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Jimi75
December 5th, 2007, 09:52 AM
Yep, back from the catacombes of software installing and reading handbooks, I will give you a quick review of Bandstand by N.I.

First of all, Bandstand is a software that offer 128 virtual instruments that can be easily used in stand alone modus and as a plug in.

The most difficult thing is to registrate the product. N.I. really offers a bad service here and it took me some days until I contacted N.I. to finally get a reply and password.

Bandstand is of high quality, most of the instruments have a beautiful natural sound and excellent reaction to the dynamics. I play the instruments mostly over my USB master keyboard and I face no latency. You can EQ each instrument and you can arrange everything in the Bandstand interface with drag and drop! Downloaded Midi-Files sound awesome and it is great fun to sing or jam to Midi-Files esepecially when they sound that good.

Using bandstand as a plug in is a weapon for recording. The 9 drum sets all sound brilliant and you can spice up your songs with great violins, cellos, pianos and so on. The list of possibilities is endless. You won't imagine how easy it is to arrange Midi in the Midi Editor or even to play small melodies with the keyboard.

I had a little latency, when playing the plug in with Magix Music Maker. Fortunately, with the keyboard came new recording software called Smplitude. Here I have no latency at all.

Bandstand is an affordable tool (I have paid 99€ = 145USD) that guarantees fun and excellent recording and sound quality, if your computer has enough capacity). Bandstand is very easy to use and it takes you only 2 hours maximum and you got it going on!


I would definitely buy it again.

jasongins
December 26th, 2007, 11:33 AM
Jimi,

I've just started to get into downloading midi tracks to use as backing tracks, but I have run into two problems. The first is that the instruments sound lame through the built in soundcard synth. Would Bandstand allow me to change the instruments to something more realistic? Are there any other programs that would do that (Sampletank)? Also, my version of Ableton Live Lite only allows me to have 4 midi tracks open at the same time, and I am finding that most of the midi files I've downloaded have many more tracks than that, so I can't open them in Live. Would Bandstand allow me to open the midi files and reduce the number of tracks?

Jimi75
December 27th, 2007, 12:55 PM
Jimi,
I've just started to get into downloading midi tracks to use as backing tracks, but I have run into two problems. The first is that the instruments sound lame through the built in soundcard synth.
>Bandstans makes Midi tracks sound awesome!<

Would Bandstand allow me to change the instruments to something more realistic?
> I think so, at least what I hear is pretty realistic for the price you pay<

Are there any other programs that would do that (Sampletank)? Also, my version of Ableton Live Lite only allows me to have 4 midi tracks open at the same time, and I am finding that most of the midi files I've downloaded have many more tracks than that,
> You can switch on and off the instruments in Bandstand. If you can only use 4 Tracks, you can chose 4 instruments and switch the others off! But think of importing 4 instruments into Ableton Live, converting the file intwo wave or MP3, re-import the file and open another 4 Midi tracks. In the end mix it together and you got the complete thing<


so I can't open them in Live.

Would Bandstand allow me to open the midi files and reduce the number of tracks?
> See above....Bandstand has its own Midi Player integrated by the way.

king_petrucci
August 9th, 2008, 03:08 AM
Native Instruments do good stuff. I just got guitar rig 3. Its such a good program. I own a behringer digital modelling head but im now considering selling cos i could just run gr3 into my cab