New User - Need Help Connecting VST and MIDI

[Noah Brode]

Hello all, I'm a new user (just downloaded the program today) and I'm hoping to get some guidance on a workflow that will work for me.

I compose music for concert band and orchestra. I typically use the program MuseScore to compose the sheet music. In the past, I've simply exported the MP3 audio directly from MuseScore to create audio renderings of my pieces. The audio quality is ... just OK, at best. However, I recently bought the EastWest Hollywood Orchestra VST to improve the sound quality, and I downloaded Cakewalk as a way to play the EastWest sounds I bought. 

I'm not looking to record audio in Cakewalk at all (either with live instruments or a MIDI keyboard. I don't even have a MIDI keyboard). What I'd really like to do is to be able to export a MIDI file from the notation program MuseScore, import it into Cakewalk, and assign / "plug in" the EastWest instruments to each respective MIDI track in Cakewalk to make a good rendering. I just can't figure out how to do this on my own, and I'm just itching to get started. 

Thanks in advance for any help! Much obliged.

[scook]

I cannot recommend the video because MIDI import skips reading tempo data from the MIDI file.

Instead of import, I recommend opening MIDI files using the main menu File > Open. In addition to opening MIDI files without stripping data, Cakewalk automatically adds TTS-1 with the correct instrument assignments.

The automatic addition and mapping of TTS-1 only happens when no MIDI output device is selected in preferences. If there is a MIDI output device selected in preferences, the file opens without adding TTS-1.

Either way, File > Open is intended to be used when opening MIDI files as new projects. File > Import > MIDI is intended to bring MIDI data into an existing project.

WRT adding additional plug-ins such as EastWest Hollywood Orchestra; once the plug-in is installed and scanned by the Cakewalk VST scanner (for info about the scanner see this page), it will be available to add to a project. One way to add a synth when working with existing MIDI tracks is use the insert synth function (A in the image below) in the synth rack view.

Then change the MIDI tracks outputs and audio tracks inputs to point to the new synth as desired.

[JonD]

This video covers importing a MIDI file into Cakewalk and using TTS1 (a soft synth) to create an audio file, IOW the middle portion of what you are asking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY5kh6geRZo

You will need to find a tutorial on how to create a MIDI file from MuseScore, then follow the vid above and substitute EW Hollywood Orch for TTS1.

Hope this will at least  get you started.

Edited August 6, 2020 by JonD

[Noah Brode]

Thank you @scook and @JonD! I am beginning to get the hang of it now. I really appreciate your help.