I am running Finale 2007a with VDL 2.5 and Kontakt Player 2. 

I started a new composition today.  I load up an older VDL template from the 1st version, but it has never given me a problem.  For some reason on this composition, my marimbas are playing back a half step up both when I use my USB Oxygen 8 keyboard and when I click on the keyboard in kontakt.  It plays back a half step up as well when I play the file back.  I checked all staff settings, no transposition is set on Finale and the tuning knob is not moved on kontakt player for the marimbas either.  I looked every obvious place possible, and I even deleted the multi file in kontakt and made a new one.  The marimbas keep going up a half step from where they should be.  This has never happened with anything I have done until today.

Anyone else with the same problem?  I couldn't find any posts on this.  Thanks in advance.

Colin

Colin - when you input the notes with your Oxygen 8 keyboard, to they appear a half-step off? Try entering a B or an E, and you should see an obvious discrepancy (displaying as C or F) if this is the case. I'm guessing that your Oxygen 8 has somehow been set in a way that's sending notes transposed. All you need to do is reset the factory settings on your Oxygen 8, and it should enter correctly from then on. If you've never had to deal with this before, it was probably just a mistake when the MIDI button was pressed on your keyboard, and you may have inadvertently reprogrammed the keyboard. This has happened to numerous unsuspecting users. Check your Oxygen 8 manual for instructions on how to reset it, or you can download a manual directly from them at http://www.m-audio.com.

To comment on what Jim said, that transposition on the board may well be the issue.  It's VERY easy to do that accidentally.  It can also be very NOT easy to get it un-transposed.  I've had this happen to me while composing and even while performing in a live setting (Reason/o2) and oy vey!

Thank you guys again for such a quick response.

I reset my oxygen 8 several times to no success.  If that was the problem, I would imagine every staff in my score would be a half-step up, but ONLY the marimbas are a half step up. 

To further clarify, the pitch is SOUNDING a half step up, but is still being written on the correct line.  For example, I play a G on my keyboard, it is sounding Ab, but is still being written as a G. 

It's a very bizzare problem that I can't trace but I fear this might happen with all my programs now.  I even tried just detuning the marimbas in contact by a half-step but it still just doesn't sound right.  I am not sure what is going on.  Hopefully someone can lead me in the right direction.

Thanks again for all the help.

Colin Bell

I apologize for the multiple posts.

I just figured out what causes the problem.  Sometime I have to use simple entry to get a top note in on a chord that I can't completely play on the keyboard.  For some reason, the instant I used simple entry to add a note in the chord, everything became a half step up on that staff.  To make it go away, I would have to remove the patch in Kontakt, and reassign it again.

So all in all, simple entry is causing my staves to sound a half step higher (not be written a half step up though).  I have no idea why this would happen but any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

Colin

Sounds like an odd problem, but i'm glad to hear you were able to track down the culprit. Thanks for letting us know!

Unfortunately after thinking it was fixed...it wasn't.  It worked for a little bit and then went right back to what it was doing.

After a while, I couldn't even get the file to play back, it was just clicking and making distorted sounds.  I am currently defraging my drive to hopefully clear up some clutter.

This problem is very very whacky and I can only sum up that it's some weird bug.  Are there any updates or patches to Kontakt or VDL 2.5 that might clear this up?  I am also thinking of getting rid of Finale as it has been nothing but a buggy mess for the 7 years I have been using it now.

Thanks

Shoot. Don't worry, I'm sure there's a logical solution. If you want to check if it's something to do with VDL, try loading a different marimba into the same channel/slot of one you're having problems with. Are you able to determine if it's just one certain marimba that's having the problem? If so, let me know which instrument it is and I can look into it.