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Topic: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument (Read 3919 times) previous topic - next topic

In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Hi Friends,

I rewrote this email to make it easier to understand. There were some errors in the original. I apologize for any confusion.

Please help me configure my SoftSynth called the Roland Virtual Sound Canvas 3.23 within Note Worthy Composer. I already have it selected as my "Devices used by play back" under Tools_Options_Midi.
But the confusion starts in NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument. I don't understand how to configure this section.

In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument, I went to the "Patch List Type" drop down box. It gives me five choices to choose from. They are as follows:
1) Numeric, 1 based
2) Numeric, 0 based
3) General MIDI
4) Roland GS
5) MT-32

Question # 1 please

In the drop down list for "Patch List Type" which do I choose? My  softsynth allows for two different sound module choices. Mode one is GM2 and the second mode is GS. I understand GS has more instruments.

Question # 2 please

When choosing a specific mode such as GM or GS, do I make the choice within Note Worthy Composer under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument, or do I make the choice inside the Roland VSC?

Question # 3 please

If I choose the Roland GS mode from within The Roland VSC setup or from within NWC based on the above 5 choices, might the song sound different on another computer that does allow for GS as a playback option. In other words, if the other person only has GM on his computer, will the CD's I recorded in GS mode sound different on his computer during playback?

Question # 4 please

Once I select one of the five choices above do I then choose a particular "Patch Name from the drop down box? I thought I choose my patches/instruments directly from my Roland Virtual Sound Canvas (which also offers an array of patches/instruments). I don't quite understand this entire section under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument in NWC in conjunction with my Roland SoftSynth.

Question # 5 please

Finally, under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument, what is the "Bank Select" section all about please. I tried to understand the NWC help file but it wasn't detailed enough.

Thank You
Walter Lepore NJ

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #1 –
In the drop down list for "Patch List Type" which do I choose? My softsynth allows for two different sound module choices. Mode one is GM2 and the second mode is GS. I understand GS has more instruments.

The Patch List Type dropdown only determines what names are assigned to the instrument patch numbers for your convenience. If you've got your softsynth set for GM mode, then the GM patch list type makes more sense, and if set for Roland GS mode, then  use the GS list.

When choosing a specific mode such as GM or GS, do I make the choice within Note Worthy Composer under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument, or do I make the choice inside the Roland VSC?

Roland VSC. NWC has no way of knowing into which mode you've got it set. However, once set you can choose the appropriate patch list type such that the names it comes up with match reality.

If I choose the Roland GS mode from within The Roland VSC setup or from within NWC based on the above 5 choices, might the song sound different on another computer that does allow for GS as a playback option. In other words, if the other person only has GM on his computer, will the CD's I recorded in GS mode sound different on his computer during playback?

Yes.

Once I select one of the five choices above do I then choose a particular "Patch Name from the drop down box? I thought I choose my patches/instruments directly from my Roland Virtual Sound Canvas [which also offers an array of patches/instruments]. I don't quite understand this entire section under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument in NWC in conjunction with my Roland SoftSynth.

I'm guessing here, but it appears from what you say that you can select the instrument in Roland VSC directly. If you set a staff in NWC such that the Instrument assignment is "None", then it will not try to change the instrument patch presently in force. However, if you select an instrument, it will send an instrument patch change command when you play the file, over-riding whatever was set previously. Similarly, you can change an instrument assignment on a given staff "on the fly" later on in the staff, by using a patch change command ("I" or "i" on the keyboard).

Finally, under Staff_Staff Properties_Instrument, what is the "Bank Select" section all about please. I tried to understand the NWC help file but it wasn't detailed enough.

Bank Select only works on sound cards, synthesizers, or softsynths that support them. Since the way (or even if) such features are implemented varies wildly even amongst different implementations of a given type (e.g. GS or XG), it would be impossible for NW Software to provide explicit instructions applicable to all such units. Not being familiar with Roland VSC I don't know if it supports multiple banks, or which controllers would be set to what value to access them. This would be a topic that should be covered in the VSC documentation or help file. By way of example, in Yamaha XG (including the Softsynths) there are various different banks, accessible by changing the value in Controller 32, and one special-effects bank is activated by changing Controller 0.

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #2 –
Thank You very much Fred. I now understand.

Walter

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #3 –
Hi Fred

Thanks for the speedy reply.

Yes, I actually can set the instrument/patches directly from within The Roland VSC. Therefore I chose GS and set the instrument to "None" in NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_instrument. This way (I assume)it won't override what instrument/patch I chose in my Roland VSC softsynth.

Stay Well
Walter

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #4 –
Hi Walter,

The drawback to this approach is that you'll have to set up all your instrument patches every time you load your NWC file to play (or edit, etc.) It usually makes more sense to include the instrument patches within your file, such that it automatically sets up the desired instruments.

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #5 –
Hi Fred,

You said:
It usually makes more sense to include the instrument patches
within your file, such that it automatically sets up the desired
instruments. -end-

Do you mean to include the instruments patches within my file in NWC under staff_staff properties_instrument?

I said:
> Thanks for the speedy reply. Yes, I actually can set the instrument/patches
> directly from within The Roland VSC. Therefore I chose GS and set the
> instrument to "None" in NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_instrument. This
> way it won't override what I instrument/patch I chose in my softsynth. -end-

You said:
The drawback to this approach is that you'll have to set up all your
instrument patches every time you load your NWC file to play (or edit,
etc.) It usually makes more sense to include the instrument patches
within your file, such that it automatically sets up the desired
instruments. -end-

I guess this is where I'm puzzled. If I choose the instrument/patch within NWC under staff_staff properties_instrument (using the "patch list type" called Roland GS) it offers only 8 instruments in the PIANO category whereas directly inside the Roand SoftSynth it offers 47 PIANO instruments (47 minus 8). What happened to the remaining 39 patches /instruments that did not show up in NWC?

Also, before saving my work, I set the instrument tab to "None" in NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_instrument and set channel one to "organ" in my Roland SoftSynth. I then saved my work and closed the program. When I re-opened my file and clicked "play", the instrument setting did not change. The organ instrument was still on channel one and it played fine.

How come I did not have to set up my instrument patch (organ) again?

Assuming I did the same procedure again, and buned my file to a CD,  I would -in fact- have to set up the instrument patch again because there would be no instrument in the recording as a result of setting the patch name to "none" in NWC under staff_staff properties_instrument?

Thanks Fred
Walter
 

Re: In NWC under Staff_Staff Properties_ Instrument

Reply #6 –
If your synth has 47 piano sounds instead of just 8, that would suggest to me that there are six banks that you can access. A look over the VSC documentation would (one would think) provide the means for accessing these.

An instrument patch assignment normally remains in force until changed again, or until you reset the synth, or reboot the computer (or power-cycle the synth if it's an external hardware unit). If you don't have your instrument patches assigned in your NWC or midi file, then usually all channels will be set to instrument #0 (zero-based) on reboot - and everything will sound like a grand piano unless you individually change the patches assigned to each channel.

Instrument patches can either be set in Staff Properties | Instruments tab, in which case the patch is applied upon playing the file, or by inserting an Instrument Change command. The latter can be at the beginning, in which case it's funtionally the same as the Staff Properties | Instrument setting, or it can be anywhere else in the staff if changes are required - for instance from strings arco (e.g. String Ensemble I) to Pizzicato Strings, and back again.

A great deal can be learned from playfully experimenting with your setup to "see what happens if..." You normally can't break anything by trying different things.