It's April and no PT 2020. I used to use PT a lot for finishing BIAB tracks. It's a little quicker and lighter than RealBand. But I know that RB does everything PT does and more so these days I use RB almost exclusively. So has PG decided not to update PT?
I’m sure it will roll out eventually
Hi Bob,
I've used PowerTracks for about twenty years and it's still where I go to record live tracks.
You're right in that it's quicker and lighter than RealBand - it boots faster and in my experience is
more stable. I switch to RealBand to add RTs of the instruments which I can't play myself and that's
just like having a virtual room full of session musicians. I don't get into BiaB at all and I don't
use styles - I just pick out the RTs that I need from the list.
About a year ago I wrote to PG, twice, suggesting that they might like to consider giving PowerTracks the ability
to load realtracks - it already loads realdrums, so not much work needed. This would create a product which
would suit a whole new group of people who work the same way as I do - buy PowerTracks first and then buy groups
of RTs as and when needed.
Never got a reply, which is strange because PG are usually so polite, but there it is. Still think it was a good idea.
ROG.
Hey ROG, good to see your alive and kicking in isolation. Maybe they never responded because Realband is Powertracks with the ability to add RTs. Are you suggesting to break it out of BiaB completely?
Hi Rob,
Yes, still working away in splendid isolation here in England.
You're right of course, about Realband, but it does carry a lot of baggage which Powertracks doesn't have.
That and the fact that it's inextricably linked to BiaB which gives it an "auto accompaniment" image. This
immediately alienates a whole group of people who would otherwise not be put of by the idea of virtual session musicians.
It's also a marketing thing - buy stand-alone Powertracks very cheaply and then get hooked into buying RTs, which as we
all know are very addictive.
I put all this and more in the letters to PG, so it was disappointing not to get an acknowledgement, but life's too
short to worry about things like that.
Hope you're keeping well and staying virus-free.
ROG.
Hi there (sorry for my english)!
I am using the PowerTracks sequencer since v3.0 and I love working with it!
ROG, I also sent suggestions to pg music without getting ever any answer.
Maybe this is the way to be heard ;-)
I personally don't need a new version each year. I'd love to have a
- Complete (choosable knobs for all needed midi-cc) midi automation from within the tracks and mixer window, not only cc7, 10, ... (I know I can draw cc in piano roll).
- Completeley new designed mixer window (I avoid it as possible). For example I prefer the look of the v8 mixer window by far, to me it is clearer and less distracting from working with it.
Greetings to you all and stay healthy!
Michael
i don't think i'll be buying PT 2020. RB is almost like PT for what I need to do and does have extra functionality i like. I upgraded from BIAB 2008 to 2018 after not making music for a long time and although BIAB had changed completely, RB was still familiar enough for me to use it right away.
I would think for PT to be able to generate and manipulate RT like RB it would have to be linked to BiaB hence it would become RB which is what happened in the beginning. ROG, I also and many others have sent ideas to them but never got a response so were in good company.
I guess they do respond in a different way many features requested have been implemented. I suppose to respond to all idea letters would be tedious.
Hi Rob,
I suppose what I'm actually advocating is a slimmed down Realband with a different name and without reference to styles or anything else
which might hint at auto-accompaniment, so it could be marketed as a stand-alone to a different market.
I used to write for Sound On Sound at one time and a couple of years ago when I was speaking to Paul White, the
Editor in Chief, it transpired that although he knew about BiaB he'd never heard of Realband! Looks like an opportunity missed
to me, but then as I said before, life's too short to worry about these things.
Good to talk to you again.
Cheers, ROG.
Is PowerTracks finally dead?
It's not dead 'round here <grin>
all PT -
http://www.masteringmatters.com/stuff/KindaLikeThat.wavhttp://www.masteringmatters.com/stuff/Rainbow.mp3/available soon near you
//Rainbow drums were generated 'after the fact' in PT ..
//sometimes realracks/realdrums can be used to 'backfill' not just to create
...consider giving PowerTracks the ability
to load realtracks - it already loads realdrums, so not much work needed.
I could be wrong but I think this is incorrect. Drums do not handle chords only time stretching. If you're using an RT, they respond to chords which requires Biab's full generating function.
Curious, what other functions does RB have that you think slows it down? I used to use PT exclusively before RB was created and never bothered with PT again. Could it actually be better to use PT and the Biab plugin rather than using RB as I have been?
Bob
The cost of PT is a lot lighter for one thing.
A couple people I know boughtPT simply because it is inexpensive, allows 48 track recording, and if they need a track generated for something we can bring the seq file into RB here, generate what we need and save the whole thing to a seq file PT can open for them back home.
I know I could use my 3 licenses for the three locations, but we try be on the up and up so they at least wanted to buy PT.
One of them has PT12 (ancient) yet it still does what it does and allows seq files to go back and forth between the current RB and it.
"Could it actually be better to use PT and the Biab plugin rather than using RB as I have been?"
If you have the plugin, you have RB, and PGMusic has said RB can do what the plugin does, so I don't see anything to gain going that route.
Hello!
We just released our PowerTracks 2020 version. You can purchase it at the link below if you wish to:
https://www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.packages.htm
Hi Ember looked at the sales faq and note that TC Helicon is available in BIAB and PT but only in RB if you have PowerTracks. Does that mean RB can't use the BIAB version? I have decided that if you do bring out a PT 2020 I no longer need to upgrade my PT2019 because RB does everything I need although I find PT a little lighter and swifter.
But does that mean if PT2020 gets an improved TC Helicon function I have to buy it just to get TC Helicon to work in RB?
Is the TC Helicon improved in 2020?
The "Packages" page is not Android smartphone friendly. I only see the left side of the screen, with no way to navigate to the content on the right. The other PT2020 pages appear fine.
PGMusic would have to confirm, but I don't believe the integrated TC-Helicon has changed since it first came out.
What were the settings for those drums in rainbow? I keep having issues with trying to render drums from Addictive Drummer in PT (the first few note don't play because i guess it's still loading the samples?)
This sounds damn good.
EvilAdam,
In the Rainbow link I posted earlier they were RealDrums .. not from Addictive Drummer or other MIDI source
We generated 'RealDrums-RockHardEven8^1-HiHat,Ride' .. many times (using A/B sections) and cut/pasted to get what we wanted.
Thanks for the 'damn good' comment!
Generating a drum track after the fact is always a challenge.
