I wasn't sure where to start this thread, so this seemed appropriate as it shows starting with EZkeys VST2 in BIAB. Please share other 3rd party MIDI content that works well with EZKeys (or other EZ products if you prefer) The pack I am auditioning is Piano Sentiments by Frontline Producer that is available from loopmasters (on sale at the time of posting this video. (I am not affiliated with them)
There is a ton of helpful midi files in BIAB. I downloaded some Bass midi from Groove Monkey and paid $12 but, it was very simple and not so useful.
I downloaded my old copy of Sonar from the old Cakewalk site. It was still there after 12 years. There was midi in Sonar from Session Drummer, but only a few that I listened to that I thought would be useful.
So...as of late, I have been forced to play midi bass on my keyboard or bass guitar to use in EZBass and or Trillian.
I have EZDrummer2 and Superior Drummer from Toontracks, which have almost anything you would need. I also have Addictive Drums, which has better midi for rock. Good drum midi is not hard to find. I also have a drummer friend in Australia who does live tracks for me on midi drum kits or acoustic kits that midi triggers.
Toontracks Suppeor Drummer is a complex drum program to use but provides the ultimate in function.
For EZKeys, there is what can be had from Toontracks at $29 each and sometimes on special for as low as $10. I have a lot of it, some really good and other packs I bought I did not like. The midi was well done; I just did not like the style. There are a ton of midi piano tracks in BIAB that you can play out in EZKeys.
In searching for midi for certain cover songs, I found that a difficult process.
The best possible midi comes from shilled keyboard players. Best to marry one...lol
99% of the free midi was worth just about what it cost. There is a small amount of good midi I have found from sorting through a zillion karaoke songs but what a PITB. I had a hard drive that had about 2000 karaoke songs but it died and to tell the truth, I am glad it is gone.
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 agree, there is not a lot of 3rd party midi avialable for EZKeys. No necessaryily a bad thing since EZKeys sales some very good content. In this example, I doubt that this 3rd party content was actually written with EZkeys in mind, but it does work well in this case.
Don't forget you have Guitar Pro Tabs (thousands), if you don't have Guitar Pro you can use TuxGuitar that will convert to midi it also has a batch converter under the Tools menu. And as mentioned you can load Guitar Pro Tabs in Ample VST's and the free Ample and drop the phrases into RapidComposer and it will play all the GP articulations over any chord or octave.
You have Midi Mutator that is included in RapidComposer or separate.
Drop a MIDI pattern on MIDI Mutator to start transforming it into a new original pattern! Fully replace or slightly modify the rhythm with a single click. Experiment with other chord voicings, or replace the chords. Bass lines, chord patterns work equally well. The new MIDI sequence can be dragged directly to your DAW, or stored with a single click.
• regenerate the rhythm using 6 rhythm generator algorithms from RapidComposer, plus a new one that preserves exact note and rest lengths, suitable for modern genres • use rhythm from another MIDI file • slice a pattern, then rearrange slices randomly • displace notes randomly, randomize note positions and/or lengths • extend, widen, randomize chord voicings, replace the chord progression • change the beat positions to change the feel • replace or randomize accents • increase/decrease polyphony • randomize pitches • for monophonic phrases: change the contour, add connecting notes. • simple activation. No internet connection is required for activation or operation
Re: SuGgEsTiOnS welcomed Whatever Midi you Mutate you can add to EZKeys Library, all these things work together. Did you try the EZKeys Library I uploaded and see the folder structure and naming. All this allows you to create up 3rd party libraries, can you dig it ? This is not just limited to EZK you can do it for EZB and EZD. See the bass and percussion generators ? Don't wait for more years to pass until it dawns on you. I know I post things that may be hard to get your head around but trust me they will become common place or even added as features in Biab down the track as they have been. Where was everyone when I was posting Playable RealTracks all those years ago ?? Where were they when I was posting midi chord tracks for virtual instruments ? Where were they when I was posting info on Biab chord track in EZKeys. The best thing to do is go to this little unknown hidden spot but look through it all going way back and you will soon see how this relates https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=31&page=1 There must of been a time when you never knew about Biab.
I came to a bit of an epifiany regarding the use of midi in EZKeys. When I did my video above I mentioned, "...I don't know how this does what it does". So I have been looking at it closer.
It turns out ANY midi file can be used in the EZKeys midi library. I inserted a BIAB folder containing a slew of midi content from all my scratch files over the past year into the EZKeys midi browser menu. Every .mid file in the folder then appeared as a selection to be used as part of the Browser Midi provided in EZKeys. If I pulled that selection to the EZKeys timeline, it would act as a midi player and show the chord names and play them as is. But if I used that selection as "Browser Midi" to rewrite the song blocks it would morph the midi to play the new chords in the groove and manner of the whatever is in the library selection.
Easy to reproduce this all yourselfs to see what it is doing. So I think musocity is pointing out that any and all of the BIAB midi content is fair game to be inserted into EZKeys as "3rd party" midi.
Dan, you probably were not following "VST>VST" EZkeys thread in "Recording" closely. I have mentioned this:
"EZkeys, while tailored for their "own" synths, as a program itself is just a fancy and convenient arpeggiator/phrase player with bunch of other features. So... You can use MIDI phrases in EZkeys that were meant for completely different instruments (Strings, flutes, etc.) and since it has MIDI OUT function, you can hook it up to any other VST that has these Strings, flutes, etc. And you will get completely new usage out of EZkeys."
This will work in BIAB by dragging out timeline from EZkeys to empty track and re-voicing with any other VST of choice. But a better way would be to have EZkeys MIDI "out" send data directly to synth of choice. Unfortunately this is not available yet in BIAB. (*Having a conversation with my self)
If I understood intentions correctly, Musocity "suggestion", has to do with EZkeys VS RC. Which is not a bad conversation, just doesn't seem to fit the theme of this thread.
If I had VArranger and someone said to me about Biab I would go and check it out, then I might end up with Biab and I would be thankful for that user mentioning Biab and not just keep on subject about VArranger. If users read the post and think wow I might buy EZD but then later find RC and think wow this does all that and more for the same price why did I buy EZK ?
Musocity, my hope for this thread was that people would share info on 3rd party Midi packs that would work nicely with Ezkeys. Hopefully non mechanical, melodic, swing, rhythmical with interesting twists, etc.
I agree, there is not a lot of 3rd party midi available for EZKeys. No necessarily a bad thing since EZKeys sales some very good content. In this example, I doubt that this 3rd party content was actually written with EZKeys in mind, but it does work well in this case.
Do you have a link to Todd's website to purchase his MIDI files? I had no luck trying to find it via Google search. Thanks in advance.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; PreSonus Studio 1810c; BiaB 2024 Ultra Studio One 6 Pro; MuseScore 4; Melodyne 5 Studio; Acoustica Premium 7; Guitar Pro 8 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
TheMaartian, here is Dan's guy: mediamusicmasterystore.com If you stay on site for few minutes (and have your pop-up blocker turned off) you should get a window to sign up for newsletter... and get a free MIDI pack. You can get it, to see if it works for you.
I looked at the packs and you have from 10-20 loops (10x phrases, many :45 to 1:00) at a slow tempo there's not much playing. You have an absolutely massive PG midi library of midi. You have the RealCharts from the Yamaha acoustic/midi piano. There is so much more playing with the PG it's not short bits n pieces midi loop library. That's why I suggested to PG to create some Toontrack libraries from their midi. I went through all this with audio loop packs (and midi) they are so limited in the playing compared to PG. Lot of chords but little playing: https://www.sessionbandloops.com/royalty-free-jazz-loops-sessionband-jazz-volume-1/
You have an absolutely massive PG midi library of midi. You have the RealCharts from the Yamaha acoustic/midi piano.
OK, so where are the BIAB super midi content (.mid) located? In what folder? I don't think that exists for us. Are you suggesting we extract the midi from the hundreds of .sgu files? Then put those into a folder so they could be used in EZKeys?
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