Hi John, I will agree with you that adding all of the nuances to the parts would be ideal and would lead to more natural sounding midi parts. However I will RESPECTFULLY disagree on a couple of your points. Note I highlighted respectfully because I do not want anyone to get the wrong idea. I am not trying to start a war; I respect John’s opinions and I’m sure he respects mine. We just disagree on a couple of issues.

I believe what you are talking about are midi maps. Midi maps are programs that set various CC levels for a sound patch. The problem I have found with preprogrammed CC’s levels like vibrato, pitch bends etc. is that they will sound static after a while also. Acoustic instruments constantly change nuances and the only way to do that to date is by playing with CCs. Another problem with preprogrammed CCs is that each patch/synth can react differently to the CC setting. The preprogrammed CCs must match the patch.

Although lower end synths may sound a little better with CC’s they do not have enough samples to come close to the more expensive synths. Many lower end synths only have a velocity layer or two where higher end one will have many more. Velocity layers can add a lot of realism to your playing even with just note on and note off. Now I do realize that no midi instrument will sound like the acoustic instrument it is emulating.

The bottom line from my point of view is that if you want more realistic sounding midi you have to spend money. For example you buy the total PGMusic Biab 2009 upgrade package for $379. For much better sounding GM you buy the Ketron SD2 for $380. You now have a $759 tied up. You can write in CCs in your sequencer or you can purchase a 49 key midi controller for around $250. Now you’re up to around $1000. IMHO that’s the minimum it takes for better emulation of acoustic instruments. How much would PG Music have to charge for a SD2 like sounding softsynth with midi maps? I bet it would be considerably more than the 2009 upgrade package.!

I would rather have PG Music spend their resources on improving BiaB, PTPA and RB than spend those resources on developing GM sound sets. Things like improved midi resolution in BiaB, fix the timing VSTi problem in RB, more RTs, fix notation so it can display time signatures other than 3-4 and 4-4 etc.

Just my USD two cents.


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64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware