Music Creator 6 newbie! Please answer questions.

Missed 3. That is an option in the PRV View menu.
Also 9 can be recorded directly from your controller. I was describing how to add them after recording.

Got it. Thanks again! :) I think this should do it for now...

Yes, it is there. You can draw controller data either in the automation lanes in the Track view or in the Controller or Note Panes in the PRV. The videos show you how.

Thanks! Valuable input regarding the difference between the synths. :) However, I have further questions pertaining to MC6 and sound cards.
 
I'm currently using onboard audio ("Microsoft Wavetable Synth"), but I'm pondering the potential need for a sound card. The only snag I hit since I started this was notes being dropped in playback. This was resolved by increasing the buffer. Therefore...
1) Would increasing the buffer have been necessary if I had a sound card?
2) My motherboard's only two years old. Is onboard audio sufficient for building projects in MC6? What specific advantages would using a sound card offer?
3) Would the synth sounds change when a new sound card is used? Or do they not because they're strictly software synths built in to the software?
 
By the way, I have found the Cakewalk TTS synth to be rather remarkable. Between the onboard audio synth (Microsoft Wavetable), the TTS synth and SoundCenter, that's three whole libraries of instruments (and 20+ MC6 drum kits) at my disposal! I love it.
 
That being said, since this software has been working so well for me and the synth sounds are incredible, the only justification to buying a sound card is for General MIDI provided by the onboard audio. If necessary, I'm looking at either the Sound Blaster Audigy ($30) or Sound Blaster Z ($120)...the only two choices available at my local Best Buy. (Do you think the Audigy would be a downgrade from my motherboard audio?)
 
So those are my questions...sorry for the ramble.

Thanks for the information! :)
 
I did neglect to mention that the basis of my MIDI compositions is entirely internal, without the use of external keyboards or equipment. I basically do sequencer work with the using my sound card (or whatever audio device is intact).
 
There is a chance I may use WAV/MP3 audio, but not as of yet.

If you ever want to make a CD of your work, or an MP3 to email to friends, family or a movie producer, you'll find that the MS GS Wavetable synth is hard to render to audio. Not impossible, but more difficult than when using a software synthesizer which is already audioized.
The wavetable synth is a good tool to use for learning how to use MIDI, but the sounds are not very realistic, especially when compared to almost any modern soft synth.
We usually steer folks away from buying any Sound Blaster audio interface since they are not designed for recording and playback of the large amounts of audio data that are in many recordings, especially when recording while monitoring those multiple tracks.

Did you guys say that SoundCenter synth tracks must be separate tracks, but TTS tracks can be one instance of the synth as long as they point to the same channel?
 
In the song I created today, I have two SoundCenter tracks and an SI Drum Kit track. The SoundCenter track is a simple bass guitar riff on notes snapped to the grid. However, I could swear the placement and duration of the notes (all identical) aren't in sync with the drum played in the song. What could be wrong?
 
Could it be the synth options? What are the default checked boxes for that window? Thanks!

Greg is correct.
 
Sound center handles one midi track at a time.
 
TTS, on the other hand, can easily handle up to 16 different midi tracks. Each midi track gets assigned a different channel number in the TTS synth instance. Each channel can have a different patch, so channel one could be piano, channel two bass, channel 3 strings, channel 4 cello, channel 5 violin, and so on. All headed to the same TTS synth.
 
So you have 3 synths in a project and the sounds are not synced. You can try adjusting the preferences, the midi buffers, and the drivers, but very likely, again, as Greg pointed out, it is the sound card itself. Factory cards are not designed to do the processing in real time that is required with synths to get the music to the speaker at the same time.
 
TRY THIS:  Freeze the 3 synths. This converts the synths to AUDIO and removes the processing in real time from the process. Once all 3 tracks are frozen, hit play. Do they all play in sync now?
 
A decent USB interface running ASIO will very likely solve the sync issues once and for all. (not Sound Blaster)

Grundberg
 Are you saying that every MC6 user must have external equipment for it to function properly? If so, why doesn't it say so on the side of the box? Why are sound cards being manufactured then if they're all useless?

It has already been discussed here. The sound chips and drivers supplied in PCs are not designed for DAW use. I do not know what is printed on the box but the specs on the website do list a "Windows-compatible audio interface" as part of the system requirements. I would imagine most people would read that as something more than the chip that comes with every PC. The sound cards you are probably referring to are not useless, they are intended for playing games and multimedia playback; in other words what most PC users do with the sound capabilities of their machines.

You have a sound card..... not a very good one. probably a realtek.
 
Sound cards in most new computers and especially lap tops have the sound card built into the motherboard as a chip.  They are designed to play mp3 and wave files for video, music and games. They are not designed to handle the load we place on them... full duplex.... stuff going in and out in sync.  The drivers are designed to let them do that job and not much more.
 
We need to have a sound card that CAN handle the load and process synths in real time while getting 20 tracks to the speakers in sync, and do it all without more than a 5 ms delay. (approx) 
 
I said : A decent USB INTERFACE running ASIO will solve the issues. (Post #24 last line)  There are interfaces for audio and midi that are specifically designed to do multi track  full duplex recording and playback and they generally are external, use USB as the connection method, and run ASIO as the driver.
 
All the other stuff about freezing and bouncing was offered simply as a possible work around. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  
 
Yes, Cakewalk says that MC6 is ready to run straight out of the box. And for some people, it does. And generally at a very basic level. I have seen some folks here make the claim that they can do multi tracks and synths and have no issues on factory cards..... one guy took me to serious task over that issue. For the other 99%, yeah, you can run some basic stuff but to get into synths and multiple track projects and keep everything running smooth and synced up, an aftermarket interface is a requirement.
 
Most folks who are serious about recording at home will invest the money into a decent interface that lets the process run smoothly so they can concentrate on the music and not the process.