Synthesia always changes my piano's sound

Trouble with Synthesia, your keyboard, or adapter? Think you found a bug?
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If your keyboard has USB or MIDI ports, there is a tremendously high chance (>99%) it will work with Synthesia. See what you'll need on the keyboards page.
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SilverKnight
Posts: 2

Post by SilverKnight »

Hi,

I have a Roland HP603A and its default sound is "Concert Piano". Whenever I use Synthesia to play a song its sound is changed to "GM2 Piano 1". (Tried on Mac, PC and Android with the same result. On Mac I'm using Synthesia 10.4.4395).

I've changed Settings --> Advanced --> Instrument Change Messages to Filtered-out, but it still doesn't help. (To make it worse, if I change my piano's sound back to Concert Piano manually and click a different tab on Synthesia's setting page, the sound is changed to "GM2 Piano 1" again.)

This is very annoying because I prefer the default concert piano sound. Roland HP603A uses a modeling technology which generates the sound every time instead of playing the recorded voice, and that may be limited to the default piano sound. (There are only 4 sounds under the "Piano" category, "GM2 Piano 1" is under the "Other" category.)
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

Hmm, this sounds like it might be a bug, but try this:

1. Hold your Shift key while launching Synthesia to open the configuration window.
2. Find the "Midi.ResetProgramChange" setting in the list.
3. Remove the check from the Value box.

After closing the window and starting Synthesia normally, does that prevent it from resetting your instruments? That should be respecting the "Instrument Change Messages" setting, but it sounds like it might not be.
SilverKnight
Posts: 2

Post by SilverKnight »

That works! Thanks!
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

That's great news. Thanks for the follow-up. I'll get that bug fixed so the configuration window stuff isn't necessary.
Guido
Posts: 1

Post by Guido »

Hi,

I think I have the same issue, but the solution doesn't work. Let me quickly explain..

I use Synthesia 10.6 (actual release) and also the development release 10.7.5491, both with Windows 10/64. I have a Yamaha P125B and now a Kawai CA79, too. I got Synthesia 1,5 years ago, all versions up to now showed this problem, but with the Yamaha P125 I didn't care. Now with the Kawai I'm a bit more interested in the integrated piano sounds.

Here's what happens:
Synthesia sets my piano sound to some flat sound with "insensible" keys, so .. it doesn't matter how soft or hard I hit a key, the volume (almost) doesn't change. I tried to set "ignore instrument message" and all other settings except "my notes" and "background instrument" (I have a german version, don't know the exact translations).. but "ignore instrument messages" is .. ignored :-).

When I deactivate the output instrument, the piano sound is original again, but then Synthesia can't control the instrument.

What I would like to achieve is.. use the instruments sound only and let Synthesia support me practicing. I do not need sound from the PC.. only use piano's speakers or headphones connected to the piano.

I did some investigation on this:
I set the Piano to some grand piano sound. I start Synthesia, select a song and start e.g. right-hand play. I then .. lets say.. hit the C key once per second (to find out when piano sound changes). The piano sound is original. Then.. "an inch" before the green bar of the right hand hits the ground.. the instrument sound changes to this flat sound.

So.. obviously a message is sent to the piano to change the instrument.

I can practice both hands with the original instrument sound, but only with deactivated output instrument. As soon as I activate the output, the instrument gets changed. So.. single hand play (with other hand played by Synthesia) only works with this "flat" (changed by Synthesia) instrument. Whenever I let Synthesia control the instrument, it changes the sound of my piano(s).

I also tried the "Midi.ResetProgramChange".. nothing changes.
Ah.. I can't set instrument messages to "filtered out".. there are only switches for on and off in my version. Also tried active/deactivate "sysex" messages.

Tried with 2 PCs and both the P125B and the Kawai.


Is there a way to fix this or can I create some communication logging to find out what's wrong?

Thanks and kind regards,

Guido

Added 2 days later:
I just did some more investigations: the test I mentioned above.. hitting a key to find out when instrument changes.. is maybe some "amplification for the correct key". So.. I hit a C before the first note of the song comes down (which is a C).. shortly before the green bar hits the key line, volume (goes up) and key sensitivity (no sensitivity) of pianos sound changes. When I hit another note.. a wrong note.. piano instrument sound does not change and sensitivity remains as it is.

So.. maybe I just misunderstand something - but the question remains the same: is there a way to turn this off somehow? So that piano sound will remain as it is without using Synthesia?
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

In Settings --> Music Output for your Kawai, try enabling the "Prevent 'local' notes" option. It sounds like the doubled-up notes (from your keyboard and echoed from Synthesia) are causing an out-of-phase sound effect.

Does that make the problem go away?
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