Sound Studio Frequently Asked Questions

Last update: 7th Jan 2000

Most up to date version of this document is available at
http://www.evolution.co.uk/FAQs/

+----------------------------------------------------+
MOST COMMON QUESTIONS:

Q.	What does FAQ stand for?! 
A.	FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions.

+----------------------------------------------------+
MOST RECENT ADDITIONS:

Q. 	It takes ages for a MIDI file to load on my machine. Is there a way to 
	speed this up?
A. 	Extracting patterns can take a while on some machines particularly if the MIDI
	file contains a lot of data. To speed up loading, go to options-preferences and 
	switch off the options 'Remove Gaps' and 'Find repeats and create Child
 	Patterns'

Q.	Why do the melody and chord tracks keep reappearing?
A.	The chord and melody tracks must be present for the Virtual Keyboard (VK-61) 
to work correctly; they are the link between the VK-61 and the sequencer. In v1.00
of the program the delete functions (including the delete key) will not delete these
two tracks while the VK-61 is switched on. To delete them, switch the VK-61 off first. 
Later versions of the program allow these functions to work as expected but force the
VK-61 to turn off if the chord track is deleted. Switching the VK-61 back on will 
re-instate the chord track.

Q.	Why do my lyrics shrink in size when I change the lyric font?
A.	The program has an auto-size feature for dealing with lyrics. This means that if you
set the lyric font size to bigger than the program is able to display on screen, it will 
resize your lyrics to the maximum displayable size (to within 4 points - font size).

Q.	I have recorded a melody track from the Virtual Keyboard. How do I change the
instrument that it plays back on?
A.	Sound Studio records a program change at the beginning of a Melody track recording - 
it remembers which instrument was used to do the recording. You can see this if you 
select the melody pattern that you have recorded and open the List editor. Make sure 
that the ‘Program’ button is down and you should see that the top entry in the list is a 
program change. Either change the value of the program change to the instrument 
number you want to use or delete this program change. You will then be able to 
change the instrument from the keyboard buttons or the track window in the normal 
way.

+----------------------------------------------------+
Q.	Why does the score editor screen seem to get corrupted after using it
for some time to edit my music?
A.	This is related to a memory leak bug which has been fixed. Make sure you are
	using v1.03 or later.

Q.	The count-in has disappeared and I don't seem to be able to get it back. 
Why is this?
A.	There is a problem with Sound Studio v1.02 and earlier which arises when the
	chord button is used on the Virtual Keyboard. This is fixed in v1.03.

Q.	How do I save new or modified drum kits.
A.	To save a modified drum kit,
	1. Select ‘Save As...’ from the File Menu.
	2. Click on the Drum Kit Radio button.
	3. Type in the new name e.g. NEWKIT.DRM (The extension will be added 
	automatically if you don't type it).
	4. Click on OK.

	The new kit is now saved.

	The name of the drum kit in use is saved in DEFAULT.DEF, 
	so your kit will automatically be available next time you run
	Sound Studio.

Q.	I have my soundcard installed, but I cannot hear anything when 
	playing a demo song in Sound Studio. What should I do?
A.	Most of Evolution's technical support calls are soundcard related 
	rather than software related. If you have a soundcard problem, before 
	ringing your soundcard manufacturers' support lines spend some time reading 
	the following checklist to make sure you have tried every possible solution 
	to your problem.

	Go to the "Options" menu in Sound Studio. Go to the 
	"Devices..." section. If no driver names appear in the Input / Output columns, 
	you need to re-install your soundcard. The driver names in the devices screen 
	allow you to to tell Sound Studio which sounds you want the program to 
	play. The input drivers will determine which MIDI IN port you are going to 
	use. For normal usage, you would need only one input selected. For a 
	soundblaster card, the input driver would be called something like "SB16 
	MIDI IN". Other cards would have driver names such as "ESS MIDI IN " or 
	Tahiti MIDI IN". Older soundcards would rely on using the MIDI driver that 
	comes with Windows. This driver is called the "MPU401". If you have the 
	Roland MPU401 driver showing, then you should be able to select that for 
	input and output.
	
	The output driver column allows you to choose which sounds you are going to 
	hear when playing your songs. Most soundcards will have an option such as 
	"FM synth" or "OPL3 MIDI Synth". Click on these driver names to play the 
	sounds of your soundcard. Most modern cards will have additional sounds. 
	These driver names would be similar to "SBAWE32 MIDI Synth". Click on the 
	driver name of your choice.
	
	Rule of Thumb:	If you have numerous output drivers enabled (highlited in 
	blue) and cannot hear any output, deselect all but one of them and try again. 
	Repeat this process until you hear some sounds. Avoid using the MIDI mapper
	as an output.

Q.	I have plugged my keyboard into the soundcard and can hear demo 
	songs OK when I play them. I can even hear sounds when playing from the 
	on-screen keyboard but I cannot hear anything when playing from the external 
	keyboard. What am I doing wrong?
A.	This probably means that your soundcard has not been installed 
	properly. Please follow the checklist below:

1.	Are the MIDI cables properly set up? MIDI OUT from the keyboard to 
	the IN of your Soundcard?
2.	Is the keyboard switched on?
3.	Start a new file in Sound Studio by going to the file menu 
	and selecting "New". This should enable channel 1 for recording by default. 
	Play the keyboard and check the MIDI column for an input signal. 
	(Represented by a red bar). If a red bar appears but no sound is heard - 
	this is good news - all you need to do now is choose an appropriate MIDI 
	output driver from the devices menu. If no input signal is observed or heard, 
	either install the soundcard again, or try installing the MPU401 driver.

Q.	I have added a Wave Table to my "Soundblaster compatible card". How 
	do I configure it to work with Sound Studio?
A.	Just choose a MIDI OUT driver from the devices menu. (e.g. SB16 MIDI 
	OUT or MPU401 MIDI OUT). Deselect all other driver names if you encounter 
	problems.

Q.	I cannot get my colour printer to work from the score editor.  How 
	do I fix it ?
A.	The probable cause for this problem would be the new drivers  which 
	accompany newer colour printers. If you choose a Black & White (monochrome) 
	printer driver then it should work fine. For example, the HP DeskJet 500 
	rather than Deskjet 550C. 
	
Q.	After I click on the score editor to insert notes in step time from 
	my keyboard I can insert notes for 4 bars and then it stops. How can I 
	record more than 4 bars in step time?
A.	You would have to close the score window. From the main track window 
	click on the right mouse button to bring up the toolbox and select the pencil 
	tool. Click and hold the left mouse button with the pencil on the right hand 
	side of your 4 bar pattern. Whilst holding down, move the pencil to the right, 
	thus stretching your pattern. This will give you additional workspace when 
	step inserting notes in the score window.

Q.	Can I use a software RAM doubler safely?
A.	Our experiences have not been good with unexpected crashes on many 
	different programs. Our advice is to use hardware RAM as normally removing 
	the software RAM doubler immediately restores a stable situation.

Q. 	How do I edit the patch lists in Sound Studio?
A. 	Here's a step by step guide to editing a patch list:-

1.	Run Windows Explorer.
2.	Locate your program directory (e.g. c:\program files\Sound_Studio).
3.	You should see a list of all files in that directory on the right hand 
	side of Explorer.
4.	Place your mouse cursor over a .PLS file such as D5.PLS. This will open 
	up a patch list template based on the D5 synth.
5.	Right click your mouse button and select "Open" from top of mouse menu 
	list.
6.	This will open D5 into notepad. (Or your desired text editor).
7.	Keep the first line the same "patc", but edit all other lines to include 
	your new voice names.
8.	Go to File.....Save As option.
9.	Make sure "Save as Type" option is set to "Text Documents".
10.	Change the file name to your new name and type in a .pls extension.
	For example - call the file "synth1.pls". (without the "").
11.	This will save your new file to the program directory. 
12.	Open up the Sound Studio program.
13.	Go to Options/Patch Lists. 
14.	Click on the down arrow next to Current instrument window, and select a 
	patch that you don't use (such as Korg X5). Click on remove button. This removes the patch from 
	memory, allowing you to load in your new patch.
15.	Click on "Add" button. From the "Open file" dialog window - find your 
	.PLS file (in this case - synth1.pls) and click on OK.
16.	This will load your patch list into memory and should  appear next time 
	you run the program.

Q. 	How do I use XGEdit with Evolution's sequencers?
A. 	You will need to install a multi-MPU interface such as "MultiMID" or "Hubi's
	Loopback" onto your machine. These programs allow you to feed MIDI information
	between two or more applications which use MIDI, by providing additional MIDI
	Devices. The programs are available on our web site and contain documentation 
	to guide you through the installation process.

	Configuring the MIDI Devices:-   
	With MultiMID Set XGEdit MIDI Out to Pipe-MIDI In, and set the sequencer's  
	In Device to Multi-MIDI In.
	With Hubis' Loopback, Simply connect XGEdit's MIDI Out and sequencer's MIDI In to the
	Same Node (LB1-LB4).

	Doing this will allow you to move knobs and faders in XG-Edit and hear/record the 
	results in realtime in our sequencer.

Q.	How do I record the mixer movements on a new track ?
A.	You must select channel 0 to record a global mix for all tracks.

Q.	How do I get sound from my sound card?
A.	Go to the Devices section from the Settings menu. Check to make 
	sure you have options for input AND output. Select one device for MIDI Input, 
	and another for the output device. If you still can't hear any music when you 
	play a demo song, make sure you have only ONE output device highlited. If you 
	have NO devices showing, it means you haven't installed your soundcard 
	correctly. Follow the instructions in your soundcard manual, and install 
	again. If you choose the MIDI Mapper from the devices menu, make sure you 
	have all the channels enabled to the appropriate driver in the MIDI mapper 
	setup (in control panel).

Q.	How do I input notes from my MK-261 keyboard ?
A.	First connect the MIDI OUT of the keyboard to the MIDI IN of 
	your Sound Card, select the MIDI IN device from the devices option of the 
	Settings menu in Sound Studio, and enable a channel for recording.

Q.	How do I input a program change using the numeric keypad on my 
	MK-261 keyboard?
A.	You need to type in a 3-digit number for the selection to take place. 
	e.g. to select voice 49 you must type in "049".

Q.	I see a red bar appearing on the screen in the Monitor (Mon) column 
	when playing a demo file, but I cannot hear any music. What do I do ?
A.	Check that you have the Audio Out of your Sound card connected to the 
	speakers. Check that the volume is turned up (either on the back of the 
	soundcard, or on the soundcard mixer (should be in your Sound Card directory).

Q.	How do I do step time recording in Sound Studio?
A.	First of all you must draw in a pattern (using the pencil tool). 
	Enter the editor of your choice, then click on the "steps" icon. You may then 
	enter notes in step time from your MIDI keyboard.

Q.	When I open a wave file in Sound Studio it gives me a warning 
	that the file is "Not a PCM file". How can I get it to work?
A.	You need to change the properties of your Audio recordings in your 
	Control panel. Go to the Multimedia control panel, click on 
	the Audio Tab, click on the Customize button. Make sure your Format is set to 
	PCM. Saving a wave file using this setting wil work OK with 
	Sound Studio. Sound Studio cannot import 8 bit samples.

Q.	I cannot load in a wave file from CD-ROM. What can I do?
A.	You should copy the wave file onto your hard disk and open
	the file from there.

Q. 	How would I go about inserting triplets in step time?
A.	First of all, choose which editor you are going to use. Piano roll, 
	drum editor or score window? Click on the corresponding icon on the editors' 
	strip. You will be presented with 4 empty bars. Click on the step icon. From 
	the Note Length box, select your desired triplet length. 4T would insert 
	crotchet triplets. 8T would insert crotchet quavers etc...
	Click on your external keyboard (or on screen keyboard) to insert your notes. 
	The notes will be assigned a triplet bar as soon as three notes are detected.
	If using the toolbox "note" tool to insert notes on the appropriate leger 
	line, you can use the mouse position values to help with the positioning of 
	the triplets. For example, if inserting 3 crotchet triplets from bar 1 beat 
	1 , you would insert the first note on mouse position 1:01:000  the second 
	note would be in position 1:01:128 and the final triplet would be in 
	position 1:02:064. As soon as the third triplet note was inserted, the 
	triplet sign would be included.

Q.	If I change the time signature on the transport bar to 3/4 and then 
	insert notes in the score window, it allows me to insert 4 crotchet beats. 
	Why does this happen?
A.	If you want to insert a 3/4 time signature into your song, you must 
	insert it in the conductor window. But don't worry, because it is very easy 
	to do, and compared to most sequencing programs, Sound Studio allows 
	you to do this graphically. Once you have changed  the time signature 
	(and /or) key signature in the conductor window, it will correctly display 
	the appropriate number of beats / accidentals in the score window.

Q.	How do I look at all the individual tracks in a Format 0 MIDI file?
A.	First you must highlite the pattern, then choose the "extract 
	pattern" from the procedures menu. To reverse the operation, "select all" 
	patterns, then choose the "merge pattern" from the Procedures menu.

Q.	When playing some files I get a sudden change in tempo.  Why is this 
	so ?
A.	Check the conductor screen, there may be some tempo changes present 
	which you should delete. (Or disable the "conductor follow" icon from the 
	transport bar.

Q.	Why is it that when I change the notes in one pattern, it affects 
	the same notes in other patterns ?
A.	This is because you are copying patterns as "children", and any 
	changes made to one will affect all the others. You may turn off this 
	feature from the preferences option in the "MIDI" menu.

Q.	When I change the tempo of a song and then start recording - it always
	changes back to 120. Why does it do this?
A.	You must change the tempo in the Conductor Screen if you wish to make 
	a permanent change in tempo. (A bit like the Master Track in other programs).
	Or...you could turn off the "Conductor Follow" button on the transport bar. This means
	it would ignore any tempo events you had in the conductor window.

Q.	The music stutters on playback. What can I do to stop this?
A.	If you have any other programs running in the background, close 
	them down. This will free up more memory for Sound Studio. If you 
	have no other programs running, try changing your virtual memory settings 
	to the recommended value from the control panel. If you notice 
	stutters when playing back Audio files you should try increasing the size 
	of the Audio Buffer in the Audio System Settings.

Q.	When I transpose my music the drums change to different sounds. How 
	can I stop this happening?
A.	The drum track must have been selected when you transposed your 
	music. All you have to do is de-select the drum track before you transpose. 

Q.	The program tells me that it cannot find the audio output driver. 
	What do I do ?
A.	You need to quit the program; go to your control panel in Windows, 
	and chech that your audio driver is properly installed. If no Audio driver 
	is found, click on "Add driver", and give the path of your Sound directory. 
	If you are still having problems, try reinstaling the soundcard and use the 
	default values. If all else fails contact your soundcard manufacturer.

Q.	I have my Audio driver installed, but cannot hear my Wave files in 
	use. Why?
A.	Check that the Audio System is turned On (in the Audio System menu of 
	the Settings menu in Sound Studio. Check also that your Wave Out 
	volume is not muted in your Soundcard Volume control mixer.

Q.	Why can't I save my work?
A.	You are still using the demo version! Go out and buy the full 
	version!

Q.	How do I get the Patch List Dialog box to show the patches in the 
   	bank that I just typed in?
A. 	The display isn't updated until you press TAB.

+----------------------------------------------------+
IF ALL ELSE FAILS...
	
EMAIL - support@evolution.co.uk
Telephone +44 (0)1525 372621
Fax +44 (0)1525 383228