Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
#623120 11/13/20 11:44 PM
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
tonnie Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
Re Peter Gannon’s posting “Here’s a no-brainer ....install Cakewalk and the TTS-1 64 bit (free)”

I have a two questions:

1) I run BB from the hard drive it came on. Peter advises that Cakewalk should be installed inside Band-in-a-Box 64, which in my case would on the BB hard drive. However, the downloaded version of Cakewalk installs itself on my C-drive, without offering an option to install it somewhere else. Is there a solution for this?

2) Presently I am using a Roland SD-50 to produce my non-MIDI sounds, with which I am quite happy, but I would indeed prefer “Great sound with Band-in-a-Box - likely better than any MIDI sound you’ve heard before with Band-in-a-Box” for my non MIDI-sounds. Could TTS-1 work alongside my SD-50?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Tonnie van der Heide
Bergen, Norway

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,332
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,332
Originally Posted By: tonnie


1) I run BB from the hard drive it came on. Peter advises that Cakewalk should be installed inside Band-in-a-Box 64, which in my case would on the BB hard drive. However, the downloaded version of Cakewalk installs itself on my C-drive, without offering an option to install it somewhere else. Is there a solution for this?

You have this a bit confused. There are no restrictions as to where you install Cakewalk. All you are after is the location where Cakewalk puts the TTS plugin. Then you simply tell BIAB where it is. Thats all.


Originally Posted By: tonnie

2) Presently I am using a Roland SD-50 to produce my non-MIDI sounds, with which I am quite happy, but I would indeed prefer “Great sound with Band-in-a-Box - likely better than any MIDI sound you’ve heard before with Band-in-a-Box” for my non MIDI-sounds. Could TTS-1 work alongside my SD-50?

Not sure what you mean by "non-midi" sounds? But I do believe you can have two different midi players at the same time. So, very good chance you can use both the TTS-1 and SD-50, on different channels of course, at the same time.


Dan, BIAB2024, SoundCloud Win11, i7(12thGen), 32GB, 1TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD), 2TB Libraries, 1 TB(WD-Black), 2TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD)Data, Motu Audio Express, Keystation 61, SL88 Studio, Reaper

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
tonnie Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
Thanks for your answer!

By "non-midi" sounds, I mean Real Sounds (prerecorded Real Instruments).

Tonnie

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Ok, I think this thread means, how do I get better sounds for MIDI than the Roland SD-50. The SD-50 is pretty good. I’ve used all the Roland MIDI synths.

The TTS synth from Cakewalk is a General MIDI synth. It’s basically free and it sounds ok. Im not sure it qualifies as ‘great’. Twenty years ago, I might have said it’s great. A non-GM synth would be better, but you can pay thousands. So is your question how to get better sounds for free? If not free, what’s your budget? What genre do you play, and what instruments are most important to you?

Finally, it’s not possible in BIAB (to my knowledge) to mix MIDI output devices. You need a DAW for that. I don’t use RealBand but I would expect it would work.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 718
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 718
The TTS Synth sounds OK. It is fine for a quick listen. I would not use it in production of music for others to listen to. It is not of that quality.


My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Originally Posted By: etcjoe
The TTS Synth sounds OK. It is fine for a quick listen. I would not use it in production of music for others to listen to. It is not of that quality.


IMHO that is true of all GM sound sources.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
If I remember the context of Dr. Gannon's suggestion, it was that there is a free GM MIDI synth, and it's not bad if you don't have anything to play your MIDI. This is what I think, although I may be remembering it wrong.

Tonnie, if you want advice about great MIDI sound, state your needs and your budget, and you'll get some excellent advice here.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
tonnie Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
Mat,

Thanks!

I prefer the best possible sound for my MIDI sounds!!!!! The budget is not important, but at the technical side, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible, so I can concentrate on making music and arranging.

Is use REAL sounds, whenever possible and am happy with the sound quality it produces, However using MIDI for the melody (and my own created background), I find that only the flute and vibraphone come close to sounding OK. Most other instruments sound like "toys". So any suggestion will be most welcome!

Tonnie

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Originally Posted By: tonnie
.........................

Is use REAL sounds, whenever possible and am happy with the sound quality it produces, However using MIDI for the melody (and my own created background), I find that only the flute and vibraphone come close to sounding OK. Most other instruments sound like "toys". So any suggestion will be most welcome!

Tonnie


I agree that RTs sound great IF they match what you are doing but for total control you need MIDI sound sources. Your "Most other instruments sound like "toys"" statement is IMHO true for all GM sound sources. GM is good in BiaB for scratching out backing tracks but for polished work you need better MIDI sounds.

I would suggest that you work with Kontakt or SampleTank. I use Kontakt because it has a ton of native and third party sound presets. Other can chime in on SampleTank.

I suggest you get the free Kontakt Player first. Play with it to see if it fits your workflow. Just remember that if you purchase other presets BE SURE they say they work in Kontakt Player as some will only work in the full Kontakt. If you like the Player you can then purchase the full version IF you want more sounds and control over those sounds. Many people only use the Player. I use the full version.

Also google/Bing (an instrument of your choice) VSTi. There are many VSTis that don't need a player and some are very inexpensive and/or free. You may find sounds that you want there; I have a number of them that I use.

If you have heard any of my songs on the Showcase forum you will hear many of them as I mostly work in MIDI. Note that I do my chord work in BiaB then immediately after that move everything to my DAW Studio Pro One 5 as I find working in a DAW is much easier then working in BiaB. I had the same workflow when I was using Cakewalk then Sonar.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

PS - If you like Kontakt and want the full version wait for a sale. They usually have at least one a year. You can usually purchase Kontakt for about half price.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Tonnie, I defer to Mario here. I use a hardware MIDI synth, the Roland Integra-7, because I'm a composer and I don't produce radio-quality material, just good composer demos. I prefer the speed and convenience of a hardware device (except that you can't render at less than real time). But if I needed to go to 'the best possible' I would do what Mario is recommending and open up my checkbook. Note that Mario normally only uses MIDI, not RealTracks. He is also a fine musician. We've even met. I would follow his advice.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,332
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,332
Originally Posted By: tonnie
M

the best possible sound for my MIDI sounds ... but at the technical side, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible, so I can concentrate on making music and arranging


Contradictory statements but you are on the right track grin


Dan, BIAB2024, SoundCloud Win11, i7(12thGen), 32GB, 1TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD), 2TB Libraries, 1 TB(WD-Black), 2TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD)Data, Motu Audio Express, Keystation 61, SL88 Studio, Reaper

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 718
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 718
Originally Posted By: MarioD
Originally Posted By: etcjoe
The TTS Synth sounds OK. It is fine for a quick listen. I would not use it in production of music for others to listen to. It is not of that quality.


IMHO that is true of all GM sound sources.


I agree completely.


My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
tonnie Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 362
Mario,

Thanks for your reply.

I did a background check on you, so that is why it took some time to react.

My normal use of BB is:
1) accompanying me, while playing my guitar (mostly jazz and some latin)
2) reharmonizing songs
3) creating my own arrangements to play to.

This means that I prefer BB, as it will vary the bass line, drums and piano comping etc. somewhat for each chorus, like a real jazz group would do.

Question 1: will I still be able to play Real sounds, while using Kontakt Player for backgrounds and (counter) melodies, that I have created in BB?

Question 2: once a song is set up for using the sounds from Kontakt Player, can I still just press play, or is there a setup necessary for each "playback"?

I see from Kontakts Specifications page, that I might need a new laptop (4 GB RAM, or 6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments).

Hope to hear from you.

Tonnie

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Originally Posted By: tonnie
Mario,

Thanks for your reply.

I did a background check on you, so that is why it took some time to react.

My normal use of BB is:
1) accompanying me, while playing my guitar (mostly jazz and some latin)
2) reharmonizing songs
3) creating my own arrangements to play to.

This means that I prefer BB, as it will vary the bass line, drums and piano comping etc. somewhat for each chorus, like a real jazz group would do.


I use my DAW, Studio One Pro 5, for all of my work, I only use BiaB to scratch out my chord progressions and to pick a style(s). Using a DAW will give you many options not available in BiaB, like more tracks to work with; more on that in a moment. RealBand is a DAW but it is only a 32 bit DAW and Kontakt may have problems with it, don't know for sure. Cakewalk is a free 64 bit professional DAW and many here use it.


Originally Posted By: tonnie

Question 1: will I still be able to play Real sounds, while using Kontakt Player for backgrounds and (counter) melodies, that I have created in BB?


Yes. Here is where using a DAW has advantages. You would generate a song in BiaB then transfer the song to the DAW via drag and drop or the VSTi. You would add Kontakt to the DAW on a different track(s). Note that you can have as many Kontakt tracks and BiaB tracks as you like or need; this is a great way to add percussion parts like shakers, congas, bongos, etc. Plus now you can go back to BiaB and either regenerate the song for more variations or change the style. Again transfer either everything or just selected tracks to your DAW. Thus you could end up with say 10 or more Realtracks, drums, percussion, and any number of other tracks. Plus each track is independent of other tracks so you could have say a sax play for 8 bars, then a trumpet for 8 bars by changing the volume of each track. And you can have different effects on each track. The options are endless.


Originally Posted By: tonnie
Question 2: once a song is set up for using the sounds from Kontakt Player, can I still just press play, or is there a setup necessary for each "playback"?


I believe in BiaB you just press play and the Kontakt tracks should play along with the BiaB tracks. That is you should not have to set up the Kontakt tracks for each play.

Originally Posted By: tonnie
I see from Kontakts Specifications page, that I might need a new laptop (4 GB RAM, or 6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments).

Hope to hear from you.

Tonnie


BiaB is a great product but I believe one needs a DAW if they need or want more then the limited number of tracks BiaB has available. Others may not agree and have other workarounds but me I like to go the easy route and a DAW works for me. YMMV


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!

The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!

There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.

If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.

We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!

Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.

Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

New with the DAW Plugin Version 6.0, released with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows: the Reaper® Panel!

This new panel offers built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper® tracks!

When you run the Plugin from Reaper®, there is a panel to set the following options:
-BB Track(s) to send: This allows you to select the Plugin tracks that will be sent Reaper.
-Destination Reaper Track: This lets you select the destination Reaper track to receive media content from the Plugin.
-At Bar: You can select a bar in Reaper where the Plugin tracks should be placed.
-Start Below Selected Track: This allows you to place the Plugin tracks below the destination Reaper track.
-Overwrite Reaper Track: You can overwrite previous content on the destination Reaper track.
-Move to Project Folder: With this option, you can move the Plugin tracks to the Reaper project folder.
-Send Reaper Instructions Enable this option to send the Reaper Instructions instead of rendering audio tracks, which is faster.
-Render Audio & Instructions: Enable this option to generate audio files and the Reaper instructions.
-Send Tracks After Generating: This allows the Plugin to automatically send tracks to Reaper after generating.
-Send Audio for MIDI Track: Enable this option to send rendered audio for MIDI tracks.
-Send RealCharts with Audio: If this option is enabled, Enable this option to send RealCharts with audio.

Check out this video highlighting the new Reaper®-specific features: Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Video

The new Band-in-a-Box VST DAW Plugin Verion 6 adds over 20 new features!

Watch the new features video to learn more: Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2024 - DAW Plugin Version 6 New Features

We also list these new features at www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.plugin.htm.

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,391
Posts732,461
Members38,439
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
MIX-I-MUSIX 2.0, Ernest J, ingridguerci94, Izzy, BenChaz
38,441 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 195
Al-David 124
DC Ron 113
dcuny 87
rsdean 83
Today's Birthdays
CeeDee, SethMould
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5