I have s90es - and I would like to play along with some midi files. What are the basic steps? Right now - I can’t even properly play back a simple single channel midi file. I have a format 0 midi file that is piano only. Well - when I play back on PC - it plays piano sounds. When I go into multi/seq and play it ... it plays back using a drum kit voice - so drum notes sound. Initially - I went in the chain sequence and simply called up the midi file...and played it… and drum notes sounded instead of the desired piano sounds. Then, I tried preceding the file in the chain with a reference to a multi - the 1st multi it let me choose. But again - only drum sounds.

When I look at the midi file in Sonar - all the notes are on channel 3 - and I don’t see any bank or patch/voice selection.

So - how do I select a piano sound for channel 3? Do I have to create a new multi and designate channel 3 as a piano sound? In the example in the s90es manual - it shows “mix01:Init Multi”. However - when I dial up different options for the multi selection - I seem to get what look like drum kit definitions.

Also - as a follow up… if I can ever get this to work with playing back multiple channels and instruments - how do I set what channel my live keyboard playing will be on - so I can play along?

thx
IW

The MIDI file you have will only call up certain voice and bank numbers if someone has made a decision to make it do that by adding the relevant controller data to it such as bank select and program change.

Since MIDI files are supposed to be a standardised idea, if there were any decisions like that made, they would more likely pertain to a GM bank set of sounds rather than a specific instrument and specific voices within one.

So, the file you have seems as if almost no decisions about what it should sound like have actually been made by the creator and so the best you can say about it, is that there IS data on it and it’s on MIDI channel 3.

The reason why your computer played it as Piano is very likely because a Piano sound is the first available sound as a default on whatever you used to play it and not because it obeyed something in the MIDI file telling it to exclusively use a Piano on that channel.

So, it would follow that you should make a new multi and assign a piano to channel 3 if that’s how you want it to sound.

You should be able to use any of the other parts on your S90ES for playing along.  As long as you have one selected, whatever voice you assign to that part should be the one you can play alongside the MIDI data on channel 3.

You might find it easier to let the computer play the MIDI file in your DAW and use its MIDI tracks to communicate with your S90 instead of the thumb drive way.

If you have an IPAD there is an app named Sweet MIDI that is very nice. With many features.