John,

I'm guessing you want the program's default VST soft synth to be either Halion Sonic or IK Multimedia's SampleTank 2, 3 or 4; is that correct?

If my assumption is correct then the answer is yes, it is possible. However, you should realize that is not how the programs are intended to be used so the results are inconsistent at best.

The issue is Halion Sonic and SampleTank do not follow the general midi (GM) or general midi 2 patch specifications. Those specifications assign instrument or sound effect names to either 128 (GM) or 256 (GM2) patches. The specifications also state midi channel 10 is reserved for drum and percussion patches as well as assigning what note equals which patch. These assignments allow standard midi file players to load and use the correct instrument patches during playback. The specifications are what determine a guitar is a guitar, bass is a bass, piano is a piano and so on. Band-in-a-Box expands on that idea by assigning midi channels to instrument tracks. You can see and alter the midi channel assignments by pressing Ctrl + E and then selecting the "Channels" button. The MIDI Settings window you see below will open. If you press the GM Patches button on the MIDI Settings window the list of 128 GM patch names will be displayed as seen in the second screen shot.

Sonic and Sampletank allow you you load multiple patches. The expectation is first you load the VST into the program and then load the instrument patch(es) into the VST. SampleTank 2(don't know about 3 and 4 and I think Sonic but I'm not sure) lets you create a list of patches that the VST will automatically fetch and load when the VST is loaded. Someone has to create a list of patch names for the program to load.

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Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK
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