![native instruments bandstand demo native instruments bandstand demo](https://www.native-instruments.com/typo3temp/pics/img-ce-komplete-13-start-intro_para-b92e8807fcee5fffa7c0f9065228cac3-m@2x.jpg)
It's not the technical quality of Bandstand's sound that's bad - it's the musical quality. Such systems give you true GM compatibility with creative enhancements that take your sound-mangling skills to new levels.
Native instruments bandstand demo pro#
In practice, pro musicians use pro tools, such as the Yamaha MU128, Roland SC-88 Pro or SC-90.
![native instruments bandstand demo native instruments bandstand demo](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v0ZPNLdhNug/maxresdefault.jpg)
What's more, no musician would compare Bandstand to the dreadful MIDI tone generators that are built into desktop computers, but this is precisely what NI have done in their promotional video. You need only listen to the demo songs produced on such sound modules to see that they're far more sonically flexible than Bandstand.
![native instruments bandstand demo native instruments bandstand demo](https://project0t.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/20150705-1-1024x640.png)
To claim that this non-GM-approved product "establishes a new benchmark far beyond conventional GM modules" is an exaggerated claim that pays no respect to the many years of research and development that Roland and Yamaha have put into their impressive product lines. A disappointing releaseĪll things considered, this is a very disappointing product from NI. Bandstand makes this look like no MIDI activity is occurring at all, which can be very confusing. This is unfortunate, since one of the most common programming errors is leaving your keyboard accidentally set to a blank channel. The result is the frequent loss of performance data immediately following a program change.Īdditionally, the instrument squares only light up in time to MIDI when a sound is loaded. GM compliance rules state that modules must respond "automatically and immediately upon demand by any GM1 app", but Bandstand doesn't.Įven uncomplicated MIDI sequences can hit this severe performance limitation - the file player knows in advance what Program Changes are coming, but makes no effort to preload presets. The next gripe is that the MIDI file player doesn't always cancel the sustain pedal when you stop playback (a known bug), so you're left with notes hanging on indefinitely.Īlso, if your sequence adjusts the supported XG/GS Continuous Controllers - such as Attack or Release - then the low-pass filter momentarily goes severely south for no reason (another known bug). Weirder still, if the Harp is selected, the modulation wheel affects the release time of all things! Sometimes, it sweeps the filter down to nothing - and the filter also exhibits unpleasant zipper noise during sweeps. On some instruments, it adds vibrato (as expected), but on others, the results can be very weird. The Time control starts moving erratically when you use the mouse to change the reverb type, and it sometimes stops working altogether in Real mode.Īlthough the reverb is of good quality, its default setting also seems far too dry compared to other GM modules.Īnother problem is that the Modulation controller does arbitrary things depending on the instrument. Similarly, there's no display to show which MIDI program numbers correspond to which preset.Įlsewhere, the user interface seems bugged when you switch between Basic and Real reverb modes. Native Instruments say that this is to keep things simple, but in GM file programming it's vital to be able to see the numerical values so that they can be copied back into the sequence as Control Change messages. For one, none of the mixer controls has a numeric display. Unfortunately, when we started to test Bandstand, it wasn't long before we hit problems. At the touch of a button, this becomes a full-window mixer. You get 16 parts (assigned by default to MIDI channels 1-16) and - unlike most hardware GM modules - an attractive yet simple display of your instrument assignments. These systems often have insert effects and parametric EQ, thus creating an advanced music production environment, even when used with the most humble of MIDI sequencers.