I actually got this idea while writing to a different thread, at http://www.pgmusic.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=208088, and mentioned it there, in my second post to the thread (post #208094). The suggestion seemed to get lost in the discussion there, so I think the idea merits its own thread.

Not sure if this is the right place for it, as it is not exactly a suggestion for an improvement in BIAB, but a suggestion for a new product--a BIAB plugin.

That other thread was about ways of working with BIAB together with a sequencer program, especially with these new aspects of RealDrums and RealTracks.

Of course, one good solution to that problem is to use RealBand as one's sequencer, which already has a lot of BIAB functionality built into it.

However, as I mentioned there, many people will prefer to continue to use the sequencer-DAW applications that they are already used to. The only way for these applications to interface with BIAB is to save files in BIAB, that one can import into the sequencer. (Formerly one saved MIDI files in BIAB for importation into the sequencer, but now, with RD and RT, it could well make sense to save those tracks to .wav as well.)

I am not a programmer, so I don't know if the following suggestion is practical, but I will throw it out there. Why not develop a VSTI-DXI-RTAS BIAB plugin, which could add some of the functionality of BIAB, including RealDrums and RealTracks, to any program that can use those plugins?

The plugin version could be bundled with the regular BIAB program, or sold separately (with discounts, of course, for BIAB users).

What are user's opinions of such a possibility? Any comments from PG, whether you think it is feasible, and a good idea?


(If you do end up creating and selling that new product, do I get a commission for suggesting it? )

It's hard to visualize a plug in that requires 30 gigabytes of hard-disk space, in my of course limited view. But maybe, you have it already contemplated?

I don't have anything contemplated--just suggesting a general idea.

Regarding how much disk space it takes up, would depend on, as when one installs the regular BIAB, how many of the RT and RD packages they wish to install.

And no, that is not uncommon. How many gigabytes do you think orchestral sample libraries take up? They also come in plugins--of the three types mentioned, and require installation of the huge sample libraries.

Of course there would have to be a major difference in pricing, depending on what the person already has. If a person already has the BIAB ultra-pak, with all the RD and RT paks, and just is adding the plugin itself, I would expect the price for just the plugin should be fairly inexpensive, or be included itself in the Ultra-pak.

Whereas, if someone is starting from scratch with the plugin, they would be buying much more than the plugin itself, but also RD and RT packages, etc., depending on what they want.

Biab with Re-wire ability would give us everything you need.

Quote:

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Biab with Re-wire ability would give us everything you need.

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Sure, but it would be nice to also have VSTI and DXI as well, no? (DXI seems to be getting less common though, with some plugins just coming in VSTI and RTAS formats. DXI could be skipped, but it would be nice to have VSTI as well as RTAS.)

(I guess when these plugins started, it was important to have DXI, as some programs, notably Sonar, BIAB, and RT only included DXI support, not VSTI. Later Sonar added a VSTI "wrapper", to enable use of VSTIs as DXIs. Later they added native VSTI support, later added also by BIAB-RT. I cannot think of any current app that supports DXI, and not VSTI, although there are many the opposite way. Also, I think DXI is just Windows (I could be wrong though), and VSTI is cross-platform. So perhaps the need for the DXI plugin format is over, although I don't know if some apps possibly work better with DXI than VSTI?)