Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI (Read 5205 times) previous topic - next topic

Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

I have a hymn setting in NWC2 format, acquired some long time ago.
It will play with Microsoft GM Wavetable synth selected as the playback device, but is silent if I select my Creative Soundfont synth, no matter which voice I select. Other songs adapt happily, playing in whichever Organ voice I select.
Is it possible for a NWC song to be "coded" so as to be unalterable?
By the way I checked and do have the gm dls file in System 32 drivers

Tony

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #1 –
Tony, I'm no expert at these things, but if you mention what operating system you're using, one of the experts might be able to point out something.

I run Windows XP Pro and my sound setting for NWC2 is SB Live! MIDI Synth, and SB Live! Midi UART.  I really have no idea what they are, except they for my older Soundblaster Live! card, and this combination works.

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #2 –
G'day Tony,
can you check the MIDI properties of one of the satves please?  What does the "Play back device:" field say?

It may say "<unavailable>" in which case you just need to reset each staff to an available channel...
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.
 

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #3 –
Lawrie,

As usual, you have hit the nail on the head. I had failed to look at the Staff properties MIDI box., never having had need to do so before. it was set to the Microsoft wavetable synth, but Creative was available and is  now selected.
What I cannot yet understand is that having found for one piece that it was set to the Microsoft wavetable and changed it to Creative, all my other song files are also now set to Creative. It looks as if the Midi selection is an all or nothing setting applicable to all Staffs

What would we do without the likes of you and the other stalwarts of NEC?
 Many thanks.

Tony

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #4 –
G'day Tony,
Quote from: tony smedley –
<snip> ...it was set to the Microsoft wavetable synth, but Creative was available and is  now selected.
What I cannot yet understand is that having found for one piece that it was set to the Microsoft wavetable and changed it to Creative<snip>

As near as I can tell, NWC saves the synth instance of your NWC configuration...

If you look at your |Tools|Options|Midi (tab) settings you will see the "Devices used by play back:" field.  Normally you will only see one synth in here, if you see 2 then that could be where your confusion is coming from.

If the song file is set to use the 2nd synth, and you don't have a second synth setup then you'll get silence.  However, normal practice seems to be that you only have one synth configured.  Certainly that is the way I work.

The fact that you had the MS wavetable synth showing up suggests that you possibly had 2 synths configured in NWC but I don't know what order - I'm guessing that the MS one was second.  What I don't understand is why you couldn't hear anything - if the setting had been "<unknown>" then that would have made sense as NWC would not have known what synth to use, but having a synth specified and not working suggests that synth is broken.

Someone else (keavie) recently had a similar problem (https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=5927.msg40651#msg40651) and it turned out to be that the "gm.dls" file was missing from his system.  To see if this is your problem you could do a search for *.dls in your "Windows\system32\drivers" folder (This is for XP/Win2k).  I'm not sure where it is stored for '98, a search from the "windows" folder including sub-directories will locate it if it's there - '98 calls it gm16.dls.
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #5 –
Lawrie,

I have decided to take the easy way out of this. I had both MS Wavetable and Creative synths available in the Options  and assumed that the system would automatically use the one I had specified in the Instrument boxes for the song; this seems to have confused the program.
In future I will ensure that the choices match up with no possible confilcts.

Tony

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #6 –
G'day Tony,
easy way mate: if you don't need more than 16 MIDI channels then only have one synth at a time listed in your play back devices.

That way there can be no confusion.
I plays 'Bones, crumpets, coronets, floosgals, youfonymums 'n tubies.

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #7 –
Quote from: tony smedley –
I ... assumed that the system would automatically use the one I had specified in the Instrument boxes for the song; this seems to have confused the program.
The synth is not saved in the *.nwc file, just the slot it occupies in the Playback device: dropdown. In the attachment, this would be Device:2 (it is zero based). If you change your configuration, or use it on another computer, it will play back on the synth that occupies the third item in the dropdown. If that is <Unavailable>, you wll hear nothing, if a different synth, it will sound different. NWC could simply use Device:0 for any unavailable device. This is what the Viewer does as it only supports one playback device at a time. If you configure the Viewer to use the same device as the first device in your NWC dropdown, and the song sounds different, then at least one staff is using something other than Device:0

On anything complex and important, I note the synth usage in the Info box.

IMO, NWC should at least warn you if a song uses an unavailable device.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Hymn won't play back except with General MIDI

Reply #8 –
I now believe that this is what happens with my set-up. (using XP Pro if that has any effect)
I have two synths in the "Tools>Options> Midi>device used by play back"  box.
By default, when I select 'Play' the program uses the device at the head of the list, so that if Microsoft Wavetable is at the top that is  what will be used, unless I open the 'Staff Properties'
and change the setting.
That does not explain why in the first instance the song would not play using Creative even though that was in the available list. But everything now works so I am satisfied.

Tony