Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Messages

This section allows you to view all Messages made by this member. Note that you can only see Messages made in areas you currently have access to.

Messages - Milton

51
General Discussion / Re: French forum...
Rob, as much as I would love to have and devote the necessary time to acquire your multi-lingualism, you have one skill I truly envy:

Quote
and can swear in Klingon

Now there's a skill that can get one out of a jam... or maybe into one!
53
General Discussion / Re: USB MIDI Converter
I thought about this but forgot to mention it before -  it is rare, but your MIDI converter could have a bad USB cable.  YOur computer would possibly still recognize the USB device since it may only be looking for the installed drivers, same for NWC.  The data lights on the interface would still flash with keyboard input but the data would never get to the computer over a defective USB cable.  Does the interface have a USB port or is the USB cable hard-wired into the box?  If it has a port, try using a known good USB cable in the interface.  If it is hard-wired, try to borrow a known good USB MIDI interface and install it temporarily and see if that fixes the problem.

What NoteWorthy Online means by #5 is, either at the keyboard or at the interface (but not at both), switch the MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks that the MIDI cables are plugged into.  That is, take the cable plugged into the MIDI IN jack and plug it into the MIDI OUT jack and vice versa.

MIDI-OX and MIDI YOKE configuration can be a little tricky, and MIDI YOKE must be installed to pick up MIDI data.  It would be easier to try another known good interface first, though if you e-mail me I can give you the details of how to configure MIDI-OX ports and routing.
54
General Discussion / Re: USB MIDI Converter
Another diagnostic tool to try if you are so inclined, if it works on Vista:  Download, install, and configure MIDI-OX and MIDI-YOKE from www.midiox.com and you will be able to capture the MIDI data to an input window from your keyboard via the USB MIDI interface.  That will at least confirm whether MIDI data is actually making it into the PC successfully.  You might also try downloading and installing something like free Finale Notepad or a trial version of Finale or Sibelius and try recording MIDI from the Casio into those applications to see whether there is some odd problem stopping NWC from receiving or transmitting MIDI data to the Casio.
55
General Discussion / Re: USB MIDI Converter
Good useful info!  You may want to "borrow" a friend's computer (preferably a non-Vista PC, say XP or 2000) and temporarily install both your licensed NWC and your MIDI interface drivers and see if the Casio works on it.  I suspect that Vista itself is the culprit here, that you may need to find updated Vista drivers (if any exist) for your MIDI interface from the manufacturer's web site, or (be cautious here) a registry hack to get Vista to input/output data from the interface.  Since you said that the data LED is flashing on the MIDI interface then the interface itself is probably not malfunctioning.
56
General Discussion / Re: USB MIDI Converter
More fundamental info needed:

1) What operating system?  XP, Vista (shudder!), 2000, etc.?

2) When you selected Echo MIDI inpput, do you hear any sound from the computer speakers?

3) Did you check out the Casio owner's manual for settings to send keyboard data to MIDI Out and adjust accordingly?

4) As Lawrie (a NWC wizard if ever there was one) suggested, with the computer speakers turned off, will a NWC file play back through the Casio's speakers with the USB MIDI interface selected as the Available playback device?
57
General Discussion / Re: USB MIDI Converter
Check your Tools-Options-Record settings, of course making sure the Input Device is set to your USB MIDI interface, but more likely the root of the problem, the Import Options selection at the bottom of the window.  I have the most success with this set to "'Record' group".  If this is set to "Buffer only", your recording may be waiting in the Windows clipboard or it may be nowhere.  If this si set to "New window", check to see if a new NWC window (not another instance of NWC, but within the same instance appearing as another NWC file opened) has appeared after recording (possibly minimized).  You may also (for testing only) want to set MIDI Through/Echo to "Echo MIDI Input" checked and "Echo input to play device" to your computer's softsynth (probably Microsoft GS softsynth) to confirm whether the computer is actually picking up the MIDI input from the keyboard.

Also, if you have the owner's manual, check the documentation to see whether the keyboard needs to be configured to output MIDI data from the keyboard.  If you do not have the manual, you can probably find a .pdf of it from a Google search on "Casio keyboard manuals Concertmate model".
58
General Discussion / Re: Importing from midi files
Very odd problem!  Some of the weirdest app behavior is solved with an old-fashioned reboot, if you haven't tried that obvious first step.

I don't know if MIDI files have code for a time signature, but if they do, or if the time signature NWC has assigned the import has, say a "1" at the bottom and the piece has fairly short time value notes as it is, this could result in very tiny notes.  I take it you mean very short time values, since you mentioned 64th notes, rather than notes rendering in a very small font, like grace notes.

Another guess: in your Import settings, is the "Separate MIDI channels" box unchecked in "Track Splitting Options"?  Could this possibly be forcing multiple tracks onto the same channel and forcing their combined notes for any guven measure to divide that measure's time between 3 or 4 or more times as many notes mistakenly rendered as all belonging to the same melodic line?  A very long shot, admittedly.
59
General Discussion / Re: From pan to embers...
You stated the issue yourself - it works in XG but not in GS (I assume you mean the computer's Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth?).  Whether a particular bank select works or not depends entirely on the synth or soundcard or softsynth playing it back, not on the GM or GM2 standard.  Synths simply ignore commands they cannot execute and make the most acceptable substitution within their limitations.  You might have to save as 2 NWC files, one as yourmasterpieceXG.nwc with all the XG tricks and one as yourmasterpieceGM with all percussion tracks on MIDI CH 10 and no nice pans.  :(  If only all were so enlightened as to use Yamaha! ;)
60
General Discussion / Re: Help with MIDI input
Footnote, I wonder if NWC still shows 2 USB Audio Device listings in Available play devices after your reboot.  If it does, perhaps somehow the PC is getting bogged down with a duplicate MIDI interface driver.  Likely not, but I have to agree with Lawrie that a hardware kbd synth should produce virtually zero latency.  Try stopping (may be called "ejecting") both (or the only) USB audio devices by:

1. In the taskbar on the bottom right edge of the monitor, right-click on a green arrow and left-click something like "Stop USB device"
2. Stop or eject anything that says "USB Audio Device"
3. Unblug the USB cable of the MIDI interface from the PC.

Now reboot with the USB cable still unplugged.  When the PC is fully rebooted, plug the USB cable back in and look for windows that say "New Hardware Found.." etc. until the green arrow reappears in the taskbar.  Now try recording in NWC and see if there is still latency.  Good luck and let us know what happened!
61
General Discussion / Re: NWC is good. Will it become great?
Trombone3, you wrote:

Quote
Besides, the way that drums are represented in the default MIDI setup stinks (IMHO), as there is more emphasis on percussive effects than others, esp. on tympani.

Probably tympani is not in MIDI channel 10 because it is pitched percussion and so has a General MIDI patch of its own, #48.  Unpitched percussion are grouped together on MIDI channel 10 because they can each be called by a single keyboard key, having no need to reserve the entire keyboard for pitches.  Pitched percussion cannot be called by a single keyboard key since there would be no way left then to define their pitch.  Other pitched percussion are found in patches 113-119:

113.    Tinkle Bell
114.    Agogo
115.    Steel Drums
116.    Woodblock
117.    Taiko Drum
118.    Melodic Tom
119.    Synth Drum
63
General Discussion / Re: What happened to CyberHymnal?
Cyber_Hymnal, I would not be surprised if you did not hear from your web host until at least Monday with this being Christmas Eve.  If it would be of any help to you, I saved all the saved all the CyberHymnal files I could find on the site sometime in Summer 2008, including MIDI files, NWC files and ZIP files.  If worst comes to worst I can send them as attachments or snail-mail them to you on a CD.  Hoping for the best and a full resolution for you ASAP!
64
General Discussion / Re: Looking for better sound
The external hardware synth module is, of course, the best solution as it frees computer resources (although the Yam softsynth seems to put far less load on my CPU than NWC's note chase) and eliminates latency issues.  Having said that, I will repeat my comments on other threads here that one may economically kill 2 birds with one stone.  Get both a MIDI controller and a Yamaha synth by getting one of their low-end PSR keyboards either with a MIDI interface to connect to their MIDI IN and OUT jacks or one with a USB interface on the keyboard that requires only a standard USB cable to connect to the computer.  A little reading of the manual to learn how to configure the kbd as both controller and synth module and you are set.  To record your masterpieces and render them to .wav or .mp3, run a stereo audio cable from the kbd headphone out jack to the computer Line In jack.  Open NWC and an audio editor such as Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net) and record the playback.  After whatever editing you do in Audacity, go to File-Export as WAV or Export as MP3.
65
General Discussion / Re: Looking for better sound
Lawrie, isn't the Yamaha S-YXG50 now available free from a number of sites since Yamaha discontinued it some 5 years ago?  A Google search should turn up a few sites, just avoid the "warez" type of sites that purport to offer pirated and hacked software,...along with spyware and viruses!
66
General Discussion / Re: .PDF?
Actually, my fave for creating .pdf files of all kinds is OpenOffice at www.openoffice.org, which is a free parallel office suite to Microsoft Office.  In NWC Print Preview click Copy as Windows Metafile (could be the other choice, placeable metafile, don't remember).  In OpenOffice, open a new blank word processor or blank drawing and paste the wmf from the clipboard.  You can resize the image by clicking and dragging on the image handles to your satisfaction, then click Export to PDF in the File menu or click on the toolbar button for the same.  OpenOffice offers the advantage for creating many kinds of edited .pdf files by editing them first in the most convenient part of the office suite and then export to pdf with the finished edited result.  No printer emulator hassles, and Export to PDF produces a saved document that works identically to anything created by Adobe Acrobat.
67
General Discussion / Re: Problems with MIDI input from keyboard.
A click track is a staff with each measure filled with quarter notes, or eighth notes if you prefer, or in compound meter filled with dotted quarter or eighth notes.  It functions as a metronome for NWC to align your MIDI input with the beat and for you to align your playing with NWC's Record function.  You may want to set it to MIDI ch. 10 and choose an appropriate percussion instrument, or use perhaps a woodblock or, more subtly, a quiet timpani stroke.  When you have finished recording your masterpiece, delete the click track or set it to mute.
69
General Discussion / Re: Recommendations needed for MIDI keyboard
Keep in mind that MIDI controller keyboards do not have their own built-in sound source or speakers, but depend on the sound source that they are controlling - in this case the computer's software synth.  The Microsoft GS wavetable softsynth (really a low-end Roland) that came with XP and I believe also with Vista is an inferior sound set to even many low-end portable keyboards.  Also there are typically latency issues (delay in the computer sounding the notes you play) with computer softsynths, so you may find the MIDI controller to be a frustrating way to enter notes.

With that in mind, I would suggest a Yamaha portable keyboard in the $200-$300 range that has a USB port, making the expense of a MIDI interface ($40-$80) unnecessary and making the connection to your computer much simpler, assuming the keyboard drivers work with Vista.  It will play from its own (excellent) sound source through its own speakers, eliminating any latency issues and making it much easier to play in rhythm.  You may need to experiment with the Record settings in NWC2 to avoid getting triple-dotted eighths and sixteenths combined with tied 256th notes (OK, that's a little exaggerated!), but generally leaning toward note values of eighth note and rest values of quarter rest in the Record settings smooth out rhythmic imperfections quite well.  You can also use the keyboard with its excellent synth as the MIDI playback device by choosing it by name or choosing the USB device if that's how it shows up in NWC Available MIDI playback devices.

And everyone here knows what I'll say next - in this price range, don't even consider anything but a Yamaha.  $ for $ no one beats Yamaha in the quality and realism of their synth sounds.
70
General Discussion / Re: Help with patch problems For NWC V1.75
LeadGuitarist, I'm glad you got things worked out.  I'm sure you'll agree (especially when NWC trial stops working after 30 days!) that NWC is a steal for $49 and go ahead and register it.  Thanks, Lawrie!  I was at work and couldn't confirm the MIDI channel 10 issue, at least not while trying to appear busy!
72
General Discussion / Re: Help with patch problems For NWC V1.75
Lead Gtrst, even with the snare on MIDI channel 10 (which is reserved for percussion sounds no matter what your sound card, unless a rather old one) and even with transposing from what Lawrie correctly told you is the ONE note (D nat. below bass clef) that will produce acoustic snare, there is a reason why your transpositions don't give the desired result.

On all other MIDI channels except 10, the synth puts out only one instrument sound (patch, MIDI program no.) and the pitch changes with the staff line of the note.  So transpositions have the expected result -  the one instrument sound selected comes out higher or lower than "written", that is, displayed.  But on MIDI channel 10, ALL the standard percussion sounds are available, the particular percussion instrument (correct me if this is wrong) being determined by the written, that is, the displayed pitch, and transpositions selected in F2 Staff Properties do not change the percussion instrument fed to the synth by the actual displayed note. 

If you need to have the snare part on the middle line (I assume of the bass clef), perhaps the best way to make that happen is to key the snare part on that middle staff line and choose Muted from Staff Properties.  Then add a new blank staff (Ctrl-A), select the entire snare part you have keyed on the first staff, and copy it and paste it into the new blank staff.  Name the first staff (in Display in Staff Properties) "Snare Display Muted" and name the new, 2nd staff "Snare Hidden Sounding".  On the sounding staff, choose MIDI channel 10.  Select the entire staff and hold down Ctrl-Shift and do as many Up Arrow keystrokes as necessary to drop the part to D nat. below bass clef (12 times if going from mid-line D to D below bass clef).

For each new percussion part repeat the process.  First compose the part on the desired staff line with Muted chosen and staff name "instrument Display Muted".  Add a new blank staff, copy and paste into it, Ctrl-Shift drag the part to the correct staff line for the percussion instrument (look up drumref.nwc for the staff line), choose MIDI channel 10, name it "instrument Hidden Sounding".

When you have composed all your parts, move the staffs into two groups, the Display staffs in the top group and the Hidden staffs in the bottom group.  If you want to have a score with separate staffs for each inst., do not choose layering.  If you want all percussion parts printed on one staff, in Staff Properties for those staffs, choose Layer With Next Staff for only the Display group staffs.

Go to File-Page Setup.  Choose to display only the Display staffs by unchecking the Hidden staffs in Show.  Not at my home computer right now, so don't remember exactly where, but for the piece's properties choose Allow Layering.  Trial and error in Print Preview and changing point size will give you the results you want on the page and to your ear.  Good luck!
73
General Discussion / Re: real sounds
Since you are running XP (please, oh please, I beg you, don't "upgrade" to Vista!) I am sure Lawrie will chime right in with me in reccommending the Yamaha S-YXG 50 software synthesizer.  Since Yamaha discontinued it, it can be found free on a number of sites with a Google search.  It is worth ten times the $45 I paid for it shortly before Yamaha discontinued it.  On my computer, a 2G Celeron Dell 378M RAM, it hardly loads the processor or memory and with virtually zero latency (~8ms) playback.  The best instrument sounds I have heard from any hardware or software synth or soundcard or soundfonts costing less than $300!  A search on this board will likely turn up several download sites, though they may have changed since those threads were current.
74
General Discussion / Re: Artificial Harmonics
And of course the "opposite" of sul ponticello is sul tasto which means over or near the fingerboard, applying equally to bowed strings and guitar.  There is one way to play literally "on the bridge", but only in France, and only while standing sur la pont d'Avigon!  ;)
75
General Discussion / Re: Artificial Harmonics
I would venture to say that not only is the pitch different (typically 1 or 2 octaves higher as the other comments describe) and not only vibrato-less by necessity, but also a different timbre, with few partials left, since stopping the string by touching it at a node (integral fraction of the string length free to vibrate) blocks off any partials lower than itself and typically leaves only residual amplititude of partials higher than itself.  The waveform comes close to being a pure sine wave on guitar, probably closer to a sawtooth wave with somewhat rounded peaks on a bowed string stopped by touching a node.
76
General Discussion / Re: MIDI mystery: phantom pizzicato
Katy, I will paste below my reply to your help request on another thread.  It seems to me that you are really asking the same question in all your posts, worded slightly differently in each one.  As noted below, we need more info before any of us can even define the problem you are really having, let alone come up with a solution:

KatyAnnRose55, you mentioned a "decoder" on this and another thread.  Could possibly mean an audio "codec"?  That is short for coder-decoder.  Someone can certainly give you a better definition, but roughly codecs are applications that the computer uses to convert digital sound into different audio formats with different levels of depth of sound information, such as mp3, ogg vorbis, wma, etc.  Again, more info would be helpful - how are your keyboard's MIDI jacks connected to your computer (MIDI interface manufacturer and model, straight USB with no MIDI cables, etc.), are you on a laptop or a desktop, the text of error messages that pop up, whether you C-mate 990 manual says it is General MIDI compatible, any detail and any text from which you are getting what you write in your posts would be helpful.

This post on a forum pulled up on a Google search sound like the same problem you describe:
I have a Concertmate 990, I saw in the manual, if you accidently pull the MIDI ADAPTER-Turtle Beach- which I did accidently, it will lose it's Sensing mechanism for the In-port. I tried it with a regular Midi USB still the MIDI IN won't work. So I talked it over with a Rep. there and they told me to bring it in to their store. The Concertmate music is emulated on the tests of Midi tests of music programs I have for testing Mide in/out the Concertmate, Music is heard on the pc-Dell DEMSION B1100 and on the Concertmate keyboard. Also sound tested in the Dell Sound the music is emulated=the the software is doing the hardware- that is what the clerk said about the Midi usuage of the IN/OUT PORTS. I hope I got my message across and to the point. Only the IN-PORT is not working on the Midi adapters that I have. I have music programs that need a Midi adapter with my Concertmate 990. Has anyone else had that problem with their Concermate 990 and another pc besides Dell?

Here is a link to download the manual for the Concertmate 990, which apparently is Radio Shack's name for what is actually a Casio CTK-601:

http://servicemanuals.electronica.ro/manuals/casio/CTK-601_CTK-611.pdf

I would suggest that you download the manual and go to the Troubleshooting section.  My guess is that a setting on your keyboard, not your computer, was changed and/or locked when you pulled the MIDI cables, possibly Local Control was turned off.  First try turning Local Control on according to the manual instructions and see if that doesn't solve the problem.

Also, I cannot tell from any of your posts exactly what your problem is.  Try posting again and describe, in plain words, not tech talk:
1. What you want the keyboard to do that it isn't doing.

2. What you wnt the computer to do that it isn't doing.

3. The manufacturer and model of the hardware device (caled a MIDI interface) that you are using to connect your keyboard to the computer, some sort of metal or plastic case with MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks into which are plugged the MIDI cables that connect to the keyboard.  Also, what sort of cable connects the MIDI interface to the computer and into which jack on the computer is it plugged?

4. Be sure that the keyboard's MIDI IN jack is connected to the interface's MIDI OUT jack and the
keyboards's MIDI OUT jack is connected to the interface's MIDI IN jack.  Counterintuitive, until you realize that MIDI data flow is one-way only, unlike computer cables.  So, data sent out of the MIDI OUT jack on one device is received in the MIDI IN jack on the device to which it is connected.  Sending data TO the MIDI OUT jack of a device is like trying to drive your car down a street that has "Wrong Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs posted on it.  Sooner or later, you will "run into" trouble!

5. Probably all that "emulation" means regarding your computer's sound is that is does not have a physical hardware sound card (dedicated circuit board) that plugs into a slot on the main circuit board (motherboard).  A chip on the motherboard and/or software "emulates" or acts in the same way and generating the same data messages as a certain type of physical hardware sound card,  so as far as Windows is concerned, there is a sound card present.  At least,  that's the idea!  Your mileage may vary...

6. Why, oh why, did you "upgrade" to Vista?  There is thread after thread on this and many other boards about the nightmare Vista presents when working with sound.  If you have the original System Restore CDs that came with the Dell, consider having someone who knows what they are doing "upgrade" your computer back to XP while keeping your files and applications intact, backing them up to CDs or DVDs first.  You'll be glad you did.

Do write back with info on the above and I'm confident someone here can untie this knot for you!
77
General Discussion / Re: Windows Vista will not play sound
Katy, I will paste below my reply to your help request on another thread.  It seems to me that you are really asking the same question in all your posts, worded slightly differently in each one.  As noted below, we need more info before any of us can even define the problem you are really having, let alone come up with a solution:

KatyAnnRose55, you mentioned a "decoder" on this and another thread.  Could possibly mean an audio "codec"?  That is short for coder-decoder.  Someone can certainly give you a better definition, but roughly codecs are applications that the computer uses to convert digital sound into different audio formats with different levels of depth of sound information, such as mp3, ogg vorbis, wma, etc.  Again, more info would be helpful - how are your keyboard's MIDI jacks connected to your computer (MIDI interface manufacturer and model, straight USB with no MIDI cables, etc.), are you on a laptop or a desktop, the text of error messages that pop up, whether you C-mate 990 manual says it is General MIDI compatible, any detail and any text from which you are getting what you write in your posts would be helpful.
78
General Discussion / Re: MIDI Stops Working in Beta 2.10
Katy, I will paste below my reply to your help request on another thread.  It seems to me that you are really asking the same question in all your posts, worded slightly differently in each one.  As noted below, we need more info before any of us can even define the problem you are really having, let alone come up with a solution:

KatyAnnRose55, you mentioned a "decoder" on this and another thread.  Could possibly mean an audio "codec"?  That is short for coder-decoder.  Someone can certainly give you a better definition, but roughly codecs are applications that the computer uses to convert digital sound into different audio formats with different levels of depth of sound information, such as mp3, ogg vorbis, wma, etc.  Again, more info would be helpful - how are your keyboard's MIDI jacks connected to your computer (MIDI interface manufacturer and model, straight USB with no MIDI cables, etc.), are you on a laptop or a desktop, the text of error messages that pop up, whether you C-mate 990 manual says it is General MIDI compatible, any detail and any text from which you are getting what you write in your posts would be helpful.
79
General Discussion / Re: MIDI Playback Devices?
klallen1991, more details would be helpful -is your operating system Vista, XP, 98, what MIDI playback devices show up in NWC's Tools-Options-MIDI Available play devices Devices used by playback, etc.

KatyAnnRose55, you mentioned a "decoder" on this and another thread.  Could possibly mean an audio "codec"?  That is short for coder-decoder.  Someone can certainly give you a better definition, but roughly codecs are applications that the computer uses to convert digital sound into different audio formats with different levels of depth of sound information, such as mp3, ogg vorbis, wma, etc.  Again, more info would be helpful - how are your keyboard's MIDI jacks connected to your computer (MIDI interface manufacturer and model, straight USB with no MIDI cables, etc.), are you on a laptop or a desktop, the text of error messages that pop up, whether you C-mate 990 manual says it is General MIDI compatible, any detail and any text from which you are getting what you write in your posts would be helpful.
80
General Discussion / Re: Multiple Licences?
$49 is an unbelievably low price for an application as flexible and useful and easy to use as NoteWorthy Composer.  Look up site licenses for, say, Sibelius or Finale (more bells and whistles but mostly only those an arranger scoring for films would use, and inferior MIDI import and screen playback IMO as well) and when you recover from the sticker shock, buy NWC2.
84
General Discussion / Re: Export multiple midi files, one for each staff
It sounds like you are making part practice files.  I have done several of these for our church choir and I find it easier to simply save a separate NWC file for each voice part with that voice max volume and the others lowered, voices panned, etc. such as scorename_alto.nwc.  Then simply render to .wav and to .mp3 for each voice part NWC file.  By the time you get the automated process down, if it is possible in NWC, you may have been able to render 3 scores' parts by saving and rendering separate NWC voice part files!  By the way, if you use Audacity to capture the audio of your NWC file playback, it's one click to export directly to mp3 without making a .wav file first.  If you have not used Audacity, that free download and installation are described on threads here that could be found with a search.  You will also need to download and install the appropriate free LAME library described in Audacity's installation instructions to be able to export to .mp3, but I think you would find it worth the small time necessary.  Good luck!
85
General Discussion / Re: Violins can't stop playing or others can't stop
IIRC you can do a Find (Ctrl-F) to look for Hanging Ties which is what Lawrie mentioned as a possibility.  These are usually caused by an accidental not being notated in a tied note across a bar line.  For example, in C major, a G# in one measure tied across the bar line to a G natural in the next measure by forgetting to add the # to the 2nd G, or in, say, A major, a G natural tied across the bar line to what the key signature causes to be a G# by forgetting to add the natural sign to the 2nd G.
86
General Discussion / Re: Tweaking MIDI keyboard input notation
Though it will require more "passes" thru the piece, you can get closer to or even exactly the notation you want by recording the treble staff and the bass staff separately in 2 passes.  For arrangments that include part crossing or unisons you may want to go further and record each voice part in its own staff and layer the Soprano and Alto parts into one treble staff and the Tenor and Bass parts into one bass staff.  This has the advantage of enabling you to pan the parts across the stereo field for more depth and natural sound and to assign a different instrument to each voice for greater clarity.
87
General Discussion / Re: Simply foolish!
Flurmy, part of the problem with importing "just any" MIDI file into NWC, or any notation software, for that matter, is that often those MIDI files were compiled on just the kind of programs you are extolling, by non music readers, input with MIDI controllers that put the slight variations of tempo in normal, musical playing into the file as literal, non-quantized durations, as well as total disregard for time signatures, bar lines, pick-up notes, key signatures, repeat signs, and the like.  Where all notation programs like even rhythmic time values, dynamics and other controllers in their own native format, etc., though I wish tuplets imported as well.

There are some solutions to importing MIDI in a more notation-friendly way, most of which require some trial and error to get to optimum settings that require a minimum of editing.  Lawrie and I, among others, contributed to a related thread about a year ago and there are other related threads here as well.  A search for those may be of some help.  And some of us might even like the challenge of your posting the MIDI files here to see if we can tame their wild ways a little! ;)
88
General Discussion / Re: Problem ocurring with key changes
This is similar to a challenge I faced in a piece I did last year on NWC1.75, and the solution should work in NWC beta2.X as well.  Just before the double bar at m12 insert a key signature of Eb major and a treble clef with the octave up shift, but in Properties for both of them, set Visibility to Never.  Likewise, just after the double bar at m12, insert a key signature of F major and a treble clef with no octave shift, again setting Visibility to Never in Properties.  These hidden signs tell the synth what you want it to do but will not appear in the printed copies.  HTH!
90
General Discussion / Re: Changing midi channel during a song
Seems like this might be solved with the frequent NWC workaround of hidden staves.  If you don't have too many MIDI channel changes in mind, for each muted display staff, duplicate the staff by copying it into as many (to be hidden) staves as MIDI channel changes you have in mind, each hidden staff on one of the MIDI channels.  Using either Expression (my preferred) or Volume MPCs, start with the hidden staves' volume at zero, only turning on their sound when you want their MIDI channel used and turning it back to zero when the part switches to another MIDI channel.  This way you avoid the muddy appearance that can result from layering several staves into one and you make later editing much easier by making visible and then hiding again the sounding staves rather than unlayering layered staves.
91
General Discussion / Re: Real Music Composition Software
Ditto, William and Lawrie.  Might as well have software to compose novels and poems.  In fact, Roald Dahl wrote a short story with just that premise, something like "The Amazing ???????? Machine"  Rather chilling ending.  Shows how we can lose our humanity when we make imagination and creativity into commodities to be sold like so many grain futures or the like.
92
General Discussion / Re: suggestion re MPCs and initial staff settings
A couple of other thoughts:

You could also save your favorite MPC settings in a separate NWC file with a text expression next to each one giving details of the contoller and the settings.  Then keep the file open while working on your piece and copy and paste the desired MPCs from your settings file to the new piece.  Hmm, I think I'll make a settings file myself and save myself some of the work I've been doing!

Also, what is your sound card and synth and on what operating system and platform?  I know synths that support Aftertouch, for instance, are rare, but that's a shame that yours doesn't seem to support Expression.  I'd feel crippled without it!
93
General Discussion / Re: suggestion re MPCs and initial staff settings
A quick way to have NWC always begin a new score with your own preferences is to save the initial settings as a template.  One could make a template for any ensemble, wind quintet being your current need, with staff volume, pan, MIDI instrument (could also be as an inserted Instrument patch),  MPCs with initial settings for Expression, Reverb, Chorus or what-have-you, and so on.  As soon as you begin a new score from a template, go to File-Save As and save as the name of your new piece to leave your template undisturbed.  Just one more of the great possibilities of NWC over the "big boys"!
94
General Discussion / Re: PDF ?? - watch out for Adobe Reader 8.1.2 !
I have been using Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 with Win XP Home with no problems for about 2 mos. now.  This version installed IIRC without even a reboot being necessary, though past versions have required up to 3 reboots for them to work successfully.  There would seem to be nothing fundamentally incompatible between XP and AAR 8.1.2.  Perhaps some advanced option in IE or your anti-virus software is interfering with the installation?  Or maybe the magical computer attitude adjuster of a reboot will work wonders!
95
General Discussion / Re: How does multi-point controller work?
Well, since NWC Online confirms that the MPC in your file gets the effect you are after on their synth, and that not all synths change volume on a note already begun, 2 things surface.

1) In your MPC try changing the Controller from Volume to Expression and see if your synth likes that better.

2) What synth are you using anyway, and through what interface if it is a hardware synth?
96
Tips & Tricks / Re: Notating for Guitar
Sadly, Fred Nachbaur cannot login to read your kudos since he passed away in 2005 from an aggressive form of cancer.  But wherever he is now, I'm sure he appreciates your praise! 

There is an easier way to produce sustained chords and arpeggios for guitar NWC scores than putting each string's notes on a separate staff.  Simply put a Pedal Down mark at the beginning of the chord or arpeggio and a Pedal Up mark when the chord changes.  Set Visibility to Never so they don't show up in the score.  This will allow you to notate on a single staff without using hidden staves at all.
98
General Discussion / Re: No playback in Vista
LOL Lawrie!  "First step would be to check device mangler "  That would be consistent with what I read about most people's experience with Vista sound!
99
General Discussion / Re: Guitar Strumming examples?
Rick, thanks for the plug! 

flhippy, as the Read Me file in GuitarStrum.zip explains, this is not an automatic process, but a way to get NWC to sound like a natural guitar strum (I'm a guitarist myself, among other things) while keeping the notation looking proper.  You may also want to investigate Harmony Assistant by Myriad Software (best I've heard for the intricacies and nuances of guitar) and Band-In-A-Box by PG Music.  Not a slam on NWC at all since it's what I use most, and each music software has its own strengths and weaknesses.
100
General Discussion / Re: Tunings other than Equal Temperament
John Sankey recorded the complete keyboard works of Bach, Scarlatti and Byrd as MIDI files with period tunings.  They can be downloaded as ZIP archives at:
http://www.sankey.ws/harpsichord.html

He used a scheme in which each of the 12 tones in an octave were on a separate MIDI channel with the appropriate microtonal adjustments for (I think) just intonation or perhaps mean-tone temperment.  He recorded them on a Kawai keyboard and them remapped each pitch accordingly, so that all the Cs in all octaves mapped to their own channel, all the C#s to another channel, and so on.  Probably capturing the MIDI setup data with MIDI-OX would reveal the tuning immediately, if that's the period tuning you're after.