It looks good but what I didn't see was an upgrade price or if it was compatible with old MIDI styles. Without those I will be staying with what I have now.
79 €/$ to upgrade before 16 May. 99 after. Full price 199. Upgrade price includes VAT in Europe. The EZ?Keys 2 page says that v1 pianos and MIDI are compatible with v2.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2026 Ultra Studio Pro 8; Tonalic Studio 1; Reaper v7; Bitwig Studio 6; Melodyne Studio 5 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
a prerequisite is that the host supports VST3, AU or AAX instruments
That quote means it will not work in Band-in-a-Box for Windows or RealBand since neither program accepts VST3.
An AU version of EZKeys2 is available so perhaps the plugin will work with Band-in-a-Box for Mac.
Quote:
the full MIDI content from the legacy version is also included.
Quote:
In May, all previously released EZkeys titles get converted to EKX expansions. Already own one or a few? Don’t worry, all EZkeys sounds will work in EZkeys 2.
funnies aside, since you are an active forum member there, can you please ask if new release will be able to play directly from MIDI chord file, or it still would have to be "dragged in"? Thank you.
Looks like this is covered in...
Play away. Apply playing styles from any EZkeys MIDI on your own chord sequences – in real-time!
79 €/$ to upgrade before 16 May. 99 after. Full price 199. Upgrade price includes VAT in Europe. The EZ?Keys 2 page says that v1 pianos and MIDI are compatible with v2.
They did something like that after I bought EZDrummer 2. A very short while later they announced EZDrummer 3, I wasn't offered a free-upgrade and baulked at paying yet more to upgrade what I'd only just bought. I've not been willing to buy anything else from them since.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
They did something like that after I bought EZDrummer 2. A very short while later they announced EZDrummer 3, I wasn't offered a free-upgrade and baulked at paying yet more to upgrade what I'd only just bought. I've not been willing to buy anything else from them since.
Ya, we all remember that. Although, I don't remember any issues with the cost of the EZD3 upgrade. You may want to rethink this, EZD3 is fantastic.
Spent the moning getting "everything we know as of now" from Shootie
I have been with EZKeys for over a decade. In fact, I (jazzmandan) am the OP in the EZKeys forum who 7 years ago first requested EZKeys2. That thread has been active all these years, and now we finally have EZKeys 2.0! That thread is having a celebration today.
The new features look incredible. And I am stoked to pre-order. But I had an unexpected strong feeling of sadness as I spent the morning with Shootie going through the marketing. EZkeys 1 was so simple and so beautiful. EZKeys 02 is so much more than simple piano midi generation. But time marches on and we either adapt or resign. I figure I got a few more good years in me (remember none of us are getting out of this alive). So I guess I have to get syched for the changes to come. As shootie said, "Holy Toontrack Invation touching down now."
This is awesome news. I have a question for you, the resident EZexpert!
- The upgrade price is $79. OK, I could be happy with that (very happy!)
- But, out of curiosity, I went to the page for ordering an Electric Grand sound expansion priced at $89 for the upgrade
- However, on this page that lists both the upgrade price and the full price for EZ Keys with this sound expansion, it also says "EZ KEYS 2 UPGRADE INCLUDED*"
Is this perhaps a loophole where I could buy a sound expansion for $89 upgrade price and qualify for a free EZ Keys 2 upgrade? Just looking to maximize my value on this investment!!
Although, I don't remember any issues with the cost of the EZD3 upgrade.
You might have done if you'd only just bought it. :-( EZD3 does appear very good. I just have to stop smarting first. It was the EZD2->EZD3 change that persuaded me to not buy either EZBass or EZKeys. Or indeed any further add-ons.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
New business model: Software includes core sound library
This is a huge change...
Watch Shootie
Can you please explain? I thought I got a core sound library when I bought EZ Keys 1?
The old business model was a nightmare for users and a bonus for the company. TT sells EZKeys in 3 types Core, Expansions and Midi Paks.
Core is single new Piano with full EZKeys program (there is currently only the most minimal Core-midi-library. 1) Expansion Pack is a new Instrument only (which by the way comes with that little library but is much 2) cheaper and needs the "Core" for the innstrument to work. 3) Midi Pack is just the midi content.
If you buy EXKeys1 now you get upgrade free. If you buy just an expansion - no free upgrade If you buy a midi pak - no free upgrade
What a mess... This will change in the new business mode. This is all explained very well by Shootie
I'm still not clear on the old vs. new business model. Is my summary below correct?
OLD BUSINESS MODEL With the old model I'd buy EZ Keys by choosing an instrument and that would include that instrument along with a standard MIDI library.
Then, I could buy expansions to get new instruments but the expansions only included the same MIDI library.
Or, I could buy MIDI packs that did NOT include an instrument but DID include new MIDI library content.
NEW BUSINESS MODEL EZ Keys comes with a core library and a grand piano.
Expansions include an instrument AND new MIDI library content.
Scaler is taking some potential marketing hits also. EZK2.0 has laid down the gauntlet to the competition.
Yeah, I've been predicting this for some time. Once Toontrack gets everything bundled (as they are now starting to do with EZ Line branding) and maybe adds guitars, they become an extremely serious competitor to Band-in-a-Box. As delighted as I am with EZ Keys 2 I would not want to be marketing a competing product right now!
I thought it would look much the same as EZBass. You know you can turn the volume down in it and use the midi outpout to any other VSTi, you can even use a guitar VST and create some guitar midi phrases for the library. What are you guys going to do about the VST3 ? You might be forced into using VST3Shell or Element
Playing around with EZkeys1 via its VST2 was a bit fun and interesting but I would never use it as an official workflow. At least that was never my intention. EZKeys belongs in a DAW and Reaper/BIAB/EZWhatever, have always worked as a great combination.
BTW, I worked a little more with BIAB/EZKeys following our discovery of EZKeys synching in BIAB the other day. While the first trials went surprizingly well, further efforts resulted in some oddities which no one wants to battle with.
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Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
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