Hi, Bill -

And I just looked and it appears that VST/VSTi support was added in version 11, so you are one behind that.

It looks like DX/DXi support was added in version 10, so you could get your MIDI to work with a DXi synth. For example, you could buy the Coyote Forte DXi Synth from PGMusic for $40. It won't be your Soundfonts, but if you were only using the Creative soundfonts, you'll find it will sound much better. That would allow you to hear MIDI and audio data concurrently in PowerTracks.

All that being said, you have missed versions 11, 12, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and now 2017. A lot has happened since then.

You can upgrade to just the basic PowerTracks 2017 package for $29. It costs more if you are interested in getting RealDrums content, but $29 gets you in the gate. You can check it out +++ here +++.

I would suggest upgrading to a newer version, if you are still interested in using PowerTracks. It will install the CoyoteWT DXi synth (which is not the same as the Coyote Forte). The CoyoteWT just wraps the MIDI sounds that come with Windows (which don't sound very good, but does work), so you'll have sounds very similar to what you get with I'd say the 2MB Creative soundfont. Be aware that the user interface will look different, but we on the forum will be happy to help you navigate that.

I'm assuming you aren't looking to invest a lot of money, based on your initial post (but could be wrong). There are other similarly priced options such as Cakewalk Music Creator 7, which comes with some pretty good MIDI sounds (not pro-level, but definitely usable. I would have recommended Sonar Home Studio; however, it requires Windows 8 or 10 to run. There is also Reaper at a similar price point.

Good luck and let us know.

John

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