No audio during midi playback

it could be that the midi is being played in an audio track. if it is, it will send the signals, but because that's all they are, there will be no sound produced. if this is the case and you want to keep it as midi right now, just move it to a midi track. also, if this is the case, and you want to keep it as audio, move it to a midi track, then go through the steps to convert midi to audio...either way you should be able to hear it after you do this...if not, post again and i'll see what i can come up with

The issue is the card, (same card i have) the M-Audio 24/96 does not have a built in synth, you need to route the midi files thru a synth of somekind to hear them play.

take a gander thru this and see what you come up with

Using soft synths

When using midi tracks in CAKEWALK or any sequencer, there are many way to reproduce the sound from the midi data. One can use an internal synth on the sound card, or inside XP there is Microsoft synth GS, or you can route thru a soft synth that you download or install, some are synths, some are samplers, others use sound fonts, each has unique capabilities that you can use to reproduce midi data into sound.

Cakewalk only uses DX type instruments as synths unless one installs a wrapper type program, these allow you to use VST instruments and effects, VST is a trademark that comes from cubase, and anyone who makes a program that uses VST technology must gain access to that from Cubase, Cakewalk uses DX technology that is from Microsoft development. So keep in mind that at first you need to obtain effects and instrument that are designed with DX technology.

In order to use soft synths to replay a midi file you will need to play them through an audio track, this will allow the midi to be routed through a soft synth and produce an audible output. Here is what you need to do, and for this tutorial we will use Edirol VSC (VSC stands for Virtual Sound Canvas) but for all intents and purposes, this will work with any DX instrument, and at the end I will post links to several that you can down load.

First let’s go to a midi download site and down load a file, then we will open it in CAKEWALK and process it. Go to this site http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/creed90952/index.htm?mtbrand=AOL_US

Go down the page and find the eagles best of my love file, we will use this as the example, right click the file and then click save as target, save this file in a folder you are familiar with, then a pop up box will appear, that with ask you to open , click cancel.

Now open CAKEWALK and go to file and then click open, the open box will allow you to find the folder that you saved the file in( the file name is bestlove.mid), then when you do double click it, it should open in CAKEWALK. Now you will have a file that has 10 tracks of midi, there will be one track that say words on it, ignore it. Now under the last track that is named “Ride”, place your cursor and right click, a box will pop up go up and chose “insert audio track”, maximize that audio track by clicking the double box icon next to the MSR on the track, then right click the fx box and chose Dx Instruments, (or DX synths for some version) and click on Edirol VSC, Edirol will pop up close it for now, minimize the track again, and then maximize each midi track one at a time and left click each output box and chose Edirol VSC as the output, then minimize each until all of them have Edirol as the output device. Now hit play, and the file should play thru Edirol.

Okay let’s learn to change up the sounds in Edirol a bit, go to the audio track that has Edirol in it and maximize it again, double click on edirol and it should pop up into view. Each track has been assigned to an instrument, this is because Edirol acts like a GM/GS synth like the one on the sound card, but with a little bit better tones. At the bottom of Edirol is a button called setup, click that and a box will open, change the generator tones to GS from GM, and slide the polyphony bar to 128 and hit okay. and then move Edirol down just a bit hit play again Now notice that you can adjust the panning, volume, reverb, expression, delay and chorus so if you want adjust a couple of those as the song plays.

Now that is the basics, you can use any DX instrument to do this depending on it’s personal attributes, some only do one track, other do many. If you want more than one synth, then open more than one audio track to hold them. You might want edirol to do everything but the drums and guitar and use sampletank for those, then open two one for each.

To get more synths go here http://www.kvraudio.com/ go to the side and see a box that has the words instruments, effects, host, etc. and click that then go down to advanced search, in box 1. click on instruments, go down further and find 2. and click DX, then down to 3 and click only Windows, then to 4. and click only free, then down to search. There should be 5 on the list go to sampletank, sonic synth, synth 1 and triangleII download each of these and they will work with CAKEWALK be careful to follow the instructions for each carefully, this will take some time be patient, this will set you up for some great sounds.

Let us quote the master - Robomusic:

The issue is the card, (same card i have) the M-Audio 24/96 does not have a built in synth, you need to route the midi files thru a synth of somekind to hear them play.

ROBO told you how to make MIDI play within MC - Your card does not support MIDI.

You have two options: Add a new card that INCLUEDS MIDI Synth.

Or contact Microsoft and see if they know how to make Media Player [any version] play a MIDI file. [This may also be accomplished if someone here has ever seen such a solution.]

Sadly, the days when almost all soundcards included MIDI capability are over. In the rush to keep prices down, some manufacturers are eliminating MIDI, as they see fewer people using it. Of course if they don't offer MIDI then it stands to reason that fewer people use it. Vicious cycle isn't it?

Good Luck Grasshopper!

Correct I should have stuck with the Synth component instead of broadly saying that a card doesn't have MIDI capability. However, for me if I need something else to hear my MIDI I don't have the capability.

But to speak to the remaining question. "Why no MIDI in Media Player?"
In short no MIDI synth attached

But in the words of Bill Gates [Actually Microsoft]

Why can't I play MIDI files?
Windows Media Player is only used to show the playback progress of a .mid or .midi (MIDI Sequence) file while it is playing. Playback support for MIDI Sequence in Windows is actually provided by Microsoft DirectX and your sound card, not the Player.

You should first consult your sound card documentation to see if it offers any troubleshooting techniques. If no documentation is available, try the following steps:

• Try to play a different MIDI Sequence file, in case there is just a problem with that file.

• Start playing the file, to see if you can hear any sound. Some files have data at the beginning of the file intended for specific hardware, such as a keyboard; you may have to wait for the Player to get past that data.

• Double-click the speaker icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar, and in the Master Volume dialog box, make sure that your volume slider control for MIDI (and/or SW Synth) is not muted and is turned up.

• If you received the message "This page cannot be displayed." when you tried to play the file on a Web site, but you can play the file after you download it to your computer, reset the MIDI file type association in the Player by doing the following:

1.
In Windows Media Player, click the Tools menu, and then click Options.

2.
On the File Types tab, in the File types area, clear the MIDI file check box.

3.
Click the Apply button.

4.
Select the MIDI file check box, and then click the Apply button again.


• If all other attempts fail, then try one more thing:

1.
In Control Panel, open Sounds and Audio Devices.

2.
In the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box, click the Audio tab.

3.
In the MIDI music playback area, make sure that the default device is not set to MPU-401 or External MIDI, unless you are trying to play an external synthesizer.

Thanks everyone I have a better understanding I do have a soundblaster live 5 card that I could install I know how to insstall and get drivers however im not sure how to pic between the two cards once both are installed as I will only need to use the soundblaster to listen to midi files through my media player of my midi player.. Maybe this is to much hastle and I should just use mc3 to listen to midi files. Ill think on this one any sugestions ???? Thanks to all Bozak aka Dave

I do have experience with that. You really only need the "share drivers with other programs" checked if you are trying to use other programs at the same time as you are using CW. If you don't need to use your mp3 player and CW at the same time, then this is not necessary (in fact, you might not want to do that!).

To select one card or the other, you simply go to: OPTIONS>AUDIO then click on the tab that brings you to the input/output, I think it's DRIVERS, but I can't remember for certain. There are two windows, one for input and the other for...(wait for it!)...output. Make sure that the SB card is not selected and that the 2496 IS selected.

ORIGINAL: Robomusic

Another cool trick with a sound blaster card is to upload a high quality Sound font GM set into the SB card and use it as an onboard zero latency synth for playback into the m-audio

Robo - have you tried doing this? How do you upload the sound font into the SB ?

I have not personally but i know a guy over at audiominds named Mac that has he claims it makes a real nice little synth go over to audiominds.com and ask and i bet he will be happy to shed some light.

I nice GM set to use is the sonic implants 24meg set. of for free i have the titanic set i could send you.

Dave, you can tell your computer which sound card you want it to use for each application. Greg

Dave, Pro 24 is an upgrade from MC2003, so theoretically, MC3 is the next step above that. I've read of problems with MC3 here in the forum, although it seems like the users are slowly getting to learn the bugs and how to fix them.
I love 24. (The program, not the TV show). I forget what it cost for the upgrade, $39 or something like that. I mostly work in MIDI and audio, haven't done clips or VSTs, or any of those other 21st century tools, but the unlimited MIDI and audio tracks, plus the unlimited undos (which I really need) are worth it to me. Plus I can record 4 tracks at a time. And the drum map feature: I can set it up so it sounds like I'm the robot playing the digital drum set, instead of some other robot. Greg

Ok, this seems a little rude butting in here but I am running out of ideas here and hope you can help.

I too have the 24/96 card with the breakout box option. A Kawai K1 keyboard and have tried a range of software packages (actually trying CuBase at present, but shhh). The problem is that though the system registers a signal from the keyboard in the mixer window I can hear nothing, and nothing is being recorded. I am using a MIDI track but nothing is audible at all. Now I get the point that the 24/96 (TerraTec DMX6 Fire 24/96?) hasn't got a built-in synth chip but surely this software (and the other ones I have tried) should have a software one built in? Am I setting this up wrong?

With no MIDI chip in the 24/06, you can do
A. What Beagle and Robomusic recommend: using the included DXi software synthesizers.
B. Use the computer sound card's synth chip, which means you must use the slower MME drivers instead of WDM or ASIO. That's if your card is MIDI-capable.
C. Routing the MIDI data through your Kawai's synthesizer. Which is the method I use (except substitute Yamaha for Kawai). The sounds of my keyboard are pretty good, I think, but I don't hear too well, which is alternately a blessing and a curse.
Greg