Consider making a Bandstand 2

I got Bandstand not too long ago and I really like it. It is the first time I've ever gotten a software General MIDI synth that can reliably sound better than my hardware (Roland SD-20). Most allegedly GM synths are just poorly balanced and often feature very bad samples.

I really like Bandstand, and I'd love to see an enhanced version of it. Here's what I think you should consider doing, to make it worth our while to buy an update:

1) GM2/GS/XG instrument compatibility. As far as I can tell, bandstand seems to respond quite well to all the control messages in any of these formats. So consider going the rest of the way, and making it fully compatible by adding some more instrument variations to match those sets. Even with the additional samples, I'm betting you'd still fit on a SL DVD with ease, especially since some instruments could simply reuse existing samples with different filters.

2) Multiple audio outs to a sequencer. It's a minor annoyance to have to load multiple copies of bandstand in Sonar if I wish to get the audio to separate tracks. Bandstand 2 should support up to 16 stereo outs to the host.

3) Reverb and chorus sends to the host. Though bandstand has a truly superb convolution reverb (I am really pleased with the quality, top notch) I still generally use my own when using a sequencer. It's just nice to have all instruments sound like they are in a consistent space. So when loaded in a host, give the option to disengage the internal reverb, but instead have it function as a send to the host. That way individual instruments can respond to reverb level changes, but still use the host's reverb.

4) This applies not just to bandstand but enhance your samplers to use flash drives. In Windows Vista, Microsoft has their OS use flash drives to store the first part of apps a user wishes to load. Though flash is of inferior speed to a hard disk, it's near zero latency makes this worth while. The OS begins loading off of flash immediately, as the disks seek and then continue loading. It seems to me this would be an excellent extension of your DFD capability.

Basically, allow a user to specify samples, or a whole library that is to be readied on a flash drive. Then, load the in-memory parts to the flash and store them there. That would mean that when the sampler is running, if a request for a sample is made that isn't in RAM, it can quickly fetch the first part from flash, then do the rest DFD as normal. It would lead to incredibly responsive sample loading.

Should work fine too as your in-memory parts aren't very large and so you could fit a whole bunch of preloads on to flash. The entirety of the Bandstand library would easily fit on a cheap modern flash drive, so just the in-memory parts would be no problem.

I think a "SampleBoost" system for your samplers would be a neat, cheap, way for users to get more responsive sample loading from your products. It would be of the most use in Bandstand since some GM files assume hardware memory based samplers that can do instant patch changes, but all your samplers would benefit I think.

5) Allow the stand alone program to be loaded as a Windows system MIDI player. Windows has no problem allowing a soft synth to become the synth used for system MIDI playback. Yamaha had a couple products that worked like this (S-YXG100 for example). Since there's already a standalone Bandstand app, I don't think it would be a huge change to make it able to do this.

Though Bandstand is resource intensive, it is still usable for that purpose on many modern machines. I find that even fully loaded with a big song, lots of polyphony, impulse reverb and so on it doesn't use more than a couple hundred MB of RAM and less than 10% of one of the cores in my system. That I easily have to spare, and as such it is usable as a background, system MIDI player.


So please just consider an improved version of Bandstand. I like the software as it is now, but I think it could be truly great, a complete replacement in every way to hardware GS/XG synths, with some enhancements which I'd gladly buy.

 

Amen to all points, Sycraft!

I nominate you to lead the development team for BSII.

 

amen here too.

in addition:


1) add the ability to host plugins and replace any instrument with a specified VST/AU plugin, so for example whenever an electric piano PC gets received it could switch to Lounge Lizard.

2) add sounds for XG an GM2 instruments and standards

3) add a PC mappig feature so we can select a custom kontakt sample set for any midi instrument

4) lite and full versions of smple set

 

Not sure if I understand this one. I load one instance of Bandstand and it plays all the parts of all the Sonar tracks - as long as each track is on a different midi channel obviously.
When would you have to load more than one instance?

John

BTW, I'm sure we all here endorse your call for a Bandstand 2, trouble is I think I'll be long retired and deaf by the time it arrives

 

Yeah Bring on Bandstand II ! and for those of us who own the rest of NI stuff, eg Komplete 5/Kontakt 3 etc, let us 'upgrade' our bandstand with instruments from our collection

 

All sounds good: but I'd just be glad if I could get Bandstand 1.03 to boot on my Intel MacBook.

I've been doing serious audio and midi engineering for years. I'm right into heavy-duty graphic arts production, extensive music engraving and book publishing. In a less professional vein, I've spent a lot of time doing video editing and web-design.

In all those years, I've NEVER had a piece of software that has given me so much trouble as Bandstand. I've never installed a product that has to go through a silly registration process as complex as NI imposes on its customers – and never had to wait for 4 months for the simplest of bug fixes that STILL has problems.

But we can all hope, I guess.

 

Thanks to Jarmo Hynninen (see other threads), I've finally got Bandstand up and running on my MacBook.

It's taken months to get a workable version of Bandstand, but I hope I can now have months of hassle-free use.

Like Sycraft, I think the general idea of Bandstand is excellent and I do hope NI will now move to incorporate some of those features on everyone's wish list.

 

Amen. BS works very well now on my Intel Macbook.

I would also like to see BS add the ability to replace anyGM instrument with a VST plugin instrument and patch of ones choice.

This would allow me for example to replace the Electric piano instrument with Lounge Lizard, or the Hammond organ setting with B4 alongside the relevant B4 patch

 

I have to agree. I just bought this software (for Windows) and I've had so many issues with it that it's hard to believe they actually sell it. I've installed it 3 times and each time I experience several different problems.

The first time I installed it, closing the DXi plugin and then re-opening it locks up the whole machine (forcing reboot). Also, I can't get the thing to load the drum channel using any midi file.

The second time I installed it, it wouldn't load any of the sound files.

The third time I installed it, it boots with an error message and then it's not usable at all.

Don't release a Bandstand 2 until you've fixed Bandstand 1.

Thanks