MIDI questions from newbie

[picknight]

Hi, I just bought MTS to do some MIDI arranging/composing and I love it! Superbly designed interface makes it so easy to use and I find the score editing is especially good.

A couple of issues I'm struggling that maybe someone could help with:

1. My external synth (Roland VR-700) is fully GM compliant, but seems to require an initial GM Reset command to play properly, otherwise some of the program changes are incorrect and the wrong instruments are selected. It only seems to need this once after switch-on, so either I need to send a GM Reset from another program (e.g. Midiocre) before loading MTS, or embed a GM Reset command in each MIDI file I create. Is there a way of doing either of these things in MTS?

2. With the track slider at maximum, the MIDI input record level from my Roland keyboard seems to be about 50%, so when using it to create MIDI parts, they are too quiet. Is there a global input level somewhere I can set or is that more likely to be a tweak in the Roland? (When using the screen keyboard for input it is approx double the level of the Roland).

TIA

Ian Pickering

[picknight]

Update: seem to have solved the MIDI input volume issue, keyboard was not transmitting velocity, but pressed a few random buttons and now it is!

[Support]

1. My external synth (Roland VR-700) is fully GM compliant, but seems to require an initial GM Reset command to play properly, otherwise some of the program changes are incorrect and the wrong instruments are selected. It only seems to need this once after switch-on, so either I need to send a GM Reset from another program (e.g. Midiocre) before loading MTS, or embed a GM Reset command in each MIDI file I create. Is there a way of doing either of these things in MTS?

You can copy the GM patchmap file and add an 'initialization sysex'. See http://www.multitrackstudio.com/patchmaps.php (last paragraph).

Then you can make MultitrackStudio use the new patchmap file by default using the MIDI Out Device Options window (see http://www.multitrackstudio.com/midioutcontrol.php)

Please let me know if you need help with this.


Giel Bremmers

[picknight]

Great - thanks Giel. I'll give that a try and let you know how I get on.

Very impressed with the tech support you offer in this forum. I think this product is definitely worth the price tag!

Ian

[picknight]

Tried this but doesn't seem to work. Maybe I did something wrong? Here's what I did:

I verified the correct hex code for the GM Reset command which is: F07E7F0901F7 (definitely works when embedded at the start of a MIDI file, or sent from a MIDI utility program).

I made a copy of the GM patchmap file and inserted the initsysex command before the existing percussionchannel command as follows:

[patchmap]
initsysex=f07e7f0901f7
percussionchannel=10

I then selected the new default patch map in MIDI Out Device Options, for MIDI Out device 2 (which is the one that corresponds with my keyboard).

Any idea what the problem might be?

Thanks

Ian

[Support]

I then selected the new default patch map in MIDI Out Device Options, for MIDI Out device 2 (which is the one that corresponds with my keyboard).

This just changes the default value, ie. the patchmap new instances of 'External 2' MIDI instruments use. Songs remember the patchmap themselves, so existing songs will still use the old patchmap. You can change it by clicking a MIDI track's instrument slot. Then click the small unlabeled button (on the left) to pick the new patchmap.


Giel Bremmers

[picknight]

Yep - confirmed that works now.

Thanks for the help.

Ian