What's the recommended TTS-1 setup for MIDI-only musics?

[Wattana Gaming]

Hi everyone. I am a hobbyist cover music composer(subject to change). I make a MIDI covers of songs and I usually use one TTS-1 for every MIDI channel. I am currently considering on moving to a setup where I only have one empty TTS-1 track and route MIDI-Only tracks output to it. Which one is the most clean & convenient setup for my use case?

[Max Arwood]

Back when I used TTS-1 I usually used 4 midi tracks to each TTS-1 which is the maximum pre instance.  There is nothing wrong with one track for each TTS-1. It will sound the same either way! No right or wrong way.

 

[John Vere]

The Tts1 can and will play all 16 channels without a problem.   If your goal is making GM midi files to share on line then it’s a great tool.  
 

But if you’re goal is to make backing tracks for live performance or an album of your playing and singing then you should move up to the many higher quality vst’s 

 just changing over to the Studio Instrument collection is a huge jump in fidelity. there’s many free vst’s available from places like Plugin Boutique but Cakewalk comes with a good collection. The Tts1 is really a GM player and tech from the 80’s. I think it only 8 bit sound. Now we mostly have sample based vst’s.

[RobertWS]

1 hour ago, John Vere said:

The Tts1 can and will play all 16 channels without a problem.   If your goal is making GM midi files to share on line then it’s a great tool.  
 

But if you’re goal is to make backing tracks for live performance or an album of your playing and singing then you should move up to the many higher quality vst’s 

 just changing over to the Studio Instrument collection is a huge jump in fidelity. there’s many free vst’s available from places like Plugin Boutique but Cakewalk comes with a good collection. The Tts1 is really a GM player and tech from the 80’s. I think it only 8 bit sound. Now we mostly have sample based vst’s.

You are misinformed:

Cakewalk TTS-1 is a GM2 (General MIDI 2) compatible, multi-timbral, multi-output, software synthesizer featuring a newly developed software synthesis engine, with 256 sounds and 9 drum sets built in.

The TTS-1 features:

A newly developed software synthesis engine that uses 32-bit internal processing, and supports a 96 kHz sampling rate

 

Of course, a lot of people's ears wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

 

 

[user905133]

If you haven't see this 2019 SOS article on the TTS-1, you might find it helpful--not sure if the stuff discussed under "Save the Day" makes a difference in either of the two scenarios you are considering or if you make use of saving performances. 

 

[Jim Fogle]

Sound On Sound has a similar article from +++ 2005 +++ when the TTS-1 was first introduced.