topten cantabile lite help

[jeff180]

hi, newbie here, i just downloaded the lite software and cant get any plugins to play with the onscreen keyboard. (i haven't connected any comtrollers to the laptop as of yet. i just wanted to see how everything worked before i purchase) neddless to say, topten hasnt been real helpful. i can only get the default piano to make sound. maybe my midi devices are configured wrong? i dont know. i have a dell inspiron 1525 with vista. can anyone help? thanks

[dluther]

For the instruments you loaded up in a rack, select "Onscreen keyboard" (or "Any") from the "MIDI In" pulldown. This will then treat the onscreen keyboard like a MIDI input for that entire rack.

This process is described on page 82 of the user guide (which is also available for download from the topten site) under the section labeled "MIDI Routing Table."

[TiUser]

I am confused about the "default piano"... There is no default sound in any Cantabile Version!

The only conclusion is you might not have set up the audio and midi proper.

If you haven't used any dedicated HW right now, first get "ASIO4ALL" here:
http://www.asio4all.com/

This is an universal ASIO Audio driver with low latency and recommended to check out unless you use a dedicated ASIO based HW audio interface. It works with most build in pc soundcards and gives you lower latency than the standard Windows DirectX sound system.

So install that and select it as audio driver in Cantabile.

You should also check the selected midi devices in Cantabile. I suspect there is just Windows' default synth selected as output there and its initial sound is a piano...

I also recommend to refer to the manual to get your head around the basic audio and midi setup. If you are new to VST you have to sort out some things - that's normal as all is more technical as using an all in one software or a HW keyboard.

[jeff180]

thanks alot for the help!! i did not have the ASIO enabled and now all works well! i'm not sure about the default piano either. i just called it that. it was the only sond that would come out regardless of what plugin i chose, but now it seems to work. i'm definately new at this whole MIDI and have alot to learn. i just want to use this for real-time playing and not much intersted in recording etc. i just want to use external controllers (ie: keyboards, bass pedals) to make sounds. i have refferred to the manual several times, but still having trouble. so now, if i want to use a keyboard and bass pedals to play the plugins, do i run from the laptop to one controller then the next or do i need to have each controller plugged into it's own usb port? thanks again! i can use all the help i can get

[TiUser]

The term "Midi" is used for a lot of different things...

If the controllers like keyboards have USB then use this. Each device needs a separate USB connector from your pc. There are also so called USB hubs to multiply the connectors but this does not always work...

Keep it simple - use USB, it usually works better (i.e. faster) than a traditional midi interface on a PC and you save the money for the interface needed on pc side.

If you want to use traditional midi connectors and cables it depends on your devices how to connect them to your PC. You can chain input devices only if the devices inbetween the chain have a midi-merge option, a not very common feature. Rolands Edirol PCR series of keyboards have midi merge, but you still need to read the manual how to activate it.

Anyway, if you indend to use more than one midi keyboard or controller check out if the midi capabilities in Cantabile Lite can do what you need. Try to understand the terms "midi port" and "midi channel" first". Maybe you otherwise end up wanting one of the commercial Cantabile versions...

Good luck and have fun

[jeff180]

actually i dont know the differnce between port and channel. also it seems "lite" doesnt have the ability to transpose the keyboard, like say if you band plays in Eb. is this true?

[jeff180]

a port is the physical connection right? 1 in 1 out?

[TiUser]

a port is the physical connection right? 1 in 1 out?

Basically yes - if you refer to the classical midi cable which can transmit up to 16 "midi" channels then. The channels are just a number within the protocols event transmission with the so called channel messages like note on/off and controllers - mod wheel, pedals and things like that.

With USB it's not so obvious. USB can transmit much more data and depending on device one physical connect can provide multiple ports - each with up to 16 midi channels...

Transpose is one of the midi filters... looks like lite hasn't got that...

But some midi keyboards have that...

[jeff180]

you're the man! lol i'm an older guy who's tryin to figure this out for the bar band i'm in. i know a little about computers, but this alot more detailed than i had anticipated. no matter, i'm pushin through with it anyway. "lite" doesnt have the ability to accept external controllers and does not have any midi filters at all. soooo, i moved to the solo edition and it has all of that. i have a 61-key keyboard and a 13-key bass pedal that i want to use in real time with the band; no triggers or recordings or anything like that. i just want the ability to use those keyboards (the 61 has a sustain pedal) with different sounds on each. do you think solo will cover that? let me say "thanks" again. you've really helped

[TiUser]

no problem. I try to help as good as I can.

If Solo or Performer version suits better is not so easy to say.

I think you should play around a bit with Solo and Performer Demo first.

Performer has more options but more features can be also more confusing... but if you are a live player and want the fastest sound changes possible youd probably want Performer later... but it really depends on what you expect and need.

Just to connect pedals and a keyboard should work with Lite too.

You can set up the midi port from pedal or keyboard and a midi channel for each rack, so the basic assignments should be no problem with Lite