Please Tips for BIAB

[Regan Branch]

I'm a beginner BIAB user. Even with Ray Price shuffles, when I load something up it just sounds cheezy as hell. Like midi notes on really bad vst's. Can anyone help me get my tracks sounding better?

[Erv Niehaus]

The quality of the play back depends entirely on the quality of your playback equipment.
Erv

[Pete Bailey]

It also depends on whether you chose a midi style or a real style. Try sorting by real styles when you pick your style, they all begin with an _ underscore.

You can choose to show only real styles in the style picker with a selection under the type column.

[Norman Evans]

Try CTRYSWS.STY style for Ray Price.

PM sent

[Jim Fogle]

The Ray Price Band-in-a-Box styles available from this forum have 8 midi styles. So the instrument sounds are generated by a midi sound module for playback of midi data. It will be helpful to know what midi sound modules Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) uses for playback.

With BiaB open press the pc keyboard keys "Control + E" at the same time or navigate to "Options" > "Preferences ...". Now press the "MIDI Driver" button in the middle of the top row of buttons to open the "MIDI/Audio Drivers Setup" window.

What is listed for the MIDI Output Driver? Do you have "Use VSTi/DXi Synth" checked? If so what is listed in the "Synthesizer / Sound Card" window at the top right?

[b0b]

I export BIAB files as MIDI and pull them into GarageBand to get the good sounds.

[Jim Fogle]

I export BIAB files as MIDI and pull them into GarageBand to get the good sounds.

bOb, Great idea. Of course GarageBand is a DAW included free with the Apple MacIntosh.

If Regan or another Band-in-a-Box user is using a Windows pc computer they may want to take a look at Cakewalk by BandLab. Cakewalk is a free DAW for computers using 64 bit Windows 7 or higher. A nice sounding midi sound module called TTS-1 is included with Cakewalk. TTS-1 also works with 64 bit Band-in-a-Box.

The easiest solution is still to use the midi sound module tools included with Band-in-a-Box. However PG Music has used multiple sound modules at different times and presently ships two, one 32 bit and one 64 bit.

[b0b]

Here are some songs that I did using that method (BIAB MIDI file GarageBand): https://soundcloud.com/b0b/sets/rhythm-tracks-1

[Jim Fogle]

bOb, Thanks for sharing the link to your SoundCloud songs. I'm "following" you now.

Some of the songs I know but most of them it was my first time hearing. The two I know are "In My Life" and "Caravan".

If you enjoy playing to Beatles, Steely Dan, various country and jazz midi tunes a good source are the general midi sequences David Barnes published on his website. You can check it out here: https://davidbmidi.com/index.html

[David Weisenthal]

b0b, why does that make it sound less cheezy than the Biab alone? Better midi processer?

[b0b]

The software instruments in GarageBand are definitely better, and they also allow you to add effects. GB gives you full control over panning and volume automation for mixing. Another big plus is the ability to edit the parts that BIAB generates. As a bass player, I often disagree with BIAB's note choices in the bass line, so I usually fix them.

[David Weisenthal]

Thanks b0b, I've never looked into GB even though I own it. 😰