Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: note duration values stuck? (Read 3181 times) previous topic - next topic

note duration values stuck?

I have a problem on "play" feature. At a specific point in score, a written whole notes continue to sound (like a drone on bagpipe)as though it is stuck, until I "stop" play. This happens when using Yamaha PSR 510 as midi playback and when selecting the sound card of my computer for midi play back. Please share any/all suggestions you may have.

Thanks

Bill

Re: note duration values stuck?

Reply #1 –
By far the commonest cause of the "stuck note" phenomenon is tying a note to another note of the same written pitch but a different accidental (e.g., b-flat to b-natural). This is especially common when the tie crosses a bar line, and the accidental is placed on the first note but not on the second.

The problem is compounded by the fact that the accidental wouldn't be displayed on the second (tied-to) note even if it were present, so there's no way visually to tell that it's missing (except perhaps highlighting the note, if it's not part of a chord, and looking to see whether the one of the accidental note tools is selected).

Re: note duration values stuck?

Reply #2 –
Grant: Thank you for reply - your suggestion is "right-on target", I made the correction and it works. I still don't know why NWC doesn't recognize accidentals tied across a bar line or why that caused the tone to stick but thanks to you, I can now correct it. Its nice to have smart and helpful people on the forum.

Re: note duration values stuck?

Reply #3 –
Another cause of stuck notes can be use of the Pedal controller. Though it's not the original poster's difficutly, I'm adding this here because it might be found by someone reading this thread in the future.

I discovered it while debugging a stuck note problem in the game I'm helping out with; leaving one particular scene would cause a long sustained note (using the Pedal controller) to hang into the next midi (using DirectMusic midi in DX7). The fix was to preface each midi file with a Reset controller (121), which instantly releases any hung notes and also fixes any potential problems with pitch bends, etc.

Re: note duration values stuck?

Reply #4 –
I have had experience of the "stuck note" problem also, but found quite by accident, that if I stopped the playback and started it again the problem was solved ! In most cases I've come across, the problem occurred when the first note of a piece was tied, especially across a bar line.

Re: note duration values stuck?

Reply #5 –
Eamonn - I'll bet that if you examine your tied notes, you'll find that they have different accidentals. I've never encountered stuck notes involving correct ties (between notes of the same pitch).