Reference Guide

1220
Beginner’s Guide to Cakewalk Software
MIDI
Controlling Which Sounds You Hear
MIDI
Audio
Audio Hardware (Sound Cards) and Drivers
MIDI Channels, Interfaces, Inputs, and Outputs
MIDI Drivers
Your MIDI interface needs a driver to function. A driver is a small software program that controls
input and output for a peripheral device. To use a MIDI interface in Cakewalk, you need to make
sure that your interface’s driver is installed, and that you have told Cakewalk to use it. That way,
Cakewalk knows to use the driver and to list all of your interface’s inputs and outputs in the proper
menus. If your MIDI interface is part of your sound card, you probably installed its driver when you
installed the sound card. You can check this in Cakewalk by using the Options > MIDI Devices
command to open the MIDI Devices dialog. In the Outputs list, see if the name of your MIDI
interface is listed. It should be called something like SB Live MIDI Out. Make sure it is highlighted.
In the Inputs list, you should see something like SB Live MIDI In. Make sure this is highlighted and
click OK. If you don’t see the name of your interface listed, you need to install its driver from the CD,
floppy disk, or Web site that your interface’s documentation recommends.
After you have installed the driver and restarted your PC, you need to tell Cakewalk to use this
particular driver. Use the Options > MIDI Devices command to open the MIDI Devices dialog. In
the Outputs list, make sure that the name of your interface’s driver is highlighted. If it isn’t, click it to
highlight it. If your interface has more than one output, make sure you highlight the names of all the
outputs. The order of the outputs in the list determines what output numbers Cakewalk gives to
each output. So even if an output on your interface has a label that says 1 or A, if it is not first in the
list in the MIDI Devices dialog, it will not be labeled 1 in Cakewalk. You can change the order in the
list by temporarily deselecting all the outputs except the one you want to move to the top, and then
clicking the Move Selected Devices To Top button that’s at the bottom of the dialog. Then make
sure you reselect the other outputs you want to use.
For more information, see:
MIDI Files, Projects, Tracks, and Clips
Controlling Which Sounds You Hear
MIDI
Audio
Audio Hardware (Sound Cards) and Drivers
MIDI Channels, Interfaces, Inputs, and Outputs
MIDI Drivers
MIDI Files, Projects, Tracks, and Clips