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It’s been a decade since I can recall a good discussion of this. What is the best MIDI sound you can get for BIAB?
There are hardware MIDI synths such as the Roland Integra-7 that I use. A hardware synth might be easier to set up and use less computer resources, but it requires real-time playback to render a song. So let’s forget about the setup aspect. Concentrate on the question this way: if you wanted to buy something to play MIDI from within BIAB that sounded the absolute best, regardless of cost or convenience, what would you buy?
Note: must support music of all genres; also assumes you have a better-than-good computer.
Any ideas?
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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It’s been a decade since I can recall a good discussion of this. What is the best MIDI sound you can get for BIAB?
There are hardware MIDI synths such as the Roland Integra-7 that I use. A hardware synth might be easier to set up and use less computer resources, but it requires real-time playback to render a song. So let’s forget about the setup aspect. Concentrate on the question this way: if you wanted to buy something to play MIDI from within BIAB that sounded the absolute best, regardless of cost or convenience, what would you buy?
Note: must support music of all genres; also assumes you have a better-than-good computer.
Any ideas? For me it would be something I don’t own and I can’t afford nor justify but most likely the full blown version of Kontakt. It provides really nice sounding instruments with lots of add on options. (I guess one could use Kontakt within BIAB. However I’d be inclined to pull the MIDI tracks into a DAW where I had more options). My thoughts Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
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BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Matt, for me nothing has really changed in regards to this question in the past 10 years.
BIAB is still GM and use of the more sophisticated VSTi for midi sound is still in beta testing on my machine for BIAB. As a result Coyote Forte still would be running on my system except it is not compatible with BIAB64.
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I once owned an Integra 7 and the sounds were awesome. I found it a little hard to setup initially and after getting it setup, I learned I had spent a lot of money on a lot of sounds I'd never use. I purchased it because of the superior sounding guitar patches compared to soft synth patches I had tried. Matt Finley was a great assistance in helping me get a working Pat file for the guitar sounds. In use, I utilized about 60 patches from a total or more than 6,000.
In contrast, I purchased SampleTank Max on sale and also had some points from previous purchases to apply and got a great soft synth and libraries at a very reasonable price and find the sounds I use to be on par with comparable Kontact or other similar software I've auditioned. Expert users are earning a living using the same SampleTank Max software but they have brains and talent to properly manipulate and articulate it at a professional level. My guess is that knowing how to expertly use a software will yield better results over having the most expensive and comprehensive software and not know how to get the most out of it.
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 01/20/19 01:13 PM.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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For me it would be something I don’t own and I can’t afford nor justify but most likely the full blown version of Kontakt. It provides really nice sounding instruments with lots of add on options. (I guess one could use Kontakt within BIAB. However I’d be inclined to pull the MIDI tracks into a DAW where I had more options).
My thoughts
Tony Tony, I have "...full blown version of Kontack" and will be beta testing in the new BIAB64 in the weeks/months to come. But I suspect, like you, I am always more inclined to work at that level in my DAW.
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For me it would be something I don’t own and I can’t afford nor justify but most likely the full blown version of Kontakt. It provides really nice sounding instruments with lots of add on options. (I guess one could use Kontakt within BIAB. However I’d be inclined to pull the MIDI tracks into a DAW where I had more options).
My thoughts
Tony Tony, I have "...full blown version of Kontack" and will be beta testing in the new BIAB64 in the weeks/months to come. But I suspect, like you, I am always more inclined to work at that level in my DAW. Tony, I have the identical workflow, i.e. BiaB to DAW with Kontakt only in the DAW. Dan, I have had five BiaB tracks going to five different Kontakts with no problems what-so-ever. I did that just as an experiment and will probably never use Kontakt in BiaB due to my workflow. Matt, if I were working only in BiaB Kontakt would be my choice of synths. Mostly because of third party patches. Many can be instrument specific while some are more generic.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
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Hi all
Well what flavour of gm do you like?
Do you want to work within the computer or are you prepared to send your midi out to an external synth and sound system, and forgo in the box rendering via vsti etc.
I in fact do both, on my big boys system I have a 24inch all in one high spec pc, sitting on the music stand on the top of and running midi to and from my Yamaha CVP 405. This gives me a high quality GM set other Yamaha midi voices over 800 of them including a full XG set and Panel voices.
All playing through the Pianos sound and speaker system.
I run a pat file in BIAB that I wrote to give me access to all of these via high bank settings and selection.
However on my workhorse system on my high spec laptop I use a midi controller keyboard this of course has no internal voices.
To maintain a good degree of compatibility between the 2 systems I use the Yamaha xg lite VSTi that I put on the forum and its pat file. As my default vst
This gives me a fairly good set of matching voices for roughing out and making quick
On board renders
So I guess what I am saying is try to use as near midi vst or external as you hope to finally hear the song through.(pre rendering to audio if at all!)
Yes I know all gm is supposed to be the same, but believe me the same gm set on Yamaha , Korg , or Roland sound quite different for the same patch number.
In the end its down to personal choice and to a certain extent what you have got used to from your own keyboard.
Most of all have fun and enjoy your music.
Mike
BIAB2021 UltraPlus,AsusN55S1Tbssd, W10/64,Akai EIEpro Yamaha CVP405,SquireStrat, CoolsoftVMidSynth Novatation Impulse61 Ctr kbd, Cwalk blab Kontakt http://mikesmusic.byethost16.com/
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For me it's TTS in BiaB and better synths in the DAW
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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I should have made it more clear that of course we can use hardware or soft synths in a DAW. I’m interested here in what you use in BIAB without going to a DAW (or RealBand). Thanks.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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I should have made it more clear that of course we can use hardware or soft synths in a DAW. I’m interested here in what you use in BIAB without going to a DAW (or RealBand). Thanks. Inside of BIAB I use Halion 6. Once outside Kontakt, Sample Tank and many of the instruments included in Ableton.
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I've used TTS-1 even before returning to Band-in-a-Box in 2011. I have TTS-1 set up as my default soft synth in both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Band-in-a-Box. I considered "building" a high quality instrument set to use in Sforzando but lost interest. It would take a lot of work and what I already have is acceptable. The multi timbrel, gm compatible model seems to be dying out in computer software. I don't think the demand is there. Either that or no one wants to pay what it would cost to develop to put together a group of instruments of equal quality to the single instrument developers like Kontakt, IK Multimedia or Steinburg. The approach to providing voices to midi instruments that +++ MultiTrack Studio +++ takes is unique. The instruments are modeled so they occupy little storage space. The program has a built-in general midi compatible instrument collection that contains over 100 instruments including a drum kit. I presume the best sounding general midi compatible instruments available at a reasonable price would be an inexpensive consumer keyboard by Casio, Ketron, Korg, Roland, Yamaha or no name. Only keyboard manufacturers seem to be interested in providing multi timbrel instruments. There is a lot of competition for the few customers that desire multi timbrel capability so pricing is extremely competitive. Heck, even Creative has quit including midi ports or instruments with their Soundblaster audio cards or add-on software. Professional audio cards have never included instruments that I know of. I don't know of any current professional or consumer software solutions for gm2, multi-timbrel compatible midi players. Single voice instruments have won this contest.
Last edited by Jim Fogle; 01/20/19 04:55 PM. Reason: Added final thought.
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As I said earlier I use TTS as well I use BiaB as a scratch pad I never finish the songs there., unless it is a simple live song to play. I prefer to mix down in a DAW
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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GM, a plague or a blessing?
I have tried quite a lot over the years. First one that i really liked was an Soundblaster Audigy ZS 2. You can put your own GM2 sfz files in it's memory banks too. Had a hardware breakout box with spdif and also volume potted headphone jack. Alas only PCI, not present any more in my latest computer. Even found x64 drivers at some point unavailable from Creative then, made by 'David', an Audigy fan. Sound quality was quite good. Bought a PCIe to PCI riser even to get it working, but never tried it sofar.
I used Hypersonic 2 for quite a while after that, sounded v better than Coyote Forte, and was GM2. All the Roland stuff and TTS etc i never really liked, especially the sounds chosen mainly. Japanese taste for sounds i guess.
For over a year i have been using Halion 3 now, and for GM2 i never found anything IMO 'better' sounding all over. But for you (Matt) as Jazzer you might not like the loops for some samples like saxes. I have bought Sampletank and Omnisynth 2 even, quite OK if it works, but due all those hassles with that friggin' IK licensing every time again, and the crummy way to get GM working properly i gave up on IK all together. I have no experience with sForzando .. you?
Alas for Halion 3 and Hypersonic 2 you'll need an eLicenser etc .... F
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Fiddler, I've tried the Halion SE, but even though it was perfectly installed, I've never been able to make a sound. I ended up disinstalling it, as being a free product, there's no support for it.
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I use the edirol hypercvanvas which is the same as the TTS. In a reply to a previous post Peter Gannon said that PG Music balance their midi styles on the Roland sounds which is what the TTS is.
And as its free - see the no brainer post above about getting it with the free download of cakewalk it seems to me the best solution for a soft synth in BIAB
I've also got the coyote and the forte and the TTS sounds are the best - subject to the bug that means one kick drum does not respond to velocity changes but that's easily remedied in the BIAB settings adn I can't hear the difference in a mix
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I recently dug out my old version of Native Intruments Bandstand and, with the help of jBridge, have it working in BIAB 64. To my ears better than most of the other freely available synths like TTS1 IMHO. 
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I recently dug out my old version of Native Intruments Bandstand and, with the help of jBridge, have it working in BIAB 64. To my ears better than most of the other freely available synths like TTS1 IMHO. Yes I have Bandstand working on windows 7 32 bit and like it, haven't tried it on windows 10 64 bit yet, I think I tried it, but couldn't get it to work, so just wondering if its windows 10 you have it on? At the moment Halion is probably my favourite default synth.
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I have never been able to get the Halion 3 free version to make one single sound. I can’t even find a sound library in it.
Last edited by RobH; 01/21/19 03:30 AM.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Hi all
I presume the best sounding general midi compatible instruments available at a reasonable price would be an inexpensive consumer keyboard by Casio, Ketron, Korg, Roland, Yamaha or no name. Only keyboard manufacturers seem to be interested in providing multi timbrel instruments. There is a lot of competition for the few customers that desire multi timbrel capability so pricing is extremely competitive.
I am still with Jim on this in my set up as above i get over 800 top quality midi voices to use in BIAB, plus i can use the 6000 BIAB styles played through to my Clavinova audio line input against a predefined chord progression SGU from BIAB and play live over the top and record in the clav to wav including mic a VH controlled by BIAB root chord output on chanel 9 Cant ask for more. Mike
BIAB2021 UltraPlus,AsusN55S1Tbssd, W10/64,Akai EIEpro Yamaha CVP405,SquireStrat, CoolsoftVMidSynth Novatation Impulse61 Ctr kbd, Cwalk blab Kontakt http://mikesmusic.byethost16.com/
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When using BiaB with one GM synth, I use the Ketron SD2.
I prefer external hardware sound modules. Unfortunately I'm not wealthy enough to buy every one available, so my experience is very limited. I bought the SD2 on the recommendation of an old BiaB forum member, Mac (remember Mac?). I'm glad I listened to him.
The SD2 has a very good GM sound set. All the sounds I've used range from very good to excellent.
My experience with sound modules, is that there is another that sounds better with one particular sound, but not as good with another.
Plus what I think is an excellent sound might not be your idea of an excellent sound. If I had a tenor sax voice that sounded like Stan Getz and you wanted one that sounded like John Coltrane, the Getz voice might not be good for you.
So it's hard to make a recommendation. I have over a half dozen external synths, some with thousands of voices, but when I go for a General MIDI sound set, I use the SD2
Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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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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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
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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There are over 100 new features in 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®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-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
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 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
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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