Topic: Mixer and sfz+

Hi!

The answer to your question depends on whether you would like each MIDI input and the related audio output on the same one, or keep them separately…

Anyway, I’ll give it a quick shot:

1. If you decide to go for separate tracks, then it’s pretty straight-forward as you can just use the device mappings Podium created automatically.
The channel number in SFZ+ relates to the MIDI input device mapping, and the output setting to the audio output mapping:

You can of course assign multiple instruments in SFZ to the same output channels if you want to group drums, for example.

2. To get both input and output on one track, you’ll have to edit the device mappings by hand. The MIDI channel setting in the device mapping properties controls on which channel it sends out MIDI events, and the “Mixer input (plugin output)” setting controls on which channels it receives audio from the plug-in:

The input/output channel configuration in SFZ works the same as above.
You just might have to plan ahead which instruments you’re going to put on which outputs when using this method, so I recommend starting with the separate tracks method.

Just say if this is still too complicated. 😉

By the way… I don’t know if this is relevant for you, but keep in mind that the volume and pan faders in Podium control the audio output of your track. They cannot be set up to directly control MIDI volume (CC 7) or pan CC 10)!

I set the output in sfz to 4. I can only guess that it needs to be set to 4 because “sfz+ Out 7 + 8” is the 4th output track.

SFZ+ has 8 stereo outputs for instruments, and Podium labels them as pairs of mono channels (SFZ output 1 = 1+2, SFZ output 2 = 3+4, and so on), so this is correct.

The ninth output pair (17+18 ) is apparantly used for the chorus/reverb you can apply to each instrument in SFZ+.

I edited the device mapping and set the Midi output configuration to channel 7 (which I assume has to match the channel I set in the sfz plugin)

Also correct.

I set the Audio configuration “Mixer input, First Channel” to 7. If I set it to 1 .. 5, I get silence (even though “sfz+ Out 1 + 2”, 3 + 4, 5 + 6 are in my arrangement and not muted).

Even if the output tracks are present in your arrangement, remember that you assigned the flute instrument to output channel 4 in SFZ! So the flute’s audio output is being sent to output pair 7+8.

If I set the first channel to 6 I get output from the right channel only. Setting it to 8 I get sound from the left channel only.

Since you’re dealing with stereo pairs here, you’re actually selecting channels 6+7 this way – and since the flute’s output is sent to channels 7+8, the device mapping you edited receives audio on channel 7 (which is its right channel), but nothing on 6! Likewise when you set the first channel to 8: output pair 8+9 receives audio on channel 8 (left channel) only.

If you really wanted a track in Podium to only receive one channel from an instrument, you’d have to set the “Mixer input (plugin output)” option to mono. I don’t think you’re ever going to need this, though.

Let me know if something’s still not clear! 🙂