looking now at v12 that just came out). Not exactly cheap, but a pretty good deal when on sale. And I've found if you have purchased anything else from them, you will start getting the sales offers.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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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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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
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Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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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!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- 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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- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- 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
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Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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