Well, since I can't afford sound samples, I'm just sticking to MIDIs.

Note: this is NOT a software problem.
I'm a Sibelius 4 user (without Kontakt Player), and my main problem is the export to MIDI function.

It says that if a file contains more than 15 MIDI channels, you'll get screwed up sounds. Which is exactly what I've gotten. Right now, I'm just splitting the score into different files (ie woodwinds in one file, brass in another, perc in a third....), converting them to .wav, and then re-merging them together.

My actual question is this: is there a better way to get around the "15 channel MIDI" problem? Like, are there upgrades to the MIDIs capacity...such as increasing the number of channels available? Would I need new software/hardware for that?

Not that I know of :\. I know that Finale allows 100 channels @_@. I don't think there's a way to "upgrade" the capacity.

yeah, it gets annoying, since I use around 30-40 voices in a normal piece, and sometimes a trumpet part is 'played' by the chimes :(

^I guess you would have to consider switching programs >.<... Really, if the program only allows 15 channels, you may want to consider it. Even the cheap version of Finale (Printmusic- $100 U.S) can do way more channels than that...

Oh, and the reason the trumpet part is played by chimes, it's because you assigned them to the same channel ;) .

~Just a suggestion...


Right now, I'm just splitting the score into different files (ie woodwinds in one file, brass in another, perc in a third....), converting them to .wav, and then re-merging them together.

^Or (in order to save money) you may want to stay with this.

Psh, Sibelius does VST and sampling stuff better than Finale in my opinion. Well, all MIDI sounds can only support up to 15 instruments (yes, I'm sorry to say, no more than that). So it's not Sibby's fault or your computer's, but your MIDI soundcard's. As for that 100 channel thing, it's for your Finale's Smartmusic soundfont, otherwise it will suffer the same consequence.

Oh, and the reason the trumpet part is played by chimes, it's because you assigned them to the same channel

Does Sibelius allow you to manually assign channels? I just go to the 'add instrument' function....

I really currently have no good method to do this...because the ww/brass/perc split wavs are sometimes ~1sec off from each other....creates some really weird timing problems

^I don't know if Sibelius does, but I know all (except Finale Notepad) the Finale products let you...

Does Sibelius allow you to manually assign channels? I just go to the 'add instrument' function....

I really currently have no good method to do this...because the ww/brass/perc split wavs are sometimes ~1sec off from each other....creates some really weird timing problems

Like I said before, you can only have 15 MIDI instruments max cos of the MIDI limit thing... Unless you get a better soundcard. But even if you do that, no one else can open the MIDI properly. ._.

Like I said before, you can only have 15 MIDI instruments max cos of the MIDI limit thing... Unless you get a better soundcard. But even if you do that, no one else can open the MIDI properly. ._.

That's why you get Finale, Dotdotdot, use all the channels you need for your song, and then save it as a .wav :P
That'd work fine right? Or did I just make an ass of myself? X3

It's really not a software problem....it's just how MiDI is.

Now, I've also heard about soundfonts, and I've tried downloading them, but I'm not sure how to use them. Are they "upgrades" (or so to speak), for MIDI?

That's why you get Finale, Dotdotdot, use all the channels you need for your song, and then save it as a .wav :P
That'd work fine right? Or did I just make an ass of myself? X3

*Sighs* No one reads my posts anymore, eh? *Restates for the second time* You get 100 channels for soundfonts, not for MIDI, buddy. Most MIDI sound modules supports up to 15 instruments. <_<