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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 196
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 196 |
I believe this subject has been posted before in different ways with some agreeing and disagreeing that the sound for a song is somehow different in B&B and RB. I’d like to revisit this to make sure I am not imagining too many things. Make no mistake both sound great but my bl..dy big ears tell me something is not quite right.
First, after listening carefully to the same guitar song, what I notice definitely is that guitar shots (eg A..d ) are much louder in RB than in B&B to the point of mild distortion.
The other aspect, that I can only describe as “presence” seems better in B&B than in RB. But before jumping to conclusions has anyone figure what the PG Reverb settings should be in RB to exactly match the new 2010 setting in B&B?
(I have run the song without any reverb in both and I reckon in a blindfold test I could tell in which program the song is playing with the exact volume and pan settings in both)
Re
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
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I have always been of the opinion that the exact same song in Band in a Box sounds much better than in RealBand, that's my ears...and I know I posted that and got replies....
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,486
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Hi Frank,
You are correct, Realband does sound different.
This difference is because RB does not load individual instrument settings for pan and volume. All instruments are loaded with pan at the center and volume set at 100 (digitally) - at least on my system.
If you want RB to sound the same as BIAB, simply make a note of the settings for each instrument in BIAB and transfer those settings to RB. This only takes a minute or two at the most. To set the pan in RB, simply right-click on an instrument's pan slider and enter the number that was in BIAB for that instrument. Similarly, right-clicking on the volume slider will let you enter the BIAB volume setting for that instrument.
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,696 |
Frank, Noel, John Seems a shame to have to spend time working on your instrumental mix in an SGU/MGU format, and then have it all disappear when transitioning to RB, and then have to re-enter it manually. I would have thought the software was beyond that stage. I suppose one could export the midi date via midi file (as we do with PT) and import that into RB complete with vol, pan, verb etc. in tact. Then render the RTs and import them as wave files. Hmmmm - you may be right Noel - easier your way.  Just to check . . . I picked a midi track (from an imported BIAB MGU) in RB and clicked F2 - no basic CCs at all. Too much thought for Sunday morning coming down . . . need more coffee  Ian
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
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This is because both programs have their own separate mixers in them.
The tracks themselves are what we want to have when importing into another seqauencing program such as RealBand. They come to us Dry, and as if they were just recorded, with levels such that they are not too low nor too high to allow us to use the doggone mixer in the host program to obtain a good mixfit.
If we had a 16 track tape made at Studio A and moved the tape to Studio B, we'd have exactly the same situation -- the mixer moves applied over in Studio A would not transfer over to the tape being played on Studio B's transport through Studio B's mixer, we'd have to "throw all faders up" and see what we have and start mixing it.
That is a Good Thing.
Imagine the problems that would ensue if BiaB exported the track turned up all the way and then you discovered that you needed to turn that track down... Gain Staging would smack your project right in the forehead. Sure, it can be turned down softer, but it would still sound "blasty". That's just one example, there are others.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,486
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Posts: 20,486 |
Quote:
The tracks themselves are what we want to have when importing into another sequencing program such as RealBand. They come to us Dry, and as if they were just recorded, with levels such that they are not too low nor too high to allow us to use the doggone mixer in the host program to obtain a good mixfit.
I agree Mac. I've found it a real asset that RB is not influenced by predetermined settings in BIAB. I see the two programs as complementary but very different (hmmm, that could be stating the obvious!). To me, BIAB is about getting a good sounding, fully functional accompaniment with the minimum effort. Realband, on the other hand, is about taking the "ingredients" that make-up the accompaniment and mixing them to make it exactly how you want. It's for that reason that I never spend too much time putting an arrangement together in BIAB. I use BIAB to give me a starting point for an arrangement that I develop in RB.
Ian, as an aside, when I used to go from BIAB to Sonar, I would always render my wav files with panning at zero because I wanted to shape the stereoscape myself. Once you start playing with RB, you realise that the way it works is good.
Noel
Last edited by Noel96; 01/10/10 01:42 PM.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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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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Happy New Year!
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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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