It's easy to do that once you use and understand how channels work with TTS.
Here's some info from my website ... perhaps this will clarify it a bit. Once you understand this principle, you can apply it to not only TTS, but to every synth on the market as well. It's just that TTS comes with MC5 and you already have it available.
Tips for Music Creator 4 & 5
Soft Synth set up for TTS & MC4/5 ( in my system)
Open a new NORMAL project with 1 audio track and 1 midi track.
INSERT > SOFT SYNTH > CAKEWALK TTS-1
put a check in Midi source, first synth audio output, synth property page and synth rack view.
Click OK….your synth pops up and the synth rack pops up. You can minimize both since you don’t need them.
You will now see 2 new tracks in the project. Both are labeled Cakewalk TTS1-1…this indicates that “first instance” of TTS in the project. One is audio & one is midi. ( in this demo…we will not use the midi track for anything at all)
Expand your view by dragging the bottom of the tracks down.
AT this point I have :
Track 1 audio empty ( not used in this demo)
Track 2 midi empty ( we will set this up as a keyboard track later)
Track 3 Audio TTS1-1 ( this is where TTS lives)
Track 4 midi TTS1-1 (we are not going to use this track)
(NOTE: my keyboard is currently set to transmit on midi channel 6 & my interface is a Focusrite saffire your interface/soundcard should show..so use it)
In Track 2 midi: Input: Focusrite Saffire Channel 6 Output: select cakewalk TTS
Channel 6 ( use omni or what ever channel you are transmitting) bank & patch select piano for this demo. CLICK OK.
Play the keyboard and you should now hear a piano. The meters on the Cakewalk TTS track should be indicating audio as well.
How to enter a drum track in MC4/5
open MC4/5 choose new project...call it midi drums. choose a normal project... this gives you an audio & midi track. MC5 only shows one track when you insert a synth.
click on the midi track & select VIEW >STAFF to get the staff view. click on the draw tool and insert a few notes in a few measures...it doesn't matterwhat notes...we just want something to be triggering the midi.
NOW.. highlight the audio track by clicking on it. Right click in the FX bin select soft synths and select Cakewalk-TTS..minimize the synth window.
SO FAR>>>SO GOOD>
Just one more step and you should have sound!!!!!
Now...double click in the midi track control area....and the track properties window will open.
Select INPUT=none..... OUTPUT= Cakewalk-TTS.....CHANNEL =10
Hit Play...you should now hear sound.
If you don't hear anything at this point...double check to be sure the rig is working properly
ADVANCED TTS set up and operation.
You only need one instance of TTS to be able to play 16 different midi tracks as 16 different instruments. In this demo I will explain just how you accomplish this by starting with 3 midi tracks and one instance of TTS.
So…open a new project ( I opened a normal project and deleted the audio track and then inserted the midi tracks needed and then inserted the soft synth) and insert 3 midi tracks and one instance of TTS. I have:
Track 1 midi piano
Track 2 midi bass
Track 3 midi strings
Track 4 Cakewalk TTS1-1 (audio track this is where TTS lives in this project)
Use the track icons…it makes it ease to know what track you are working on.
Understand that this is just a basic setup of TTS to show you how to setup multiple instruments in one instance of TTS and get it all working.
Set Track 1 (piano)
Input FR channel 6
Output 2-Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 1
Key 0
Bank & patch = piano
Set track 2 (bass)
Input FR channel 6
Output 2-Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 2
Key -12
Bank & patch = bass
Set track 3 (strings)
Input FR channel 6
Output 2 Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 3
Key 0
Bank & patch = strings
A NOTE about my set up..... Notice that all 3 tracks are using the same input....FR channel 6. (Focusrite=FR) This allows all three channels to “hear” the midi keyboard which I have set to transmit on channel 6.
I could set each channel input to a different channel. By doing so I have to change the midi keyboard to transmit on that channel....none of the other channels will hear it, and that can be very useful in recording as you will see shortly.
By setting all 3 channels to the same midi input channel (channel 6) I am able to play all the parts into the three channels with out changing the midi transmit channel on my DX27S. I arm track 1 and record my parts doing the same for the next two tracks. Since the outputs are set to different channels they are sending their midi data to different channels in the TTS synth. The synth looks at the channel number, and routs that data to that channel and applied the patch & bank info you assigned to it and it carries out those instructions. The result is that you hear 3 different instruments playing from your speakers.