HI...others suggested I repost as a new topic:

Hi all...while I am a long time user of BIAB-Windows, I am a new user of the Mac version...My question is simple, and I am a bit ashamed I can't figure it out...

I can certainly route the MIDI through the IAC to sampletank, or Sfz, put the instruments on the correct channel, and be fine.

I can even select the instruments in the plug ins...but I have been unable to get sounds using just the plugins...tried changing channels, forcing MIDI, etc..yet, I can hear the sound when I activate the keyboard..just nothing when I hit play (even though the mixer shows messages in the channel).

Can anyone give me some hints as to what I might be missing?

I figure it has to be simple, I am just not seeing it...

thanks!

Steve

Hey Steve, this is from the other thread, try this :

Go to the "Preferences..." menu item and click the "Audio" button, then click the "Audio Devices" button.
What do you have set up as an audio device in BIAB ?


Also you could try temporarily setting your MIDI output to "Apple DLS Synth" like Icelander said in the other thread, to see if that helps route MIDI internally to the plug-ins (rather than to an external MIDI port).
This is what I have set as a default in BIAB, and I've never had a problem with instrument plug-ins.


Again, hopefully this helps.

- Jay

Hi Jay

The audio out is through the built in output, which is all that is available...

yes, if I route to DLS synth, the plugins will play...

I even made sure I wasn't getting both ST and DLS outputs, and I wasn't...

Weird...I have no idea why that would be true, and why it would matter...

But, "computers...." (said deprecatingly)

Thanks!

Hopefully that is what you were looking for.
I normally keep the default MIDI output set to the DLS Synth.

Then when I want to route a BIAB MIDI track to another program, standalone synth or external device, I use that "Select Port/ Instrument" dialog (in the screenshot of above) to route tracks MIDI where I want it to go.

The biggest gotcha with that, is that if you want to send MIDI from BIAB to another program (say sforzando), you have to launch sforzando before BIAB so it's MIDI input is seen by BIAB when it launches.

Hopefully that makes some sense the way I said it.

- Jay

Interesting...as I am naturally curious, I am still scratching my head as to why your fix worked....I would not have guessed that changing the midi stream from IAC to DLS should affect the functioning of a plug-in..I sent a question of to PG music to see if there is an explanation that I might be able to use to solve other issues that might arise...

Now, if they could just fix the yellow "OK" button in the stylepicker that I couldn't find for 20 minutes...and then thought it was just "greyed - out"... :-)

It worked because the IAC connects you to something outside of BBox (i.e. hooking to external things & applications), whereas the plugins are being loaded and run by BBox itself, internally. For instance, the built-in DLS is essentially a plugin too, if you hadn't considered that (evident by the fact that you can now change its sound source with the Plugin interface in BBox akin to any other Plugin),
It may be confusing you that many VSTi Plugins also come with their own "Standalone" applications, like SampleTank and sforzando. Not the same thing.

Yes, this helps...I saw the post from a few days ago, and wish I had seen it! It makes perfect sense. Thanks!