No sound from Midi files after adding soundfont file

[Jinx]

I added a soundfont file (General Midi Soundfont from https://timtechsoftware.com/general-mid ... -download/), and then added its full path {C:/jim/lmms/samples/soundfonts/GeneralUser_GS_SoftSynth_v144.sf2) to the default soundfont entry widget. Reloaded a midi file, still no sound. Saw where I needed to add the device (of the choices, "Jack" was the closest, as I am using the headphone jack for the speakers). Restarted again, tried several midi files. Still no sound.

I'm using LMMS 1.2.2 on this system:

* Lenovo Ideapad L340 Gaming Laptop (2020)
* 9th Gen Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H (Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz, up to 4.50GHz)
* 16GB DDR4 SDRAM memory
* 1 TB SSD
* Graphics: Nvidia 4G GeForce GTX 1650
* Audio: Realtek Dolby Sereo*

* Note that there are two choices for audio (names grabbed from VLC audio device choices):
** ELEFW328 (2- NVIDIA High Definition Audio [uses HDMI]
** Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio)

I can't seem to get a screen shot of the setup window, so I'm including the text info below:

Audio Settings:
Audio Interface: SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer)
Settings for SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) Device: jack

Directories (using the normal / instead of M$'s \)

LMMS Working Directory: c:/jim/lmms/
GIG Directory: c:/jim/lmms/gig
SF2 Directory: c:/jim/lmms/samples/soundfonts
VST-Plugin Directory: c:/program files/VstPlugins
LADSPA Plugin Directories: c:/jim/lmms/plugins/ladspa
STK Rawwave Directory: data:\stk\rawwaves\
Default Soundfont File: C:\jim\lmms\samples\soundfonts\GeneralUser_GS_SoftSynth_v144.sf
Themes Directory: data:\themes\default\
Background Artwork: [blank]

Does anyone see what might be wrong?

Thanks, Jim

[musikbear]

Great info!

Saw where I needed to add the device (of the choices, "Jack" was the closest, as I am using the headphone jack for the speakers).

I recommend you to not input anything in the 'device'. -Eg delete "Jack"
SDL in windows does not use Jack a devise, so maybe that is the reason, even though im not sure it would be recognized at all, but lets see :)
Let us know the outcome :)

Besides that, since you are new in Forum
Welcome jim!
Here are all important links:
http://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4740
-A few rules and useful forum instructions
If you like to introduce yourself, to the community, go here:
http://lmms.io/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4480

( i fear you will get spammed, if you really have used your email as user-name..... That is usually not recommended on any forum at all

[Jinx]

I only added the device, "jack" after not getting sound without it. So no, taking it back out shouldn't do anything. As for getting spammed by having my real email address, I'll probably change it if I can, but with the amount of spam I get, it tends to go in a pattern: tons of spam ---> filters to block said spam ---> quiet ---> repeat. I doubt I'd even notice a bit more. But you're right, it's not a good idea. My first cancer (see my intro from before i posted my questions here) left me with both chemobrain and some damage to my brain caused by 3 tumors (2 each, 1cm, in the front, left and right, and 1 2.5cm tumor in my left occipital lobe), 3 very severe brain surgeries (which I was supposed to be in a coma for an absolute minimum of a month after, with no possible way of waking up sooner....but woke up on the same day, instead), followed by whole-brain/max-dose radiation therapy. So it;s safe to say that sometimes, I'm just not thinking straight. But I've come to realize that I can either accept the deficits from cancer #1, and laugh about them, or go insane. I strongly prefer the former.

Anyone see anything else? I'd really like to play around with some drum riffs, etc., but without having sound from midi stuff (btw, sound does work from LMMS's own instruments, including VST plugin instruments). And with the soundfont I mentioned above, I can see where it's playing, it's just not making any sound. I did this with several midi files...no difference.

[musikbear]

Let us know if you want to change your username!
Back to your soundfont-problem.
GeneralUser works normally on windows and SDL
Do you have other soundfonts?
You do have made the choice of both bank and patch?
Here is a picture of how the soundfont should look, with both selected:

The BANK is 0
The PATCH is selected with the button in the red marking -Here Accordion
Observe the dial marked GAIN!
It is a little to the left of the BANK-spindle. GAIN must be higher than 0!
I hope it is one of these settings, that is wrong on your LMMS, because SF2 GeneralUser is normally reliable.

[Jinx]

Already covered the username bit in a PM, so moving on to the soundfont file. I'm not even far along enough to call myself a newbie, yet. I haven't graduated to that level with LMMS (although I did just take a drum beat, totally change it, and make a new awesome drum beat of my own---a major accomplishment on my level).

I don't have a clue where to find this GeneralUser one. I searched, and found the one I'm using, but not that one. A link to it would be greatly appreciated. Also, please explain bank and patch ... no idea here what that means. I've gone through a lot of YouTube tutorials (though many weren't really tutorials ... just music videos or light-speed fly-throughs with no voice ... I don't know about anyone else, but those are useless for me (especially after cancer #1's second met, to my brain, with 3 brain tumors, 3 very severe brain surgeries, and whole-brain/max-dose radiation therapy ... then add chemobrain). But I don't recall any even using the words "bank" or "patch" in them.

Thanks! Jim

[Jinx]

Strange. The soundfont file I downloaded yesterday was called the General Midi Soundfont (Tim Tech). But what I deleted a few minutes ago had GeneralUser in its filename. Whatever...it was an older version. I'm not sure if this matters, but for the first, I only installed the .sf2 file. This time, I just unzipped the (latest version) zip file right in the soundfonts directory and deleted the old .sf2 file.

Midi is fine now.

I also got into the M$ Windows control panel in audio settings, and somewhere in there stumbled upon (for the second time) per-app volume adjustments, and knocked LMMS way down. I can run it now without having to either adjust the volume on my system or waking up the dead on the other side of the planet. Now I need to go through some of the same tutorials again to remind myself how to move a beat into the piano editor (or whatever it's called) and how to shrink some things, such as the song editor, piano editor (again, whatever), and so on. It's in tutorials I'll be re-watching, so no worries.

Thanks, everyone. Time to feed Jinx (and Tiggerbelle, too, but she's not big enough to bite my legs off. .. Jinx is a Norwegian Forest Cat, 2 years old, so nowhere near fully grown up yet, but he's already huge) and then get my own dinner.....