I record my guitar as an audio track into a BIAB song by plugging it directly into my computer. BIAB let’s me add reverberation and I can add some effects like echo using a stomp box hooked up in between. What I can’t get is distortion or even crunch. Running the sound through the overdrive channel on my guitar amp first, produces too much volume for BIAB to handle. Has anyone come up with a good way to do this? Thanks.
Thanks MarioD. How do you hook them up to get the distorted sound into BIAB?
You would use it as an effect after you recorded your guitar. I don't do these kind of things in BiaB, I do them in my DAW, so someone else will have to give you step by step instructions.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer. It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
i record in RB as its a lot easier to my way of working. but if you have amplitube (it comes with BIAB)use the fx insert to choose amplitube as your plugin which you can do with the mixer in BIAB. record your guitar first then open amplitube which comes with an interface where you can choose which pedals to add. there's a tube screamer or similar, delay and chorus. you can also choose amp and cabinet simulations.
from my days as a guitarist, i'd suggest you add the distortion first then the time based effects like echo, delay and chorus later - there are pedals to do that in amplitube - rather than as BIAB fx up front.
I believe if you look you should find that you have Amplitude in with BB. It is essentially a guitar sim. I've never really used in in BB..... I do have it in my DAW, Sonar, and it lets you apply all sorts of different amplifier models and pedals to the sound, and the one I have has different cabinet and speaker models too.
You can use that to make a clean guitar into practically anything you want.
If that doesn't work for you for a variety of reasons, you can google search ACME BAR GIG and get their free amp sim for guitar.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Depending on your recording setup, also - you could record amp signal and direct signal simultaneously. That way you can always add a vst amp later. Be mindful of potential phase issues though. If you want only one source I'd advice using the amp signal.
Wow! So that’s what Plugins are! Silly me. The echo, flanger and tremolo sound fine. Distortion isn’t as good as my amp can produce but it’s workable. Thanks you all for educating me.
Wow! So that’s what Plugins are! Silly me. The echo, flanger and tremolo sound fine. Distortion isn’t as good as my amp can produce but it’s workable. Thanks you all for educating me.
You might want to try some of the free distortion plug-ins I mentioned earlier.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer. It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
ok, i think this is how you do it. amplitube comes with biab as a vst. do you already use vst plugins? you access them the same way you do any plug in BIAB or RB. IN RB click on the fx button next to the solo or mute buttons on the track in the tracks window, or on the fx button at the top of the channel/track strip for the relevant track in the mixer. In BIAB go to the plugins tab of the mixer and each track has two lines - the name of the track/instrument and another with a drop down menu above it.
sorry if you know this already. in both cases the fx plugin window opens and you choose the plugin you want. however, you will probably have to add amplitube as a vstplug in.
scroll to the bottom of the list and select add vst plugin and then you will find a windows explorer window opens for you to find the plugin. if your installation is the same as mine you'll need to navigate to your main local drive (usually c for most of us), select programfiles[86] and then scroll down to find the vstplugins folder which being alphabetical is one of the last ones! open it up and select amplitube.dll
amplitube should then open up in the plugins window. you then select pedals, amps and cabinets
there are some presets but some of us have had difficulty getting them to load - try selecting the browser button in the top row and see if you have any - the names are fairly descriptive and they will populate the plugin to give you an idea of how it works.
if you haven't got any presets creating a patch is no more difficult than programming a multi fx pedal.
select stomp A and then go down to the bottom - there are spaces on the fake wooden floor with selector arrows. press the down arrow to cycle through available pedals. then if you need to add another pedal move to the next space along.
once you've done the pedals, choose the amp and then the cabinet. you then get a rack to set up which allows you to add more digital fx there and then but pedals, amp and cabinet are enough for me.
there's all sorts of magic with vsts - there are special files for the pedals, amps etc but they are hidden away and amplitube.dll finds them with no effort on your part. good luck and come back if you have a problem.
play around have fun! once you've added amplitube it will always be there in your drop down fx menu but you'll have to add it separately to BIAB and RB.
FWIW I find myself using Fretted Synth stuff quite often. Freeamp Full and Helian Bass make things quick and easy .. but have a lot of granularity available
Note that all versions of freeamp were different. Some seem to play nicer on a given system than others .. trade off for the cost I guess. I've only tinkered with the Freeamp and Helian Bass tools .. there's a lot more on this page.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Here are some ideas; 1: Record your amp by putting a microphone in front of it. You would also need an audio interface or at least an adaptor to connect the mic to your computer. Before I started using an dedicated interface I had a small Behringer 5 channel mixer connected to my sound card input. That worked. 2: If your amp has some type of line out jack you could put a DI box with an attenuater switch in between. Live Wire Solutions SPDI has worked for me. Or use a Behringer GDI21 which has great reviews. 3: There are many decent digital FX pedals that do a decent job of amp, over drive and distortion emulation. My current choice has been Zoom G1 Four on the Fender Deluxe Reverb setting. The output on the G1 Four is a single mono or stereo output. I can record straight to my sound card (although I often don't) with a simple cable and an adaptor at one end. 4: Record direct as you have been and use any one of the many and often free plugins such as: SimulAnalog (various plugins) Voxengo Boogex Silver Spikes Ruby Tube Acme Bar Gigs Whisper Tube Blue Cat Audio BC Free Amp (2 thumbs up for this one) MSaturator by Melda Productions (can adjust 2nd and 4th harmonics) Amplitube 3 or 4.
Not sure if this works inside BIAB but the free Voxengo Boogex (or other amp emulator or even distortion/overdrive FX) followed by the free Voxengo Stereo Touch on the Guitar Cabinet preset actually works/sounds great.
Hi AlistairLC I have also been looking at the same thing. I had heaps of trouble getting anything out of Amplitube but that’s just me. I downloaded Native Instruments and their Guitar rig is worth a look. Most of the effects you can only use for 30 minutes at a time (unless you purchase) and then reload but there are plenty freebies than create plenty of distortion and other effects. On the up side there are plenty of other instruments to play around with. Cheers
BIAB 2022 UltraPAK Xtra packs 1,2,3,4,5,6,13 2019 and 2018 49pak Asus Zen Book UX533F 1TB ssd Windows10 pro, 16g i7 64bit Allen and Heath Z10fx mixer Alesis V25 controller
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
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2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
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