MIDI Sounds

This is just a guess, but have you tried turning off the snap to settings? It looks like a grid above the view you're looking at. If it's blue, it's on. If it's set to a particular note resolution, it may stop that note before you stop playing the keys. Right-click the grid to change it's settings. I've never had to adjust it while recording MIDI, though; it always records what I play, regardless of the snap to setting. Also make sure that your controller has it's touch sensitivity on, so the dynamics of your playing are reflected in the MIDI events that are recorded.

I might have misunderstood your problem; you're not playing the keyboard while recording, you're using the controller to enter notes in the staff, right? If that's the case, I think turning off the snap to grid will enable you to enter notes of any resolution in the staff.
You can also edit the start/stop times of the notes by right-clicking the notes, but that could be a huge task, depending on how many notes you have in the song.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=piano+lessons&search_type=&aq=f
and
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=piano+techniques&search_type=&aq=f

That's kinda strange. It should record the MIDI data as you play it.
So if you record a single note and hold that note for several measures, it will only record a whole note in MC, regardless of how long you want the note to play? Just trying to understand your problem.
Does it do it only when you have the staff view open, or does it happen in PRV or the track view, also?
It may be a setting on the controller, I don't think MC would do this.
Do you have the manual?

Annette there is the quantize function which I've been trying to use, but with little success. It's supposed to tighten up the note timings, durations etc. You can decide what length of note you want to quantize to (quarter, eighth, sixteenth etc), select the MIDI track and then PROCESS\QUANTIZE.

See if anyone else here mentions quantizing, they will probably know more about it than me (that's easy as I know nothing about it really lol)

Maybe I'll do a few clips to show what I mean. It could just be me....not surprising.

In all honesty, I don't really know how to use the controller other than getting it to play through MC/TTS. I was saving that until I really got a handle on the mixing and deciding which functions would be best controlled through it.

Also, while I'm in the mood for confessing, I really haven't used piano roll view that much and I never used staff view. I recorded this in real time in track view. Maybe that makes a difference. I'm hoping I don't have to go in and adjust each note.

I'll go do that recording now......

Thanks.

Annette, it sounds to me like it's playing what you're playing.

For the violin: those notes need to almost overlap just a tiny bit and it's extremely hard to play them that way. For instance you're playing two of the same notes consecutively, so there's a pause between them--there has to be, because you have to lift your finger to play the note again. If you want it to sound like a violin, though, you'll only want a very tiny space between those notes. I play what I want on the piano, then I have to edit them in PRV--try it for fun--it's not really hard. You made need to change the snap to grid settings to get them to move in smaller increments. The violin on TTS-1 probably isn't gonna sound as nice as you'd like it. I wasn't happy with my strings until I upgraded to SHS6XL and got DimLE with it, which includes some great-sounding orchestra sounds. Well, great enough for my ears and my budget!

The organ would be the same thing--it's not really played like a piano. You can't use the pedal, but the notes have to sort of blend into the next ones. I also use the piano to play the organ sounds, but usually have to edit them too, in PRV, so there are no spaces between the notes. I realize a real organist would know more about it, but I'm doing all I can with the little knowledge I have of organs. I personally find them boring to play, which I one reason I never learned, but I know a few organists who make it look and sound fun!

And I echo what Steve said--don't get down on yourself cause you can't get your head around this stuff quickly. There's a LOT to learn here. I'm only a few months ahead of you, and I was asking most of the same things you're asking now. And yes, it DOES get to the point where it becomes easy, but for me, it's been after hours and hours and months and months of working at it. And without this forum I would have quit before I did a song! Hang in there!

I have to agree Annette, that TTS-1 violin is probably the worst violin patch I've ever heard. Some of their other string patches are ok, but that one's just bad. If you get SHS7XL, it comes with Studio Instruments, which has a killer string section.
Even at that though, the particular bit that you are playing would be unusual for a violin, and would probably sound choppy on a real one.
Arpeggios, and long gliding notes are where strings shine.
The organ sounds like what you might expect from an organ. A sound like this would benefit from some reverb, and that would make it more satifying to play.
The atmoshere patch is the best here mostly because of the percussive nature of the piano. It fits what you are playing.
This kind of plays into technique. Play intruments that are appropriate to what you are doing. And imagine yourself playing that instrument.
(Sound familliar, Janet?) When you are playing a volin patch, imagine you have a bow in your hand.
If you are playing a sax, imagine you are fingering the keys. In your head, play the "instrument".
The TTS-1 patches don't seem terribly responsive to ADSR, but many other synths are, and Greg is on the money. These setting can be the difference between a good patch sound ok, or a good patch sounding great. In your quest for sounds, you will find some that sound, and behave, better than what you have with TTS-1.
There's no secret to it really. Just experiment, and work on getting into the right mindset. The technique will come.

Part of it is the technique...and improving that comes from playing and maybe taking a few lessons.

you have to almost join the notes into one long series of notes with some instruments.... listen to a real fiddle/violin player and you will hear what I mean. ..... especially violin/strings tend to go from one note right into the next. playing with one finger ...this is near impossible.... you need to use more than one finger to accomplish this technique successfully. it takes practice, and the proper mindset.

I play the organ using the expression /sustain pedal.... you have to be careful not to hit and sustain dissonant notes....again...practice.

I agree that TTS voices.... especially certain ones, are less than authentic sounding.....using an authentic patch or font will give more realism to the instrument sound and actually make it easier to play. there are lots of free fonts that will emulate strings better than TTS.

As Robert said... when playing a violin patch on a keyboard...your mind must be playing a violin that is tucked under your chin.

Thanks Guitarhacker... I will work on it. I had contemplated taking piano lessons since I dropped the guitar lessons.

Thanks Steve for the great tip. I figured there would be something better there. TTS is not bad, but there are a few sounds that just don't cut it. I'm anxious now to get SHS 7XL because I've heard nothing but good about Dimension and Garriton Orchestra and now Proteus. I am having a small glitch again with either Proteus or myself, but I hope to iron it out soon and I will check out those presets.

And that's why I don't get involved with soft synths until all my plunkin' is done. But you have to use a soft synth, Annette, since you're using a controller.
You can use a less-complicated synth while writing the song, and decide on the final synth/sound later. Don't let these glitches get in the way of making music.
If you just want to experiment with the Proteus, you can close MC and open PVX in the stand-alone version and listen to the sounds and make notes of your favorites, and work on getting it into MC at a later date.

ORIGINAL: 57Gregy
Don't let these glitches get in the way of making music.

LOL...I kind of cheated or took the easy way out (for now) I couldn't come up with a guitar part or sounds that I could use as a fill in, so I wrote a bridge. I'm not sure the bridge will work either, so I may have to come back to this. Either way, I will keep trying. It is just going to take forever for me to get this song done.

Nutty...greg has good advice here...

You can use a less-complicated synth while writing the song, and decide on the final synth/sound later. Don't let these glitches get in the way of making music.

when you start a project..insert TTS and use it to do all the patches to get the tune recorded....

Then, after all the tracking is done, save a bundle of it in a remote drive, and start inserting the different synths and patches that will make the tracks sound better than the TTS patches.... I still do this from time to time, and it eases alot of the frustration in working with synths that I'm not real familiar with.