Trouble setting up MIDI/Insts/Soundfonts in CW Express 8.0.

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Randy G
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:13 am

Post by Randy G » Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:12 am

Greetings, I'm a new member. I'm a hands-on 36 channel mixer and 2" tape guy just getting into PC based multi tracking. I know my recording techniques, just need some info to get running with this. I'll be upgrading my PC rig pretty soon, but for the meantime I'm running Express on an AMD 1000mHz/1.5GB RAM/SoundBlaster Live!/Windows ME system. Even though it's a slow rig for the days, it doesn't mean I can't start learning now with what I got. OK, on to my trouble.

I read up on how you don't have to use the Creative Audio HQ to set up SoundFonts anymore, they can be done inside CW. Fine, I looked up how do do all that. Since I didn't like the default General MIDI instruments, I found some SoundFonts I could live with (until decide to learn Vienna and make my own) and set my SoundFont Cache to 100MB. Well I set up (and highlighted) the SB Live! MIDI Synth (A: and B:) as my top MIDI Devices, Assigned 'SoundFont Device' to the A: and B: ports on all channels, and then loaded my Soundfonts to a couple of banks. I opened the Rock Quartet template, wrote out about 32 measures of MIDI bass (CH1) and drums (CH 10), assigned the instruments and played it. Well I get no bass and the drums will only play one of the variations (12 total) in the font. I then started messing with all variations of using the Creative S/W Synth and still no luck. Anyone have an idea what I might be doing wrong? If I can't get these two MIDI tracks to play properly, I definitely am not going to get more to go right. I can use the GM sounds all right, but I don't want to have to create a custom GM SoundFont for every project as a workaround, I want to be able to quickly pick, load and assign them as I need.

Anyway, if anyone might see something in what I've dont wrong, please let me know. I've previewed the SoundFonts with the AudioHQ keyboard and they are valid. I'm probably overlooking some minute setting, but at the moment it's eluding me. Any help would be appreciated so I can get on with figuring out the rest of this program, before I move on to a more powerful setup.

Thank you.


Randy G
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:13 am

Post by Randy G » Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:44 am

After re-reviewing a SoundFont tutorial I had used when first learning this stuff, I finally found the solution, something I had overlooked. I had the Bank Select Method on "Normal" instead of "Controller 0 *". Plus selecting banks/instruments from the console view doesn't always change them, but it works when I select them on the 'source' button on the tracks view, it works. OK, time to finish writing the song! Maybe I'll have it done in time for when I go back to work on Friday, and I can use it in the sports segment of the newcast (I run sound at a CBS affiliate).

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