No sound and no MIDI devices found in Vista

[mabril]

Hi, everyone! I have downloaded Notation Musician trial version and installed it in a Windows Vista computer, but it does not sound at all when I try to playback any MIDI file. I have tried to change the MIDI output device from the ‘Setup’ menu, selecting ‘MIDI devices quick setup’, but I simply can’t see any device in the list. I have browsed the Internet and found that it is probably a Vista problem, but the proposed solutions in different forums include sound card driver updates and registry changes. I would prefer a less drastic solution, if there were one. Thanks in advance.

[Sherry C]

Hi Mabril,

Thanks for trying out Notation Musician.

If you use (in Musician) Setup/MIDI Device Configuration (not the "Quick" one), what device(s) do you see listed there? If the "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" is listed there, then (1) right-click it and (2) check the "Set as default playback device" (about half-way down the list.
It won't sound terrific, but you should at least get some sound.

If that doesn't get you sound, then you probably will need to at least update the drivers for your soundcard. Hopefully we can avoid messing with the registry :)

ttfn,
Sherry

[mabril]

Hi, Sherry. First of all, thank you very much for your fast response. In the MIDI configuration menu I see nothing, just the title (‘Configuration: Default configuration’) and the names of the fields (‘In’, ‘Or’, ‘Port or Device’, ‘Nameec’ and ‘Playback Channels’). I forgot to tell you before that I have this same problem (No sound, no MIDI devices on the list) with other programmes I have tried, which took me to suspect that it is a Vista problem. However, the sound card works ok when listening to music in MP3 format or even playing MIDI files with Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player or others.

Hi Mabril,

Thanks for trying out Notation Musician.

If you use (in Musician) Setup/MIDI Device Configuration (not the "Quick" one), what device(s) do you see listed there? If the "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" is listed there, then (1) right-click it and (2) check the "Set as default playback device" (about half-way down the list.
It won't sound terrific, but you should at least get some sound.

If that doesn't get you sound, then you probably will need to at least update the drivers for your soundcard. Hopefully we can avoid messing with the registry :)

ttfn,
Sherry

[Sherry C]

Hi Mabril,

Do you use other audio software on this machine? I'm asking because it's a known factor that the GS Wavetable interferes with ASIO, which is used by some audio software to avoid latency issues. I'm wondering if that's the case, perhaps some other audio software has turned off the GS Wavetable and therefore you can't use it.

Possibility?

ttfn,
Sherry

[Sherry C]

Hi Mabril,

Another easy to check item that I found on another forum: antivirus software(!) Some poor fellow had the bad fortune to have AVG antivirus running in the background and it cut off his MIDI sound. That's just another reminder to all of us (myself included!) to check everything about our systems when digging into problems.

ttfn,
Sherry

[mabril]

Hi, Sherry.
I don’t think so. I have some other music programmes, but I installed them just to check that it was not a problem of Notation software. The first programme I tried was Notation Player, and it did not make a sound even when running alone.
Hi Mabril,

Do you use other audio software on this machine? I'm asking because it's a known factor that the GS Wavetable interferes with ASIO, which is used by some audio software to avoid latency issues. I'm wondering if that's the case, perhaps some other audio software has turned off the GS Wavetable and therefore you can't use it.

Possibility?

ttfn,
Sherry

[mabril]

I have tried disabling my antivirus, with and without resetting, but have had no success. Still no sound, no MIDI devices found.

[mabril]

But… Am I the only Vista user who has experienced this problem? Maybe it’s not a Vista problem, then… Uhmmm…

[Sherry C]

Hi Mabril,

Just thought I'd mention the ASIO and antivirus items as fairly easy to check ones.

I haven't heard of anyone else having this problem, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Some folks may not have had sound and just didn't let us know.

I've just spent about 15 minutes searching and scanning the internet, and it looks like some Vista systems (due to various configuration or update status settings) may not have MIDI capability(!) If that is the case for your situation, you can do a couple of different things to get MIDI sound.

1. Use an external MIDI synth unit connected to your computer to play the sounds. Eg. a MIDI keyboard with sound (eg. Yamaha, Casio, etc.) Many of our users do this anyway because the sound is better than the GW Wavetable. This is a fairly easy and inexpensive alternative.

2. Use a software synth such as the Roland VSC (http://www.roland.com/products/en/goPrd.cfm and type "VSC" in the search field). You can also use SynthFont (www.synthfont.com), and set it to "Activate MIDI input". The advantage is no additional hardware, but you do have to get the additional software and install it. You also will typically need to run the sound engine software prior to running the software (eg. Musician) that will use it.

3. Purchase and install a soundcard (or plug in an external soundcard) that has its own MIDI capability (most do).

Hope the above is helpful!

ttfn,
Sherry