Thanks for the good help given to me.

As soon as I gave Cakewalk the PSR740 definitions, sounds from realtime play were correct, including autoacc.

However, I'll continue to see if I can find out:

1. Why the Demo Songs were playing correctly, even with no instrument definition. (Demo songs of the PSR-740 are still being sent to the SoundBlaster-Live as MIDI events, aren't they)?

2. Why we define instruments to Cakewalk and not to the sound-card (or could we?). It seems to me that sounds (voices) belong to hardware and not to software. Am I wrong in feeling that "Instrument Definition" is nothing more than some sort of MIDI-mapping??

3. Why if MIDI is a standard for compatibility we have to define instruments anyway. I had read somewhere that XG superset would be downwards compatible with GM, and that data would be acceptable on GM hardware and sound close enough, but it appears that is not quite so.

4. Even the "XG definitions" that came with the Cakewalk did not do the job (I did try it before asking for help). Only the PSR740.ins definition file did the job! Does this mean that even XG to XG is not quite compatible? There's even a yamaha.ins definition with the Cakewalk, that also did not do the job.

5. If whe have to have instrument definitions for every new model, whre's the standard?? Perhaps MIDI has fundamental limitations and a new standard should come out (better if it is refered to ANSI or ISO first). I don't know of any technical standard that is not periodically revised. At what version of the "MIDI standard" are we? Or was the original one cast in concrete as holy, never to be touched?

Any how, I like the results I got. Now, when I play the PSR-740 I am actualy listening to the PSR-740 speakers, those same sounds fed through the SB-Live into 4 surround speakers with a subwoofer, PLUS the GM midi sounds simultaneously played and independently produced by the SB-Live voices. All of this can be additionally enhanced by SB-Live enviromental parameters. The microphone also mixes in correctly. The combination of the SB-Live hardware voices with those of the PSR740, and the improved sound and (dual-voicing, apart from the PSR's) is more than great for me. I can even change the VoiceR1 at the computer (Cakewalk track) only for the SBLive contribution. On top of that I play the harmonica through the mike.


Thanks to all. I'm happy.

mbl



[This message has been edited by mbl (edited 10-13-2000).]