Jim Fogle

One solution is to embed a midi software synth into Cakewalk by Bandlab & Sonar. Fluid Synth Features: Cross platform support (Linux, macOS and Windows to name a few) SoundFont 2 support SoundFont 3 support (vorbis-compressed SF2) Realtime effect control using SoundFont 2.01 modulators Limited support for Downloadable Sounds (DLS) Level 1 & 2 Playback of MIDI files Shared library which can be used in other programs Built in command line shell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pair the software synth with Don Allen's Timbres Of Heaven midi patches and you have a commercial grade midi synth that is GM, GS and XG compatible. Check out this instrument list: Bank:Preset = Program(Instrument) 000:000 = Concert Grand 000:001 = Bright Grand 000:002 = Electric Grand 000:003 = Honky Tonk 000:004 = Don's Rhodes MKV EP 000:005 = Chorused Rhodes EP 000:006 = Don's Harpsichord 000:007 = Don's Clavinet 000:008 = Don's Celesta 000:009 = Glockenspiel 000:010 = Music Box 000:011 = Vibraphone 000:012 = Marimba 000:013 = Xylophone 000:014 = Tubular Bells 000:015 = Dulcimer (Santur) 000:016 = Wave Organ 000:017 = Perc. Organ Chopper 000:018 = Rock Organ 000:019 = Church Organ 000:020 = Reed Organ 000:021 = Accordion 000:022 = HarmonicaVibrato 000:023 = Bandoneon 000:024 = Solo Nylon Guit 000:025 = Steel String Guitar 000:026 = Harmony Rocket 000:027 = Fender Strat 000:028 = Muted Elec. Guitar 000:029 = Ult. Overdriven Gt. 000:030 = Ult. Distortion Gt. 000:031 = Guitar Harmonics 000:032 = Acoustic Bass 000:033 = Bass 305 000:034 = Don's Picked Bass 000:035 = Fretless Bass 000:036 = Don's Slap Bass 1 000:037 = Don's Slap Bass 2 000:038 = Synth Bass 1 000:039 = Synth Bass 2 000:040 = Don's Solo Violin 000:041 = Viola 000:042 = Cello 000:043 = Contrabass 000:044 = Tremolo Strings 000:045 = Pizzicato Section 000:046 = Clavinova Harp 000:047 = Timpani 000:048 = Don's Strings 000:049 = Slow Strings 000:050 = Synth Strings 1 000:051 = Synth Strings 2 000:052 = Choir Aahs 000:053 = Voice Oohs 000:054 = Synth Voice 000:055 = Orchestra Hit 000:056 = Trumpet 000:057 = Roly's Trombone 000:058 = Don's Tuba 000:059 = Don's Muted Trumpet 000:060 = French Horns 000:061 = Brass Section 000:062 = Don's Synth Brass 1 000:063 = Synth Brass 2 000:064 = Soprano Sax 000:065 = Alto Sax 000:066 = Tenor sax 000:067 = Baritone Sax 000:068 = Don's Oboe 000:069 = English Horn 000:070 = Bassoon 000:071 = Clarinet 000:072 = Piccolo 000:073 = Flute V2 000:074 = Recorder 000:075 = Pan Flute 000:076 = Bottle Chiff 000:077 = Don's Shakuhachi 000:078 = Whistle 000:079 = Ocarina (Breathy) 000:080 = Square Lead 000:081 = Saw Wave 000:082 = Synth Calliope 000:083 = Don's Chiffer Lead 000:084 = Charang 000:085 = Solo Synth Voice 000:086 = 5th Saw Wave 000:087 = Bass & Lead 000:088 = Don's Fantasia 000:089 = Warm Strings 000:090 = Poly Synth 000:091 = Space Voice 000:092 = Bowed Glass 000:093 = Metal Pad 000:094 = Halo pad 000:095 = Sweep Pad 000:096 = Don's Ice Rain 000:097 = Soundtrack 000:098 = Crystal 000:099 = Atmosphere 000:100 = Brightness 000:101 = Goblin (Sci-Fi) 000:102 = Echo Drops 000:103 = Don's Star Theme 000:104 = Sitar 000:105 = Don's Banjo 000:106 = Shamisen 000:107 = Koto 000:108 = Kalimba 000:109 = Bagpipes 000:110 = Don's Fiddle 000:111 = Shannai 000:112 = Tinkle Bell 000:113 = Agogo 000:114 = Steel Drums 000:115 = Woodblock 000:116 = Taiko Drum 000:117 = Melodic Tom 000:118 = Synth Drum 000:119 = Reverse Cymbal 000:120 = Guitar String Noise 000:121 = Breath Noise 000:122 = Sea Shore 000:123 = Bird Tweets 000:124 = Telephone 000:125 = Helicopter 000:126 = Don's Applause 000:127 = Gun Shot 357 Magnum 001:001 = Glory Piano 001:005 = Crystal Rhodes EP 001:016 = Fury Organ 101 001:017 = Ice Organ 001:021 = HarmonyPhone 001:022 = Harmonica No Vib 001:024 = Chor. Nylon Guitar 001:025 = Muted Steel Guitar 001:026 = Jazz Amp V2 001:027 = Clean Machine 001:028 = Muted Dist. Guitar 001:030 = Destroyer Guitar 001:033 = Flatwound Bass 001:034 = Jazz Bass 001:036 = Don's Pop Bass 1 001:037 = Don's Pop Bass2 001:038 = Synth Bass 101 001:039 = Synth Bass 201 001:046 = Nylon Harp 001:053 = Soul Oohs 001:057 = Don's Cornet 001:066 = Tenor Sax Soft 001:073 = Don's Flute 001:077 = Don's Shakuhachi : 001:090 = Moog Pad 001:109 = Don's BagPipes 001:120 = Gtr. Cut Noise 001:121 = Fl. Key Click 001:122 = Rain 001:123 = Dog 001:124 = Telephone 2 001:125 = Car-Engine 001:126 = GS Laughs 001:127 = Machine Gun 002:005 = Crystal Dreams 002:024 = Nylon Velo Guitar 002:025 = Don's Rover Guitar 002:026 = Don's Jazz Man Gtr 002:034 = Picked Bass 3 002:038 = Pulse Bass 002:102 = Echo Pan 002:119 = Gong!!! 002:120 = String Slap 002:121 = Fem. Breaths 002:122 = Don's Thunder 002:123 = Horse-Gallop 002:124 = Door Creaking 002:125 = Car-Stop 002:126 = Screaming 002:127 = Lasergun 003:005 = Soft Chor. Rhodes 003:046 = Yang Qin 003:090 = JP8 Swell Pad 003:122 = Wind 003:123 = Bird 2 003:124 = Door Slam 003:125 = Car-Pass 003:126 = Punch 003:127 = Explosion 004:004 = DX7 Chorused 004:005 = CP-80 Chorused 004:025 = Don's Dobro Guitar 004:027 = Twnagster Clean 004:046 = Muted Nylon Harp 004:122 = Stream 004:123 = Seagulls 004:124 = Scratch 004:125 = Car-Crash 004:126 = Heart Beat 005:122 = Bubble 005:124 = Wind Chimes 005:125 = Siren 005:126 = Footsteps 006:120 = Pick Scrape 006:122 = Rainstick 006:123 = SONAR 006:125 = Train 006:127 = Laser Drum 007:122 = Waterfall 007:125 = Jetplane 008:006 = Coupled Harpsichord 008:014 = Church Bell 008:021 = Organetto Superiore 008:024 = Ukulele 008:025 = 12-String Guitar 008:026 = Waikiki Special 008:027 = Chorused Strat 008:028 = Don's Funk Guitar 008:030 = Feedback Guitar 008:031 = Guitar Feedback 008:034 = Muted Picked Bass 008:036 = Reso Slap Bass 008:037 = FM Slap Bass 008:038 = Synth Bass 3 008:040 = Slow Violin 008:048 = Orchestral Pad 008:050 = Synth Strings 3 008:061 = Brass Section 2 008:062 = Synth Brass 3 008:065 = Hyper Alto Sax 008:068 = Oboe Exp. 008:080 = Sine Wave 008:081 = Dr. Solo 008:105 = Don's Sarod 008:115 = Castanets 008:116 = Concert Bass Drum 008:117 = Melo Tom 2 008:118 = Don's 808 Tom 008:125 = StarShip 009:005 = CrystalPhone 009:014 = Carillon 009:027 = Boss Guitar 009:030 = Feedback Guitar 2 009:036 = Unison Slap Bass 009:037 = FM Slap Bass 2 009:112 = Don's Gender 009:125 = Burst Noise 014:101 = UFO FX 016:000 = Dry Grand 016:001 = Dance Piano 016:005 = Chromophone 016:007 = Super Clavinet 016:018 = B3 Slow Rotor 016:024 = CP Flamenco 016:025 = Mandolin 016:026 = Pedal Steele Guitar 016:027 = Gibson ES-335 016:030 = Power Guitar 017:004 = Don's Wurlitzer EP 018:018 = Rock Organ 2 018:027 = Don's Les Paul 019:027 = Skynyrd LP 024:000 = Dream Piano 024:004 = Don's 60's E. Piano 024:080 = BuzzPad 027:016 = Hybrid Organ 027:080 = Electrum Pad 032:024 = Nylon Guitar 2 032:025 = Steel Guitar 2 032:052 = Choir Aahs 2 033:052 = Choir+ Strings 040:016 = Don's Lanz Organ 040:024 = Don's Lute 064:000 = XG Cutting Noise 064:001 = XG Cut Noise 2 064:003 = XG String Slap 064:005 = XG Pick Scrape 064:016 = XG Flt. Key Click 064:032 = XG Rain 064:033 = XG Thunder 064:034 = XG Wind 064:035 = XG Stream 064:036 = XG Bubbles 064:037 = XG Feed 064:048 = XG Dog Bark 064:049 = XG Horse-Gallop 064:050 = XG Bird 2 064:054 = XG Ghost Laughter 064:055 = XG SFX Maou 064:064 = DTMF Dial Sound 064:065 = XG Door Squeak 064:066 = XG Door Slam 064:067 = XG Scratch Push 064:068 = XG Scratch Pull 064:069 = XG Wind Chimes 064:070 = XG Telephone 2 064:080 = XG Car-Engine 064:081 = XG Car-Stop 064:082 = XG Car-Pass 064:083 = XG Car-Crash 064:084 = XG Siren 064:085 = XG Train 064:086 = XG Jetplane 064:087 = XG StarShip 064:088 = XG Burst Noise 064:089 = XG Coaster 064:090 = XG Submarine 064:096 = XG Laughing 064:097 = XG Scream 064:098 = XG Punch 064:099 = XG Heart Beat 064:100 = XG Footsteps 064:101 = XG Applause 2 064:112 = XG Machine Gun 064:113 = XG Lasergun 064:114 = XG Explosion 064:115 = XG FireWork 126:000 = XG SFX Kit 1 126:001 = XG SFX Kit 2 128:000 = Don's Std Kit 128:001 = Std Kit 2 128:008 = Room Drum Kit 128:016 = Power Drums 128:024 = Electronic Kit 128:025 = TR-808 Elec. Kit 128:026 = TR-909 Elec. Kit 128:027 = Dance Kit 128:032 = Jazz Drum Kit 128:040 = Brush Kit 128:048 = Orchestra Kit 128:050 = Symphony Kit 128:056 = GM2 SFX Kit 128:100 = Don's XG Std Kit 128:101 = XG Room Kit 128:102 = XG Rock Kit 128:103 = XG Electronic Kit 128:104 = XG Analog Kit 128:105 = XG Jazz Kit 128:106 = XG Brush Kit 128:107 = XG Symphony Kit 128:127 = CM-64/32L (SC-55)

Hi Eugene. Thanks for the clear explanation. May I suggest you also post a link to your video in the Tutorial forum section?

In the Band-in-a-Box wishlist forum PG Music is seeking ideas about how to improve the look of Band-in-a-Box. There are threads for: Toolbars, layout, menus, preferences; the Tracks View; the Piano Roll, the Notation view; the Chord Sheet and User interface enhancements. All of the threads have some good ideas but all the threads are dominated by just a few contributors. Some members of this forum use Band-in-a-Box and likely have some thoughts about how the program interface can be improved. I hope you will read through the threads and contribute an idea or two. The threads are available here: https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=9&page=1

I'm guessing you are using a trumpet VSTi plugin to playback the midi data. During playback the plugin is the focus so the pitch wheel controls the plugin. When you switch to record mode, the plugin looses focus so the pitch wheel no longer controls the plugin. Switch to record mode and then select the plugin and it should work the same as playback assuming all my assumptions are correct.

What a great listen. I enjoyed this very much. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I always look forward to hearing a new RexRed song. Your audio production is always top notch and "Dreams Of You" is no exception. Two suggestions for this song. Rearrange the Intro so the vocal starts about 15 seconds sooner. For a song with backing that is this sparse, starting the vocal at 0:31 is too long. To me the backing is too sparse in places. It almost seems as there is dead air between verses. Perhaps add some variety to the backing after each verse? Nice lyrics and powerful singing. I bet women will swoon when they hear this.

There are a couple of new features that I think make Band-in-a-Box 2025 interesting. 1. The stem splitter. PG Music is using stem separation technology licensed from Zplane. To me the Zplane technology works better than Spleeter. Stem separation capability has quickly advanced and Zplane seems to have figured out a way to provide the feature in a pleasing manner. 2. The MultiPicker or MTP for short. PG Music combined several search engines into one, tabbed window in 2024. 2025 MTP has more tabs to provide access to more kinds of content. PG Music has changed legacy keyboard shortcuts to open the MTP to whichever tab the MTP replaces. The MTP window is modal so the MTP can remain open while accessing other parts of the program. I'm finding I'm using more kinds of content than I have in the past because some of the content had no picker but now it does. Consolidating all the search pickers into one window really makes a difference in the workflow. I've attached a screen shot below. 3. VST3 plugin support. While the artificial intelligence features are many are mentioning they aren't my cup of tea. I enjoy cover songs and all the AI features seem to be focused on creating new song ideas.

Band-in-a-Box has five packages. It is important to know all packages use the same Band-in-a-Box and RealBand programs. All packages also include the Band-in-a-Box plugin. The packages differ in how much content is included. Content is things like RealTracks, RealDrums, MIDI SuperTracks, audo loops and styles. The ProPAK is the least expensive with about 1/10th of the available package content. The MegaPAK has about 1/3rd of the available package content. The UltraPAK, UltraPAK+ and Audiophile have all the available package content. Additional content is available beyond the packages. It's easy to make a song. But there are a lot of features in Band-in-a-Box that, as you learn them, can make a song MUCH better. It takes time and practice to learn the features. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the content and disregard learning the program features. That's why I advise you start with the least expensive package, the ProPAK. The ProPAK has Band-in-a-Box, RealBand and the plugin. The ProPAK includes all types of content PG Music offers. So you can learn the program features and how to use all the content types without becoming overwhelmed by the massive amount of available content.

2025 Band-in-a-Box for Windows Released New features include: The BB Stem Splitter - This tool separates any multi-instrument audio file (.mp3, .m4a, .wav, etc.) into individual tracks - bass, drums, guitars/piano, vocals, and residual sounds. VST3 plugin support. The Audiophile Edition uses FLAC files. These files are 60% smaller than WAV files but maintain identical audio quality. The Audiophile Edition ships on a fast 1TB SSD. The MultiPicker Library adds SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles browser tabs in addition to the existing tabs for Styles, Loops, UserTracks, RealDrums, RealTracks and MIDI SuperTracks. Artificial Intelligence (AI) songwriting functions including themes, styles, titles, complete songs including lyrics. [Note: An internet connection is required to use these features.] New content includes: 202 RealTracks Bonus RealTracks/RealDrums (20) with 20 RealStyles MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster MIDI Styles Set 90 Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana MIDI Styles Set 91 Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Handed Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes Instrumental Studies Set 23: More ’80s Hard Rock Soloing Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals Volume 7 Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals Volume 8 RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk and More with Jerry Roe Playable RealTracks Set 4 SynthMaster Sounds and Styles, with Audio Demos 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos FLAC Files for 20 Unreleased RealTracks/RealDums RealCombos 2025 Booster PAK XPro Style PAK 8 Xtra Styles PAK 19

Gary, Thank you for providing the YouTube link to "The Song". To my ears Hobo Train sounds like the group Little Big Town or Lady A with this song. Excellent song, production and video. I'm sure it was a lot of work but well worth the effort.

First time hearing "I've Been Down" and Hobo Train. The song and delivery reminds me A LOT of early Rascal Flatts songs. How does a lead singer for a Norwegian Country Band develop such a strong southern accent? While listening through headphones I'm hearing two background vocalists that are spread wide left and wide right. There is not much, if any background vocalist near the center. The left channel vocalist seems to be more prominent and above the musical instrument tracks while the right channel vocalist seems to sometimes get lost in the musical instrument tracks. Hopefully these are things you expect the listener to hear. Great use of effects. Very clean and clear sounding mix. Nice dynamics. Dog gone good.

Looking at the +++ Millenium MPS-850 user manual +++ the unit transmits midi notes on midi channel 10. You have set the track's midi input to e-drum but you must also set the track's midi input to receive either MIDI ch. 10 or MIDI Omni.

There have been a few forum discussions concerning CLAP plugins. +++ HERE +++ and +++ HERE +++ are two threads you may find interesting.

@azslow3, thank you for responding to my question. You certainly have offered a lot of assistance to other forum members. I trust what you write to be either accurate (mostly of a technical or programming) information or a considered and informed opinion. I'm sorry you do not feel comfortable in certain areas inside the forum. I apologize for pushing for a product name. I believe every DAW has unique strengths and weaknesses that make each DAW unique. Every DAW user also can have special needs that are met better with one DAW than another. I have not used or looked at many DAWs. I have no way to know what works best in certain situations other than comments I read from forum members whose opinion I value. My goal was to be exposed to interesting information, not to make you uncomfortable.

@azslow3, I seldom frequent the Coffee House so I know not of what you speak. Has this forum really gotten so weird that you feel uncomfortable mentioning other DAWS by name? I sincerely hope not.