Bandstand frustration

Hi

I have installed Bandstand yesterday night and this is my opinion:

Maybe I need to say first that I use MIDI Files since years and I am aware that there are bad, good and excellent ones available. I have Files from well known brands like midimusic (Geerdes) mabusoft (www.mabusoft.com) and musicmediasoft. As an actual Soundgenerator I use a Ketron SD1 with way less audio size than Bandstand. But Bandstand, compared to the SD1 is just a Joke! Even my 24MB Wavetable from Crystal sounds better. It will in this first verison for sure not revolutionize the perception of MIDI Files.

This are my issues:

The quality of the Strings in higher octaves is to strident and therefore useless.
The guitar sounds are really poor.
The percussions in the drums (especially cabasa) is to loud and can not be changed in BS directly (yes, I can remix it in my Cubase SX3).
There are lot's of hangers while using brass sounds
If you scroll back in a song after it was fading out, the volumes are not reset. Sometimes if I reload a MIDI the sounds are not reloaded and I can't hear anything.
Sometimes, in a MIDI file there are Programchanges DURING the song.. now if for example, the Program Change is on track 10 from Standard to Brush.. the song continues without sound till it0s loaded...

I think there is many space for quality updates.

Oh yes, my Computer.. I'm using a Pentium 4 with 3.2 GHZ on an ASUS MB, Serial ATA Disks, and 2 GIG of Ram. With this configuration, my Cubase SX3, Hypersonic2, Sampletank 2 XL Artist Drums and The Grand 2 are working very well.

I really hope that you will not just trash this as I really would like to have a high quality midi player that playes my files in an astonishing quality just out of the box.

Greetings from the probably first swiss Bandstand user!

 

yes. i too am looking forward to a better sounding version of bandstand. I used the Connectix GM500 GM samples for Gigasampler years ago, which worked quite well. They were occupied 600MB for all but the piano plus a seperate CD with the GigaPiano. I found the sounds worked very well together. i still use this sample set at times through Halion when requiring good GM sounds. I also used to have HyperCanvas, which considering it was only 20MB in size, was a very good sounding module. The only unfortunate thing being Edirol didnt keep it updated. There is no version for AU or Mac OSX. It worked very well though.

I have great hopes for BS. I love the built in MIDI player. I think they need to provide two sound set options - a "lite" low RAM version and a much better sound set. nearer to that offered with K2. particularly the Pianos and guitars.

One area which I DO think they got right are the basses. They sound even across all the note ranges and have good depth to them - sounding very good in the "mix".

For a future version I would like to see them add more sound options by adding the sound sets defined in the XG and GM2 standards.

 

Hi Zeus31_ng, dstenning,

did you already install the Bandstand 1.0.1 Update?

best,
tom schneider,
product manager

 

Hello Tom

Yes, this was the first thing I have done after the installation from DVD.

 

Hi all,

great feedback! we will get there with some more time.

* I forwarded the library feedback to the sound designers

* instant program changes are top priority for the next update; potentially with a big RAM and a small RAM version

* note hangers should be fixed with the 1.0.1 update? if not, could you please post a support request with the exact steps

* same for the reloading MIDI without sound problem

just curious: does the Chrystal card come with ROM sounds or are these SoundFont banks?


Best,
Markus

 

Markus

Thank you for now. I hope that our feedbacks will really help to improve the product.. If you need a test/beta user please feel free to use me for this purpose.

No it is a GM SoundFont produced by Crystal / Hammersound which is installed on my Soundblaster (!).. Well, please note that this soundblaster is not used for my Audio applications. For this I do have a RME solution.

Pasquale

 

Hi Pasquale,

we might take you up on your offer! I believe you have to register and log into the forum so that I can get your email address.

I see about Hammersound! yes, I realize now that Soundfont GM banks are very popular. Did you use any software solution in the past to play these SF2 banks? I guess the Soundblaster cards do not give you good enough audio converter quality?


Best,
Markus

 

Good morning Markus

My email is pasquale.russo@hispeed.ch

Yes you are right, the audio quality of the soundblaster is poor compared to my RME solution. I used to play the MIDI Files using Vanbasco MIDI Player. For a first impression of the file absolutely fine. For recordings I currently use to to play the MIDIs in Cubase redirecting the different channles to the different devices (SD1, Hypersonic, Sampletank etc.)

cheers,
Pasquale

 

These are exactly the issues I'd love to see addressed!!

 

Oh.... and there's ZERO attack on those french horns!! Any other synth often uses those horns in farily fast peices as a solo instrument. Bandstand's french horns are too quiet and too soft an attack to be used for anything except background carpeting!

GRRRRR!!!!

 

... and I just got the official NI email saying they WILL NOT refund my money for this near-worthless purchase.

I'll be sure to spread the word NOT TO BUY IT!!!

 

While you're collecting beta testers: At the moment I'm going back and forth between a Mac PowerBook (1.5GHz, 1GB) and an Intel iMac (2GHz, 2GB), trying to get one or both working in various configurations (BS as standalone with MIDI files and as output from Mac Band in a Box; BS as AU in GarageBand and as VST in Cubase LE). For all of May I'll be abroad with just the PowerBook. After that I hope to migrate everything to the iMac. So if those combinations are of any interest -- and given some current frustrations I certainly hope they are! -- then I'll be glad to test updates.

Charles Hartman

 

I didn't pay $250 to be a beta tester!!

 

They only do a 4MB table? I'd be interested in a 24MB one.