User reactions

E-mail: JosMaas@1manband.nl

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Thank you for your wonderful software program OMB Originals. It is just what I was looking for to help me making styles with my Tyros4. It is an excellent program at a reasonable price. Graham Reed


Thank you for prompt answer and your help. OMB is really very cool. Ludek


Astonishingly. Definitely the Best 50$ dollars I paid for my music in my life. Thanks. Walter Brazil


I have used version 10 for some weeks now, and it's really a great product in composing styles, including my vst instruments, and using all this in a live setup. Riaz Ahmad Ali


Just downloaded the V10 OMB demo and can’t believe the improvement over V9, it sure makes a difference using a DXi synth, the whole thing just seems better to use. Keith Horton


As a recently registered user of One Man Band, I just wanted to recognize you for the fine work you've done in developing this product.  I look forward to many long hours of learning how to use it really well and enjoying the music I'm sure I can create with it. Again, thanks for your efforts! Chuck Fellows


Dear Jos, I am so stoked! I tried OMB 9 earlier this year, but shelved it due to latency problems I was experiencing. I racked up v10 a few minutes ago on a PC with vanilla motherboard sound and there was minimal latency, just a little, but nowhere near enough to prevent me using this setup for a live gig. I am seriously impressed, and now feel I have recieved way better than my money's worth. The money I've saved in buying a better soundcard is well rewarded several times over. On two seperate occasions, my queries have produced rapid responses from you, and this latest time after losing my install prog for version 9 you were as helpful as I could have possibly hoped for. I am not given to these kind of emails, so believe me, I am most sincerely grateful for your creativity and productivity. Dank U vell. Don (Beres) Bartlett


All seems to work now. Thanks again for the kind and wonderful support in resolving my issue. Francesco


Hi,
for anyone who's been following the thread on OMB software and wondering what the heck it's got to do with a psr styles group please read the following.

For anyone who's happy just playing their psr as is and loading the occasional user style and doing a bit of tweaking then please don't waste your time.

OMB software is primarily used to turn a midi keyboard ( be it synthesizer, digital piano, arranger keyboard ) into a realtime arranger keyboard. Fortunately , it uses psr .sty format which means that it can load psr styles , and vice versa , psr's can load styles created/modified in omb.

Personally I don't have a PSR, I opted to buy a top of the lineYamaha Digital Piano ( CLP170 without arranger functions, but with xg voices) instead of a Tyros. I wanted a piano more than I wanted a keyboard so OMB came to the rescue. I don't use a great variety styles mainly ballads and easy listening type of music, so I've ended up with quite a collection of Simon William's styles. I also enjoy tweaking styles to suit the voices in my piano that's where omb comes in handy. I also have a dgx305. Quite a good instrument for the money, but the style section in it is lacking. I can only load 1 user style at a time, the style only has 2 variations, most only have 1 intro/endingetc. So again omb came to the rescue. When I need portability I midi mylaptop/omb to the dgx. I now have up to 3 intro's/endings, 4 variations etc Again I use the xg voices within the dgx. OMB doesn't come with sounds of it's own, you have to supply your own soundsource, therefore, be aware the styles will most likely require some tweaking.

Okay, so you already own a tyros or a psr3000 etc why would you want to play a software arranger. Actually you wouldn't. Personally I still don't think you can beat playing the real thing , but if you own one of the less expensive keyboards that don't load styles or have limited style functions, then it's worth considering. If I still owned my 9000pro, the reason I'd be buying OMB would be for some of it's other functions. Mainly the Stylemaker section of the program. First up, you can create styles from midifiles. You can step edit existing psr styles without the need for additional software.

You can save & load individual style parts. ie you like the intro from one style and would like to copy it to another. You can do this with any of the parts, intro's endings variations etc Comes in handy if you'd like to use the intro from a midifile, but you're happy to use a psr style for the variations. All you do is use the midi to style function , create your intro, then load it into an existing style.Could actually keep a library of intro's and Endings to use as required.

You can also save & load individual tracks ie drums, bass guitar etc. I've used this function when I've had a "converted style" who's drum track just plain doesn't work ( too much work to try & fix it) ie I find a similar type of psr style ( be it ballad or whatever)) and copy the drum track from it into the converted style. You can virtually mix n match any style tracks ( doesn't even matter if the tracks aren't the same length, omb can fix it) Worth keeping a bit of a library on favourite tracks to use if required.

One great function it does have is track conversion. I use it for drum tracks . I can convert one type of drum to another and change the drum's velocity. ie In a converted style, you may find that a hi hat is drowning out a Bass drum, or a brush swish is so loud you can't hear any other drums, instead of having to edit each drum swish individually, you can do it globally for the style by using the convert function. Just takes a few seconds instead of labouriosly editing every style part. I used to be able to do some of the above in the 9000pro, ( ecxcept for miditostyle, and step editing) but parts and tracks are easier to keep track of in a computer.

Next OMB has a sequencer. You can do a certain amount of editing in it. Certainly not as good as pg pro audio or xg works etc, but it does basic editing and I find it quite handy.

Another good function is the arranger function. Simple as loading in a style ( up to 10 of them), typing/dragging in a chord progression, putting in the style parts. Instant backing track which can be saved as a midifile. You can even record a melody in realtime or steptime (ie drag n drop notes)

Also has a Kareke page & a Song page which I haven't used.

You really do need to have your psr midied to a computer to get the full benefit of hearing style editing changes etc in realtime.

The program can be confusing at first but for me it's been well worth the trouble of learning the functions I require.

best wishes
Rikki

View this thread on the Yamaha-PSR-Styles forum


After watching the posts of Frank Rosenthal and even some of my own, when evaluating my setup, I would say that my pc has truly become a hybrid soft synth / arranger, and probably if I look back it has been going that way for a while.

I use the word hybrid because I still primarily use two hardware pieces as sound modules for acoustic sounds, the Motif ES and occasionally the PA80. I have not gone the Gigasampler / Sampletank route to date, but it may happen in the near future. I do use the Yamaha SYXG-50 xg based soft synth module, but only because the superior syxg100 has no support for windows xp. I also have the Sound Canvas soft synth, and use it on occasion as well.

I use soundfonts as well, but not with my Soundblaster Live card. The SB live does not seem to like the environment in my new PC, at least not with the updated SB XP drivers. It functions with them, but it gets cranky and makes odd sounds at times. I just installed the non SB KX drivers, and how well they work remains to be seen. My Midiman audiophile card works just fine though.

I now use a couple of vst soundfont hosts. The one I like in particular is Crystal. It is a freeware hybrid analog modeling / sample based synthesizer and surely one of the best around. I would certainly pay a good buck for it if it were a commercial product, and indeed hope to donate something back to the developer. Tim Conrardy, who hosts the Atari - midi sites, has done a lot of programming for it ( he is not the developer ). It can use generated analog modeled waves, or sounfont samples, or a combination of the two. It is every bit as sophisticated as my Motif ES with the analog modeling board installed, when it comes to sound design, and in some ways much more. In fact, it is so much easier and quicker to introduce new samples ( ok soundfonts ) into it than it is with the Motif, and so many parameters can be adjusted quickly on the fly. You can do it almost instantly, unlike the architecture of the Motif which is simple enough but requires several steps. Rounding out my soft synth collection is the excellent freeware Superwave 8, which has inspired me to purchase it's even more sophisticated commercial cousin somewhere in the very near future, along with the Arturia Moog and CSv80 softsynths and the Pro 53 and Novation V station. RGC Pentagon, a rather inexpensive soft synth, is also excellent. All of these produce some very good synth sounds that can rival almost any hardware and exceed much of it. My ES and it's analog plug in board can't touch some of these for authentic vintage Synth emulations. The B4 demo ( B3 / C3 emulator ) is awesome, and is next on the list.

As far the arranger part, One Man band does the Yamaha styles in real time. It's interface is easy enough that I feel I could play it in a real time, live situation using a softsynth and good sound module. What is more challenging is matching the right sounds / setups to my sound module, but I am going to edit enough styles so that I can use it as an emergency backup to my PA80, with a laptop and the Motif ES as it's sound module. OF course, I also have the non real time arrangers, XG works sequencer, band in A Box, and Jammer pro 4 and 5. The latter are great for the do it yourselfers, the ones who like to make custom styles. JP version 5 is getting up to speed now, and you can introduce or play midi data in real time, and then insert it into a style part, and alter several note generating parameters to fit the style.

Other looping / step sequencing tools currently in the arsenal include Rythym and Chords pro, a midi rythym guitar emulator that adds nuances that are very difficult to play in real time, and slicy / fill in drummer, which allows for some very good and unique ( if one chooses ) drum parts. The AN150 software editor for my AN150 plug in board also includes a superb step sequencer in it.

I'd still like to see a OMB type program integrated with it's own soft sound
module(s). A program like that could offer a worthy alternative to a hardware arranger. I think it could very well happen. I'd also like to see Steven Kay release a karma emulation software that is compatible with synths other than the Triton and Karma.

With the right laptop and soundcard, I could use a lot of this stuff live. Changing softsynth patches is no harder than changing patches on my board. In fact, changing softsynths from one to another is pretty easy to do in realtime as well. I can't wait to "gig" ( sorry UD ) with a vitual Moog, CS80, and Novation K station. Awesome.... I don't know that I would use OMB as my primary arranger for live work ( the PA80 still wins for ease of use ), but I would use it if I had to as a backup and I think I could do pretty well with it.

AJ


I thought that OMB 6 was a remarkable program. It didn't take long with OMB 8 to realize that the word 'remarkable' needs to be replaced by 'fantastic' or something like it. Your system for purchase and distribution is excellent. I just hope that BMTmicro doesn't keep too much of your well deserved profits ! Thank you, Al Fincher


Great software. I've built my entire electronic music hobby environment around OMB now! Stefan Lindmark


Just want you to Know that I really like OMB, I use it on singles gigs, and also use it to make midi files from yamaha styles and then put them in my sequencer to finish them off. Works great, and the people seem to really enjoy it. Dennis B. Brannon


Omb is the best, now I can create my own styles,arrange the commands the way you want to, read lyrics of songs while you play,and for the fist time you have full control of the arranger {the arranger doesn't control you}.  What else can I ask for?. Thank You Mr. Jos Maas, You are the best.  Juven Maldonado


Jos, the way I use these software based arrangers OMB version 8.0 looks good – works good – and sounds good!!! Keep up the good work. Frank L. Rosenthal


J' apprécie beaucoup ce software je le trouve absolument génial. Carole Pepin


Yesterday I sent my payment for One Man Band, 7.1!! Normally I don't purchase shareware... just try it out and find that it doesn't really do what I need. But OMB is different... it does what even the expensive programs can't do. It makes it extremely easy and intuitive to create accompaniment parts. I'm a songwriter who composes on the guitar. For several years I have been trying-out various music programs and hardware so I can come-up with quick and easy accompaniments for my recordings. None that I tried have really been what I was looking for... they were all compromises at best. Then a couple days ago I tried OMB. Within minutes I had figured out the basic functions of the sequencer. After 30 have used for months. You can tell I am thrilled. This is what accompaniment software should do... make it easy and accurate for a musician to concentrate on all aspects of putting a tune together. I'm using it on a laptop, with all functions input with the laptop's keyboard. For my usage I don't even need an external keyboard, it wouldn't speed things up any more than what's already there.If anyone has any hints, tips and other information on producing accompaniment parts, I would sure appreciate your input.Why have I not heard more about One Man Band? It sure beats the competition who seems to get more publicity. Thanks for a great product. [Philip]


I've been testing out OMB on my laptop, with my CLP170 Clavinova (which doesn't have auto accompaniment, but does have 300 plus XGVoices). I now have a defacto psr keyboard thanks to Jos's OMB software. I originally bought OMB for it's style creation & sequencer functions ( so that I could transform psr styles for my KN7) never dreaming I'd ever bother to use it as an auto arranger. Best $40 I've ever spent. [R.]


I have downloaded the demo and gave it a try, it just keeps getting better and better. I used it with an Ensoniq KT88 full keyboard, what a breeze to be able to used this very good keyboard as an arranger! It was so much fun that I've decided to buy the One Man Band program. [C.V.]


The program is worth getting even just for it's style editing & making facilities alone. Also a great way to create a backing track. [R.]


Since one week I'm testing the Omb 6.0 demo version and I'm absolutely enthusiastic! It's really what I need!! And It's easy and friendly to use too!!! You recived a lot of good reviews and many more compliments for your program and it was well deserved....Please help me to have the full version as soon as possible. It would be almost a torture to wait another week...[V.F.]


I have recently registered my copy of One Man Band v6.0. I find it has really improved with each version - that is why I have now bought your program as I find it now at a level equal to Band in a Box for generating backing sequences (and beyond in some areas). [K.W.]


The best software for styles is your program. It is fantastic, easy to use, works very well (no errors), makes styles from midi files easily, modifies styles, plays styles with "real" multichords and responds instantly. The program is totally customable with many key shortcuts very useful. Multivoice (four voices at a time!) are fantastic and can be programmed, saved and loaded. And besides, you can find thousands of styles on the Web. Better impossible! [R.]


Before shareware programs like One Man Band (OMB) and PSR Style Database became available, I had lots of dormant PSR styles locked up in various ZIP files I had downloaded from everywhere. They would have needed hundreds of floppy disks had I used that stupid floppy slot on my PSR keyboard instead of my PC's hard drive. With these two programs, the style world has suddenly opened up. I have no more fear of being overwhelmed by too many styles, because these programs make it so easy to test and play every conceivable PSR style from every Yamaha PSR model ever made, including the Tyros, without owning one. And the sounds are no different, though I've never heard a Mega Voice so I don't know if it is worth spending an extra two grand for a nicer sounding voice, especially since my musical ear is quite pedestrian anyway. [F.T.]


Wow!  It is so fantastic to be able to play all my styles without having to load three at a time into the user slots of my PSR740!!  To be honest I had found the process of loading styles into the PSR so boring that I rarely bothered using anything other than the built-in styles.  Now I'll be able to try out hundreds of styles to my hearts content!! As an added bonus the program practically converts my old Yamaha SY77 synth, whose key action I much prefer to that of the PSR740, into an arranger keyboard!! I am also surprised at how quickly I have become used to having to use keys to change style variations. [F.H].  


I Believe The Current Features Of OMB Are Far Ahead Of Any Program I've Tried Or Heard About.  [C.J.]  


Let me start by congratulating you because your program [one man band] is the best I ever tried.  The best features of your program are; your program transposes any midi song into a style very well.  you can combine different voices to use for your right hand.  you can control everything from your synth if  you desire. [J.M.]


I've just tried the evaluation version of your realtime arranger "One Man Band" and I like it very much. It is very musical and a very good means for arrangement and pre-production ideas during songwriting. Thanks for writing this tool! [R.T.]  


Thank you for this information Jos, and for giving us this wonderful program! For those of you who always wanted a "hard drive" for your PSR, only the PSR-8000/9000/Tyros can have one!  But with this program you can use your PC as the "hard drive" for your PSR and load styles into your older/smaller PSR directly from the PC via a cable.  We've had some good reports from people doing this. The program is FREE to download and try.  GO FOR IT !!!! [B.G]  


Yes, I also add my thanks to Jos for his hard work on OMB. I think his type of software should eventually replace the arranger keyboards altogether. He is a "futurist"! [T.G.]  


I just registered your OMB V3 and it is GREAT!!!!!Everything I have been looking for and so easy to use!!!I use it Right now for converting midis(GM and XG)to styles and it is so easy to use and works perfectly!!!!It will be so fun to use the other features and now it makes my Laptop computer so useful now that I can load styles using the keyboard.Thank you for your hard work on the program and Happy Holidays to you!! [J.T.]


OneManBand has what I think is the best and most straightforward style editor I've come across. [C.T.]