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Messages - X172

1
General Discussion / Re: Another set of soundfonts
I currently have a Creative sound card, the Audigy 2 ZS. I use the kX Drivers. Currently they support SoundFont loading except for in 64-bit Windows, which is what I have.
The advantages of the kX Drivers were far worth losing SF2 support, but I eventually discovered VirtualMIDISynth. It's a software MIDI device that allows SoundFont loading and unloading. You can download it for free by Google searching "virtualmidisynth", it's from the Altervista website.

VMS has the disadvantage over Creative's SoundFont Bank Manager in that you can't load a SoundFont into a specific bank, so for example you can't use the same instrument from more than one SF2 file at once. I work around this by editing the banks of certain patches with SynthFont Viena, which isn't too hard (I can explain if you'd like)

But simply, open the configurator for VMS and load the SF2 file(s) you want and restart or open NWC. Select it as the default output device under Tools-->Options-->MIDI tab and you're good to go.
2
General Discussion / Re: Comments about default notes, tenuto, staccato
The reason I use NWC instead of a sequencer, is that even being a notation program, it has plenty of functionality coupled with a simple interface, and with the right midi device/soundfonts it is a powerful program. I agree that having a built in hex editor for midi commands would render the possibilities limitless, but a better step would be supporting pitch shifts farther than +/- 2 semitones (or to at least add a custom MPC with input fields for command/value), in addition to my above suggestions.

If the program was perhaps in the middleground between notation/sequencer, it might satisfy more simplistic users needing not much but sheet music, as well as advanced users trying to produce compositions, but I'm not trying to tell the developers what type of program to make, just offering a basic idea to extend upon the current state of NWC.
3
General Discussion / Comments about default notes, tenuto, staccato
In NoteWorthy Composer, I often have every single staff in my composition start off with a "Tenuto" Performance Style, otherwise many parts sound choppy. Notes that don't hold completely have their place, of course. When it comes to how long a note is held before the next is played, precision is extremely important to the sound of a melody or rhythm, and I've learned this more and more over time. One aspect which makes a composition sound excellent is the exact right note lengths, which isn't necessarily expressed by a note on a staff, but by the player of an instrument, which is why NWC and a saxophone player will look at the same sheet music and spit out a far different result.

Getting the "perfect" sound out of a rhythm is something I usually accomplish by halving the note value and then dotting it, or tying it to thirtysecond or sixtyfourth notes, followed by the appropriate rests before the next note, to make it EXACT to how I want it. When I have to use all these extra small notes and rests, staffs become stretched out and cluttered, although it's indeed amusing to see how crazy I've been sometimes (and looks aren't much of my concern). I've come to not even use the staccato marks, because they are almost never the right staccato for a given piece or passage.

What would be a better way of doing this? It doesn't make sense that the meaning of a staccato or tenuto symbol can satisfy every composition, so I propose that on a master, or per-staff, or even per-note basis, the amount of a note cut off by default is adjustable, and it can be set what percent of a note "staccato" cuts off, or what tiny bit less "tenuto" means. This would make for expressing things much easier. I feel that such settings would be logical to have for the exact reasons that individual staves have their own settings for what individual dynamic symbols mean, and that even individual dynamic symbols can be adjusted. Clearly the developers understood why those things should be adjustable, why not take things a step further?

Here's to try and demonstrate what I mean (even though I feel I've been clear enough):

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Instrument|Patch:56|Bank:0,0|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127|Pos:8|Wide:Y|Color:1
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:2/4|Color:1
|Key|Signature:Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Cb
|Text|Text:"Default playback style:"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:9|Wide:Y|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-3|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Bar
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar
|Text|Text:"W/default expressions:"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:9|Wide:Y|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-3|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Bar
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar
|Text|Text:"Desire:"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:9|Wide:Y|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-3|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:16th|Opts:Stem=Up
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Rest|Dur:16th
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:16th
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up
|Rest|Dur:4th,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Style:Double
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4|Color:1
|Key|Signature:F#,C#,G#,D#|Color:1
|Tempo|Tempo:172|Pos:15|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-4!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-5!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-6!1|Opts:Stem=Up
|Rest|Dur:Half,DblDotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-1!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-4!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Staccato|Pos:-5!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-6!1|Opts:Stem=Up
|Rest|Dur:Half,DblDotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Dotted|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Rest|Dur:32nd|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th,Dotted|Pos:-1!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:32nd|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Dotted|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Rest|Dur:32nd|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-4!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th,Dotted|Pos:-5!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:32nd|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-6!1|Opts:Stem=Up
|Text|Text:"needs to be a bit less...."|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:12|Color:1
|Rest|Dur:Half,DblDotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-3^!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:64th|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Rest|Dur:32nd,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-1^!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:64th|Pos:-1!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:32nd,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-2!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-3^!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:64th|Pos:-3!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Rest|Dur:32nd,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-4!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-5^!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:64th|Pos:-5!1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Rest|Dur:32nd,Dotted|Opts:Stem=Up|Color:1
|Bar|Color:1
|Note|Dur:8th,Tenuto|Pos:-6!1|Opts:Stem=Up
|Text|Text:"<-- This is crazy!"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:7|Color:1
|Rest|Dur:Half,DblDotted|Color:1
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

4
Tips & Tricks / "Reset" file
In case anyone else might benefit from this idea. I've created a "Reset" nwc file that contains 16 staves, each one having this:
Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|MPC|Controller:pitch|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Whole|SweepRes:32|Pt1:0,8192|Pos:12|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:vol|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,127|Pos:11|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:mod|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,0|Pos:10|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:bal|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,64|Pos:9|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:exp|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,127|Pos:8|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:reverb|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,64|Pos:7|Wide:Y
|MPC|Controller:chorus|Style:Linear Sweep|TimeRes:Sixteenth|SweepRes:1|Pt1:0,0|Pos:6|Wide:Y
|SustainPedal|Status:Released|Pos:-8|Wide:Y
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End


These are the commands I use frequently, and before switching from song to song, I always play it back to make sure lingering effects aren't being transferred, especially pitch commands. It sets the reverb to 64 which might not do anything for you, but it's especially useful to not have to manually add reverb to each staff on making a new track, since I want it always on.
5
General Discussion / The MIDI Reset Message Bothers Me...
Is is possible to disable the message that appears when pressing F6 during the absence of playback in NWC 2.5? This was a huge deterrent from me buying the program because I press F6 repeatedly a lot. It's become a habit over time that I can't just break. But since I just learned that ESC will stop as well as not bring up the message, I might not mind using ESC instead.
But even if it's not possible I do believe disabling it should be an option. Well, when it comes to application interfaces I tend to think everything should be an option..
6
Tips & Tricks / Re: Trick to acheiving unlimited pitch bend range (absolute only)
Wait.. I thought I couldn't de-layer them as it seemed like another one of the things non-licensed users can't do with NWC files licensed users created.

I've viewed the hidden staves and pretty sure I get it now. Thanks a lot!

Also, I thought I saw something on this site that said I can't attach files without "upgrading my account"
8
Tips & Tricks / Trick to acheiving unlimited pitch bend range (absolute only)
I've wanted since I discovered NWC to have longer pitch bend range. Well, I just had this idea:

  • Create two staves with the same instrument
  • Have them both play different notes at the same time
  • Place absolute volume commands before them. For the volume command of the first note of the "bend", have the first value be 127 and the next one 0. If you already know how to use MPC commands and time them right, then the note values of when to shift the volume should be self-explanatory and depends on what you're scoring
  • For the other staff, copy the command but reverse the volume slides so that it's 0, and then 127

This effectively causes the second note to be audible after its attack (the first part of the instrument's sample) and right when the first note's volume goes to 0, which gives a pretty good pitch shift effect with certain instruments, notably guitars.

The downside is this cannot be used for linear pitch bends. And I know that's what we all want...