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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I'm thinking of getting an Axon AX-100 MkII which is primarily a pitch to midi converter. However, it also has over 500 midi voices. So... Has anyone used one? Does it work well with BiaB and RB? Would it be difficult to find or create a patch map? Any advice or comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Productor Musical
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Productor Musical
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Hi Paul, Axon-100 MKII is a fantastic MIDI guitar converter, plenty of sophisticated features and programability. I did try it by two weeks aprox. but because I prefer go straight and simple on MIDI guitar recording area and I don´t need internal sounds, I finally got a Roland GI-20 GK-MIDI interface , it don´t have sounds, but it work fast and accurate with my Godin xtSA, I use it primarily as just a interface for drive my external synths and virtual instruments. It is important to considere AXON has gained the reputation of be the faster MIDI interface, it ' has an early transient recognition system (ETR) which evaluates the impulses from the strings as soon as they are picked and converts them into values for pitch' , it does great and fast in low strings!. Just my personal experience with AXON was not all the successful I wanted, because my playing style tend to be strong and precise and the AXON ETR mode in my case produced ghost and retriggering notes. ETR work great for fingerstyle and soft picking, but in my opinion it sacrifice accuracy and dynamic sometimes. As compensation Roland have six PLAY FEEL modes and individual string sensitivity adjust, all of which work great for me. In the other side Axon-100 MKII as standalone device is a big step up over its little and squalid brother Axon AX 50, which need a PC software for even the minimal taks. Also Axon 100 MKII tone bank does a good job and bring a decent sound palette, although IMO nothing outstanding, just then I did connect it as GM bank to my Band-in-a-Box 2008, it did sound good in an average basis, just that, anyway matter of likes. However it have lot of tone patchs specially designed with MIDI guitar on mind which sound impressive, indeed lot of fun there!. Another plus in Axon is it include a software editor for Windows and Mac and a hold mode with arpeggiator and drum sequencer that work great. But as I said before I prefer go simpler, and I love the convenience virtual synths give me, instant rendering without need to connect and record audio from an external module, btw, I only make that when I have some appetizing analog synth handy  . Like Axon, Roland GI-20 also let me assign different MIDI channels to each string and it have other useful features like foot pedals for hold, expression, prog. change etc, and all I need for real time control is in my Godin xtSA: octaves change, basic switching and volume. unfortunately I didn't record anything while I had the AXON. But I have some videos and examples with Roland GI-20, btw, using BIAB most of times. Look here: Mina Sambinha - MIDI guitar and Band in a Box Band In A Box - MIDI Guitar Audio Recording Carlos
Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Carlos,
I have a Roland GI-20 and Godin xtSA, but I can't seem to get the same results you have achieved in terms of tracking. Any hints on how to set it all up?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055
Productor Musical
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Productor Musical
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055 |
Hi Pat, Can you describe what type of issues do you have with your GI-20 and xtSA? About my preferences and setup for Roland GI-20, this is my personal approach, it can vary according your playing style. My setup with Godin xtSA (0.10-0.46 gauge strings): Bend Range: C2 (chromatic) and '12' for pitch bend if absolutly necessary. With PlayFeel: NR , String Sensitivity: 1.4 - 2.4 - 3.3 - 4.4 - 5.4 - .6.4 good for Pads or jazz/rock lead lines with pick (I use Big Stubby Jim Dunlop 3mm) With PlayFeel: Fi (fingered) String Sensitivity: 1.3 - 2.2 - 3.2 - 4.3 - 5.3 - .6.2 great for chords and finger playing without pick. I will put here hint from some web sites discussing MIDI guitar, many of that has been my north to follow. Improves Playing Technique
For optimal MIDI conversion, your guitar playing needs to be clean and accurate. Accidental notes, resonating open strings and other sounds can often be converted into undesired MIDI notes. Often you don’t hear these when playing guitar yourself, but can detect them easily when listening live to the generated MIDI.
Striving to improve MIDI note accuracy, encourages clean picking and accurate fingering, with good control over non-sounding strings by damping them.
Not only will your MIDI output be more accurate, your normal guitar playing will sound clearer and more professional. It’s like having a tutor sitting beside you giving you advice. It’s also great fun!from: http://www.sonuus.com/products_g2m.html I find the pitch tracking pretty bad when I play chords in "normal" configuration-- that is, with pitch bend enabled. I keep my guitars set for "chromatic" response almost all the time. On the rare occasions when I double a guitar lead line with, say, a fretless bass-type sound, bend tracking is quite good. I've read that a lot of Roland users have the same approach-- "Disable pitch bend unless absolutely necessary!" http://jpsongs.com/troubadortech/usmgtr.htmGuitar synths aren't perfect by any means, but with a little imagination a proficient guitarist can create music that would be difficult to realise with a keyboard synthesizer. One of the most powerful performance techniques at the guitar player's disposal is the ability to apply finger vibrato to individual strings with variable depth and rate, which makes things like cello emulation very realistic. Another strength, which I haven't touched on yet, is the way in which guitar sounds (either clean or heavily processed) can be layered with synth voices to create a unique hybrid sound which still retains some of the 'organic' characteristics of a 'real' instrument.
Of course there will always be things that guitar synths are supremely poor at -- such as inputting percussive parts. I think I'd rather rewrite this article using the patch naming facilities on a typical effects unit LCD rather than try to programme a complex drum part from a guitar! Half the battle is knowing when to stop and use something else, which is why I also use conventional keyboards and drum pads in my MIDI studio. But what I don't want you to do is to write off guitar synths as being so imperfect that they're unusable -- even the cheap-and-cheerful Shadow SH075 is a supremely useful little box for interfacing your guitar-playing skills with the sonic world of MIDI. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/feb94/midiguitar.html Other good net references: http://home.epix.net/~joelc/midi_git.htmlhttp://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/recording...-recording.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_synthesizerHope this help. Carlos
Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Thanks Carlos.. that was an excellent reply, full of good information I can look up as time allows.
The problem must be in the setup of my GI-20, because the Godin sounds amazing when played through the original Roland GR-1 guitar synth pedal. But when I try to play it through a Roland XV-3080 rack synth using the GI-20 as interface, it doesn't sound good at all. (and it SHOULD sound much better)
I'll plug in the settings you recommended and try again.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Productor Musical
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Productor Musical
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055 |
You're welcome Pat.
I forgot to mention I connect GI-20 via MIDI ports, not USB, I don't know why but it seem to cause conflict with my iLOK and Steinberg USB dongles. Anyway the difference in terms of speed between both, USB and MIDI, is imperceptible.
Carlos
Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Thanks Carlos. There's a lot of good info there. Based on your reply, and on other resources, I think the Axon is going to be right for me. I'm going to equip one of my basses with the ghost piezo saddles and hexaphonic board. The idea is to be able to play my bass directly into BiaB. Hopefully that will help me improve my precision and overall musicality. Thanks again.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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You're a collector, like ol' G-Daddy. I picked up my GR-303 Roland Midi/Jazz Guitar way back 20 years ago when Metheny was blossoming...with the GM-70 rack unit, and it's always had great tracking but needs to be soloed very cleanly...it grooves!! This was the beginning into my adding synths to straight jazz hollowbodies...I've an XV-4080 Roland Rack Synth, and a bunch of other synth/sampler keyboards and modules. I've no problems with the sound emanating from these babies...with direct midi connections to all the hardware... Nice having such knowledgeable guitarist on board here. Of course, Carlos is my absolute favorite jazz cat!!!   http://www.thegigbaby.com
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Carlos,
I also connect using midi rather than USB (mostly because there is no 64 bit USB driver for the GI-20, and Roland doesn't plan to provide one)
I did a factory reset on the GI-20 to get rid of all the tweaks I tried to make to the patches, and reset my string sensitivity, and it sounds much better now.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055
Productor Musical
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Productor Musical
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055 |
Cita:
Code:
GDaddy
Of course, Carlos is my absolute favorite jazz cat!!!
Muchas gracias Mike!. Although I don´t think to deserve it I appreciate it a lot  ..thanks ... Btw, Oliver (Ganon), drive force behind PGM , is a amazing guitarist and a model I follow.
Cita:
Code:
GDaddy
I picked up my GR-303 Roland Midi/Jazz Guitar way back 20 years ago when Metheny was blossoming...with the GM-70 rack unit, and it's always had great tracking but needs to be soloed very cleanly...it grooves!!
This was the beginning into my adding synths to straight jazz hollowbodies...I've an XV-4080 Roland Rack Synth, and a bunch of other synth/sampler keyboards and modules. I've no problems with the sound emanating from these babies...with direct midi connections to all the hardware...
Wow, GR-303, GM-70 such incredible classic dream gear to death for! . it could be great some pictures to watch of your MIDIfied jazz hollowbodies Mike. What do you use for pickups? the old Roland GK1 or newest Gk2/Gk3 ?
Saludos
Carlos
Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music
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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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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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 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!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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
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