Echoing to a Staff Instrument

Command Location: Staff Tools (on Score)

Echoing to a Staff Instrument vs. Echoing to the MIDI Echo Instrument

By default, all MIDI data received through the MIDI In device will be broadcast to the MIDI Echo device, and the sound you hear will be played by the MIDI Echo instrument. You can, however, opt to have MidiIllustrator redirect the MIDI In data to any of the Staff Instruments used in the current score. This allows you to quickly select an instrument sound for your external MIDI Instrument which is in keeping with the score you are currently reviewing.

For example, you may have a multi-part score open and wish to play along with the performance as MidiIllustrator plays back the piece. You can decide which part you would like to perform yourself and choose to echo MIDI In to that part’s instrument. Your external MIDI Instrument will immediately take on the qualities of that part’s (staff’s) instrument. To see more about selecting Staff Instruments see the Staff Instrument dialog.

Selecting a Staff Instrument to receive Echoed MIDI In

In order for MidiIllustrator to play MIDI data received from your external MIDI instrument using the instrument of a particular staff you must:

• Right click on the button on the Staff Tools. If the Staff Tools are not visible you can show them by selecting ‘Staff Tools’ from the Score/Show-Hide menu or enter keyboard short cut Ctrl+T. A small ‘E’ will appear on the button, and a colored bar will be drawn on the ‘echo staff’s’ first system on each page. By default, all notes on the staff will be muted as MidiIllustrator assumes that part will be played using the external MIDI Instrument. You can un-mute the staff for playback if you wish, by clicking on the button on the Staff Tools.
• Begin ‘echoing’ to the selected MIDI Echo device, by checking the ‘Echo MIDI’ check box in the MIDI In/MIDI Echo section of Program Options.

Any MIDI Echo Instrument which you have selected will be overridden by the Staff Instrument until you disable echoing to the staff, by again right clicking on the button on the Staff Tools.

If you have more than one score open, MIDI In will be echoed to the echo staff (if any) of the current score.