PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows 25 Screenshots and I Launch a YouTube Tutorial Series (details below)

[Reposting here from Tips n Tricks because I realized very few people would see it]

Edit: These two videos demonstrate everything you need to get to the screenshot. :-)

1) How to install, locate, and load third-party VSTs and Plugins into BiaB:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVRtQz8nqvY

2) Band in a Box/Realband & Minihost Modular: All your Plugins/VST(i) at your fingertips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexjietWWhc&t=7s




Hi there good folks,

Over the last couple of years I have become increasingly fascinated with aspects of music production--not so much in the sense of mixing and mastering, which I admittedly know next to nothing about--but with using MIDI, constructing various pad sounds, and also by using wacky effects that are applied to audio to make fascinating textures (In fact there are some incredible things that are being done nowadays using traditional effects, such as delays, filters, and noise gates, in extremely creative ways.
For instance, in the track Labor Day Pt. II, posted here , I morphed the sound of the drums using effect automation with radical EQ changes for the transition that takes place at about 3:40-3:45 to give them that trashy hollow gritty sound. The see-sawing pulsing high pitched sound, which can first be heard at 0:45 and then later comes to a sort of keening crescendo in the outro and then pumps into the last bar, is actually an instance of the male vocal ooh tracks using various modular effects from Native Instruments' Molekular. I also slowed down that pulsing vocal track by a few milliseconds in Reaper so that it plays at a wee bit of a slower rate, which, over the length of the track, causes the back-and-forth motion to increasingly "stray" from the main track to give it a sense of instability. Then I used a different Molukular preset, which I set to the song's native key, which resampled a tiny sliver of a the 1track female Aah vocal you can hear throughout the song to create that fragmented swirl you can hear in the background if you listen really closely from 4:03 to 4:05--it's there for barely a couple of seconds but I think it adds something. Now as I mentioned before, I am terrible at mixing and mastering, and there's SO much more I need to learn about that, and the track overall sounds pretty [*****], but I want to illustrate just a bit of what can be done with audio effects that, until recently, had no idea was even possible and I thought all the really "cool stuff" was done with MIDI and cutting edge synth engines.

As for MIDI, well that subject of comes up in these forums a lot, and I learned a tremendous amount about the subject here. After watching dozens of YouTube tutorials and experimenting with it over the last year, I've learned that one can make the MIDI tracks that sound so dull in BiaB sound like pumping modern dance tracks. (BTW, the fact that BiaB/RB MIDI tracks sound so dull is not in any way a limitation or shortcoming on part of PGM. In fact, I like the "stripped down" sounds from Cayote and SFZ Player, because it presents me with a clear un-colored canvas to work with and proceed from). I've learned about non-playing notes that you can insert into your piano roll to function as key-switches, about arpeggiators, and so much more.

Anyway, recently I've posted on YT a handful of videos regarding features I've particularly enjoyed in BiaB, and a couple of "hacks" (I usually hate that term, but whatever) to force tab in BiaB, and to create more natural sounding string/horn/vocal sections. I've really enjoyed making these videos, and got some lovely feedback from forum members, many of whom I learned so many other things from. Furthermore, I've found that when preparing for the videos, I stumble on other little things and end up learning more about the program myself.

Towards the end of my last video, regarding MiniHost Modular, (thanks again for turning me on to this, Pipeline!), I mentioned the possibility of making a series of videos based on what you can do with it, and figured that I'd just make a whole series that covers a wide range of topics primarily focused on MIDI, but also plugins, VSTis, automation, LFOs, ADSR envelopes, and how they could be applied to various parameters, synced to your host, be it BiaB, RB, or any DAW for that matter.

As music is only hobby for me at this point in life unfortunately, and I don’t really have a huge amount of free time, while I would love to make these videos, I also want to be sure that I'm not wasting my time, and that there is actually a fair amount of interest before I devote any significant amount of time to it.

So here’s the deal. If this post gets 25 replies with screenshots that look just like mine, I will start a series covering the topics I've discussed above within the BiaB/RB environment (to the extent possible).

In the attached screenshot you will see an image of a single instance of MiniHost Modular (which I will hereinafter refer to as MhM), with the following signal chain:

As you'll see, there is an initial MIDI in to Blue Arp (Blue) > MIDI out from Blue Arp to Helm (Blue both in and out) > Audio out from Helm to Guitar Pro 5 (GP5) (Blue in, Yellow out) > Audio out from GP5 (Yellow out).

Note that there is an instance of MT Power Drum Kit (MT PDK) which is not attached to anything. Also note that each one of these plugins is free, except that GP5 is a demo version, which has some limitations, but that's fine for our purposes.

P.S. my YT channel is not monetized, so this is not about money. For some reason I enjoy explaining things, and think this will be a great opportunity for me to push myself to learn even more in preparation, as I do not for a second consider myself an expert, or even a particularly adept in these matters. Indeed, I don't think that I know a lot more about these topics than most the forum members, or even a little more than some of the members. However, from many of the posts, I can tell I know a little bit more than a handful of the members, and that's who I will be making these videos for.

All the best,

Deacon.

Glad to post support of your project because your videos I've viewed have been informative and useful. I don't completely understand the significance of posting a screenshot so I will acknowledge to you I took the time to read your entire post (I always do) in hope that will suffice.

Wow, so nice of you to comment Charlie!

So you happen to be one of those folks who knows so much more than me about all of this stuff that I know absolutely have nothing I can contribute to you (other than good vibes ).

This post, (and the series of tutorials I envision) are aimed at the people who are exactly where I was last year.

So what's with the posting of the screenshot? Well, while I intend to start the series of at an absolute beginner's level (e.g. what is MIDI? Why MIDI is not audio?, the signal path beginning with oscillators and out through the amp section?), it won't be long until we move on to more technical/intermediate stuff (e.g. the difference between the input level oscillators and low frequency oscillators ([LFOs]) the difference between sequencers and arpeggiators, ADSR, etc, so I want to know that if I put time into this, it is something that the viewers will actually put effort into utilizing.

So when I ask for screenshots, I'm essentially asking for people to respond/commit, If I take time to teach, you'll take time to learn.

Again, this is not aimed at you, the pros, or even intermediates, and, on some level, I'm frankly embarrassed at the implication that I can teach you something. Indeed, as we go deeper I know that I'll hit the wall where I know NOTHING, and I'll be hitting up you, Noel, Pipeline, and many others to smooth out the many cracks and gaps where I still struggle. The only thing I come to the table with is the memory of my ignorance, and excitement at finally getting it. I distinctly remember having to watch at least a dozen YT tutorials before I finally understood the fundamental difference between decay and sustain, and I suppose I may be dumber than other's in that respect, but I figure once I got it, I can explain how it clicked for me. So yeah, if people will commit to learn, I'd be more than to commit in contributing the little understanding I have towards passing it on.

In short: Screenshots represent effort which represents commitment coupled with a desire to learn.

Does all that make sense?

Hi Deacon
Yes I am sure these videos would be very useful and interesting although possibly aimed at more advanced and adventurous forum members. You certainly explaing yourself very eloquently so I'd be very happy to see your videos and therefore please count me in.

Thank you ever so much, Mr. Cornwall

How about a screenshot then? ;-)

So, you want to do tutorials but before you will do them you want at least 25 people to commit to watching these not-yet-created tutorials? And simply expressing interest in your idea is not sufficient? They must also create and post a screenshot just like yours? What does that even mean? I don't use FL Studio so I couldn't create that screenshot!

If you want to do tutorials you should just do them and if they are useful people will watch them.

I think you have a nice idea and I would welcome useful tutorials. But maybe don't make it so confusing/difficult to express interest?

Just my thoughts...maybe I get confused easily these days.

To address these in turn:

1) Yep

2) Nope

3) That's correct

4) You've explained it yourself perfectly

5) The plugin was initially developed for use w/in FL Studio by Image Line, but was pretty much abandoned in 2013 or so while still in beta. It works perfectly in BiaB/RB as I have already demonstrated. In fact I only know about this because Pipeline posted about in these forums. So yeah, you can create that screenshot.

6) I don’t want people to watch them. I want people to learn from them.

Well, good luck with that! Ya might wanna do a tutorial on how to create the screenshot first!

That's exactly the point...I did!

I'll paste it in again.

1) How to install, locate, and load third-party VSTs and Plugins into BiaB:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVRtQz8nqvY

2) Band in a Box/Realband & Minihost Modular: All your Plugins/VST(i) at your fingertips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexjietWWhc&t=7s

C'mon now, you can do it. ;-)

I will watch your videos to see if I can learn something from them (I always like to learn).

If your videos are good, people will subscribe, like and share. That's how you grow a channel on YouTube.

I'm sorry to say that I think your idea about people posting a screenshot of something(?) is a bit silly.

I hope you will make the videos anyway!

Will