How to unstick an unwanted MIDI patch?

[Michael McBroom]

This problem crops up occasionally and usually resolves itself -- for some unknown reason -- but this time it isn't. In fact, the problem has begun to infect adjacent tracks. So I'm turning to the forumind for hopeful answers.

Here's the current situation. I have a MIDI track configured with a TTS-1 patch and I decided to try another. But when I did, it loaded Piano 1 and won't unstick from Piano 1. Now, this is the sound only. The patch I selected appears in its little window; it's just I'm not getting its sound, I'm getting Piano 1's sound. I checked to make sure I hadn't changed the MIDI channel or the bank (I hadn't) and even called up the Event List to see if something had mysteriously appeared there. It hadn't. In fact, no patch notices were loaded at all in the Event List for that MIDI channel.

Then I noticed that in adjacent track (with a different channel number of course) I had selected Piano 1, so I tried to see if I could change it off Piano 1. Initially it took the change, then it reverted back and now it is also stuck on Piano 1. This is less of a problem for me because Piano 1 is the patch I want for that track, but it bothers me that it's stuck. It also bothers me that this appears to be some sort of creeping condition.

I don't know what else to try at this point. Maybe remove and re-install TTS-1? I have a lot of tweaks set in that synth so far, so I'd really like to avoid removing it, if at all possible. What about installing a second copy of TTS-1 and transferring all the tracks over? Hrm, that should work, but would it do any good?

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Michael McBroom

[scook]

Are you changing the instrument in TTS-1 UI? If not give it a try. If there is only one track going to TTS-1 there is no need for track channel, bank or patch assignments. If there are multiple tracks going to an instance of TTS-1 all the tracks or MIDI clips need are channel assignments.

7 hours ago, Michael McBroom said:

I don't know what else to try at this point. Maybe remove and re-install TTS-1? I have a lot of tweaks set in that synth so far, so I'd really like to avoid removing it, if at all possible. What about installing a second copy of TTS-1 and transferring all the tracks over? Hrm, that should work, but would it do any good?

A rabbit hole I would not go down

[Michael McBroom]

No, I'm attempting to change instruments from the Tracks window in Cakewalk, same as I always do.  This tune has six MIDI tracks, one instance of TTS-1 and one instance of another soft synth. Obviously I took care to make sure each track was assigned a unique channel in TTS-1.  TTS-1 is handling five of the instrument assignments, while the other synth is handling the sixth.

I went ahead and booted up the TTS-1 UI (normally I keep it minimized). Sure enough, even though I was indicating the correct patch in CW, TTS-1 was showing Piano 1. So I changed it in the UI and now things are back where I want them.  So thanks for the tip. Glad I could put this behind me.

 

 

[Michael McBroom]

After putting that one tune to bed -- finally -- and reflecting on it for a while, I thought I should add one more comment to this thread. First of all, let me explain that I'm just a Cakewalk user, I don't claim to be an expert. Heck, I don't even claim to be very proficient at it. I just know enough about this DAW to get done what I want to get done and I continue to find it to be superior to any other I've tried. Okay enough of that. The problem I'm still seeing with this one file in particular is it seems that the MIDI system -- if you will -- is somehow broken. I've noticed that, if I try to change patches on any other track, it does the same thing -- reverts that track to Piano 1 and then I have to manually reassign it using the TTS-1 UI. So it isn't just that one track. It appears to be all of them. Or I should probably say, all MIDI channels. It's worth mentioning that this problem is affecting only that one file right now.