The Sound page appears in the Workspace Options property sheet.
It allows you to select a MIDI Device to use for sound output and make changes to the sound settings that are used throughout the ChordWizard workspace.
The voice that is used for playing chords, chordshapes, scales and scale positions is a property of the instrument, not the workspace, and can be changed with the Instrument Options.
Controls
MIDI Device
You may have several MIDI Devices available on your system. The MIDI Device list lets you select which one you want to use for sound output.
If you select (none) all sound in ChordWizard will be turned off.
If you are not sure which one to use, the Microsoft MIDI Mapper is usually a good choice. This is a pretend device that passes the sound commands on to the real device which Window has decided is the best one.
A change to the MIDI Device needs to be applied with the Apply button before any of the test sounds on this page or the Sound Accessories window are available.
Voice Names
Depending on your sound hardware, different instrument voices may appear at varying locations in the voice lists used within ChordWizard.
Although General MIDI is the most common standard for assigning voices to locations, you may need to make a different selection here to make sure that the instrument voice descriptions correspond properly with the sounds you are hearing.
Two other alternatives, MT-32 and Roland GS, are supported.
Play Sound
Sounds in ChordWizard can be triggered in two different ways. You can specifically request a sound, such as when you press a Play button, or start a scale practice session.
Or, ChordWizard will also play sounds which reflect actions performed within the workspace, such as selecting cells in a matrix, selecting items in a list, and so on.
The Play Sound option specifies whether you want these action-based sounds to occur or whether you only want sounds played when you specifically request them.
Instrument Volume
The Instrument Volume slider specifies the volume of all instrument sounds within ChordWizard, including chords, chordshapes, scales and scale positions.
The volume is expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible volume. You wish to balance this against the volume of the Sound Accessories.
Don't forget you can also change the system-wide volume settings for your MIDI device or sound output with the Windows Volume Controls, available by right clicking the speaker icon in the Windows task bar.
Strum
This dropdown list specifies how fast to play a chord or chordshape strum in all areas within the ChordWizard workspace.
This applies only if you have chosen Strum as your Play style in the Instrument Options.
The Strum speed is measured in Beats per Minute (bpm) where each note played is considered to be a beat. The first item in the list is Hit, which plays all notes together.
Arpeggio
This dropdown list specifies how fast to play a chord or chordshape arpeggio in all areas within the ChordWizard workspace.
This applies only if you have chosen Arpeggio as your Play style in the Instrument Options.
The Arpeggio speed is measured in Beats per Minute (bpm) where each note played is considered to be a beat. The first item in the list is Hit, which plays all notes together.
Scale
This dropdown list specifies how fast to play a scale in all areas within the ChordWizard workspace.
The Scale speed is measured in Beats per Minute (bpm) where each note played is considered to be a beat.
Note Sustain
This dropdown list specifies how long to hold the notes of chord or chordshape, or how long to hold the last note of a scale, in all areas of the ChordWizard workspace.
The items in the list are measured in seconds (s) or milliseconds (ms).
Test Sound
There is one of these for each of Strum, Arpeggio and Scale. These allow you to test the settings you have chosen in each case.
They are played in combination with the Note Sustain setting, which applies in all three cases.
System Volume Controls
Launches the System Volume control panel, which contains the volume control sliders that affect sound levels across your whole system. This is useful for troubleshooting a lack of sound - usually the cause if the MIDI system volume has been turned down or muted.
Accessories
Opens the Sound Accessories window, where you can make changes to the voices and volumes used for the metronome and harmony chords different areas of ChordWizard.
Reset
Resets all settings in the Sound page to the system defaults.
See Also