First off, sorry if this is redundant (and if so, please point me to the answer :)

How do you link K2 and Sibelius?  I tried setting it up with the same settings as the VDL Player but that didn't work.  I skimmed the manual but found nothing for a notataion program, just a sequencer (logic, protools etc.)

2nd, I am able to load sounds into K2 (either stock samples such as Violin or VDL Samples) and I get the keymaps etc., I press a key on my midi kbd and see that the cpu is recieving etc. but no sound comes out...I checked the Kontakt help site and did what it said, but still no sounds...I can not audtition the sounds via the on screen kbd nor hear them when I play a corresponding key.  (I have the most updated version of K2)...this answer may be in the tutorial (loading VDL2 instruments into K2) but I am not in a place where I can check that out at the momemt....and, this may be more of a K2 thing than a VDL thing....

Lastly, this forum is killer and thanks to everyone for the info being shared! (and sorry for my newbie questions)...

Thanks!

Jeff

Jeff,

You need a Virtual midi cable to make your two programs talk to each other.  Do a google for Midi Yoke or Maple Midi Tools.  Do a quick search on the Tapspace forum and you will find some resources for you to go through.

For the K2 sound issue.  Make sure your audio output device is your sound card and you midi input is your keyboard.  I think you need an ASIO for K2 but am not sure.  In my settings, all of my midi outputs are set to ";off.";

A search will answer your questions in more detail.

GAbe

Jeff,

If I remember correctly, you're using a Mac right?

Give me a call or shoot me an email and I'll walk you through it.

Does anyone else think there is something cosmically wrong about the word ";newbie"; being under Jeff Queen's name???

There's also a ";Quickstart Guide"; that has started being packaged in every copy of VDL2. This was probably after you got VDL2 though. It's also available on the website at:
https://www.tapspace.com/support

It's the second link under ";Tutorials."; Just find your system (mac/sibelius, or whatever), and follow the steps one-by-one. Since you're using K2, just substitute that for VDL2 in the instructions as they work exactly the same way. Gabe is right - you probably just need to set up your virtual midi cable to link Sibelius and Kontakt 2.

BTW - just heard about your new DVD coming out Jeff. Congrats! If anyone hasn't checked out Jeff's instructional materials, you definitely should.
http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.jsp?itemid=320602

And congrats on the Colts gig.  Best of luck in Dubuque...

Thanks for all the kind words regarding the DVD and Colts...very excited about the summer (staff looking to be very good) and uber glad to finally have the DVD done :)

Now, back to techie stuff...

The more I troubleshot, the more I realized this is more of a K2 thing but any help would be appriciated....

So...I just sat on the phone with Bill Castillo for over an hour and still not working (thanks for taking the time Bill!)...I can play sounds in my VDL2 player NO PROBLEM, either from the on screen kbd or my midi kbd...I can trigger sounds through Sib 4 NO PROBLEM w/my VDL Player...when I load up K2, import the ";snareline full"; sample (or an included sample from K2), everything loads fine, I can edit every attribute of the sound, see the sound getting triggered via the on screen kbd (or via my midi kbd), see the key depressed, notice the cpu usage move, EVERYTHING seems to be in line other than getting a sound... and to add insult to injury, the metronome and the ";start pitch"; (A440 etc) sounds work...so not to sure about this one....(and for anyone that has done tech support in their lives, yes my speakers are on, yes the volume is up and yes, I have checked my routing, config etc....this is all said as I spent about an hour troubleshooting a computer from a retail store once before they told me the power was out at the mall....)
I then did a reinstall of K2, freshly updated etc...same thing, all circuts firing, except sound....I have sent this same thing in to the support folks at NI so hopefully they can hook me up but checking on here as well...

Anyone have any idea what could be going on?

Thanks,

Q

Jeff - since you're hearing sound from the metronome, I'll assume your soundcard and audio outputs are configured properly in K2.

My first hunch is that this is merely a channel setting that's not quite right. K2 can sometimes be a little sneaky if you're not paying attention (which happens to me all the time...).

1)First - go to K2>File>Audio/Midi setup, and click the MIDI button.

2) Set the ";input interface"; so that everything is ";off"; except your midi keyboard, whatever that is.

3) Now, load an instrument into the K2 rack.

4) For the MIDI-In (in the instrument) you'll se 5 categories: omni, port a, port b, port c, and port d. Since you ONLY have your MIDI keyboard set to ";on"; in step 2, it will appear for Port A. All the rest will say 'not available'.

5) Set this instrument to receive on Port A, channel 1.

6) Make sure your midi keyboard is sending midi OUT through channel 1 (sometimes it's the simple things).

7) Press keys on midi keyboard, and you should see the onscreen keyboard animate, as well as hear sound. If not, click on some mapped keys on the onscreen keyboard (with your mouse), and see if that works. If not, somehow your audio outputs aren't configured correctly.

Let me know if these steps lead you in the right direction.

PS - keep in mind, the above steps are merely to get you past this hurdle. Your midi settings will have to change slightly once you want to start having Sibelius control K2.

did all that...still not working...

I can hear the met, see the keys pushing down, see the CPU usage go up, but no sound....when I look at the outputs...there is no signal going to them at all (I have st.1 configured to ";built in 1 and 2";).

An interesting thing is that when I did my first install, I couldn't do anything in K2, I would get the spinning beach ball when I just clicked on the window (and no splash screen came up etc)...then I installed the update and I could load instruments etc...when I did the reinstall, I checked out K2 before I installed the update (just making sure I had a good install) and I was able to load an instrument but then NOT able to access the preferences...did the update and then I could access preferences etc.  Don't know if that has anything to do with anything but...could it be possible that I have a copy w/ a random bug in it?

Q

Just as a test, set the instrument (in K2) to ";omni"; for its MIDI-IN.

The symptoms you're describing make me think of a few things, but mostly, they're assumptions.  And you know what those do...

First thing.  If you load in the sounds, and they are registering a CPU & Disk Load, that means that somewhere you have the audio being interrupted.  In other words, it's not a bug likely, but rather something in the chain of crazy volumes and effects and such, there's a ";kink in the hose";.

Some things to check / try:

Under the instrument meters, make sure the volume there is up.  If that's too low, you will see that behavior.  Should be 0dB.

Look for the word ";purge"; in the rack.  Do a ";update sample pool"; and then a ";reload all samples";.

At the top, look for ";Outputs";.  Make sure that if you have st.1 in the instrument that the st.1 is at 0db.

More in a bit...

Another one...  make sure the M is not lit to mute the instrument.  I'm sure you knew that one...

Click the monkey wrench to edit the instrument, and be sure that the amplifier volume still is within a couple of points of zero.

Options > Handling, ";Use computer keyboard for midi playback"; might be something to toggle...

Let us know if any of those help.

The reload samples / purge thing did it!!!!

Ahhh...I have the rare weekend off and now I get to spend it like I planned, playing w/my new toy :)

I am good for now, got Sib linked up too...I am sure I will have more questions later but in the mean time, you guys rock~

Thanks fellas!

Q

Don't worry about it.  I owed you that one for coming out to my high school a few years back.  The director I was working for then just thought you were the hottest of hunks.  It was funny stuff.

Ask Bill for my IM stuff if you need anything.

Excellent! In normal practice, this shouldn't be something you have to mess with too much. Thanks for solving the mystery drumcat!