To run Sinfonia, you'll need a Windows or Macintosh computer with at least 4GB of RAM, a sound card and a relatively recent operating system (Windows Vista or later; Macintosh OSX 10.6 or later).

You will also need about 8GB of hard drive space to store the sounds required by the various shows.

For more detailed equipment information, please visit this article.

Some organizations place restrictions on their networks that prevent RMS SampleSync, our sound library delivery utility, from running. Here are a few things you can try to work around this:

1. Ask your Network Administrator to open port 873 for traffic, at least temporarily while you download the samples.
2. Try downloading the samples at home or from an alternate network outside the firewall. Once you have all the sounds, you can export them within the RMS SampleSync utility to a memory stick or external hard drive. You can then use that to load the sample libraries onto computers behind the firewall, bypassing the network.

Each computer you use Sinfonia on needs to have its own unlock code. To request an unlock code for an additional computer:

1. Download and install the appropriate show from our website on the computer you want to use.
2. When the program launches, click on the 'Request Authentication Code' button.
3. Fill out the appropriate information and click on "submit." To save time, please enter your Sinfonia license number (SNF-xxxxxx) where indicated. This will make it easier and faster to locate your booking.
4. We will confirm that your production has already purchased the program.
5. We will email you an unlock code that can be pasted into the program.

Please click here for a detailed list of our equipment recommendations.

Sinfonia is designed to accomodate almost any internal and external audio soundcard. For an economical treatment, you can use your computer's internal audiocard, and connect to your theater's sound system via the headphone jack or built in audio output for a simple stereo mix. 

We recommend utilizing an external audio interface in addition to your computer. External audio interfaces are designed to achieve a bigger and deeper dynamic range and will also offload some processing power so your computer has more breathing room. Another advantage is flexibility in audio routing. More sophisticated audio interfaces have multiple audio outputs, which allow you to route a single instrument or group of instruments (ie. strings or woodwinds) to your house sound system for dynamic control of sound quality.

Sinfonia’s default setting is to produce the music in stereo: the left side comes out of Output 1 and the right side out of Output 2 (called output "A" in Sinfonia). If you use only one cable, you will just be getting 1/2 of the audio signal, and you will lose a lot of the richness and depth of Sinfonia’s sound.

1/4" cables can be bought at any store that carries audio equipment, and are relatively inexpensive.

Sinfonia’s default is to have just Outputs 1 and 2 designated for playback, but you can always change this to have a multi-channel set-up (for example, having the strings come out of Outputs B and the drums coming out of C). You can have up to 8 different 1/4" audio outputs with Sinfonia.

Probably not. The only Sinfonia device that we include a power cable for is the laptop computer. The MIDI Keyboard and audio interface devices do not need separate power cords, as they are powered up when they are connected to the computer and the computer is turned on.

Sinfonia is controlled by the MIDI Keyboard, and it sends MIDI information over the USB cable which connects it to the laptop computer.

Yes, please click here to download a PDF of the keyboard labels.

By playing a number of different "Play" keys at your disposal you can perform the instrument at whatever tempo is required by the conductor. The musicality and nuance of every song can be expressed in this way.

Absolutely not. Our editor allows you to choose from a multitude of rhythms so every gesture in the music can be played with the organic nuance it requires. 

We have already gone through the score and put in rhythmic "tapping patterns" that we think are appropriate. By no means are you limited to the pre-programmed values, however! You can easily change the patterns to best fit your production.

There are a lot of reasons why you may not be hearing sound. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try.

• Press the GO key on Sinfonia's MIDI keyboard. If you do not see any movement in Sinfonia’s player window, see the steps below regarding resetting the MIDI keyboard. (Be sure that you are playing a song that is sufficiently long and loud to test this!)
• Make sure that your theater’s sound system is turned on and working properly. Try connecting the 1/4" cables you are using with Sinfonia to some other music device (like a synthesizer keyboard).
• Note that with the Firewire 410 audio device, there are a series of green lights in the front which indicate that the Firewire 410 is receiving a signal from the computer. If you see the two leftmost green lights lighting up, the Firewire 410 is likely working- please check the connections to your sound system.
• Plug the headphones you are keeping near the Sinfonia system into the headphone jack of the firewire audio device. Make sure the headphone volume for that jack is turned up. If your headphones have a separate volume knob, be sure the headphone volume is turned up as well. If you hear sound in your headphones, the firewire device is likely working- please check the connections to your sound system.
• When the firewire device is properly connected and turned on, you will see a solid blue light in the top right corner. If you see a blue light that is flashing, the device is plugged in, but not turned on. Press in the power switch next to that blue light and restart the Sinfonia computer.
• Listen closely to the laptop: are you hearing the sound coming from the laptop speakers? If so, do the following:

1. From the player window of the laptop: hold down the Command key on the Apple keyboard and press and release the Tab key until Terminal is the highlighted option. (The Command Key also sometimes has a clover symbol and/or an Apple symbol.)
2. Hold down the Command key and press Q to quit the Terminal. You will be prompted with a box asking if you want to close the session; click "close".
3. Move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen and click on the icon "Audio MIDI Setup". When the Audio MIDI Setup window opens, click on the tab labeled “Audio Devices”.
4. In the top right corner. you will see two drop-down boxes for “system Output” and "Default Output". Change both boxes so that either Firewire 410 or Profire 610 (2) is set in each box.
5. Click the red button on the top right corner of the Audio MIDI Setup window to close the window.
6. Move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen and click on the icon “sinfonia script”. Sinfonia should relaunch and the sound should play back out of the selected firewire audio box.

If none of these steps solves the problem, try the following:

1. Quit Sinfonia by clicking on the Quit button, and shut down the computer.
2. Unplug the firewire cable which connects the firewire audio device to the computer. The blue light on that device should go off.
3. After the light goes off, wait 3 seconds, and then plug the firewire cable back into the device and the computer.
4. Restart the computer, and click RMS to relaunch Sinfonia.

Sinfonia uses hundreds of thousands of expressive parameters in the course of a given show. If you're jumping around sections in rehearsal, it's possible you might stop mid-song where pitch-bend is engaged. If you then relocate to a different part of the song, the effect might remain in place, causing things to sound out of tune. Use the MIDI Reset button to set things right.

While you don’t need to plug in headphones for Sinfonia to work, we highly recommend having headphones near the system for practicing and troubleshooting. Note that the headphones to be used with Sinfonia should have a 1/4" plug (which is bigger than the 1/8" plug found on the headphones which come with most portable music players). Most electronics stores sell inexpensive 1/8" to 1/4" plug adaptors.

Yes. In our rented system, the firewire audio device we include with Sinfonia has a headphone jack in the front and the two (or more) outputs in the back. The headphone and rear outputs have separate knobs which control their levels, and you can have sound coming out of the rear outputs while you have headphones plugged into the front.

Absolutely. Any keyboard that supports MIDI will work with Sinfonia. Newer MIDI keyboards allow you to connect to your computer via USB. Older keyboards only have MIDI port connectors, and in order to connect these devices to your computer, you will need to purchase a USB/MIDI interface. If you are using an external audio interface, check this device as some models support MIDI input.

Once you have connected to the computer, you can confirm Sinfonia recognizes the keyboard through the Setup Wizard (Tools Menu --> Setup Wizard) and then customize the real time functions ('Vamp', 'Play', 'Stop', etc.) via the keyboard window (Windows Menu --> Keyboard Window)

There is a known bug relating to the operation of the Firewire 410 device and how it communicates with the Apple operating system. Occasionally, the internal settings of the Firewire 410 may change so that the music it plays back appears to be a little more than a 1/2 step higher in pitch from how the music should normally sound. If you discover this to be happening, do the following:

1. From the player window of the laptop: hold down the Command key on the Apple keyboard and press and release the Tab key until Terminal is the highlighted option. (The Command Key also sometimes has a clover symbol and/or an Apple symbol.)
2. Hold down the Command key and press Q to quit the Terminal. You will be prompted with a box asking if you want to close the session; click "close".
3. Move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen and click on the icon "Audio MIDI Setup". When the Audio MIDI Setup window opens, click on the tab labeled "Audio Devices".
4. Be sure that in the Audio MIDI Setup window, the "Properties For" selection is set to "Firewire 410".
5. Towards the bottom of the Audio MIDI Setup window (in the section labeled Audio Output) is a setting labeled "Format". The current setting for 
Format may be "48000.0 Hz". This is incorrect. Click on that box and select "44100.0 Hz" to be the Audio Format.
6. Click the red button on the top right corner of the Audio MIDI Setup window to close the window.
7. Move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen and click on the icon "sinfonia script". Sinfonia should relaunch, and it should play back at the correct pitch and sample rate.
8. The issue here is that the sample rate can sometimes change by itself, possibly related to a power surge or similar event. Make sure to test the 
system before starting rehearsal (and especially before starting a 
performance!). If you notice the same half step discrepancy, repeat the steps above.

The following steps will reset the MIDI keyboard and get it working for you again:

1. Be sure the MIDI keyboard is turned on and plugged in. If you do not see any lights on the MIDI keyboard, check the USB cable which connects the the back of the MIDI keyboard. Next to the USB cable will be a power switch, be sure the power switch is set to the “On” or “USB” position.
2. Unplug the USB cable from the MIDI keyboard. Hold down both the + and – buttons on the MIDI Keyboard (not the Transpose Up and Down buttons), and while holding the + and – buttons down, plug the USB cable back in.
3. After the MIDI Keyboard lights up, you can release the + and – buttons.
4. To confirm the Keyboard is working, go to the Sinfonia editor. Click on the tab labeled MIDI. The first drop-down menu in that tab is for MIDI Input, and it should show the MIDI Keyboard you are using as the default MIDI input. If it does not, select the MIDI Keyboard you are using from the drop-down menu.
5. Click the Player button to return to the player. Your MIDI Keyboard should work as normal.

Your Keyboard probably got transposed by one or more octaves. Hit both Transpose Octave buttons at the same time; this should reset the Keyboard into the proper position. If this hasn’t solved the problem, do the steps in the post above to reset the MIDI keyboard.

Dedicated power means that the Sinfonia system is plugged into a power circuit that is providing power to no other devices. This means more than just having Sinfonia plugged into a wall outlet (with nothing else plugged into that outlet). Wall outlets will often be on the same circuit as other wall outlets in different parts of the room. It doesn’t help to have Sinfonia plugged into a wall outlet if that outlet is also on the same circuit as the light board and the popcorn maker! If you have any questions about whether an outlet is capable of providing dedicated power, please consult your school or theater electrician.

All sound effects cues which are meant to be played from within the orchestra (such as sound effects triggered by a keyboard player or percussionist) are covered. We do not include sound effects which are only indicated in the script.

Whenever we send out a system, we always send out a clean version of the show based upon the printed sheet music (scores and parts). However, this may not be what you are expecting. Please keep in mind the following:

1. The tempos you hear programmed in Sinfonia are based upon the printed sheet music, and often may also reflect the tempos set by a music supervisor who sat in with us when we did this programming. These tempos may not necessarily be the same as the cast recording you are listening to (and furthermore, there will likely be differences in the tempos and the music arrangements from the cast recording to the printed materials.)
2. Sinfonia is designed to be played in real time by a musician, not by a technician in a booth just hitting “GO”. Hence, there may be instances (such as with sections marked to be played rubato) where what is programmed in Sinfonia does not seem to fit your staging (as the rubato effect will only be achieved by real time live performance, not by just pressing “GO”.) While tempos can be adjusted in the tempo editor, you will have a far better (and more musical) experience if you have a live performer playing Sinfonia as it is designed to work.
3. Our clean version will still contain some programming designed to simplify your playing experience. For example, if a song goes from a fast cut-time tempo to a slow 4/4 feel, the default “PLAY” rhythm settings will reflect this (half notes for the cut time; quarter notes for the 4/4). This may not be what you desire, though: you may prefer to keep everything in half notes or quarter notes to simplify your playing experience. We encourage you to customize the show settings to fit your desires for how to play the show!

RMS has carefully developed each show with its own specially-developed sound set using a very strict protocol of patch changes and patch select hierarchy. As a result, non-RMS sound modules will not be compatible with Sinfonia.

You may backup your showfiles to any directory on your computer or external hard drive.

To backup your show files:

1. Within Sinfonia, select "Backup" from the Tools Menu
2. Save the backup file with a unique name to your desired directory.

If you need to restore your show files from a backup:

1. Within Sinfonia, select "Load" from the Tools Menu
2. Locate the backup file and load your saved show file.

"Save As" allows you to create a copy of the showfile you are working with. This is important to use when you are making edits so that you have a version of the showfile to revert back to if mistakes are made and saved in editing functions like tempo or other parameters. Be sure to name your showfiles uniquely, preferably using the show name and date of modification so that files are organized. 

It if you wish to generate a new showfile with default actions in place, simply go to the File Menu and select "New"

Sinfonia is programmed so there is a wide dynamic range between loud and soft sections: Sinfonia is designed to be playing along with traditional acoustic instruments like trumpets and violins who are reacting accordingly to passages marked "ff" or "pp" in the score. However, this contrast may come across as too much (or not enough) for you depending upon the acoustics of your venue and whether the singers are using microphones. As a suggestion for helping to balance Sinfonia's overall level, choose a loud moment in the show and set your trim and fader levels on the mixing board to that level. This should allow you to level out the mix (giving you room to increase it or decrease it as necessary) and offer headroom if adjustments are desirable during the show.

As an alternative, you can add an external "compressor/limiter" to the audio coming out of the Sinfonia system. Speak to your sound technician about the best way to go about doing this.

The Output Test is one of the most important components of introducing Sinfonia to your pit/sound environment. To use the output test, put the instrument mixer window in focus and go into edit mode. Click the small headphone icon above each channel strip to audition that particular instrument. At this time you audition all channels to prove it is sounding and heard in the mixing board.

The headphone jack is attenuated to work specifically with headphones. Plugging your speakers into that jack could result in blowing your speakers. Your sound technician should be able to provide you with the necessary tools to have a pit monitoring system and proper stage monitoring from the mix you are sending via Main L and R outputs.

Please consult your computer's display preferences to adjust the screen brightness.

In MIDI, each quarter note is broken up into 480 ticks. As a result, an eigth note is 240 ticks and a sixteenth is 120 ticks. You may want to add a meta-event such as "Atempo" or a "Rhythm" change in the middle of a beat for added nuances, so understanding which tick you want those changes allows you more control beyond the beats. Note that the first tick of a measure will always be tick 0 (the last tick will be tick 479 in 4/4, tick 239 in 6/8, etc.)

Sinfonia is packaged with a default preset for all realtime actions. You may edit the preset or create your own presets to accomodate your midi keyboard. To assign or clear a key mapping, click-and-hold the desire key and map the desired function, or choose 'clear' to unassign a function from that key.

The danger of relying on battery use is that you don't know exactly when the battery will run out. And you probably would be unhappy if it ran out in the middle of a show. Therefore we stongly urge that Sinfonia always be plugged into good, clean dedicated power (without sharing the power with any non-Sinfonia electrical devices).

For some useful information about MacBook power adapters, CLICK HERE.

One of the biggest factor in computer crashes is power fluctuations. Here are some rules to follow for setting up a computer in a theater:

1. Computers should always be on dedicated power. This means that you should not have the Sinfonia computer connected to the same outlet as any other pit or theater devices, including stand lights.
2. If the computer is plugged into a power strip, do not have any other devices plugged into the same power strip.
3. NEVER plug the computer into the same circuit as any lighting or other devices controlled by a dimmer. If you do, you can destroy the computer equipment.
4. Dedicated power means more than just an outlet in the wall with nothing else plugged into it. That wall outlet may be part of the same circuit as your lighting (or other) devices, in which case you will not have remedied the above problem.
5. When in doubt, speak to your theater's electricians before plugging things in.