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Topic: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine (Read 4699 times) previous topic - next topic

Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

   I just installed version 2, but I still have version 1.75 installed as well. 
Version 2 looks like it will take care of the stuttering problem I have with
version 1.75, due to my gummed-up registry or something like that
taking up time slices, which I haven't noticed is a problem with version 2.

   I haven't played version 2 much though, because the sound is terrible. 
It's very tinny.  Also, switching from mf to mp just switches, in version 2,
from tinniness to muffledness, neither of which is pleasant separately. 
The abrupt change between them in version 2 is even less pleasant. 

   I don't know why version 2 sounds so different from version 1.75.  I
have both version 1.75 and version 2 set up the same as far as I can see.
The SoundBlaster card is the only functioning sound card on my system,
but version 1.75 still sounds great and version 2 doesn't.

   Has anybody had this same problem of the sound in version 2 being far
inferior to the sound on version 1.75, on Soundblaster or anything else,
and if so, how did they fix it?  I've tried a lot of things, but nothing I've
tried has made any difference.  (I'm not at all techno.)

            Thanks,  Geoff    (Geoff Arrowsmith in Noteworthy Scriptorium)

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #1 –
Gooff

It's possible you have v.1.75 set up as sound blaster and v.2 set up as microsoft wave table or something else.

So - fire up version 1.75.

Go to tools options midi and see which devices are used by playback.

Then fire up v2 and set the sstem up so that it matches v.1.75.

Rich.
Rich.

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #3 –
Not a problem - that's what can happen with duplicate posts.

At least our two answers were consistent !
Rich.

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #4 –
(This is a response to Richard Woodroffe's post.  Unfortunately, I don't see any way
to indicate what post within a thread that any response is a response to, as can be
done with regular Newsgroups.  There is an apparent noteworthy newsgroup 
"ntwrthy.nwc", but there's never anything in it, perhaps because this software
community most unfortunately requires a login.)

   Thanks, but I already tried that.  In both versions, there's "Available play devices"
with only one item in it, "Microsoft Midi Mapper" and two choices for "Devices used
for playback" which are "Microsoft GS wave table" and "Creative Sound Font". 
"Creative" is the manufacturer name for my SoundBlaster card, so I guess that's
what the second one is.  There isn't any way to see when you start out which one
is actually in use, as far as I can see, but I've tried highlighting each of the alternatives
for "Devices used for playback" and pressing OK in both versions.  No matter which
I choose, the result is the same, good sound with 1.75 and poor sound with 2.0.



Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #5 –
Hi Geoff,

You don't need both to be in devices used by playback unless you want to have more than 16 midi channels.

I would suggest that you highlight the "Microsoft GS wave table" in the devices used by playback and then click on the arrow pointing left.

This will remove the MS wavetable from the devices used leaving only the soundblaster one.
This is likely to be the better sound reproduction.

It maybe that you have both on both systems but on 1.75 you have the soundblaster first  but on v2 you have mswavtable first.
Since most nwc files will use only the device in the first position, this may be the problem.

Have a go at removing the mswavetable, try the sound out and let us know.


Please note that highlighting one of them and pressing OK does not do anything. you have to move them in or out using the arrows and then press OK. Whatever you have in the right hand box is available for use but the top one will be the default.

Rich.

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #6 –
You need to remove the Microsoft GS Wave Table from "Devices used for playback." Note that there are two arrow buttons between "Available play devices" and "Advices used for playback." Highlight "Microsoft GS wave table" in the "Devices Used for Playback" box and press the arrow that points toward "Available play devices." That should move the GS wave table from one box to the other, leaving you with only "creative sound font" under "Devices used for playback." That should solve your problem. Get back to us if it doesn't

In general, there should be only one device listed under "devices used for playback."

Hope this helps -

Bill

I note that while I was typing this out, Rich gave you the same advice. Great minds.....

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #7 –
Quote from: arrowsmith –
There isn't any way to see when you start out which one is actually in use
Score Review shows the Device (aka synth) assigned to each staff.

Score Review is available in all versions of NWC so you can load a song into both versions and compare.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #8 –
Each staff has a property for play back device: Staff->Staff Properties, Midi, Play back device

It is recommended that you only use one device for play back, unless you are sure that you need to use multiple devices and understand the implications of that choice.
 

Re: Poor sound on version 2.0, though version 1.75 is fine

Reply #9 –
Problem solved!  I got a note from email support which got me thinking a different
way, and now I have version 2 sounding as good as version 1.75.  I see there's are
three new notes from this message group that say much the same thing, which I
didn't see until just now, but I didn't before appreciate that everything in the midi
output boxes on either side was a playback device, rather than the two boxes
representing two different functions.  It might be easier to teach an orangutan
how to use a computer than to teach me, I guess.  All three of the new messages
below seem to have gotten the idea of what was giving me problems, despite that
I was pretty incoherent in explaining it and pretty inept at understanding the
previous answers, because I was completely clueless about the nature of the two
boxes in the midi control.  Thanks to everyone for your help and patience.  I hope
it will all be as smooth sailing for me with version 2 now as it was with version 1.75!