Virtual MIDI Cable installation - Notation Musician and Notation Composer

[Sherry C]

Hi,

Originally Posted by panworks

So the tutorial shows how to find a "midi cable" , how to download it, and how to install it. How about tutorial about what the heck it is and how to use it!!!

There are

As I mentioned previously, a virtual MIDI cable enables you to use a number of other MIDI devices (sound sources) on your computer such as SynthFont (see tutorial here) or Garritan Libraries (see tutorial here) or other sound libraries. It provides the connection between Notation Musician or Notation Composer, and the MIDI device, or sound "engine". Such sound "engines" (MIDI devices) might be SynthFont or Garritan Personal Orchestra or VST Host (where you can use different VST instruments) or any other MIDI-capable device that needs such a connection to the program that's providing the directions (eg. Notation Musician or Notation Composer).

A sort of schematic way to think of it would be:

directions for notes/instruments -> virtual MIDI cable -> MIDI device -> sound

or to be more specific

Notation Composer/Musician -> virtual MIDI cable -> MIDI device -> sound card -> speakers -> your ears

I don't plan to create tutorials for every MIDI device or library out there (for one thing I don't have them all ). But SynthFont and Garritan libraries (eg. Garritan Personal Orchestra and Garritan Jazz and Big Band) offer a model for using virtual MIDI cables to connect to a computer MIDI device. They both offer an avenue to quite nice sound sources at free or reasonable cost.

Finding and installing a virtual MIDI cable is just the generic first step in using any of those MIDI devices with Notation Musician or Notation Composer.

Enjoy!
Sherry