Downloaded instrument definitions... now what?

You can't use them in Music Creator.

To access the files you need WinZip or a comparable program. Google it.

edit ----
after mulling around with this one I remembered the following. It was for previously created instrument defs, but I supose it would work with the downloaded ones too. If you have the time ....

From the "Newbie Tutorials and Frequently asked questions" post:

Importing Instrument Definitions
Can I import new instrument defs into music creator pro?
Since no one has replied who has Pro I would assume that when Cakewalk says Music Creator can't import they mean all versions.

If you search the forum, Ish did find a way to get them into MC - it's a lot of work, but if you need it, I supose it is worth it.
http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/fb.asp?m=418860&key=
Importing previous Cakewalk instrument definitions – Ish
There is a way, but its a hack. I ran into this problem after taking the time to create an INS file for my QY100. MC DOES NOT provide the means to import it. Why would Cakewalk take this feature away is beyond me.

If you know the details of how to write an INS file you can do the following.

In the cakewalk MC installation directory there is a file called Master.ins This file hold all the instrument definitions for MC. Make a backup copy of this file (just in case). Open this master.ins with Notepad and open your ins file with Notepad. Cut and paste the sections in the correct places. Save the new master.ins file. The next time you startup MC your definitions should be listed.

. But, how do you switch between the banks?
Try the Upper Menu Instert Bank/Patch Change. You can get more info in the help file.
Has anyone managed to add an instrument to MC? None that I know of.

I can't beleive that Cakewalk decided to remove "Add/Remove Instrument" button that existed for years in old versions of HS and to put us through all this hassle....
Welcome to the stripped down version of Cakewalk.

I've tried everything and I can't get past the first bank. As mentioned above, the difficulty is in getting to the subsequent banks - bank 0, no problem, beyond that ???

Dave - Are you able to switch to different banks in the track pane and then see a new set of patches for your hardware synth?

I was able to setup patches 0-127 in bank 0. I can't seem to sus out what code to use to tell MC that it's looking at bank 1.

Another item I find disconcerting - when I click on the bank# option in the track pane, it's default value is -1 (negative 1). I always thought bank numbering started at 0?