Can't get keyboard sounds in MIDI

Hi there,

I'm hoping to find someone (or several someones!) smarter than I on here. I'm no dummy when it comes to computers - I'ma database programmer... but my sonar producer 4 WILL NOT do, anymore, what I need it to. It used to. But now it doesn't.

I'm running Windoze XP on a Dell 5100 with 1 GIG of RAM. My SC is a SB Audigy 2.

Here's the problem (and I've searched EVERYWHERE I can think of, with every search term I can think of for an answer!)

I have my instrument definitiond for my Yamaha S80 keyboard installed. I can get MIDI in & out, it plays through my computer's speakers, but I cannot get the sounds on the keyboard to register, no matter how I tweak the MIDI settings. It seems to be stuck playing through some sort of internal MIDI list instead. If I try to play sound #0067, (let's call it wobbledy-gook, for the hell of it), I end up with a trumpet. NOT wobbledy-gook. I even have an audio patch cord hooked up to the sound card from the keyboard. Still nothing. It is NOT accessing the panel of keyboard sounds.

Does SysX have something to do with this? If so, HOW DO I SET IT UP when I can't find the proper hex info online for the S80? I never had to do that before and it used to work, but I've switched computers since then and haven't messed with this program in two years.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind that although I'm not a computer dingaling, I'm not as familiar with this particular program as some of you, so layperson's explanations would be most helpful.

Thanks!

Autumn

Yes, I'm offered ALL of the S80 banks. But the actual SOUND that comes out, regardless of the setting, is that of a completely different instrument (and sounds like a poor grade MIDI softsynth)

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, the Yamaha is setup under Options -> Instruments. Is this what you meant, John?

I can hear sound when I press keyboard keys or playback a MIDI file. However, the sound that I hear is NOT the voice of the patch that I am choosing in the bank pulldown menu in within the MIDI track. I hope I'm making sense here.

I know that MIDI does not contain any audio, per se. But why install instrument definitions at all if you can't force a particular patch voice to come through your speakers, thereby allowing you to hear it WHEN IN MIDI and while writing a MIDI track? I'm really confused.

Let me try that... I'll get back to you on that.

I can tell that I'm not getting the CORRECT sounds. I've played this keyboard for so long, that I know what particular voices (patches) sound like and it is NOT what is being played through the computer's speakers. In other words, for instance, if I want a trumpet, I'm getting a violin! *grin*

I think I may be having problems discerning which MIDI in/out devices to use, for one thing. I have several choices and nothing I do seems to produce the desired effect. I've played around with them, but I'm actually pretty clueless as to which ones I should be setting.

I have the Yamaha hooked up to the computer via a MIDI/usb cable. In Options ->MIDI devices I have the following options:

Inputs:
SB Audigy 2 I/O [c880]
USB Audio Device

Outputs:
SB Audigy 2 I/O [c880]
SB Audigy Synth A [c880]
SB Audigy Synth B [c880]
USB Audio Device
Microsoft MISI Mapper

I'm confused about which of these I should have selected and which ones I should "arm" in the MIDI in and out of a particular MIDI track. Which ones do WHAT? Is the "USB Audio Device" my MIDI/USB cable? Why doesn't it produce any MIDI at all if I default to it? If it is that cable, the "audio" is a little confusing, since I'm dealing with, technically, MIDI and not audio. *grin again*

For the MIDI the USB Audio Device for both in and out. You may have used the MIDI Mapper and that will give you the MS synth. That is why it sounded bad.

I am reluctant to say this because so far you have not made a complaint about latency but you should use ASIO or WDM as your Audio driver. MME is a very old driver protocol that has severe limitations.

In the MIDI instruments options be sure that the Yamaha is using USB Audio device for in and out.

"you should use ASIO or WDM as your Audio driver"

Please advise where to change this. I know I've seen it, but can't remember where to access it?

NOTE: Went to Options, audio, advanced, confirmed that WDM/KS is selected.

We are getting to the right place. For the Yamaha you need to set it up in multi timbral mode. This will allow it to play back separate patches at the same time. It seems to be in patch mode which will only play back from either a single channel or only one patch at a time. The name of the mode may be something else. I know on Roland gear its Performance mode for multi timbral playback.

So you understand you shouldn't hear anything through the computer as of now because you don't have an audio track set to record the Yamaha audio output. So don't worry about that now.

NOTE: Went to Options, audio, advanced, confirmed that WDM/KS is selected.

Cool! Thats good news.

On page 164 of the S80 Manual it talks about Performance Mode and it will do as I say it should. If you don't have the manual you can get it Here.

You may be in XG mode for the patch banks. Yamaha is the creator and sole user of the XG MIDI extension to General MIDI. It can use drums on any channel as part of its protocol.

I think you need to setup the S80 for use with Sonar as a multi timbral synth.

I use Roland gear and they have a little different way of doing things. But the ideas are the same.

John,

I think I've FINALLY got it.

I'm going to post the solution here for those who might be in the same pickle I was.

I remember this! On the s80, you have to hit the PERFORM button, then EDIT. On MIX EVce, you'll see, on the left, PART01, PART02, etc. You have to set PART 01 to the voice you want on MIDI Channel01, and so on for channel 02, etc. Once you get them set up, theoretically, you CAN change them within SONAR in the MIDI track itself, but you have to make sure you''ve clicked on the proper track number or it'll screw it all up. *grin*

John, you're amazing. THANK YOU. I appreciate your generous assistance and the fact that you didn't make me feel like more of a dingaling than I already did. :D

Now... one last question. (I hope...) How in the hell do I get this thing to play through the computer speakers? *grin* It's coming out of my big fatty amp, which the keyboard is plugged directly into, but I want to be able to monitor what's going to be recorded on the audio track when I finally dub the MIDI to audio for final output... I'm getting a flatline on my audio track.

Gigantic hugs to you and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! :D

AGH. Now I'm getting a bleed over from one voice to another. I don't know quite how to explain this.

When I start the track, and I'm on track one, with the piano sound, it's MIXED with drum sounds.

When I add a new track, say, a guitar, it's mixed with another sound. It's as if my poly is over polying. LOL

I'll give a little more detail here, in case it helps. I start the track with both the drums and piano playing. I can hear that something's wrong. I mute the drum track, and can hear that the piano keys that are being played are ALSO playing the drum voices. I stop the track. Then I unmute the drum track and press play in the middle of the song. Now the PIANO sounds are playing on the drum track at the DRUM'S beat.

What in the heck?!?!?!

Any ideas?

That's the crazy thing. I AM! I've got the drums on CH 10, the piano on CH 1, the guitar on 2. It doesn't seem to care. I'm going bald, pulling my hair out. I don't think bald will be a good look for me. Have you ever seen anything like this?

John,

After reading the attached page from the manual (I haven't been able to locate my s80 manual since three moves ago and REALLY appreciate you locating that!), I have it NAILED! :D

Apparently, what was happening was that the "layer" function was set to "on" within the Part setting. I think I've got the whole thing working flawlessly now. I cannot thank you enough! You're my hero, and you've saved what's left of my hair! :)

John, I don't know if you'll get this, but I'm going insane and you were so helpful last time... :D I set up my different tracks with different voices in Sonar. However, ALL of the tracks are playing the voice of the track I LAST chose. Does that make any sense? HELP!?!!?!?!