Post by Jerome on Apr 16, 2021 19:57:58 GMT 1
I found a way to get much better sounds for JJazzLab. And it's free & legal! 
- Download and install the official Halion Sonic SE from Steinberg website => it's a software synth which support samples and VST instruments (but SE version has no sounds...)
- Download and install the official Dorico SE from same site => it's a music notation software, which is bundled with...a free Halion GM sound bank + many other sounds !!!
- Install a virtual midi driver (loopMidi for Windows, free for personal use. If loopMidi detects false "feedback loops" with JJazzLab, go in the loopMidi settings and disable "feedback detection").
- From JJazzLab play a song. Halion should initialize the GM instruments and you should hear the backing track!
Important: if the JJazzLab song has a percussion track (usually channel 9), manually change the Halion instrument on channel 9 to a drum set. Strangely, I needed to set the drum kit twice for Halion to accept it on channel 9, don't know why...
Since JJazzLab output synth is set to GM, JJazzLab will reroute channel 9 (percussion track) to channel 10: in order to be able to adjust the mix of perc/drums tracks independently, manually remove the drums rerouting from the channel 9 settings (upper left icon) in the JJazzLab mix console. Also, be aware that the rendering might be not optimal if the Yamaha style uses XG specific drum sounds (like jazz brushes) which do not exist on the GM drum map.
With Halion sounds and mix capabilities (assign different effect per instrument, global effect, etc.), with a little work I was able to get a really good sounding pop/rock backing track with 3 guitars ! Compared to using the JJazzLab font/VirtualMidiSynth, it's more complex to setup, but result can be clearly better.
- Download and install the official Halion Sonic SE from Steinberg website => it's a software synth which support samples and VST instruments (but SE version has no sounds...)
- Download and install the official Dorico SE from same site => it's a music notation software, which is bundled with...a free Halion GM sound bank + many other sounds !!!
- Install a virtual midi driver (loopMidi for Windows, free for personal use. If loopMidi detects false "feedback loops" with JJazzLab, go in the loopMidi settings and disable "feedback detection").
- Start JJazzLab, set Midi Out device=loopMidi(Windows), then go to Output synth editor, menu Preset=>GM
- Start Halion, set Midi In device=loopMidi, then go to Options tab, find Global panel, set Program Change=>GM
- From JJazzLab play a song. Halion should initialize the GM instruments and you should hear the backing track!
I advise you to adjust the mix from Halion, it's more powerful, with more effects, etc and you can save it as a Halion preset. To avoid that JJazzLab changes the Halion mix, in JJazzLab go to Mix Console menu, Edit=>Disable All Midi Parameters.
Important: if the JJazzLab song has a percussion track (usually channel 9), manually change the Halion instrument on channel 9 to a drum set. Strangely, I needed to set the drum kit twice for Halion to accept it on channel 9, don't know why...
Since JJazzLab output synth is set to GM, JJazzLab will reroute channel 9 (percussion track) to channel 10: in order to be able to adjust the mix of perc/drums tracks independently, manually remove the drums rerouting from the channel 9 settings (upper left icon) in the JJazzLab mix console. Also, be aware that the rendering might be not optimal if the Yamaha style uses XG specific drum sounds (like jazz brushes) which do not exist on the GM drum map.
With Halion sounds and mix capabilities (assign different effect per instrument, global effect, etc.), with a little work I was able to get a really good sounding pop/rock backing track with 3 guitars ! Compared to using the JJazzLab font/VirtualMidiSynth, it's more complex to setup, but result can be clearly better.
