Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)

Subject: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: CapriUni
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 01:53 PM

I'm getting sound out of every other program: Windows Media, RealPlayer and YouTube videos. So I don't think it's a problem with my sound card, or other such internal things on my old Windows machine.
And NWC was working just fine the other day).

But as of a few minutes ago, when I pull up Noteworthy and hit F5 (Play), the program runs the song. But no sound comes out.

Which is ... less than helpful.

Does anyone have any idea why this might be happening, or what I can do to fix it?

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 04:31 PM

Just a guess, but I think Noteworthy uses synthesiser sounds to make the noise, while the other generally don't need that connection.

It's possible your computer has dropped the selection for how to connect to "midi sounds." (?)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:19 PM

There are 'sliders' for several different sound sources in the "Sounds & audio devices" setting in the control panel.

I have one player which, strangely, sets one source to zero when telling it to play something...which requires me to manually control the volume. I don't use that any more.

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Tangledwood
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:23 PM

That used to happen to me from time to time with Melody Assitant running with windows XP. Not running that now so I can't give the exact menu titles, but try going to control panel/sounds/ - it might be the "advanced" tag. On mine this bought up a panel of five volume controls including one for, as John suggested, midi sounds. Check that hasn't been muted. Apparently there is a bug where running one app, possibly real player (?), causes the midi to mute.

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Tangledwood
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:24 PM

Ah, crossed with Bill. We're obviously thinking the same thing.

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: CapriUni
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:36 PM

Well, Midis play just fine in Real player... Which is what's odd.

But now that I know where to look, I'll double check my settings.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: CapriUni
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 06:19 PM

Okay, just checked it. And yes, indeed. The synth slider was all the way at zero.

Now I can try and tame that "song bunny"* that popped into my head the other day.

*From the online fiction-writing community comes this quote (attributed to John Steinbeck: Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 06:22 PM

CapriUni, which version of Noteworthy Composer are you using? Version 1.75 had a setting on the menu bar up top that had something to do with the MIDI connection. I cant remember where the setting is because I don't have 1.75 any longer, and I don't think there's a similar setting on version 2.1.
So, ya gotta fool around up top dere somewhere....
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Tootler
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 06:35 PM

Make sure Noteworthy has something to use for playback.

Go to Tools/Options and select the Midi tab.

There should be two windows. On the left "Available Play Devices" and on the right "Devices used by Playback". (This is how it looks in v2.1 but v1.75 was pretty much the same IIRC.)

Make sure the window on the right has something in it. If there is nothing on the right hand window, click on one of the available play devices on the left and send it to the right hand window using the arrow between the two windows. Midi mapper will usually be fine unless you have something special you use.

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: Helen
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 11:46 PM

Hi all,

I haven't used Noteworthy much lately, but I often used to get this problem. Thanks to a Mudcatter I found out about the sounds control panel. I found that after using Windows Media Player or similar midi players, the mute box would be ticked, and I just had to untick it, et voilà, the sound on Noteworthy reappeared (or resounded, perhaps?). It's a simple solution, after you know how to look for it, but frustrating if you don't know where to look, because nothing logical seems to solve the problem.

Another way to get to the sounds control panel is you can either double click the volume icon on the task bar (a little icon of a speaker) or click the speaker and then click "Mixer" on the Windows version I have now.

Helen

Subject: RE: Tech: My Noteworthy Comp. has gone silent (?!)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Dec 11 - 11:06 AM

CapriUni's problem is solved, but I would like to mention other possible causes, just to cover the bases.

1. A plug (either power or MIDI) has been accidentally pulled out of your MIDI controller.

2. Sometime in the recent past, your computer was producing irritating music or sound effects, and you turned the volume on your speakers to nothing. Now you've forgotten you did that.

3. Somehow, your MIDI controller has been turned off with the ON/OFF button.

But usually, the problem is that already explained. Some bigger, meaner program has gone behind your back and turned the synthesizer volume down to nothing. I deal with it by double-clicking on the tiny gray bullhorn symbol (usu. found at the bottom of your screen) and sliding the volume bar for the synthesizer back up.