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You should really check out the IK Multimedia group buy at Esoundz. For $49, you could get Omnisynth 2 (a GM module that works well in BIAB) and the acoustic guitar Xpansiontank. Since it's a group buy, you can also choose 2 other Xpansiontank title (such as the pianos or basses). If the group buy hits 2500, you can choose another title. The sounds play through the included Sampletank XT, which is a full version, minus the L or XL sounds.

I have Omnisynth 2 and it alone is much better than TTS-1/Hypercanvas. The acoustic guitar set is pretty good too, IMO.

Of course, RTs are still my preferred sound...



I'll have to disagree a bit here but it depends on how you work. I have the full Sampletank with Omnisynth and Sonicsynth with something like 4,000 instruments. Yes, Omnisynth is a pretty good sounding GM bank but it does not just load up and play seamlessly like the other synths we're talking about here. As you know you have to manually set up each instrument for each song. That may or may not be a big deal though. For me it is because I do all kinds of different stuff but Bob sounds like he's only doing bluegrass and that's it. He may be satisfied with creating one custom soundbank in Sampletank for all his stuff and be happy as a clam. If he's ok with that, then realize that GM is irrelevant. He can set up a custom soundbank using killer non GM sounds in any synth and do the same thing especially if all he's using is 3 or 4 basic instruments. You don't need or care about a GM bank for that, find a synth that has the sounds you like.
The really cool thing about using a good GM synth that loads up and just plays with Biab is when you go through a bunch of different songs with different instrumentation. If one song has acoustic bass, electric piano and vibes and the next has electric bass, acoustic piano, a guitar and sax, it's cool that Biab can just grab those instruments from the synth without any input from you. Using Omnisynth, you're stopping, going into the Sampletank control panel and changing the instruments on whatever midi channel Biab put them on.

Bob

Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.