PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows MIDI setup for using a piano/keyboard - How?

I would like my real digital piano to play the piano parts from BIAB. It sounds just so much better and will get a more band like feeling.


I have a Yamaha P-115 with USB MIDI.

How do I set up the MIDI and sound driver options in BIAB to
allow BIAB output for the piano channel to go to the piano and the rest still via VirtualMIDISynth?

The piano does come up in the the BIAB driver setup under MIDI Output driver as Digital Piano 1.

So far so good but what then?

Best regards
Bernt

HI

The Yamaha P-114 is a silent acoustic piano that you can lift the hammers of and use as a digital piano. It has some built in midi voices therefore.
Not really certain what you want to do here .

As you say BIAB can see it as digital piano 1 so your drivers seem set up ok, to talk to Biab . So if you select it as an input, you can use it on the Thru track to drive midi voices in BIAB set on the Thru track in the mixer, as simply a controller midi keyboard . That is it will send the midi notes you play on the keyboard through to your thru track and play that midi voice from your chosen synth or vst /dxi

Mike

Thanks Mike.
Sorry, P-115.

I want the piano to play the BIAB piano tracks as per the MIDI styles.

I have not managed to set that up. When I select the Digital Piano1 in the output driver section, all ouput goes to the piano. Or at least, all sound output stops from the PC speakers and the piano plays correctly.

So I need a setup method to have only the piano track output use the Digital Piano1 driver and the rest needs to go through the VS as before.
How do I do that?

I found this in a old thread here in the forum. I think I know what you are trying to do. It will do it, but I'll be darned if I can remember how each time I want to. So this has been discussed here in the past. Honestly, it should not be so trickly.

------------------------

For live playing from an external MIDI keyboard while using a VSTi synth, the ideal setup is to use ASIO drivers, and have the 'ASIO Always On' setting enabled (Opt. | Preferences | Audio). This allows you to play in real-time from a MIDI keyboard, and have the sound played by the plugin synth with very little latency.

One alternative if you're unable to use ASIO drivers, is to uncheck the option in the MIDI Driver Setup "Route MIDI Thru to MIDI Driver" and your playing will still go through the DXi synth - but there will be some latency.

Dan,

What you describe is my next issue as that has HUGE latency and is unusable. I read about the drivers etc.

However, for this issue, I want the output FROM BIAB piano track only to go to the piano and play it.

Regarding the latency, I agree. But if you use a ASIO driver, is not too bad.

Otherwise, ya I see you are doing something else. I don't think you can send midi to two places. But there is a workaround. It was an old vst written long ago call "redirector". I think you need that to send midi to two different locations.

MIDI could daisychain when it had the proper connectors.
Can't the MIDI go in on the piano and out on the thu back to the PC and then to the Synth? All via USB somehow or the other way, to the VST and on it's Thru, to the piano.

Somehow?

Sorry, I am having a little trouble understanding exactly what you are trying to do. On top of that not many others coming to our help. And finally, I am afraid that using a keyboard midi controller with BAIB is not the most efficient or practical workflow - software just don't support it well. I speak from experience on this last statement. My midi keyboard controller works like a charm through my DAW. So BIAB tracks goes to Reaper when the keyboard is involved.

Good Luck

Ok, one more clarfication:

I want my real digital piano to play the piano parts from BIAB. It sounds just so much better and will get a more band like feeling.

Surely that is a common setup?
To play real pianos like QRS pianomation or Yamaha Discklavier with BIAB.


Regards
Bernt

Don't want to send you on a wild goose chase but here is the info on the redirector. This will send midi out through the thru channel to an external devise while still allowing you to play all the real tracks via you BIAB audio out.

https://bandinabox.fandom.com/wiki/VSTi_MidiRedirector_v_1.xx

We used this to drive harmonies in the TC Helicon units in the past. I have a video of it being set up, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3KP4y2hioY from over 3 years ago.

Just noticed it is 32bit. It may or may not help. But until someone smarter then us comes along it is all I got for now.

Greatly appreciated Dan. Thanks.

Hi Dan,

do you have any idea perhaps where I might find the re-director file VSTiToMidi_100.zip?

The links in that wiki seem defunct or at least i cannot get them to load.

HI Again
Just popped my head back in to try to help a bit .
Bit of long read but, this works for me .
But I do have a Yamaha CVP 405 that has a full set of midi voices plus a set of xg voices and panel voices .
So I can set this as my external synth for all midi from biab

New BIAB W10 pc for my Yamaha CVP 405.

Hi ALL

After my recent success with W7 to W10 upgrades on my 2 existing PCs, I decided to push the boat out and buy a new PC so that I could have BIAB and some of my other music software permanently connected to my Yamaha Clavinova CVP405 in my Lounge .

This saves me having to break down and move my existing BIAB PC from my normal every day work station and controller keyboard and Audio interface, to the other room and reset all midi and audio drivers to suit, then change them back again when I bring it back.
As I had not used my 3 BIAB installs allowed, and still had a spare license for Acronis True image it just had to find a suitable PC.

In the end I went for a 24 inch White all in one from HP

Processor - Intel® Core™ i5+ 8250U Processor

- Quad-core- 1.6 GHz / 3.4 GHz- 6 MB cache

RAM 8 GB DDR4 (2400 MHz)

Storage 2 TB HDD (7200 rpm)

The 24” monitor would also mean I could display 2 A4 size PDF pages of music sheets side by side, useful as the pc screen would be using my music stand .

Works like a dream.
This now gives me access to 6095 BIAB styles when using my CVP with BIAB running, with up to 40 variations in each style intelligently generated from my chord sequence.

Here is my brief description of how I connect.
First the CVP is connected via midi over usb lead to my PC, this allows BIAB to see the CVP as my midi synth and a midi input device. As set in my midi and audio settings on BIAB.

With the aid of a pat file converted from a cakewalk ins file (instrument definition) I can access all the CVP’s 884 Midi voices and 19 Drum sets. In BIAB. Select higher bank option .

To make use of the many excellent Realtracks styles an Real drums. I feed the audio output of the PC to the line input of CVP.

This allows me to hear the Real tracks etc. audio from the CVP sound system and speakers, and play live over the top ( with careful adjustment of the PC sound out and the line in trim pot on the Yamaha )

I can now sing over the top with vocal harmony if required by sending the root chords from the BIAB chord sheet over the midi connection using the set midi chords to output option in BIAB ( options /preferences/output channel ).

The whole lot can be recorded on the Yamaha CVP built in Audio recorder as a wav file.

Just my way hope it helps some one wanting to use a Yamaha keyboard with Band In A Box or maybe the free Cakewalk prog, if only as a midi Synth.

Just by way of an update I have printed a pic of my wiring diagram for those interested in these things,.

Probably looks like a nightmare to some but I enjoy playing with the technology.

I have it here somewhere. See if Mike's recommendations work for you and then let me know if you still want to try the redirector and I can upload and provide a link.

Hi Mike,

Am I correct in saying that your setup plays ALL your MIDI fromBIAB through the Clavinova in this setup?

I am trying ton ONLY play the piano part and rest on the VST in the PC.

Any ideas?

Hi

Yes all my midi as the clav has such good midi voices I thought I would use them. rather than a vst. [Plus I get the sound, and sound system from the clav which is as big as a small grand piano.
Together with the realtrack audio via the clav aux in.
As mentioned I do use a pat file to access the higher bank CVP midi voices.
Mike
PS
I notice your p115 only has 14 piano type voices so I see your problem.
I will try and give it some thought. Dan seems on the right track.

Here is the newer version, but still from years ago. Good luck - Did I mention before this should all be easier? And remember this is 32 bit only.

Mike, I love your "thinking out of the box", the Band in a box, box that is! I have had similar configurations. But the complexity ultimately gets me. Even now, I swear I start out the morning with plans for recording and it takes me an hour just to get the darn system all functioning. And I have far less complexity then shown in your figure.

Berntd, since you have Biab 2019 you do that in the Mixer. Go to the Help File Index and type in Mixer. That gives you everything you need to know about how the Mixer works. Scroll down in that window until you come to the Plugins section. Read that part but I'll give you the instructions.

You click on the Plugins tab on the top of the Mixer window to start. You see each track. Piano should be Track 2, click the little down arrow to the far right of that track and it opens up the Plugins window. The first slot is for midi instruments and the next three slots are for effects. Click on the down arrow in the first slot and you will see all the synths you have. You should be able to select your Yamaha driver. Then select a different synth for the rest of your midi instruments.

This is something new for Biab. I'm not sure if it started with 2019 or 2018 but prior to that Biab only had one midi output port so you could not do this.

Bob

HI Bob

Would have been nice if it did Bob,
But the plugin window only allows you to insert Vsti and Dxi midi synths,
not external midi Synths.
Just tried no go.

Mike