About empty in Preferences of Cakewalk.

[Andy DA]

Dear friends. let find out from you about correcting of some points in app Cakewalk? I mean there are issues with conditions of Preferences. One of them (1 screenshot) is window of Output/Channel hasn't any ports for instruments and the button "Define" is frozen? Also there is not any sound tool in section MIDI / Devices /Output (2 screenshot)? Could be you  help me decide with these problems? Who knows about? Yours faithfully, Andy

[Byron Dickens]

What hardware  do you have connected for MIDI I/O?

[Andy DA]

Sorry! What do you mean, any hardware?

[David Baay]

Instrument Definitions are for managing outboard 'hardware' synths connected to physical MIDI ports. If you don't have a standalone interface with MIDI ports and  keyboard synths or rack modules connected to those ports or directly via USB MIDI, Instrument Definitions are not applicable.

If you don't have that MIDI hardware, most likely you need to watch some Youtube tutorial videos on using software synths in Cakewalk.

EDIT: I should add that support for onboard GM "Wavetable" synths and the MIDI Out port they usually present to the O/S and thus to Cakewallk's MIDI Device list has recently been removed from CbB since they are not supported by Windows 11. So if that's what you were expecting to see in MIDI devices, that's why it's missing.

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by David Baay

[Andy DA]

Thank you, I understood that it been removed from CbB ...

[Andy DA]

1 hour ago, David Baay said:

Instrument Definitions are for managing outboard 'hardware' synths connected to physical MIDI ports. If you don't have a standalone interface with MIDI ports and  keyboard synths or rack modules connected to those ports or directly via USB MIDI, Instrument Definitions are not applicable.

If you don't have that MIDI hardware, most likely you need to watch some Youtube tutorial videos on using software synths in Cakewalk.

EDIT: I should add that support for onboard GM "Wavetable" synths and the MIDI Out port they usually present to the O/S and thus to Cakewallk's MIDI Device list has recently been removed from CbB since they are not supported by Windows 11. So if that's what you were expecting to see in MIDI devices, that's why it's missing.

 

Though I like to use instrument Rhythm'n'Chords GS, for example, for get unusual or new rhythms for guitar! What can I do now?

[user 905133]

10 hours ago, Andy DA said:

Dear friends. let find out from you about correcting of some points in app Cakewalk? I mean there are issues with conditions of Preferences. One of them (1 screenshot) is window of Output/Channel hasn't any ports for instruments and the button "Define" is frozen? Also there is not any sound tool in section MIDI / Devices /Output (2 screenshot)? Could be you  help me decide with these problems? Who knows about? Yours faithfully, Andy

Just some FYIs: Before there were computer-based software synths, virtual instruments, etc.  there were hardware synths. Toward the end of the twentieth century a number of things happened, including the development and widespread use of MIDI--a protocol for hardware (such as computers and music gear) to communicate. MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface.  It was based on sixteen logical channels of data (MIDI channels).  Part of the history of synths includes patches, sometimes called presets--storable and recallable preconfigured settings so that patch cords (actual shielded wires with connectors at each end)** didn't have to be plugged  in to a hardware synth each time a performer wanted to create a sound.  (**Note: there were also other ways of routing the components of synths.)

You might be surprised to learn that software that is now called a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) has roots in MIDI sequencers.  Software on a computer equipped with hardware called a MIDI Interface could be used to control musical gear (i.e., hardware) that "understood MIDI." That is to say, they communicated with each other via a serial form of "information (data) sharing" using the 8-bit computer-based protocols  of MIDI. (That's why they had 16 channels--a single eight-bit "word" could represent 16 different values (0000 0000 to 1111 1111 in binary.

I see that your MIDI device is being seen by Windows as "Game Controller 1."  Perhaps the specs for that device has more information about its MIDI implementation.

If there is an online manual for this device, could you post a link to it?  Over the decades I have mapped game controllers to MIDI and I'd be curious to see how what's going on with yours (which I assume is newer than anything I used).

Hope this helps in addition to what others have already said (and others might add) about using instrument definitions.   

Edited September 19, 2023 by User 905133
edits

[user 905133]

5 hours ago, Andy DA said:

Though I like to use instrument Rhythm'n'Chords GS, for example, for get unusual or new rhythms for guitar! What can I do now?

You can help people to help you by posting a link to the manual for this instrument. Also, if it is a software synth (or virtual instrument), you might want to look at MFX - MIDI FX plug-ins which can be used to generate MIDI data. 

EDIT: Are you talking about this?

Quote

NOTE: The VST version works in Cubase VST 5.x ONLY, the MFX version works in SONAR and other MFX supporting applications.

• Features:
  • Quickly and easily create professional sounding guitar accompaniment MIDI tracks.
  • Create sophisticated harmonic progressions by performing simple actions, not being a guru in chord voicing.
  • Use rhythm patterns from Guitar Rhythm Pattern Library, which has been created having in mind various rhythm phrases ever played by the World's most acclaimed guitar players and bands, in your guitar tracks.
  • Quickly create guitar accompaniment parts letting you capture your musical ideas on the fly.
  • Easily fit guitar parts into your arrangements and make them more expressive and colourful.
  • Train your rhythmic feel and better understand the nature of guitar accompaniment parts in various styles and arrangements.
  • Quickly learn the sounding of various chords and main principles of chord construction and voices leading.
  • Explore any guitar accompaniment styles using as examples our Style demo songs created by professional musicians.

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by User 905133
(2) to add a blurb from KVR; (1) to add a link to KVR for Rhythm'n'Chords