[Replied] Importing MIDI and assigning synths

[hazmat06]

I would like to import a MIDI file and then use the inbuilt virtual synths for the sound output each track. When I drag and drop the MIDI track on to a synth track, the rhythm seems to be out of time and incoherent but it plays fine on media player albeit sounding acoustically terrible. To my knowledge I am not able to change a MIDI track directly to a synth track so what is the best way of going about this?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[76561198099638397]

You'll want to open the MIDI file directly through Music Creator, then insert the desired synth(s) and change the track outputs to route through the synth(s). If you have not done so already, you'll want to check out the tutorial on playing and recording software instruments in Help | Getting Started.

[hazmat06]

Thanks for the response. I have done this with Cakewalk TTS - now want to do this with other synths... I cannot see in the tutorial you mention where it describes changing track outputs to route through the synths. I'm guessing I need to "Enable MIDI output" on the "Insert Soft Synth Options" but is there anything else I need to do? Does an actual track need to be added to the track browser or can it be routed if the synth has been added to the "browser" area

[hazmat06]

I have also found this one which is called "Converting or Recording MIDI to Audio" http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2007013079 i'll read this again

[bigcat]

If the synth is only go to be used for 1 midi track, sometimes I'll just create the synth track, copy and paste the midi file into it, then delete the midi track as you now have only 1 track instead of 2 in the DAW. This can be nice with projects with tons of midi tracks.
Of course if several midis are going to play in the synth it is better to point the outputs of those tracks to the midi. If you mess with Sampletank or another synth that can take many midi inputs, you can just point all the midis in the project to the right midi inputs in that one synth.

[76561198099638397]

You can change any track's output by selecting it, which makes it display in the Inspector on the left, and at the bottom there's an IN/OUT section where you can change the routing. Depending on the synth you are using, it may be multitimbral (capable of producing multiple voices) or not. The Cakewalk TTS-1 synth can generate sounds from 16 different MIDI Channels simultaneously. The Cakewalk Sound Center however only loads one sound at a time.

[bigcat]

Thanks for de-confusing me somewhat. Can you tell the midi track not to set the volume on the soft synth? The midi track keeps turning the volume down almost to zero on the piano I'm trying to use in kontakt and its driving me nuts.

[hazmat06]

Hi Jon and Joe, thanks for the helpful advice - I have a much better handle on it now!

[76561198099638397]

joestevenus, with any soft synth the information/controls for the MIDI track are going to impact the sound getting played. If your Kontakt player keeps having the volume reset on that track, it sounds like its responding to either the overall track volume control, or to a MIDI CC message. If you highlight that track, you can go to Views | Event List, and see everything going on there. Tapping the "v" key here brings up the Event Manager, and if you deselect the box for notes, it'll leave only the controller information displayed. You can then delete this if desired.

[bigcat]

Thanks for the info. I'll take a look at the event list.