I'm LOST!!

Thank you guys for advices but first I have to make clear something.

What I expect of Synfire? I need it for composing and finding chord progressions but don't need any special instruments with good sound. I just want export midi to Reason and continue there. But I assume I have to install VSTs because Microsoft GS wavetable instruments have big latency, right? I would like to get to Synfire e.g. drum loops and vocal lines somehow (e.g. via Ableton which lite version I installed because of it) and work on bassline (with any bass sound - not important to have good bass here), then work on some background synth chords for example (again the sound doesn't matter) and export midi for further work in Reason. Is that possible? Would it be enough for me to set those 6 Global instruments (Metronome not important) properly and work with them?

I'm running Win 7 64bit.
My one and only DAW is Reason so I cannot use VST plugins (there is a way to route them to Reason using External midi instrument which is Reason rack extension (plugin like)) but I have plenty of Reason instruments and effects so I don't need to use VSTs and I don't even have any. Therefore also I'm not experienced with VSTs and don't have good overview of where to get them, which are good etc. I think I have to learn more about it first. I have not much basic information so far...

I only have VSTs like compressors and limiters which I use when mastering in T-Racks or Izotope Ozone 6 standalone. Synfire can see them in folder C:\Program Files\VSTPlugIns and C:\Program Files (x86)\VstPlugins.

I saw in videos that Kontakt instruments are used often. So I installed free version of it with some instruments but they are in folder C:\Program Files\Native Instruments\VSTPlugins 64 bit. I added the path and set the 64 bit engine in Synfire. Finaly Synfire can see them. See the screenshot attached. I'm not sure if I made it well because I can only hear sound when clicking the virtual keyboard in Kontakt player but mi midi keyboard doesn't work for it so far (attachment nr. 2). MIDI Input status (the red square) is flashing when I press keys.

Then I clicked Unknown Device tab and chose Match Device Description but got message ¨No device description matching the current plug-in contents could be found.¨. Then I chose Extract Device Description From Plug-in and got message ¨The plugin Kontakt 5 does not supply a list of presets or programs Create a device description anyway?¨ I pressed Yes. The name is New sound but that's all I could achieve.

What's the difference between Global sounds/racks and Internal sounds/racks, please?

Could be great to be able insert images into text here for easier understanding.

Well, guys you see I have many questions and more to come probably but I don't want to take your time with questions which answers can be obvious to you but I'm on the begining of the track now so some of my questions may sound even stupid :) Actually I have always learned any software very quickly. I can say (no conceit really) I know Reason very well after 1 year and I'm even helping people that have questions in Reason forums or asking me other way. I'm really good in many CG and 3D programs and work in IT with developing, testing and maintenance of very very complex, sophisticated and specialized software which is really hard work and a lot of thinking and knowledge. I'm trying to say that I'm not total newbie with various software but Synfire is so different for me that I don't get it clearly so far. Perhaps not Synfire itself but the settings around.

I felt really frustrated and thought that it was a huge mistake to buy Synfire so quickly (the promo video looks so damn good :)) but on the other hand I'm glad I haven't tried demo first because I wouldn't buy it. But when I did already there's no way back and I'm forced to handle it somehow. And I know it will reward me later because I'm still feeling Synfire is great tool.

BIG thanks to you guys for your effort with helping me. Thank you.

P.S. I think I won't start a new thread as I wanted before because here's so many informations now that could help also other people that it will be better to stay in this thread.

You make progress in how to get a sound assigned in a track in the arrangement screen in Synfire, because that is the goal , before you can start composing in Synfire with a library ( premade or made by you )

Next step is to assign the the sounds from the Kontakt sampler into the midi channel slots of the global rack : green button  Device..
For this ask Cognitone ..., because it could be that my way of soundasssigning is too complicated.
If the Kontakt sampler is not a General midi soundmodule , then you can use "fixed" sounds for it in the device description you extracted.
Probably is the Kontakt Vsti a 8 midi out or 16 midi out soundmodule as you have choosen this.

Note: a global rack can be used by more then one  arrangmentfile ..say you want to use the sounds of the global rack in arrangement 1, then in a arrangement 2 ..and so on
A internal rack is only or one arrangement to use.

  I do have also Kontakt 16 midi out loaded as rack and a assigned device description ( by extraction ) in  Synfire now

- Open the Vsti and add a rack in the multirack with a sound there on midi channel 1

- Go to synfire Kontakt rack and open device ( green button : Device )..it start with one empty midi channel ( with the + you can addup to 16 midi channels/rack)
Fill in sound name + (sound) category ( above this you see Fixed sounds..that means a fixed chanel device description is used here ) in Synfire on audio&midisetup screen.

Add a second sound on midi channel 2 ...and repeat this  

Loopback Be plays no role here with the setup with the Kontakt sampler.... your midi keyboard is on midi port option tickboxed and you can play the kontakt sound on the midi keyboard 

So.. i added two kontakt multirack sounds in the Kontakt synfire rack..the next step is in the arrangement screen.. choose(load) this kontakt rack (in Sound assigment  menu) where it is assigned to instrument channel 1

Perhaps you have figured this out alrady by yourself ..and are you making music now :)

Further i add a second instrument channel in Synfire..assign again to this the kontaktrack, but now with sound 2
Now i do have 2 instrument channel in Synfire with two different kontakt rack sounds and playable with the midi keyboard
In fact rather simple isn't it ?..and also I'm running Win 7 64bit.

Do you make progress with the setup ?

And I know it will reward me later because I'm still feeling Synfire is great tool.

You are not the first to feel this way. Many others went through the learning curve and are now happy they did. I acknowledge we need to make Synfire more accessible to beginners. Thanks for your patience.

I just want export midi to Reason and continue there.

If I remember correctly, Reason accepts MIDI files dropped onto it, so you can drag & drop Synfire’s rendered instruments to Reason tracks directly. Be advised that you need to press the spacebar once while you drag, though, in order to turn the internal drag into an external one that Reason will see (we are working on eliminating that).

But I assume I have to install VSTs because Microsoft GS wavetable instruments have big latency, right?

Yes, the GS Synth has a horrible latency. Other users have had great success with multi-timbral synths/samplers like HalionSonic. Kontakt would also work.

I would like to get to Synfire e.g. drum loops and vocal lines somehow (e.g. via Ableton which lite version I installed because of it) and work on bassline (with any bass sound - not important to have good bass here), then work on some background synth chords for example (again the sound doesn't matter) and export midi for further work in Reason. Is that possible?

Absolutely.

Would it be enough for me to set those 6 Global instruments (Metronome not important) properly and work with them?

Those are for basic output only, like listening to harmony progressions, palette notes and chords, or recording. You definitely need them, or your Synfire experience will be very limited. For your songs, you'll want to load separate sounds that you however can also add to the global rack.

I have plenty of Reason instruments and effects so I don't need to use VSTs and I don't even have any

This is somewhat of a challenge. A good starting point is to download the free Kontakt Player and Native Instruments sound library as explained here: (https://users.cognitone.com/content/synfire-users-collaboration) Juergen and other users went to great lengths to setup a useful „standard“ rack for collaboration, that should also work for you.

Then I clicked Unknown Device tab and chose Match Device Description but got message ¨No device description matching the current plug-in contents could be found.

Kontakt is a sample player and a new plugin instance is always empty. There are a few Kontakt-based example device descriptions in the repository, but they can not be recognized, because Kontakt does not tell its host what is has loaded.

You need to load sounds into a Kontakt instance and tell Synfire on which MIDI channels they are, so it can play them. You can do that on an ad-hoc basis, right from the instrument inspector (arrange window), without creating a device description (simply by adding channels and selecting the category of the instrument). However, if you want to setup a global rack, you should create a DD (device description) in Audio & MIDI Setup and select it on the rack module that loaded the Kontakt instance.

What's the difference between Global sounds/racks and Internal sounds/racks, please?

Forget the internal sounds. Only the global sounds matter ;-)

Hope this helps. 

Thank you both guys! I appreciate you're helping me. 
Yesterday I had no time to continue with the setup but I will continue today afternoon. Will let you know :)
Thanks Andre for detailed answers to my post. That helps me a lot. I've already installed free Kontakt so I will assign its sounds to Synfire today.

Thank you so much guys! Nice community here, really! Great approach.

OK guys. I succeded to set up my first instrument, the bass. It's also playing when using my midi controler :)
So far so good. But every other instrument I have tried to setup doesn't produce any sound at all. Perhaps it should be assigned different way. I attached screenshot. Arrows I added point to items I don't know what are they for. Would you be so kind and take a look at it and explain me, please? Thanks in advance.

I have checked HalionSonic 2 instruments, sounds really great. But the price, 249 Euro, is not cheap. I think it's worth buying but do I need it really? Is there some cheaper alternatice for beginner? ANy recomendation what instrument pack I should buy? Don't need 500 instruments so far. Just good bass or two, nice piano, some drum kits, perhaps some pads and brass, sax or flutes... something basic. Some useful links welcome :) Thank you guys!

This looks good as well:
(https://tone2.com/html/synthesizers.html)
As I stated before, I'm not experienced with VST instruments. Are these useful with Synfire? What parameters I should be sure of when searching for instruments to be able to use them with Synfire? I don't want to spend money for something that I won't be able to use smoothly. Thanks again.

 I have checked HalionSonic 2 instruments, sounds really great. But the price, 249 Euro, is not cheap. I think it's worth buying but do I need it really? Is there some cheaper alternatice for beginner? ANy recomendation what instrument pack I should buy? Don't need 500 instruments so far. Just good bass or two, nice piano, some drum kits, perhaps some pads and brass, sax or flutes... something basic. Some useful links welcome Thank you guys!

You can use every  Vsti pluginn who has not General Midi  sounds for this... even free Vsti's ... so it up to you i f you don't want to use General Midi sounds (GM)
Use a Vsti what you have... in Synfire Express

There is even a free Gm vsti , but can't remember it, but it seems to be not of a good quality like from  Halion Sonic 2 or Halion 5.

OK guys. I succeded to set up my first instrument, the bass. It's also playing when using my midi controler
So far so good. But every other instrument I have tried to setup doesn't produce any sound at all. Perhaps it should be assigned different way. I attached screenshot. Arrows I added point to items I don't know what are they for. Would you be so kind and take a look at it and explain me, please? Thanks in advance.

Assign to every rack midi channel 1 ..now you can play with your midi keyboard each of them ..if you select one of those rack sounds

Note ..Kontakt sampler can have 8 or 16 midi out ..so you can use  1 rack for all  the sounds assigning... you use Kontakt sampler here ? 

This looks good as well:
https://tone2.com/html/synthesizers.html
As I stated before, I'm not experienced with VST instruments. Are these useful with Synfire? What parameters I should be sure of when searching for instruments to be able to use them with Synfire? I don't want to spend money for something that I won't be able to use smoothly. Thanks again.

Again... if the Vsti is not a General Midi (GM) synth ( if you want use GM  , then Halion 5 is a good choice) you can use  every Vsti synth you like

So install your desired Vsti ( note: you can use either a multitimbral synth or a monophonic synth !! )
- If you use a multi timbral synth..you could use one rack  for all sounds...up to 16 if the Kontakt Vsti has also 16 midi out

.. if you use a monophonic Vsti synths /one sound only/...you must use for every sound... one rack.

For the kontakt sampler you  can use a 8 or 16 midi out  ....or use a monophonic Vst ( has only one sound)
Using number of racks for this ..can differ. 
if kontakt sampler is monophonic ..use only one rack...

Hi guys.

Thank you all here! I succeeded to assign several sounds and can play them all on keyboard. Everything works!
I have read dozens of pages about plugins, downloaded some and now I can use them with Synfire. Now it's time tu study the program as such.

Thank you so much for help! Thumb up!

Thanks for the picture. I noted you added a rack module for each instrument. You can load multiple sounds for all instruments into a single Kontakt plugin instance, each on a new channel. This will make your rack a lot smaller and eat up less CPU.

Ah... good to know. I will change it. Thanks Andre.
One more question. Is there a way to reset Synfire to it's initial state as it was after the first installation? I'm asking because this my setting was probably full of mistakes and I'm not sure what all I did :) When reinstaled it's still remembering everything. Can it be reset somehow? I would like to set up all as new. And more carefully.

Thank you.

File >> New in Audio & MIDI Setup will always return to the most basic GM-based global rack and settings. It's not exactly the default installed rack, but close.

Thank you Andre.