[LAU] Linux-audio-user Digest, Vol 165, Issue 17

[David Sumbler]

On Sat, 21 Nov 2020 12:59:49 +0100 Hermann Meyer <brummer- at web.de>
wrote:
> Am 21.11.20 um 12:38 schrieb David Sumbler:
> > > On Fri, 20 Nov 2020 18:58:04 +0100,
> > 
> >   wrote:
> > > Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2020 18:58:04 +0100 Hermann Meyer <
> > > brummer- at web.de>
> > > wrote:
> > > 
> > > Am 20.11.20 um 17:40 schrieb David Sumbler:
> > > > In Qtractor I can play the tracks through Timidity.  The Track
> > > > dialogue offers me sounds from the FLuidR3_GM soundfont and
> > > > also soundbank-emg.  But these sound identical, and I think
> > > > only FluidR3_GM is being used, which I have set as the default
> > > > in Timidity.
> > > > 
> > > > I would like to use other sound fonts (e.g. Virtual-Playing-
> > > > Orchestra3), but I have never worked out how to achieve this.
> > > 
> > > Virtual-Playing-Orchestra3 is in the sfz format, to use it you'll
> > > something like this:
> > > https://github.com/sfztools/sfizz
> > > 
> > > For using other sf2 files you may checkout this one:
> > > https://github.com/brummer10/Fluida.lv2
> > 
> > Thank you for those suggestions.  I have now managed to get Fluida
> > installed (in addition to WhySynth).  I also now have the relevant
> > directories showing up in Qtractor's View_Options_Plugins window,
> > and
> > both items show up in the MIDI/Instrument section of Track
> > Properties.
> > 
> > However, even if I select an instrument from one of these, I still
> > do
> > not hear the appropriate sounds.  I assume that I should be able to
> > connect WhySynth or Fluida to Qtractor in the Connections window;
> > but
> > as I mentioned in my previous email, they don't show up there.
> > 
> > Using the MIDI tab of Qtractor's Connections window I have "Midi
> > Through" and "Qtractor" in the Readable column, and "Midi Through",
> > "Timidity" and "Qtractor" in the Writable column.  If I connect
> > Qtractor to Timidity, I hear the FluidR3_GM sound regardless of
> > which
> > Instrument I have selected in Track Properties.  If I disconnect
> > Qtractor and Timidity, then I hear nothing at all.
> > 
> > I am sure there must be something very basic I am missing here, but
> > I
> > have no idea what to do next.  How do I get the Instrument I
> > specify
> > for a track in the Track Properties window actually to sound when I
> > play the track in Qtractor?
> > 
> > David
> 
> 
> You need to activate the plugin (the little round toggle beside the
> plugin name) and enable 'montor' in the mixer strip for the track you
> want to hear.

Thank you for that (and also to Rui for his reply).  I hadn't realised
that the little dot was a toggle and not merely a sort of "bullet-
point".

But even having activated the plugin as sugessted, I still had no
sound.  Eventually it occurred to me that, since (as I already
mentioned) I wasn't seeing anything in the Connections window that I
could connect Qtractor's output to, the problem was perhaps with Jack,
rather than Qtractor.  Most of the many settings in QJackCtl mean
little or nothing to me, but I did spot that "Output Device" was set to
"hw:NVidia".  Even I could recognize that that was inappropriate, so I
changed it to "default" and everything now works as expected.

Thank you again for your help in this.

David