Hopefully, an easy fix...

[tsg2003]

With gratitude to AlChuck, I'm able to play and hear midi sounds.

I'm trying to use some other sounds dloaded from the CW site without much success.

I have imported the instrument defs and can assign them to ports/channels. However when I go to 'play' the sounds, well I get the same sounds I've heard since accomplishing the very feat of acquiring sound in the first place!

In that, when I scroll through or otherwise select different patches I don't believe that what I'm hearing is what I'm 'supposed' or intended to hear. Channel 125 is *always* the gunshot effect... does this makes sense?

I'm thinking, General Midi?

In attempts to figure this our myself, I have tried many (all of??) the different configurations both hardware and software I could think of.

I'm still using an SB Live *cough!* card, but from what I understand from reading here, they seem to be the preferred (defacto?) audio card for midi applications/use?

Anyone have any suggestions as to what I might do to correct this issue?

Gen. Info;

P4 2GH
512 MB SDRAM
SB Live
60GB WD HD 7200rpm
CW PA9
midi controller/keyboard

Is what I'm trying to do, the job of another piece of equipment maybe, or should I be able to play different midi instruments/sounds with what I have?

My apologies if this seems rudimentary, but my eyes of numb of reading through posts trying to find the answer.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

[AlChuck]

I have imported the instrument defs and can assign them to ports/channels. However when I go to 'play' the sounds, well I get the same sounds I've heard since accomplishing the very feat of acquiring sound in the first place!

Uh.. it's me again...

There are no sounds in the instrument definition files, only the mapping for Cakewalk to show you the correct names for the banks and patches on a device you are attempting to use. For example, a Korg Triton instrument defintion shows you the patch names that the Triton has, but the sounds themselves are on the Triton.

Is what I'm trying to do, the job of another piece of equipment maybe, or should I be able to play different midi instruments/sounds with what I have?

With a Sound Blaster Live card, you can use Sound Fonts and thereby get a very wide range of possible sounds to choose between.

Some Sound Font resources:

Live! Center
HammerSound
Sonic Implants

[tsg2003]

Originally posted by AlChuck
Uh.. it's me again...

Hi AlChuck!

There are no sounds in the instrument definition files, only the mapping for Cakewalk to show you the correct names for the banks and patches on a device you are attempting to use. For example, a Korg Triton instrument defintion shows you the patch names that the Triton has, but the sounds themselves are on the Triton.

Ok, I can grasp that there are no sounds within definition files... why one would want data mappings to an instrument they may/may not have is something I'm trying to grapple with.

As well, I'm starting to understand some of the relationships between the different components that are 'midi'... I think.

(This is probably as good a time as any to profess that I am not trying to become a midi expert or anything like that. A simple grasp of some of the 'basics' is more what I'm after.)

With a Sound Blaster Live card, you can use Sound Fonts and thereby get a very wide range of possible sounds to choose between.

I assume that with different equipment (audio cards, external synths, keybords etc.) the range of sounds available would be greater?

For expample as well as stroking my own ego recording myself and some friends , I would like to record some 'books on tape' as I have some sight impared relatives and such. A variety of sound effects would add some nice touches to the project I'd think. Elephant footsteps, dinosaur growls, screeching wheels- all sorts of things.

Obviously there is a lot more reading I need to do.
I'll start with the links you've provided

Thanks again AlChuck!

[AlChuck]

Ok, I can grasp that there are no sounds within definition files... why one would want data mappings to an instrument they may/may not have is something I'm trying to grapple with.

Well, you would only want them if you had the instrument... they're useless otherwise...

I would like to record some 'books on tape' as I have some sight impared relatives and such. A variety of sound effects would add some nice touches to the project I'd think. Elephant footsteps, dinosaur growls, screeching wheels- all sorts of things.

This sort of thing would be far easier to deal with by just placing audio snippets of those sound effects where you want them in the audio timeline... they would not be very useful for this purpose in the context of sounds for a MIDI instrument.

Of course, if you wanted to have them available in a performance situation and trigger them at will via hitting a note on a MIDI keyboard, then they would be useful as part of a sound set for a MIDI sampler...

[tsg2003]

AlChuck, once again my Thank to you.

All I can say is, this is some fun stuff!

I've still a lot to learn- soundfont resources- whether or not to continue with sounds fonts or investigate something just a bit 'cooler'... there are obviouslty many options.

AC, you da man (as it were )

[AlChuck]