Originally Posted By: rut
When using biab, if a instrument is select (one without a realtrack), how is the sound actually created on the pc? Is is just using some generic software (general midi)? Is there a way to improve the sound quality for those type sounds?

I'm using a firewire hardware interface (focusrite saffire) for connecting my instrument to pc and have the pc sound running into a pair of powered external speakers via this interface. Inside an audio program I usually choose the saffire as the output. I notice that there is usually a midi output selection option in many daw's and wasn't sure exactly what this should be set to. Is this just for midi signals?

Thx
Rut


The sound is created by a soft synth. Either the default GM or a specific one if you are selecting one.

GM or general Midi is the lowest quality synth sound. I use TTS which is better as my default synth. It comes with Cakewalk software DAW's.
Above that are the synths like Kontakt that cost a few hundred dollars and use sampled sounds as opposed to software generated sounds. These are the most realist since they are actual instruments recorded as audio and triggered by the synth. Prices here can go way up from a low of a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

I also use the Focusrite Saffire interface with the same setup you do.

I have a mic and a guitar that get connected to it for audio. I also have a midi keyboard that connects to the midi port. Audio goes straight to the track and gets recorded.

Midi recording uses 2 tracks in my Sonar DAW. I do not work with MIDI in BB or RB. Data or midi, comes out of the midi controller/keyboard in a channel and goes to the saffire which sends it on to the software where it gets recorded in a midi track. It is recorded and output at the same time. Another track, an audio track has the synth in it. the midi track output is linked to the audio track (synth) input which creates the sound from the midi data and sends it to the saffire and the speakers.

You can also check my website.... for a more detailed setup description....here's the info: this is assuming TTS is the default synth and it's using 3 midi tracks and 1 audio track. TTS is one of the few good synths that supports multiple midi tracks..... most, like Kontakt only allow one midi track per instrument sound. To get more you simply insert more instances of the synth and add until your computer can't handle the load.


ADVANCED TTS set up and operation.

You only need one instance of TTS to be able to play 16 different midi tracks as 16 different instruments. In this demo I will explain just how you accomplish this by starting with 3 midi tracks and one instance of TTS.

So…open a new project ( I opened a normal project and deleted the audio track and then inserted the midi tracks needed and then inserted the soft synth) and insert 3 midi tracks and one instance of TTS. I have:
Track 1 midi piano
Track 2 midi bass
Track 3 midi strings
Track 4 Cakewalk TTS1-1 (audio track this is where TTS lives in this project)

Use the track icons…it makes it ease to know what track you are working on.


Understand that this is just a basic setup of TTS to show you how to setup multiple instruments in one instance of TTS and get it all working.

Set Track 1 (piano)

Input FR channel 6
Output 2-Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 1
Key 0
Bank & patch = piano

Set track 2 (bass)

Input FR channel 6
Output 2-Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 2
Key -12
Bank & patch = bass

Set track 3 (strings)

Input FR channel 6
Output 2 Cakewalk TTS1-1
Channel 3
Key 0
Bank & patch = strings


A NOTE about my set up..... Notice that all 3 tracks are using the same input....FR channel 6. (Focusrite=FR) This allows all three channels to “hear” the midi keyboard which I have set to transmit on channel 6.
I could set each channel input to a different channel. By doing so I have to change the midi keyboard to transmit on that channel....none of the other channels will hear it, and that can be very useful in recording as you will see shortly.

By setting all 3 channels to the same midi input channel (channel 6) I am able to play all the parts into the three channels with out changing the midi transmit channel on my DX27S. I arm track 1 and record my parts doing the same for the next two tracks. Since the outputs are set to different channels they are sending their midi data to different channels in the TTS synth. The synth looks at the channel number, and routs that data to that channel and applied the patch & bank info you assigned to it and it carries out those instructions. The result is that you hear 3 different instruments playing from your speakers.

Hope this helps.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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