I have a 64 bit Windows 7 OS and I have been working with TTS-1 and ForteDXi synths in Real Band for a month trying to correct problems I reported in a earlier post in this thread. I now believe it is likely that the TTS has a problem recognizing bank changes in midi files. It seems like almost any bank change can cause an irregularity in the playback of the file AND in subsequent files - at least in my 64-bit W7 system. For example, a file had an MSB: 1 entered on a drum channel. The drums in the next file played were changed to a piano. In another file bank changes on four channels resulted in three of the channels sounding as pianos and the fourth sounding as a fretting sound - the originally set sounds were two guitars, a bass, and strings. When I deleted the bank changes in most cases the irregularities disappeared and subsequent files also functioned properly. In a few files, usually GM2 files, with almost all channels containing bank changes, I was not able to solve the problems - until I exited the virtual synths and played the files with the midi mapper. If the problem on the original file is not corrected in some way it seems that every successively opened file with the same synth installed has instrument changes - usually to piano sounds - like Program 1 was a default if the synth did not recognize the bank change.
So far the only person who has duplicated these problems played the file I forwarded him on his XP system with the TTS and it was fine, but when he changed to the midi mapper and MME the distortions in sound occurred.
ForteDXi admittedly does not recognize all bank changes (mostly effect-like sounds I understand, e.g., thunder) but I have not played a lot of files through Forte so I don't know the extent of the problem there. Another strange occurrence is that when the sounds in a file played through the TTS has bank change problems it can sometimes be corrected by switching to the Forte. Then when you switch back to the TTS, on the same file, the problem is sometimes corrected - like there has been a reset of the instruments.
The sound on the TTS also seems so intense that sometimes high pitched sounds, like hung notes, develop and actually bleed over into the next file if there are inadequate resets at the end and beginning of files. The absence of a zero entry on the end of pitch bend strings also appears to cause problems.
I have been working through these problems one at a time for a month and am learning to live with them - usually by limiting or deleting bank changes or switching to the MME and midi mapper as a last resort. I do not intend to post anymore about the topics as no one else appears to be experiencing them right now and the PG staff apparently has not been able to replicate the problems. I have reported them to Cakewalk/TTS and to the Forte people. But should someone else bump into the same or similar problems I would be happy to discuss them further. I hope no one does. I hope it is a set of problems somehow unique to my system or files. However, the problems have certainly undermined my confidence in my back-up music for performances and it may take some time to restore.
