This chapter contains:
This section contains:
This overview of the Synthesizer Panel includes:
As you use MIDI Synthesizer and refer to this online guide, you may come across technical or software-specific terms that are new to you. Anytime you see a word in the online guide that is underlined, simply click on it and a glossary definition window will appear. For example, click on the term MIDI device.
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a standardized digital language (and hardware specification) that enables computers and a variety of electronic musical instruments/devices to communicate with one another. Officially introduced in 1983, MIDI has come to offer musicians advanced avenues of creative sound and instrument coordination through computers.
The following books may offer useful background and supplementary information about working with MIDI:
The Musician's Guide to MIDI, by Christian Braut, SYBEX, Inc., 1994.
The MIDI Manual, by David Miles Huber, SAMS, 1991.
Synthesizer Panel is a tool for the music synthesis process. It can be used for auditioning and experimenting with sounds, as well as monitoring sounds as they are generated by the internal software synthesizer. For example:
you can play the internal MIDI software synthesizer, and as you do, use Synthesizer Panel to monitor the state of each MIDI channel.
you can drop presets or sound file icons into the 16 channel icon drop pockets, so that you can easily audition and compare them.
If the Synthesizer Panel isn't already running, you can open it now in one of the following ways:
Click these red launch words: Synthesizer Panel .
Select Media Tools from the Find desktop toolchest, then double-click the Synthesizer Panel icon.
This section contains information on using Synthesizer Panel to audition sounds. The topics are:
Preset (sometimes alternatively called voice, patch, or timbre) refers to one of many different types of sounds that can be assigned with Synthesizer Panel. For example, if you select the Marimba preset for channel 1, and then click the Play button, the sound of the note will resemble the sound of a marimba. Synthesizer Panel comes with many presets for you to choose. You can also use sound files instead of presets.
To assign presets or sound files in Synthesizer Panel:
Open the Synthesizer Panel Sounds menu, and select the “Presets” or “Sound Files” rollover menu.
Note: You can use a sound or preset file of your own instead of selecting from the Sounds menu. If you are using a file of your own, go to directly to step 4. If you are selecting a preset, choose from:
General MIDI Brings up a directory view containing 128 General MIDI preset icons. Includes sounds ranging from Acoustic Grand Piano to Gunshot.
Golden Analog Brings up a directory view containing a set of icons for synthesizer sounds with a character popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
If you are selecting a sound file, choose from the files provided under “General MIDI Sound Set...,” General MIDI Percussion Map...,” “Cycles...,” or “Prosonus Sampler...”.
Drag and drop the preset or sound file icon into any of the 16 icon drop pockets.
The Preset Name window updates to indicate the new preset has been accepted.
If desired, continue to assign presets or sound files to other channels.
 | Tip: You can increment or decrement the preset number in any field by placing the cursor in the field and using + and - keys on your keyboard. |
Synthesizer Panel lets you sample and compare sounds by simply pressing any of the 16 Play buttons in the Synthesizer Panel window.
By default, Synthesizer Panel starts up with the Acoustic Piano preset assigned to all the channels (except channel 10, which is the percussion map). To assign different sounds to different channels, see “Selecting Presets and Sound Files.”
| Note: Synthesizer Panel cycles through notes C2 to C5 of a given preset or sound. You can use MIDI Keyboard to play other notes on the keyboard scale. To open MIDI Keyboard, click this red launchword: MIDI Keyboard . |
In the Synthesizer Panel window, you can replace an assigned preset with new preset by dropping the new preset icon on top of the old one in the Icon drop pocket. The Preset Name field will update to reflect the new preset.
To clear out all assigned presets (return to the default presets), select “New” from the Synthesizer Panel File menu.
There several audio parameters setting you can control, including:
You can raise or lower the volume of the sounds generated from your workstation's internal speaker by using the Audio Panel. To do so:
Pull down the Utilities menu and select Audio Panel.
The Audio Panel appears.
Move the sliders under the label Speaker.
To raise the volume, move the sliders up.
To lower the volume, move the sliders down.
The Main Tune wheel allows you to tune the internal software synthesizer. The unit of measurement, as show in the Main Tune field, is a cent, which is 1/100 of a semitone. This is useful for tuning to another sound source that is difficult or impossible to tune—such as a piano or radio station.
Open the Main Tune by selecting “General Parameters...” from the Options menu. Drag the Main Tune wheel to the right to raise the pitch, or to the left to lower it.
The Main Gain slider, shown in Figure 11-1, controls the intensity of the sound generated by the internal software synthesizer. The unit of measurement is decibels. Move the slider to the right to raise the gain, or to the left to lower it. If you increase the value above 0 dB, the sound typically becomes distorted.
To adjust the reverberation of the sound generated by the software synthesizer:
Open the Options menu and select “Reverb + Tune... .”
Use the Reverberation menu button to choose from:
Off Turns reverberation off
Small Office Produces reverberation effect similar to sound generated in a small, square room
Medium Chamber
Produces reverberation effect similar to sound generated in a medium-sized chamberConcert Hall Produces reverberation effect similar to sound generated in a large room, such as a concert hall
Cavern Produces reverberation effect similar to sound generated in a cavern
| Note: Reverberation increases processing demands, so you may want to turn it off if other significant processes are running concurrently. |
For channel-specific settings, click the More button in the upper right of the Synthesizer Panel window. This expands the window, opening up an area where you can use the Pan dials to alter the pan and the Volume and Expression sliders to alter the level and expression of the sound generated through each channel.
| Tip: You can increment or decrement numbers in any volume or expression field by placing the cursor in the field and using + and - keys on your keyboard. |
| Tip: Generally, you should set the volume first, then gradually increase volume using the Expression slider. The total volume = Volume + Expression. Often, you will find that playing with the volume slider does not change the volume when the Expression is set at 127. |
You can use Synthesizer Panel to monitor which presets and MIDI channels are contained in incoming sounds. Click the topic you are interested in:
When you use the Sound Player tool to play a MIDI sound file, you can open Synthesizer Panel and watch the Channel and Preset Name columns to monitor what presets and channels are contained in that sound file.
Each time a MIDI event is generated through a channel, a light flashes in the LED under the Channel column. The Preset Name column displays the name of the preset assigned to that particular channel.
Open Sound Player from the Synthesizer Panel Utilities menu. See the Sound Player Help menu for instructions on using that tool.
Before you can monitor sounds played by an external MIDI device, the device must be properly connected. After everything is properly set up:
If you are working with the General MIDI sound set, make sure the external MIDI Synthesizer Panel is in General MIDI mode:
Under the Options menu, there should be a check mark next to “General MIDI Mode.” If there isn't, select the menu item to turn it on.
Note: If your external MIDI device doesn't use General MIDI, there is no guarantee that the internal and external presets are the same. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the internal software synthesizer will play the preset that is set on the external device. Watch the Channel and Preset Name columns to monitor what presets and MIDI channels are contained in that sound file.
When a MIDI event is received, a yellow light appears briefly in the small box next to the corresponding channel number.
The Preset Name field indicates the type of sound being played through that channel.
This section contains reference information on:
The file menu contains the following commands:
Removes any assigned presets from the Synthesizer Panel window, returning to the default preset.
The MIDI menu includes the following commands:
| Input Interfaces | Allows you to choose the MIDI input generator, which could be the internal software synthesizer “Software Synth,” or the serial port connected to an external MIDI device. | |
| All Notes Off | Turns off all MIDI notes that are currently playing. | |
| Reset All Controllers |
| |
| Restart Synthesizer |
|
This menu contains:
A check mark next to General MIDI Preset Mode command indicates that Synthesizer Panel is functioning according to General MIDI standards. The General MIDI Preset Mode is turned on and off in the same manner: by selecting the “General MIDI Preset Mode” menu item with the cursor.
The General Parameters command brings up the Main Tune wheel and the Reverberation option menu. See “Adjusting the Main Tune” and “Adjusting the Reverberation” for information on these features.
The Sounds menu contains:
MIDI Songs brings up a directory view of MIDI file icons, which you can play with the Sound Player tool.
The Presets menu allows you to choose from three different directory views of presets. You can assign any of these presets to Synthesizer Panel. See “Selecting Presets and Sound Files.”
The Sound Files menu allows you to choose from four different sets of sound files:
| General MIDI Sound Set |
| |
| General MIDI Percussion Map |
| |
| Cycles | Brings up a directory view window containing single-cycle sound files commonly used in sound synthesis. | |
| Prosonus Sampler |
|
See “Auditioning Sounds” for more information.
| Note: See Appendix A, “General MIDI Sound Sets and Percussion Maps” for a list of the General MIDI sounds and percussion maps. |
The Utilities menu contains these commands:
The Audio Panel command brings up the Audio Panel, which lets you adjust the audio parameters such as the volume (see “Adjusting the Volume.”). Refer to the Audio Panel Help menu for detailed instructions on using the Audio Panel.
The MIDI Keyboard command brings up the MIDI Keyboard tool, which offers a whole range of notes for you use when sampling sounds. Refer to the MIDI Keyboard Help menu for instructions on using that tool.
The Sound Player command brings up the Sound Player tool. Sound Player gives you Stop, Play, and Rewind control of a sound or MIDI file. Refer to the Sound Player Help menu for instructions on using that tool. If Synthesizer Panel is open and you drop a MIDI sound file into Sound Player, you can use Synthesizer Panel to monitor the MIDI sound file presets and channels (see “Monitoring MIDI Sound Files”).
See “Adjusting the Main Gain” for information on this feature.
If you click on any button in the Play column of the Synthesizer Panel window, a note corresponding note should play. See “Auditioning Sounds” for more details.