Getting better sounds inexpensively

[djimtio]

Hi Sherry
Just an addendum,if I may do so.
People interrested in getting good sounds inexpensively might also want to consider upgrading the miserable built in soundcarts on their PC or laptops with an external soundcard like Soundblaster Live External,using soundfonts, or the Terratec Aureon USB in combination with Synthfont ,Roland GS dxi and others.
Prices are around USD 50,00 and may be still available on Amazon or even cheaper on E bay.
I have been using both,on my PC and laptop,for quite some time now in combination with Composer of course.

Regards

Djim

Hi Djim, thank you for the valuable hint ! I am just starting as a rookie, so I will see what can be done with my inbuilt "Creative SB0220 SB Live !" and using soundbanks and "Vienna". Only then I will go on for other possibilities as those you hinted at.

My principle is : Leave things as small and simple as possible. No external things - cards and keyboards etc. - added as long as you don't feel that you gain a lot from it. But I will remember your suggestion. This moment even Audacity, Papelmedia, and Timidity are no more than words for me, I have to understand them.

[djimtio]

Hi Fremowolf

Relatively cheaper external soundcards are only an option for those who are not so fortunate as to have a nice built in soundcard,of course.
You should do fine with your SB.
Success

Regards

Djim

[mgj32]

Hi Sherry,
This is very interesting : "SynthFont has an option to "Activate MIDI Input." If you click that button, and run Composer, then SynthFont acts as the MIDI playback device, while you edit or play the score in Composer. It's a lot easier that way, as you get immediate feedback on what your changes will sound like."

I'm afraid the answer to the question that raises will be no, but I'll ask it anyhow. If Synthfont acts as the midi playback device, and Synthfont can handle 32 channels, is using Synthfont as the playback device a round-about way of enabling Composer to handle 32 channels?

Please say yes.

all best,
mgj

[Sherry C]

Hi MG,

Don't know how this slipped under the radar, but it did:

Originally Posted by mgj32

If Synthfont acts as the midi playback device, and Synthfont can handle 32 channels, is using Synthfont as the playback device a round-about way of enabling Composer to handle 32 channels?

Please say yes.

Sorry, but I think it's "no", because the MIDI standard is that any device only handles 16 channels per instance. If you can get SynthFont to come up as two separate devices, then you can route 16 channels per device. I don't think you can do that directly, but you can use multiple instances of the SynthFont VSTi in something like VST Host (see other forum posts for that), and then get all the multiples of 16 that your computer can handle.

ttfn,
Sherry

[homeboy26]

I am now at the stage where I can take a serious look at my Notation scores and look to find ways of producing final .wav files that sound as close to reality instruments as possible.
But, as with all new steps in computing, there is a minefield of information out there for one to have to sift through and experiment with.

So my question is, which instrument creating software have other NC users found that brings out the closest to reality instrument sounds by first saving a Notation Score as a midi file then using that as the platform upon which to fiddle and mix and match instrument sounds of all kinds?

I tried a programme called "Propellerhead Reason" which offers a wide range of instrument variants, but you know what? I ended coming back to leaving my Notation Score played by Notation's own instrument sounds. You can hear some of the results of my work at:-

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/poppamadison and on www.soundcloud.com by entering: poppa madison in the search window.

Any comments on what you hear or any other suggestions as to improving musicality of my recordings would be most welcome.

Cheers

Poppa

[Sherry C]

Hi,

Actually Notation Software products don't have their own sound library, but they can use whatever you have available For example, the GS Wavetable is the default just because it's on every Windows machine out there, but we have users who hook up their PCs to keyboard synthesizers, use VST Host (or something similar) to use VSTis, Garritan Libraries, EastWest Orchestra, etc.

The blessing (and some would say curse, at least while still on the learning curve ) is that these various devices have a lot of different control parameters to help with articulations and other nuances of "live" playback feel for a file. They may not sound as good with a "flat" (ie. no MIDI Controllers going) file, but if the MIDI cc's - accessed using Graph Over Notes in Notation Composer - are used, you can get often get a performance that sounds pretty close to live musicians.

ttfn,
Sherry