I can hear the notes fine when I am clicking real-time on the piano keys in the piano roll. It’s only an issue when I try to play back MIDI data that exists in one or more tracks.
I’m still guessing here, but this is consistent with the problem I suspect (n-Track and the synth trying to use the same D/A channel). When you click the notes in the piano roll they would play just fine because n-Track isn’t playing back audio at that moment and so isn’t using the soundcard output. It’s just sending MIDI notes to the soundfont synth, which in turn sends them out the D/A converter. This is why I suggested trying to use the syntesizer outside of n-Track to see if you can still play back audio from n-Track through the Creative card in that case. If you can, I’m wrong and you’re back at sq.1 once again
I can hear the notes fine when I am clicking real-time on the piano keys in the piano roll. It's only an issue when I try to play back MIDI data that exists in one or more tracks.
I'm still guessing here, but this is consistent with the problem I suspect (n-Track and the synth trying to use the same D/A channel). When you click the notes in the piano roll they would play just fine because n-Track isn't playing back audio at that moment and so isn't using the soundcard output. It's just sending MIDI notes to the soundfont synth, which in turn sends them out the D/A converter. This is why I suggested trying to use the syntesizer outside of n-Track to see if you can still play back audio from n-Track through the Creative card in that case. If you can, I'm wrong and you're back at sq.1 once again I will try that as soon as I get home this evening and report back later tonight. Thanks.
Some things to try: - Play a MIDI-file with Media Player through the Creative Synth. - Start n-Track while the file is playing. Do you get an error message saying n-Track couldn’t open an output device? - If you didn’t get an error message, try playing a wav file with n-Track (through the Creative Soundcard) while the MIDI-file is still playing in Media player. What happens? - Do you have some on-board audio on your system? If so, try selecting this interface in the n-Track Audio devices dialog (and de-select the Creative card). Try playing back your project now (Media Player is closed again). Does this work?
- Played MIDI file in WMP. - Opened nTrack–no error message - Played song with WAV files in nTrack with MIDI file still playing in WMP–no problem–both play - I have onboard audio, but could test because there are no cables connecting it to my speakers and access to the back of the PC is difficult right now
However…
As I was playing around with different things, I made a discovery. If I have a note event in the very first column on the piano roll (which shows as 1:01:000 in the event list), when I play back the MIDI track, I can hear that note play with a long sustain. I don’t hear any other note in the track, but I always hear anything that’s at time marker 1:01:000. If there is nothing at that time marker and the notes don’t start until later, then I don’t hear anything. I verfied this by adding a note at 1:01:000 to one of the MIDI tracks of the layla.mid that I’ve been trying to work with, and I can hear the first note but nothing after it.
In a second attempt to verify this, I created to test MIDI tracks. Below you can see the event lists for my two tests:
In the track above, I hear the first note (with a long sustain) when I play it, and nothing after that.
In this one, I hear nothing at all when I play it.
I don’t know what this means, but I hope it provides some clues. Also, I have included shots of my MIDI preferences settings:
The very first note in the track can play because an event gets sent after it that is causing audible sound to stop or is otherwise killing playback. A patch change to a instrument that has no sound associated with it can kill the sound. There’s no way to know what’s doing it from the info given.
What other events are you seeing in the MIDI tracks?
I say step back from the Creative USB SoundFont Synth and use the Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth until you figure out why the meters aren’t moving in the MIDI tracks. Use the Crystal even. Work on one problem at a time. The meters not moving is problem one. Even if you hear nothing that has to be fixed.
The very first note in the track can play because an event gets sent after it that is causing audible sound to stop or is otherwise killing playback. A patch change to a instrument that has no sound associated with it can kill the sound. There's no way to know what's doing it from the info given.
What other events are you seeing in the MIDI tracks?
I say step back from the Creative USB SoundFont Synth and use the Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth until you figure out why the meters aren't moving in the MIDI tracks. Use the Crystal even. Work on one problem at a time. The meters not moving is problem one. Even if you hear nothing that has to be fixed.
Phoo, I'm trying to understand why you recommend switching devices to the Crystal or the Microsoft. Maybe I said something earlier that was misleading, but the truth is that I have tried all these, and the results are exactly the same as described above.
Phoo, I’m trying to understand why you recommend switching devices to the Crystal or the Microsoft. Maybe I said something earlier that was misleading, but the truth is that I have tried all these, and the results are exactly the same as described above.
Because you said the meters aren’t showing anything. They too will be silent since nothing it playing…just as you already stated.
To clarify, I mean the Crystal FM Synth, not the MPU-401.
When using the Creative USB SoundFont Synth, it is first of all a USB device. Second it’s a SoundFont Synth. USB device historically have more problems than PCI devices. Being a SoundFont Synth implies that it needs a soundfont to be heard, even if it has one loaded already by default I know nothing about that device and can’t speculate too much about it. I’ve got both an Audigy 2 and an Audigy USB on my machine at work and neither have a MIDI device named Creative USB SoundFont Synth. I’m in the dark about that particular Creative sound device.
My suggestion is nothing more than an effort to get rid of OTHER potential reasons you may not hearing anything. I suggested those two devices because they are available on our machine and I know they need no special events to make sound – no patch changes and you get SOMETHING. They will on the other hand be susceptible to unexplained MIDI events, like patch changes out of the GM range and volume curves that bring the sound down. No meters implies no notes. The will be silent if the note events aren’t being played.
Do those MIDI meters work during playback yet? If not don’t even think about worrying about what device you have selected. Nothing about selecting the device has anything to do with the tracks muting - notes or events playing. When there is no MIDI track meter movement there will be no sound.
Now that I have the MIDI file and it seems fine why don’t you save off the sng file and upload it? We can then open that up and see what happens. Opening up the song may pick up any other stuff that that could be muting playback.
Here’s something else to do for us. Import that MIDI file - see that it won’t play - export it as a new MIDI file as-is and post it so we can try that one.
Do those MIDI meters work during playback yet? If not don’t even think about worrying about what device you have selected. Nothing about selecting the device has anything to do with the tracks muting - notes or events playing. When there is no MIDI track meter movement there will be no sound.
No, they don’t. I get the same results with all devices. They play the file fine in WMP, but in nTrack, I get the same “first note only” behavior I described above.
It’s late now, but tomorrow I will upload a SNG file and a MIDI exported from nTrack.
Now that I have the MIDI file and it seems fine why don’t you save off the sng file and upload it? We can then open that up and see what happens. Opening up the song may pick up any other stuff that that could be muting playback.
Here’s something else to do for us. Import that MIDI file - see that it won’t play - export it as a new MIDI file as-is and post it so we can try that one.
Here is the SNG file I saved after importing the MIDI file and here is the MIDI file I exported.
