Can’t play MID file w/o sfz or sfplay
I’ve been trying to learn about how to make MIDI work with nTrack for a while now and have slowly been getting around to reading posts in this forum and general MIDI info on the internet.
This morning, I was finally able to play a MIDI file I downloaded from the internet via sfz and sfplay. Now the odd thing is that I cannot play the file WITHOUT adding a new instrument channel and playing through sfz or sfplay. If I just open or import the MIDI file without having added any instrument channels, I get no sound. All the tracks are set to output to my SoundBlaster MIDI Synth which is the selected device in my “MIDI Devices” settings, but there is no sound and the track VU meters show no activity.
Any ideas? Thanks.
I think you HAVE to add the instrument channel. If you don’t you have nothing to play the midi file with. Like having a CD but no CD player. Be sure to point the new synth channel to your soundcard.
| Quote (g8torcliff @ Dec. 05 2005,13:54) |
| I think you HAVE to add the instrument channel. If you don’t you have nothing to play the midi file with. Like having a CD but no CD player. Be sure to point the new synth channel to your soundcard. |
If that’s true, then I guess everything’s fine. I assumed that you only needed a plugin like sfz or sfplay if you wanted a software solution for loading custom soundfonts. I thought that you should just be able to have your MIDI tracks output directly to the selected MIDI device if you wanted to just use the default MIDI sounds from the sound card.
Hey, I could be wrong…I’m somewhat of a newbie with MIDI myself.
Check this out: AudioMinds You don’t need to render it like this shows at the end and import the wav file… but it shows how to load and out put MIDI to sfz.
| Quote (Bubbagump @ Dec. 05 2005,16:47) |
| Check this out: AudioMinds You don't need to render it like this shows at the end and import the wav file... but it shows how to load and out put MIDI to sfz. |
Those are the instructions that I followed to begin with. What I am puzzled about is that I can't use MIDI in nTrack WITHOUT a plugin such as sfz or sfplay. I would have thought that I should be able to just output straight to my selected MIDI device without the use of a plugin if I didn't care about using an alternative soundfont.
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| All the tracks are set to output to my SoundBlaster MIDI Synth which is the selected device in my “MIDI Devices” settings, but there is no sound and the track VU meters show no activity. |
I don’t uderstand what’s going on. If the track VU meters in the MIDI tracks aren’t moving then there will be no sound from the MIDI tracks because they aren’t playing anything. The meters in MIDI tracks work off of the velocities of the MIDI notes and MIDI volume and pan events (maybe other events), but not wave data.
The other thing is that the “SoundBlaster MIDI Synth” is the hardware synth on an SB. If you are indeed playing a MIDI track to that synth and there are audible events you’ll hear them. Since the meters aren’t working you won’t.
Selecting a different MIDI destination will not cause MIDI tracks to play or not play. You need to see why the meters move when going to VSTi and not the SoundBlaster MIDI Synth.
Part ten (or whatever number) of this is that the SoundBlaster has a MIDI out that is not the on board synth. It feeds the external MIDI port. When there is no external MIDI module out there there won’t be any sound. And the MIDI track meters will be moving.
Phoo, everything you’ve said makes perfect sense, and that’s why I’m confused also…
There is no hardware MIDI port. My device is a SoundBlaster MP3+ USD audio device that has line in, line out, mic, headphones, and SPDIF connections–nothing else (except for the USB cable connecting it to the PC).
Here’s what is happening…
- I go into Preferences > MIDI Settings and click on the MIDI Devices buttion.
- Then I select “SoundBlaster MIDI Synth” (or whatever it’s called).
- Then I save the settings.
-Then I open (or import) a MIDI file (I’ve tried three different files with the same results).
- At this point, all tracks are have their output going to “SoundBlaster MIDI Synth.”
- I click the “Play” button.
- The vertical line that moves across the timeline while a file is playing begins to move.
- When it hits the spot where you can see MIDI data in the tracks, nothing happens. The line keeps moving, but there is no sound and the VU meters on the tracks don’t move.
- While the file is still playing, I go to Add Channel > Add New Instrument Channel > sfz (or sfplay–I get the same results with either one)
- The plugin window appears, and, after a few seconds, without me having to load a soundfont or change any settings in the plugin, the VU meters on the tracks kick in and I hear the file playing.
- When I look back at the track properties, their output is still set to “SoundBlaster MIDI Synth” but the fact that I created the new instrument channel has somehow made them play.
- If I go back and remove the instrument channel, it goes back to not playing.
One other detail… this happens regardless of what MIDI device I select in my nTrack preferences. Same thing happens with “MIDI Mapper” or "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth."
Please tell me I’m not alone in finding this behavior strange!
Sounds like a rogue volume event to me… have you looked over the event list carefully?
I’m with Bubba. What events are in the event list? Are the MIDI files posted anywhere?
If you can post a MIDI file, one of us can take alook at it and tell you in about 2 minutes if it is a problem with a MIDI event. Better yet, post a sng file with only MIDI data in it.
| Quote (Bubbagump @ Dec. 06 2005,08:13) |
| If you can post a MIDI file, one of us can take alook at it and tell you in about 2 minutes if it is a problem with a MIDI event. Better yet, post a sng file with only MIDI data in it. |
OK. I'm at work right now, and it's on my home PC. I'll try to post something tonight (if I can figure out how to do it).
Thanks.
Eyup!
Um, just covering all possibilities here, but you do have a soundfont loaded into your soundblaster yes?
Steve
| Quote (Beefy Steve @ Dec. 06 2005,10:04) |
| Eyup! Um, just covering all possibilities here, but you do have a soundfont loaded into your soundblaster yes? Steve |
When I installed the sortware for it, it said something about soundfonts, but it doesn't have the AudioHQ app that I see in all the "how to load sondfounts into you SoundBlaster" instructions I've seen on the internet.
I don't know whether or not it makes a difference, but I can double-click in Windows Explorer the same .mid files that I've been talking about, and the open in Windows Media Player and play just fine and I have the same MIDI device selected in my Windows Control Panel as I do in nTrack.
Sorry. Didn’t have time to do anything other than upload the .mid file. Here’s a link:
http://ddecjc.f2o.org/ntrack/layla.mid
The MIDI file seems fine. I can’t get it to not play the way I think it should. There are no odd events. Each track has a program change, volume, and pan at the beginning, and a few normal controllers that won’t mess up anything. That’s not too helpful except to rul out the MIDI file being the problem.
OK. Thanks for checking that out. I guess I’m back at square one now. 
| Quote (g8torcliff @ Dec. 05 2005,13:54) |
| I think you HAVE to add the instrument channel. If you don’t you have nothing to play the midi file with. Like having a CD but no CD player. |
Am I wrong or am I misunderstanding? I thought you had to add the instrument in order to have the Synth mixer channel with your softsynth (sfz, vsc, etc.) which then responds to the MIDI.
I don’t have the SB card in question–just an onboard Realtec-- so my setup is probably totally different.
If I’m confusing things tell me and I’ll disappear…
cliff
| Quote (g8torcliff @ Dec. 07 2005,06:40) |
| Am I wrong or am I misunderstanding? I thought you had to add the instrument in order to have the Synth mixer channel with your softsynth (sfz, vsc, etc.) which then responds to the MIDI. |
I guess that’s the real question… Do you have to add an instrument channel with an sfz- or sfplay-style plugin to play MIDI in nTrack?
I understand that this is necessary if I want to have a software solution for using soundfonts. The issue is whether or not you can play MIDI without adding instrument channels if I don’t care about using sounds other than what’s already in my sound card. In my case, I am currently unable to do that.