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Topic: Playback Volume (Read 2803 times) previous topic - next topic

Playback Volume

I guess that we're just unlucky, but being newcomers to Noteworthy, we have another question.
The group was so successful in helping us resolve a question on the implementation of the "slur" that we have decided to try again.

The issue is playback volume.

We have a simple organ piece with three rows (sorry, I'm not musically inclined, but my wife is) of notes. One for the right hand (top row), another for the left and a third for the foot pedal. The piece uses the "church organ" instrument for all three. Each row is assigned a different midi channel (1-2-3).

The volume levels of each channel are set to their maximum. However, the sound coming from the 2nd and 3rd rows (left hand and foot pedal) are so loud that we can't hear the top row. Turning the levels down for the 2nd and 3rd level helps, but not enough. The top row is just so low that we can hardly hear it.

At this point we're scratching our heads. Regardless as to what we try the level of the right hand (top row) cannot be heard.

What are we missing?

Roy

Re: Playback Volume

Reply #1 –
   Hi, RoyMick.

   There are several places where volume is fixed (and I ignore your hardware and the gain of your Windows Volume Control, which must be OK otherwise you'd hear ... nothing).

   One is by the dynamics you write onto the staff (your musical wife will know about this; they range from ppp - extra pianissimo: very, very quiet - through mf - mezoforte; medium loud - to fff - very fortissimo; blow your socks off).  If you don't put any dynamics in on a staff Noteworthy defaults to ff - pretty loud.  The dynamics values control the "velocity" applied to the note - think of it as how hard you hit a piano key.

   Then there's the volume you find/enter by selecting a staff and pressing F2 - the Part Volume.  This is a number that ranges from 0 - zero - up to 127 - maximum.  You can set it, but if you don't it defaults to 127 - loudest.  The Part Volume controls the loudness of the note as it actually sounds - think of it as depressing the loud pedal (which in a piano both takes off the dampers and may also shift the hammers so they hit more strings [depressing the "soft" pedal applies dampers and shifts the hammers so they hit fewer strings]).

   There is also the intrinsic loudness of the chosen "electronic" instrument ... which very often changes over its range.  On my Soundblaster AWE Gold the church organ is rotten - all squeaky and pathetic at the upper end of the scale, and louder but breathy at the lower end.  As an experiment, on a single staff key in and play a set of scales starting as low as you like and going up and up to way over the top; you'll hear the quality, and the volume, change as you go.

   So, have a look at what you've got, and make sure everything is set properly.  And try different instruments - try a flute or whistle for the RH and LH, and a tuba, say, for the feet.

   MusicJohn, 25/Sep/06

 

Re: Playback Volume

Reply #2 –
John,

Thanks for the ideas. We'll give this a try and see what success we have.
I'm using the Soundblaster Audigy card, which has some decent sound qualities when playing MP3's and other music. I haven't used it much for midi tunes so I don't have any idea as to quality with various instruments, however, your suggestion on going up the scale sounds interesting. It certainly would give me an idea of how a specific instrument plays across up the scale.

When we started on this venture all my wife was interested in was a method of putting notes into a program and printing them to produce sheet music that she could play. We finally stumbled onto NWC and from our initial impressions it was what she was looking for.

As I'm not musically inclined whatsoever, I handle the computer end of things and she does the hard work on the keyboard :)

Roy

Re: Playback Volume

Reply #3 –
If you have entered a dynamic marking only on the top staff, it will not be as loud as the other staves. You must mark each staff to make them equal, although these markings can be made invisible if you like. It would seem that if you are using the same instrument on all staves, the volume should be about the same. Another possibility: If the top staff has only single notes playing while the others are chords, the melody staff could be drowned out. My 2 bits worth!

Re: Playback Volume

Reply #4 –
MusicJohn writes
Quote
Then there's the volume you find/enter by selecting a staff and pressing F2 - the Part Volume.  This is a number that ranges from 0 - zero - up to 127 - maximum.  You can set it, but if you don't it defaults to 127 - loudest. 

Indeed, you should try resetting the midi volume settings for the two loud staffs.  Try cutting all the volume settings by 20 to 30% in those two staffs.  I don't know how well that works for organ staffs, but it works for multiple instruments, where perhaps you have drums on one staff, trombones on another, and a flute on yet another.