Softsynth and GM Patch-Names?

Hi :-)

I have a problem in Sonar X1(a):

If I use a softsynth like TTS-1, all GM-Patchnames are gone!
There a no names just 1, 2, 3, 4 etc....

If I delete the Softsynth, all patch-names are back! (for example "Acoustic Piano" etc.)

This happens to most of my softsynths!
(TTS1, NI Bandstand etc.)...

What can I do, to show the correct patchnames?

There are no banks...
If I select the bank-widget there is just "---" (I use NI Bandstand dxi)

yes, there are some banks...

But I want to use Bandstand as my main GM-Synth (because the sound is better than TTS-1)...

How I can edit the patch-names/banks for Bandstand?

christian1979


yes, there are some banks...

But I want to use Bandstand as my main GM-Synth (because the sound is better than TTS-1)...

How I can edit the patch-names/banks for Bandstand?

Instrument definitions is how. Search the manual for further info. You may be able to track some pre-written ones down, try a web search.

Er.......... no not with soft-synths AFAIK - mis-read the post, sorry. 

I'll go back to sleep now..........

oh damn...
This can't be true that patch-Names are not supportet for Softsynths....?

Is there another way to select the patches (not just with the Patch-Number)?

I think this is very "unprofessional" for a software...
Why Cakewalk don't support this, I can't understand... :-(

I'm not too sure but I get banks and patch names in softsynths. They don't need intruments definitions.

Is there a demo of Bandstand available?

Right. And very few of mine did when I last tried Sonar.

In my case it wasn't actually bank/patch names that I was missing the most, but friendly CC names that would tell me what a CC number is used for with a specific synth. And the ability to define note names for instruments that rely on key switches. Both could be easily acchieved using instrument definitions (though, IIRC, using note names forced the PRV to drum mode, that would need to be optional to do the trick)
I especially hated the empty CC pulldown menu for those instruments, where you have to insert the CC number using the qwerty.

It seems so glaring obvious. Instead of waiting for all plugin designers to go your route, offer a solution to help yourself...

mudgel


If patch names are in some softsynths and not others (as far as SONAR goes) then logically it must rely on coding in the plugin not in the host.

now when it comes to hardware SONAR allows ypou not only to use an instrument definition it provides you the editing tools to make an .ins file if one hasn't already been made. Again it would seem that it is the hardware synth that should expose this info to the Software some way.

Am I thinking this through correctly or is there a point I'm missing.

I know where you are driving at.

I've spent several hours on various occasions trying to work with this one it ain't a new discovery.  Sometimes I've even had to set up a synth as a standalone and access it via a virtual midi cable so it becomes in effect an external synth in order to overcome some of the differences inherent in using softsynths as opposed to hardware ones.

I think it maybe due to some synths exposing patch numbers rather than full names (by return) however the ability to impose an instrument definition on a specific synth to select banks and patches is pretty fundamental, I think you can even do it from Band in a Box let alone Sonar, the synth itself doesn't even need to be party to the list of descriptions you've given it providing the option count of patches and banks returned from the synth corresponds to that of the definition when you select the option it is only the patch/bank number the synth is picking up.  That's how it's always worked on any midi capable program I've ever encountered all it entails is a switch to choose between importing the synths generic built-in names or using your pre-defined ones from a definition which is usually most conveniently a plain text file.