MIDI - Instruments

Figure 486. The Instruments section

The Instruments section lets you choose one or more output/channel configurations and assign an instrument to it or them.

SONAR lets you assign a MIDI instrument definition to each available MIDI output and channel. The assignments you make determine the MIDI bank names, patch names, note names, and controller names that you see during your SONAR session.

Suppose that you have a Roland GS compatible synthesizer attached to MIDI output 1. By assigning all 16 channels of MIDI output 1 to the Roland GS instrument definition, you ensure that the bank, patch, note and controller name lists you see displayed in SONAR are the ones that match your synthesizer.

Often, you want to assign a different instrument to channel 10, which is usually used for percussion. For example, you might assign the Roland GS instrument definition to channels 1 through 9 and 11 through 16, but you would most likely want to assign the Roland GS Drumsets instrument definition to channel 10. If you have several MIDI outputs, with a different instrument attached to each one, you would normally assign a different instrument to each MIDI output.

For convenience, you can assign a block of channels to one instrument, and then change the assignment of one or more of those channels without changing the others. For example, you can highlight all 16 channels of the first MIDI output and assign them to the Roland GS instrument definition. Then, you can highlight channel 10 of the first MIDI output and assign it to the Roland GS Drumset instrument definition. Channels 1 through 9 and 11 through 16 on the first MIDI output will stay assigned to Roland GS.

You might also want to split channels to different instruments if you have several instruments attached to a single MIDI output. For example, you might have a Roland synth receiving on MIDI channels 1-9, a Roland drum machine receiving on channel 10, and a basic GM-compatible synth receiving on channels 11 through 16. In this case, you'd use three different instrument definitions for your one and only MIDI output.

The Instruments section contains the following settings:

Output/Channel

This field lists all your MIDI outputs and all the channels for each output. Highlight the output/channel combination you want to assign an instrument definition to. You can select several output/channel combinations at the same time (for example, all 16 channels of a output) by CTRL-clicking or SHIFT-clicking.

Uses Instrument

This field lists all the instrument definitions that are currently stored by SONAR. Selecting one binds it to any output/channel combinations that are selected in the Output/Channel field.

Save Changes for Next Session

Click this check box if you want to reuse any new combinations you made the next time you open SONAR.

Define button

Clicking this button opens the Define Instruments and Names dialog box, which allows you to define your own MIDI instruments, if they are not MIDI standard.

For step by step instructions, see:

To assign instrument definitions to MIDI outputs and channels

To clear instrument assignments

To create a new instrument

 

See also:

Preferences dialog

MIDI - Devices

MIDI - Control Surfaces

MIDI - Playback and Recording

MIDI - Drum Map Manager (Advanced)