Jamstix...

http://www.rayzoon.com/

With jamstix, I can put chords, say from a piano, in the timeline in X3 and jamstix will follow that?

Or is it like BiaB and it has a place to input chords in it's own timeline?

Grem
With jamstix, I can put chords, say from a piano, in the timeline in X3 and jamstix will follow that?

Or is it like BiaB and it has a place to input chords in it's own timeline?

Grem, you can drag any midi that you have into the timeline on a MIDI instrument track
and whatever instrument you have there will follow the MIDI...

I use EZKeys to compose my song MIDI..then switch to my preferred Piano VSTi....

It's also useful for experimentation....

Seem to be confusing EZ Keys with Jamstix.  jamstix is drums / percussion only.
 
You do not use midi chords in Jamstix (like EZ Keys), you use midi grooves  (you can use canned ones, or write your own with a keys or pads).  In Jamstix there is an import midi groove function.
 
Maybe I am missing something ?

Auto, the VSTi will still follow the MIDI....no confusion...

It may not get "all" the info but it WILL play whatever MIDI you put in the track...

What he's asking is...if he put the PIANO midi on the Track with Jamstix
will Jamstix "play" the MIDI...yes it will....it may sound like crap, but it WILL play it.

Grem, the VSTi  will NOT "follow" as if it was playing along with the music...it will only play the MIDI
that is inserted...just to be clear. 

You can put ANY Midi from one instrument on another...it's MIDI data...so the VSTi will play it...
howbeit maybe not very well and it may sound like crap...

Yup...midi is midi and chords or midi grooves can trigger a drum vtsi, it does not care.
 
(midi grooves triggering synths make some neat noises, and so do arp patterns make cool drum patterns..never triggered a drum synth with chords, but why not !)
 
What Jamstix does is you can take 4 bars of a real simple groove you like, import it and construct an entire song (fills, bridge, vamp, chorus, breakdown, etc.) 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrcn2d4PPe4
 
 

Alright, I got my answer to my (I now know) unclear question. :)

Next question, what version would suit me best. IOW, would the $99 version give me this ability to create a song from a rudimentary beat I give it, or would I need the $249 version? Or one in between?

Grem
Alright, I got my answer to my (I now know) unclear question. :)

Next question, what version would suit me best. IOW, would the $99 version give me this ability to create a song from a rudimentary beat I give it, or would I need the $249 version? Or one in between?

I believe the price differences are about "what kits" are included but I could be wrong...

$99 basic
$128 = more kits, and so forth...each including what the one before has and whatever else is listed
           next...

Correct - for the most part I use the stock kits in Jamstix for scratch and composing.  They are not that great in terms of sound quality but they are still very useable.  The Jamstix percussion is the first add-on i would purchase.  After that the different AI drummers are a good investment.  I would not spend a lot of money on the kits if you already have external drum synths like AD or EZ etc.
 
Later in the song production cycle I will pick a kit from AD, EZ, Battery, BFD or SD kit and use Jamstix to trigger it.

Thanks for the answers. They were very helpful.

I am going to hold off for now. I just got through with a few purchases and just really stepping back to see which way I want to go.

I want jamstix. Read a lit of good things about it. But I also want to try two demos to see what my next purchase will be.

jamstix and that midi guitar software. The one that converts regular guitar to midi. That's the next things on the list.

Which ever one I like best I'll go with.

@Larry: Does jamstix ever go on sale and how often?