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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85 |
However, the GM sounds are pretty bad. I mean, stinky cheesy bad.
To get to the good stuff, you have to pick a GOOD virtual instrument (and assign the proper MIDI channel) for each active channel in your BiaB song. But so far, the sound quality on the non GM instruments is excellent, as good or better than any soft sample libraries that I currently use.
While it is usable with BiaB, you do need to know a bit about dealing with "virtual rack" gear and assigning MIDI channels, etc. If you have some experience with this sort of thing already, then this software is a piece of cake, but if you aren't comfortable with doing this, then fair warning: the Vi One is NOT good as a "plug and play" GM solution.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812 |
Hey EightString,
This is VERY useful information and changes my opinion of it completly. I was looking forward to buying it as an alternative to the TTS-1. But if the GM patches are lame, that is a deal breaker for me, as I am VERY picky about the quality of sounds.
It's too bad that Kontakt is not GM compatible, as this would be a great alternative. I also wish I had the programming chops to make my own program, I would make a KILLER GM sound set and make my Million!!
Ed
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 134
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 134 |
Don't give up on the 'cheese.' I'm pretty sure Vir2 has some pretty deep control parameters to let you tweak those patches to something that sounds good.
BTW, Kontakt is a sampler. You could have 64 different pianos if you wanted to make Liberace jealous. There's really no such thing as a GM standard for a sampler.
That said, you can 'roll your own' 'GM patches' to your heart's content. You just find the BIAB midi channel assignments and sync that to Kontakt with the Piano sound you select playing on the same midi channel as the the piano plays in BIAB. I believe Kontakt will ignore the patch change message and just immediately play.
You'd just make yourself several 'combo' patches for Kontakt for different genres and then load them depending on what you're trying to do in BIAB.
Prado
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85 |
I just think that the raw quality wasn't there for the samples used in the GM patches, also evidenced by how quickly they loaded compared to the better sample sets in the package. And in A/B with TTS-1 or ForteDXi, the Vi One GM patches sounded pretty awful in comparison.
So I figure, why futz with tweaking GM patch parameters to squeeze out "tolerable" sounds, when I can just load "Big Grand Piano" or "Upright Bass" from the menu, and assign the proper MIDI channel to the input and be done.
And yes, I'm already creating some "go-to" racks of Vi One instruments to load on command. I currently have a "jazz trio" rack, a "jazz quartet with strings" rack, and a "big band" rack.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 134
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 134 |
I am anti-futz. Didn't vote for it last election, and won't this time.  Combo patches are king! Prado
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676 |
I'm glad to hear vi.one is pretty good. I have it sitting in its box, awaiting a better computer...
As for the GM sounds, It's not a deal breaker for me.
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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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Season's Greetings!
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