Virtual Instruments simulate real instruments using samples and synths, allowing you to create music without needing physical instruments. With BandLab, you can access over 370 free, professionally designed virtual instruments, such as drums, pianos, synthesizers, guitars, orchestral sounds, and more.
- When creating a new project, select Instruments from the New Track page. If you're working on an existing project, click
Add Track, then select Virtual Instruments.
- Select a virtual instrument on the instrument panel, then play it with your computer keyboard or a connected MIDI device.
- Hit the record button when ready to start recording.
Additional Settings
- Octave -/+ allows you to shift the entire range of playable notes up or down, changing the pitch of the notes played without changing the key assignment.
Sustain lights up when you press your sustain pedal or press the Shift key on your keyboard, indicating that the following notes played will be sustained.
Musical Typing lets you use your computer keyboard as a MIDI keyboard to play virtual instruments.
- Select your MIDI Device by clicking on the
three-dot button and choosing your connected MIDI device from the dropdown list.
- When creating a new project, select Virtual Instruments from the New Track tab. If you're working on an existing project, click
- Select a virtual instrument and start playing with the virtual piano or a connected MIDI device.
- You can switch to a different virtual instrument from the virtual piano screen by tapping on the selected instrument in the upper left corner.
- Hit the record button when ready to start recording.
Most Instruments have fixed parameters. With a BandLab Membership, you gain access to Membership Instruments with customizable parameters. Here's how:
- Add a Virtual Instrument track, and open the instrument list.
- Under the For Members section, select a Membership Instrument.
- Adjust the instrument parameters from the Controls panel beside the virtual keyboard.
- Add a Virtual Instrument track, and open the instrument list.
- Under the For Members section, select a Membership Instrument.
- Adjust the instrument parameters from the Controls panel above the virtual keyboard.
Control Knobs
- Attack: Controls how quickly the sound reaches full volume after a key is pressed. Turning the knob to the left creates a sharp, immediate sound, while turning it to the right makes the sound fade in more gradually.
- Release: Determines how long it takes for the sound to fade out after the key is released. Turning the knob to the left does a quick stop, while turning it to the right makes the sound fade out slowly.
- Tone: Adjusts the brightness or darkness of the sound. Turning it up creates a brighter tone, while turning it down makes a darker tone.
- Glide: Creates smooth pitch transitions from one note to another. A higher glide values create a more pronounced, sliding effect between notes.
Note
You can still add Membership Instruments to your projects for free. You only need a Membership to edit the Controls.
Smart Chord lets you play an entire chord by pressing one note. Experiment by moving the XY pad to change the complexity and the number of notes played in the chord.
- Add a virtual instrument to your project.
- Turn on Smart Chords next to the virtual piano, then set the Key and Scale.
- Play single notes on the virtual piano while moving your mouse pointer around the XY Pad to play various chord variations.
- You can also record while moving the mouse pointer around the XY Pad.
The Arpeggiator plays incoming notes back in a sequence. The rate controls how fast the notes are played, and note length determines each note's duration. Add groove to the sequence with the Swing slider.
- Add a virtual instrument to your project.
- Turn on the Arpeggiator next to the virtual piano.
- Choose your arpeggiator pattern (Up, Down, Up-Down, Down-Up, or Random)
- Set the Rate and Note Length
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