Dan, you shameless seducer! I bought the Dream machine.
Since new version WILL accept chords in real time and Peter Gannon confirmed in wishlist that VST3 is set for 2024, that would be a nice addition / companion to BIAB.
For new users (!!) I talked to Toontrack customer service and you can purchase current version from other retailers and it would still be eligible for V2 update. I bought dream machine from Best Service for $136, registered it with Toontrack and what they say is true. Confirmed. I got my v2 update AND core library reserved. See attached.
I decided to pull the trigger, because they might discontinue new sales of VST2 and besides BIAB I have another software that is VST2 only. This way I will have both versions.
Misha, I would never ask you to do something I would not do myself. And wasn't it you who made me buy Scaler back in the day? Or maybe it was you who convinced me to buy Flashback Pro? So what goes around comes around.
Not sure if I was the one to strip dance Scaler for you, but Flashback is awesome! I still stand by it. ------------------------------------
Dan, since you had been with Toontrack for a while. Can you recommend third party keys patterns? Their stuff is OK, but I feel a bit overpriced. Thanks.
Dan, since you had been with Toontrack for a while. Can you recommend third party keys patterns? Their stuff is OK, but I feel a bit overpriced. Thanks.
Good Question. I am afraid I have good and bad news but then some good news for you.
Bad news there is a ton of crap out there in the world of third party midi libraries. We have been spoiled by BIAB. So much of their stuff is so good with so little effort. Unlike midi libraries which will allow you to build a sequence one chord arpeggio at a time. These libraries are relatively cheap, but you get what you pay for. I have picked up several big commercial packs over the years and I can't recommend any of them other than EZKeys packs which do go on sale at times. Remember, this was EZKeys model (I call it the printer model). Sell the printer for cheap and then make all your money on selling the ink and paper.
But a bit of good news, there is one 3rd party exception. One guy who makes midi packs in the cimimatic genre which I really like. https://www.mediamusicmastery.com/. Go to his site and grab a selection of freebees to see what he offers. I have used this to make music.
As I read the fine print, it says I can upgrade at the discounted price until the day of the release. Also I wanted to buy Synthwave but if I understand it comes with the upgrade.
Dan, is this your understanding?
Billy
I own EZKeys, EZBass, EZDrummer2, and Superior Drummer3. A bunch of midi packs and a few expansions packs. The more I use their products the better I like them.
What I generally find a waste of time and money is third party midi. But that is only a general statement. If you know of any midi packe that are really good I would like to know and I don't care what they cost.
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
Lenovo Win 10 16 gig ram, Mac mini with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2022, Realband, Harrison Mixbus 32c version 9.1324, Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app, Komplete 49 key controller.
As I read the fine print, it says I can upgrade at the discounted price until the day of the release. Also I wanted to buy Synthwave but if I understand it comes with the upgrade.
Dan, is this your understanding?
No, I think you have that wrong. You will only get to choose one of four free expansions when you are a first time purchaser. No free expansion when you upgrade ($79 is too cheap to give a free expansion). Check it out closely, the anwer is out there.
Originally Posted By: Planobilly
Billy
What I generally find a waste of time and money is third party midi. But that is only a general statement. If you know of any midi packe that are really good I would like to know and I don't care what they cost.
I am in fully agreement with your understanding about 3rd party midi packs (for keys). I have invested in an embarrising amount of these products so I speak from experience. But this is only in the case of Keys. Drums on the otherhand offer a host of great 3rd party options. Check out GrooveMonkey as an example.
Oh, but don't miss this...
Quote:
But a bit of good news, there is one 3rd party exception. One guy who makes midi packs in the cimimatic genre which I really like. https://www.mediamusicmastery.com/. Go to his site and grab a selection of freebees to see what he offers. I have used this to make music.
I am in fully agreement with your understanding about 3rd party midi packs (for keys). I have invested in an embarrising amount of these products so I speak from experience. But this is only in the case of Keys. Drums on the otherhand offer a host of great 3rd party options. Check out GrooveMonkey as an example.
I can vouch for Groove Monkee! After Mario and Dan recommending them I tried them and ended up buying their entire collection! What an amazingly sweet library to add to my EZ Drummer 3!!!
Cost: Synthwave Instrument $89, Midi packs are $29 each
So I bought The Synthwave instrument plus New Wave Midi and Synthwave Midi. You could play with these three things for weeks...lol It provides some of the same sorts of sounds that are in Kontakt.
The Toontracks website is very unclear about what comes with this Synthwave instrument. They infer an upgrade to EZKeys 2 when it gets here. They don't say how that would actually work or what it cost, or if you are buying this instrument as an add-on to your current EZKeys stuff. The added value stuff is only indicated when clicking "add to cart." Even then, it does not tell you anything. There is no value at $179 for standard if you own EZKeys.
I will order the EZKeys2 software for whatever value it may or may not bring. It is not a material amount of money compared to what I have already spent on Toontracks stuff.
What is less clear is the value of EZDrummer3. What will it do that Superior Drummer3, which I own, does not do?
The bottom line, if you are concerned about what any of this costs, the video Dan posted will give you some idea of how unethical their pricing structure is.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of corporate come on BS.
I think their products are worth the money. I think their deceptive pricing structure sucks.
Billy
EDIT: I did some testing with Synthwave. There is a bass part with 30 presets. Any of this can be played out in EZBass and Trillian. Also, all third-party midi I put in Synthwave worked without issue, including midi I created on my keyboard and drew in by hand. I tested midi from BIAB also without issue.
As far as cost is concerned, good midi at $29 is better than crap midi, even if you pay me to try the crap midi...lol
Last edited by Planobilly; 04/04/2301:40 PM.
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
The Toontracks website is very unclear about what comes with this Synthwave instrument. They infer an upgrade to EZKeys 2 when it gets here. They don't say how that would actually work or what it cost, or if you are buying this instrument as an add-on to your current EZKeys stuff. The added value stuff is only indicated when clicking "add to cart." Even then, it does not tell you anything. There is no value at $179 for standard if you own EZKeys.
Here is my take: What you just purchased will not change the cost of the upgrade which will be $79. At the same time anything you already have purchased will be fully compatible with the upgrade. I think it will all be a good thing in the end.
I ASSUME Cakewalk still has a ton of usable drum midi. I have not used that DAW for a long time. In the Sonar days, it had something called a session drummer, which had a pretty extensive midi collection plus an easy way to separate each drum on a separate track.
I ASSUME you could get to the midi files and use them in EZDrummer.
Billy
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
I ASSUME Cakewalk still has a ton of usable drum midi. I have not used that DAW for a long time. In the Sonar days, it had something called a session drummer, which had a pretty extensive midi collection plus an easy way to separate each drum on a separate track.
I ASSUME you could get to the midi files and use them in EZDrummer.
Billy
Wrong assumption. Cakewalk by Bandlab does not include the Session Drummer plugin use to be included with Sonar. However, any third party content you may have from Sonar packages work with Cakewalk by Bandlab.
Cakewalk by Bandlab does include drums as one of the 4 virtual instruments of drums, bass, electric keys and strings included in the Studio Instruments suite. However, none of the virtual instruments include much midi content.
Yes, my assumption was incorrect. No free lunch...lol
As a test, I tried to download the old paid version of Sonar. The files and the serial numbers are still there on cakewalk.com. It actually loaded up but would not run correctly. The session drummer was there in the program. Perhaps it would run on an older version of Windows.
I think if I remember correctly, things like Dimension Pro 1.5 would work even in other DAWs. Not sure.
I no longer have Cakewalk by Bandlab.
Billy
EDIT: Just as a test, I downloaded the old paid Sonar program on my Win 10 machine. It runs without issue, and all the Session Drummer midi is there. Not that I think I will have a lot of use for it. It looks like all the other stuff I paid money for still exists for download.
Last edited by Planobilly; 04/04/2305:24 PM.
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
The Toontracks website is very unclear about what comes with this Synthwave instrument. They infer an upgrade to EZKeys 2 when it gets here. They don't say how that would actually work or what it cost, or if you are buying this instrument as an add-on to your current EZKeys stuff. The added value stuff is only indicated when clicking "add to cart." Even then, it does not tell you anything.
I initially thought buying an expansion might qualify me for the free upgrade because their webpage is a bit unclear!
But I quickly understood this is NOT the case based on this text at the bottom of the EZ Keys 2 page (I bolded the key part),
Quote:
Buy EZkeys, get the EZkeys 2 upgrade included **This offer is valid now until EZkeys 2 is released on May 16, 2023. This offer applies to any “Regular” version of EZkeys as well as currently available bundle configurations any such variant may be included in. EZkeys Sound Expansion purchases do not include an upgrade to EZkeys 2. Offer is for a digital download only, no physical copy is distributed. EZkeys download is available upon purchase/registration. Upgrade download will be available on release day (on May 16, 2023). Advertised savings may differ depending on currency and currency changes may create price discrepancies. Pricing and availability are subject to change during the course of the promotion. We reserve the right for any printing errors, spelling mistakes or inaccuracies in images or text relating to this offer. Promotion void where prohibited.
Hundreds if not thousands of keyboard midi tracks and always huge sales... These all work in EZKeys the same way that EZkeys packs work.
Just place an order one time, and you will get on the list for ever!
You guys know me, I would never tell anyone what to do. But in this case, do your self a favor. Go to https://www.mediamusicmastery.com/ and download the free pack. Just insert the midi library folder into the "Browser" option in the EZkeys menu. You may be pleasently surprized. This is good stuff. Oh, by the way, your emial will start getting hit. But maybe in a good way for you.
OK, now I do have to apologize. I maybe have been a bit overly vocal on this topic. I don't want to be considered a Fanboy who just goes on and on about a specific app. Unfortunately, it maybe too late for me to do anything about that. But that was never my intention.
So I am going to leave this topic and turn the floor over to this guy who covers this far better than I ever could.
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
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But in this case, do your self a favor. Go to 
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