Instrument not changing
 

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm trying to change an instrument to tenor sax and that seems to work but after export the midi file and save the notation file and then reload it it just goes back to the original instrument.

When I open the instrument panel after I reload it switches back to a tenor sax but the midi file seems to retain the original instrument. I've tried opening the midi directly with synthfont as well. .not and .mid attached

Also I've noticed discrepancies in the pan values that notation composer and synthfont show for the same track. Why would that be?

Re: Instrument not changing
 

Hi,

I suspect that what is happening is that the original .mid file is getting reopened. When Notation Musician/Composer opens a .mid file, it does not alter the original .mid file. The .not file that it saves will have the same filename as the original .mid file unless you edit it.

Please try the following:

1. Open the .mid file.
2. Make the instrument change.
3. File/Save, and rename the file to something like "FILENAME-sax".
4. File/Export...MIDI, using the altered name.

Now you will be able to see quickly which file is the original one, and which one has been altered.

If the above steps don't resolve the issue you're seeing, please let me know more detail (eg. which staves are you trying to change and to what instrument patch, what staves' pan values are you referring to, etc.)

ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Instrument not changing
 

Sherry,

I think I see the problem but I'm not sure what is causing it. When I open the staff setup it says the channel is "shared" with a dummy of some sort that is just comments. But that is defaulting to the piano so when I save the midi it reverts back to piano sound. Does that make sense? I sent the midi with the last comment. If you open it in synthfont you will see the dummy tracks. If you open it in notation composer and then select the staff and open the staff setup and look at the channel you will see "shared with" Any ideas? I got this midi off the internet - did not build from scratch.

Thanks,

Mike

Re: Instrument not changing
 

Hi, Mike:

Just change the midi channel assignment of either of the shared tracks to one that is not being used by another track.

Any sequencer will use the info in the last track assigned to a midi channel, as the info gets sent from top down as the playback begins. Thus, the last track assigned to a midi channel is the one that will determine things like voice, pan, volume, etc.

Good luck.

David

Re: Instrument not changing
 

Hi Mike,

Yeah, I severely dislike those types of "dummy" tracks. I get some big band files from a guy who puts in a boat load of those, and I always immediately go and delete them all, or else the "real" staves all sound like piano.

ttfn,
Sherry

Re: Instrument not changing
 

Thanks to both you and Sherry for your help on this. I was scratching my head for a long time on it. I think it explains some trouble I was having with some other songs where I could even hear one of the tracks. Maybe the dummy track had a volume of zero. I'll have to find that one again.

Best,
Mike