n-Track Frequently Asked Questions
5. MIDI
- Does n-Track support Soundfonts?
Soundfonts are banks of sounds that you can load into the MIDI synth memory. If you're using a Creative Labs soundcard (for example the SB Live) you can load the soundfonts banks with the soundcard's built-in software. When you then play a MIDI track with n-Track the MIDI output will have the sounds of the soundfonts bank. You can also load more than one soundfont bank and switch between them with the bank setting on the MIDI track's property page.
Alternatively there are VST/DX instruments synths that support soundfonts.
See the Plugins page.
- How can I hear what I am playing on the MIDI keyboard when using a VST or DX instrument?
- Select the instrument plugin (VSTi or DXi) to use in the Add Channel/Add instrument channel menu
- Insert a blank midi track.
- In the MIDI track properties dialog box select the output port: the VSTi that you just added. then,
- Go to File > Preferences > Midi Settings > Midi Devices.
- There select your midi input port (the one that is connected to your keyboard)
- In the same dialog check "keep devices open", and check under "input to output echo" the "manual" item. When you do this, you will see in the right drop-down box the option "manual mapping" appearing. There select in the "outp. port" the VSTi that you have loaded before. It's located at the end of the list.
- Select Ok to close the dialog box, accept the preferences, and you are again in ntrack.
- Now, you are ready to play. Press the "LIVE" big button at the right of the time window, and you wil hear the note you play on the keyboard through the VSTi that you have choosen.
To decrease the delay between pressing a note and hearing it try lowering the buffering in the View/Settings/Buffering dialog box. Lower latencies can be obtained selecting WDM or Asio drivers in the Preferences/Wave devices dialog box.
The echo mode can also be set to 'auto'. When you do this the program will automatically select for the output of the MIDI notes played on the keyboard the MIDI output port (or VSTi) selected as the output for the MIDI track currently selected, so you'll be able to switch output simply clicking on different MIDI tracks.
More info on VST instruments can be found in the "Using the program/MIDI/VST instruments" n-Track online help topic.
- I can't hear MIDI output when using the Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
The Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth (the name may be diffent depending on the version of Windows and the language) is the Windows built-in MIDI synth. Unlike hardware MIDI synths the output of the software MIDI synth is sent to a regular audio device output, specifically to the audio device selected in the Start Menu/Control Panel/Sounds and audio devices/Audio dialog box as default device for "Sound playback". If the same audio device selected there is also used by n-Track with WDM or Asio drivers, the MIDI output will not work as n-Track's connection to the audio output will prevent the Microsoft synth to access it. This doesn't happen with MME drivers because they can be shared by n-Track and the MIDI synth. If your computer has multiple audio output devices you can send the MIDI synth to a device different from the device used by n-Track (by selecting the device in the Start Menu/Control Panel/Sounds and audio devices/Audio dialog box). Alternatively you can use VSTi or DXi instrument plug-ins, which are software MIDI synths that run inside n-Track. You can find more info in the Using the program/MIDI/Instrument plug-ins online help topic. - I have latency/sync problems when using the Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
The Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth is a software synth, it adds approximately 1/10 of a second of delay between the time it receives a MIDI note and the time the note can be heard through the audio output. This may create sync problems with audio tracks and other MIDI tracks sent to hardware MIDI synths. If your soundcard has an hardware MIDI synth it should be preferred over the Microsoft MIDI synth. The desired MIDI outputs can be selected in the File/Settings/Preferences/MIDI/MIDI devices dialog box. The default is Midi Mapper, which matches the MIDI output device selected in the Start Menu/Control Panel/Sounds and audio devices/Audio as default device for "MIDI Music Playback"
If your soundcard doesn't have an hardware MIDI synth and you want to have lower latency you can try using VSTi instruments and set n-Track to use WaveRT, WDM or Asio drivers to allow low audio output latency.
You can find more info in the Using the program/MIDI/Instrument plugins online help topic.
