Changing the Default Playback Device |
Even if your computer has only one sound card, there are likely at least a couple of alternative internal playback devices available. The internal playback devices actually correspond to MIDI device drivers that are installed with your sound card. There might be additional internal playback devices available if, for example, you have downloaded from the Internet and installed a MIDI "software synthesizer". The alternative internal playback devices are distinguished by the different types of engineering techniques they use for simulating instrumental sounds. For example, some internal playback devices play back actual sampled sounds of recorded instruments. Other internal playback devices simulate instrument sounds via sound wave formulas designed by engineers. It probably will not matter to you how the instrument sounds are created. You probably just care about how they sound to you. It is a good idea for you to try out the various internal playback devices that are available on your computer. Choose the playback device that sounds best to you as a default. Then, whenever you open a new MIDI file, or create a new song, your chosen default playback device will be assigned to the staves of the song.
To change the default playback device:
What happens if you have previously saved a Notation .not file, in which some or all of the staves were assigned to the MIDI playback device that has been replaced by your new default playback device? If the old MIDI device is no longer available on your system, Composer will automatically reassign the staves to your new default MIDI playback device.
Once you instruct Composer to automatically update the MIDI device assignments for previously saved songs, the above dialog box will no longer be displayed. But what if you want to change your preference? In that case, follow the next procedure.
To change Composer's rule for reassigning staves from an old MIDI device to the new default MIDI device:
Composer will then display the following dialog box:
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