MIDI frustration

[cellio]

On every past computer on which I've run Encore (my music-composition software), I could pop open the "instrument selection" dialogue and choose a named instrument for each track. This is useful if you're, say, trying to evaluate a choral piece and you want to hear the voices distinctively rather than piano all across. (Piano is the default.)

On my current computer, I can choose a number between 1 and 128. No names. This gets old really, really quickly if I just, say, want to find the damn violin. I can't seem to find the map.

Annoyingly, I don't seem to know enough about this to conduct an intelligent search. Or, at least, so far my time with Google is bringing me no answers.

My sound settings report that my MIDI playback is via "Microsoft Software Wavetable Synthesizer Featuring Roland Sound Canvas digital samples". My digital audio output device is "Realtek AC97 Audio". (I could have sworn that the guys at CompUSA said the sound card was SoundBlaster, which I at least recognize as something that would work, but one of us was mistaken.)

If anyone reading this has advice to offer, I'd be grateful.

Comments

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

You can check which hardware is in your puter by going to my computer, then control panel, then system. Look for the hardware tab, click on device manager, which brings up a list, then just click the wee plus sign next to "audio devices" and your soundcard should appear in the list. Most souncards can be descibed as "soundblaster compatible", even if they're not soundblaster brand name.

Maybe you need an update or patch for your software? Those programs often have a midi connection thing you can change, maybe try another option if there is one?

[cellio]

My device manager reports six entries under "sound, video and game controllers": Audio Codecs, Legacy Audio Drivers, (video), Media Control Devices, Realtek AC'97 Audio, (video). I'm assuming the Realtek is the card.

Maybe you need an update or patch for your software?

Possible. The exact same installer worked fine on the previous computer, but maybe older hardware was masking a problem?

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Yep, its the Realtek. Right, lets take it from first principles, as well as checking for updates to the Encore program, you'll need to make sure you've got the most up to date driver for the audio card - sometimes Windows just uses its native drivers instead of the specific ones which you should be able to get from the Realtek website. If they're up to date you can move on to looking for other potential culprits.