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Using Notation Software products with other (third party) products Find out from others, or share your experience, about integrating Notation Software products with sound libraries, audio processing software, and other hardware and software products.

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  #1  
Old 05-03-2013, 03:36 AM
homeboy26 homeboy26 is offline
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Default Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Somehow, I seem to be stuck in a rut as to how to get any beneficial sound improvement whatever to my Notation compositions by using a Software Synthesizer.
When one goes to the Home page of say, Propeller Reason or Synthfont, boy do you get a soundtrack that stirs the creative fire and makes one think...."Jeez if only I could liven up my Mp3 and .wav tracks to sound like that!"
That,(for me at anyrate) rapidly fades into a seemingly unachievable goal after purchasing the software and attempting to assign soundfonts in an attempt to give more grunt and realism to my music.
I have to say, that I find most of the "as it plays it" Notation generated sounds play on my 2.1 sound system with "acceptable reality" to the instruments. Not perfect, but a dam sight better than I can get after trying to substitute other sourced software fonts into my tracks.

After hearing and reading about so much as what is supposedly magnificently achievable soundwise I would dearly love to hear from any other Notation User as to what they believe I might be doing wrongly in ignorance. For the life of me I can't see either the point or way to change existing Scores saved as Midi files in Notation Composer into anything I deem a better or more realistic instrumentation output.

Someone out there must be doing it with great success or the Software Synth business would already be defunct?

Poppa
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  #2  
Old 05-03-2013, 01:38 PM
Sherry C's Avatar
Sherry C Sherry C is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Hi Poppa,

To get the use of soundfonts or other sound libraries, you'll need:

1. Notation Musician/Composer (both use any MIDI device on your computer)
2. a MIDI-ready source (eg. SynthFont) or a "host" program (such as VST Host or Reaper, if using VSTi)
3. a virtual MIDI cable (eg. LoopBe, MapleMIDI, etc - see discussion at this other thread) to connect them.

There's a specific Tutorial on using SynthFont with our products - you can find that by clicking here to go to that tutorial.

There's also a Tutorial on using Garritan Libraries with our products. While this shows specifically the Aria setup, the general principles apply to other libraries as well (eg. EastWest orchestra, etc.) You can find that tutorial by clicking here.

The MIDI "cable" will show up as a device in Notation Composer and the sound source. One main point to make sure of when using any MIDI cables: be sure that in Notation Composer (or Musician), that the cable (eg. Internal 1) is ONLY an "Out", and that in the sound source that same "cable" (eg. Internal 1) is ONLY an "In". Otherwise you can set up a feedback loop that will bring your computer to its proverbial knees. This is all explained in the tutorials, but thought I'd mention it for "fast trackers"

ttfn,
Sherry
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  #3  
Old 05-03-2013, 04:09 PM
dj dj is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Hi,

From your post, I see that you do understand that Notation Composer/Musican don't actually make any sound of their own. A lot of people tend to confuse that issue.

I think what you're hearing when you play a file in Notation Composer may be simply Microsoft's built-in soft synth, which is marginal at a charitable best.

Sonic quality is largely a product of what sound-source you have. Musical quality is largely a product of skull sweat. Step-time entry of notes is almost always going to be flat and lifeless when played back. If you can perform your tracks live, then you can capture whatever emotional content you put into them. Even with step-time recording, you can re-work velocity, duration and attack times to give it a more "human" feel.

As far as sound-sources, I have a battery of external hardware synthesizers hooked up to my system -- my wife once counted 23, but that was some time back. Admittedly, I'm an unusual case, as I am a composer/arranger of music as part of my profession. I use Notation Composer as my scoring software to create the arrangements and my synthesizer collection for their sounds, as well as some soft synths.

A number of people here use Synthfont, which you mention, as a sound-source, using Composer or Musician to drive soundfonts they load into it. The sounds are limited only by what soundfonts can be found/purchased/created.

As an alternative, Independence Free, available at KVR Audio, is somewhat similar to Synthfont but perhaps a little less cryptic. There are hundreds of other VST or stand-alone choices out there, some free, some paid.

A little simpler, but with unlimited sonic potential, is Herman Seib's VSTHost (http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm). It is capable of loading multiple VST/VSTi at once, including soundfont players. Coupled with a virtual midi device like MidiYoke (http://www.midiox.com/), output from Composer can be re-directed to any of tens of thousands of soft synths that are available, many for free. I have over a thousand files in my VST folder. Some creative multi-tracking in a freeware program like Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) and you can create some very emotional and (if you wish to) complex music. Or simple music, too.

I've put up a page on my website with some files from various projects I've done. Your taste in music will likely vary, but they show what can be done with Notation Software products as a base. Here's the page:

http://www.barndoorproductions.ca/mu...id-jacklin.php

Hope some of that helps.

David
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Old 05-03-2013, 04:12 PM
dj dj is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Ha! Sherry posted while I was preparing my post!

Still applies, I guess.

David
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  #5  
Old 05-03-2013, 04:47 PM
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Sherry C Sherry C is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Howdy,

Quote:
Originally Posted by dj View Post
Ha! Sherry posted while I was preparing my post!

Still applies, I guess.

David
Definitely applies - your answer was much more encompassing than mine

ttfn,
Sherry "listening to birds chirping with the windows open finally!"
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  #6  
Old 05-03-2013, 10:15 PM
homeboy26 homeboy26 is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Thankyou very much for your supportive replies. I intend to investigate your suggestions further.

You know, as I get older, the more it seems that people have changed the old analogue ways to record music and song that I grew up with into something of a nightmare it never needed to be.

No wonder the "Pro-tools using" Studio Sound Engineer to whom I played my 45 year old tape recording of myself singing to my own guitar backing did a double flip back somersault and lauded it as everything he preferred to hear over and above today's computer generated recordings.

It has taken me quite some time to appreciate what he really meant, as at that time about 2 years ago I knew precious little about how the Pro's use computers to create and record music.

Poppa
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http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/poppamadison
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  #7  
Old 05-03-2013, 11:45 PM
dj dj is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Hi, Poppa:

A voice and a guitar? What a novel idea! I must try it. (My guitar often stares accusingly at me from across the room while I fiddle with knobs on the YamaKorgaMoogaha Belchfire 4000.)

Your music is your music, of course. Simple or complex, if it says what you want to say, then it's good.

It's just that, with new tools these days, what took a studio and a team of engineers 60 years ago, any pimply kid can do in his bedroom today. Not necessarily better, but almost certainly with less hiss and pop.

Sounds to me that what you want (to start with, at least) is a two-channel audio interface* to lay tracks down into Audacity with voice and guitar or similar. After that, use softsynths to fill out the sound to taste -- and Notation Composer to create the tracks for that filler.

David

* anything in the $100 range will likely do very well. Don't try to just plug straight into your soundcard's mic or line input, as the sound quality will suffer greatly. They really aren't up to the job.
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  #8  
Old 05-04-2013, 12:57 AM
homeboy26 homeboy26 is offline
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Default Re: Importing Soundfonts into Notation Midi Files

Hi David

the sense of your feedback is not lost upon me and I thank you for mentioning the brand name and model of your fantabulous SuperSynth which I will go and buy next week when the pension cheque comes in...........just kidding! lol

I should have mentioned that I am approaching 70 and that a bloke called Arthur Itis dropped by in recent months and has rendered my fingers unable to play guitar as I once did. For that reason I am somewhat confined to purely using microphone, mouse and keyboard to create music and song.

It appears that if I am to exact improved sound change to my Notation Compositions I have work out a simple routine to follow which includes being able to better know what Base Synth or VST etc. to select thence and load into Synthfont, then to progress into track-by-track (instrument) selection, thence manipulation of pan etc. and all things that affect timbre. Thence to save the finished arrangement.

I now know what you meant by "Skull Sweat" being necessary.

Problem is, I am already old and wrinkly and severely de-hydrated !

Never mind about the fancy Yamahasynth...........Could you please come up with a " NotacompSynVstillate" Re-Hydrating Solution for me?

Here's is how I produce my finished Mp3 and .wav files.
If you have any simple suggestions as to how I can do other things to get a more true to life instrumentation output I would really appreciate it.

Compose score in Notation Composer on my Laptop using the inbuilt midi instrument bank.

Play the Audio out from the Laptop headphone socket via a stereo lead into the SB Audigy soundcard in my Desktop PC with Audacity up and running. I record the stereo track having set the VU to a little below zero.

Next, I may, (but usually do not now as I found it often made things sound even worse) muck about with compression, equalization and limiting.
I tend to use Fade in and Fade out and Amplify/De-amplify more than anything else.

I then save all compositions as Audacity files, Mp3 and .wav, and I always create a 35 second long Mp3 sample which is taken from the beginning of the Music or Song, to send out as samplers.
Those Mp3 files are what I upload for digital downloading sales at CDBaby.com and have done so into my fledgling website under construction.

If I want to create physical CD's, the .wav's are then loaded into Windows Media Player and burned to CD on my Desktop PC.

To me this appears to be so simplistic compared to what others like yourself appear to be doing to get a final outcome for digital distribution that I really must be missing something of vital importance if I am to otherwise create the best "Audio-acceptability" for my works that I have always wanted to. I have visited your website and was very impressed with what I heard. There is obviously an art to all of this Synth stuff.

If it is of interest to you hear some of my works(produced exactly by the method outlined above) so that you can comment further, please feel free to visit same via these links or find more about me and my music via a Google search on: Poppa Madison

http://www.poppamadisonmusic.webs.com

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/poppamadison


Cheers, David I really do appreciate you giving of your time and sharing your experience with me.


Poppa


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Last edited by homeboy26; 05-04-2013 at 01:07 AM. Reason: incorrect web address
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