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Topic: Sound Font Help (Read 6105 times) previous topic - next topic

Sound Font Help

I have a ESS1869 chipset in my soundcard. This under normal circumstances does not support soundfonts. But, when I recently installed Windows 2000 and listened to a MIDI, all the sounds were messed up. I checked the Multimedia settings in Control Panel, and I noticed that the preferred playback device was Microsoft GS Wavetable. It has bad (but not FM Synthesis bad) MIDI playback. I was wondering how that could be added to my soundcard like a soundfont. I tried using my normal playback device and it doesn't work. I went back to Windows 98 (I used dual boot) and everything was normal, and the GS Wavetable was gone. Does anyone know how Windows 2000 added a new Wavetable to my soundcard and if so how I can do that so I don't have to go buy another soundcard that is compatible with SoundFonts if I don't have to. Thank You.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #1 –
By the way, if it wasn't clear, the Microsoft GS Wavetable was added with Windows 2000 and wasn't previously selectable.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #2 –
Windows did not really add a new wave table to your card. Rather, it established a new MIDI driver on your computer that behaves like a new MIDI device. This is a "virtual device" in that it only exists in computer software, not actually on your sound card. The driver then renders MIDI instructions, converting them to digital audio, which is then sent to the sound card for play back.

Does this answer your question?

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #3 –
Thank you for the response. It answered most of my question. I just was wondering if it is possible for me to find new such drivers as I haven't run across them before. If so, where?

Thank you again
-Frank Colosa

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #4 –
In your case, you are using one that comes with Windows 2000, but probably was licensed by Microsoft for inclusion in Windows. Various manufacturers offer software synthesizers, including Roland and Yamaha. Similar technology is also bundled with some cards, such as the SB Live.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #5 –
My guess is that the GS wavetable with W2K is similar, if not identical, to the wavetable used by MS's DirectMusic extension to DirectX. It's basically a simplified version of Roland's GS sounds, and it makes sense that they'd use these in W2K, having licensed them from Roland already for Dx6 and up.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #6 –
I liked the Yamaha software synthesizer while I had a trial version of it, but it expired and now I can't find out where to get it. Does anybody know where I can buy a copy?

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #8 –
As a PS - I've found that even the lowest-requirement softsynth (S-YG20) is "chunky" in NWC, even on a fast computer, leaving drop-outs especially during screen refreshes but also at other times. Yet it works fine with midi players, leaving about 90% system resources idle (on an AMD K6/500, playing a midi with six tracks) according to Wintop.

The problem happens in Player also, but it appears to be less pronounced.

Anyone have any solutions to this?

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #9 –
Yes, turning off the note chase would be a welcome option, especially since it can be confusing when using soft synths, due to the inherent latency (even using DirectSound the playback delay is noticable).

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #10 –
Last weekend I upgraded my son's computer.
I added a Compaq business sound card which came with the ESS1869 drivers.
When it was installed it ALSO accessed the MS/Roland wavetable.
The card itself was so quiet it was next to useless (no diagnostic software provided) so I payed the difference and changed it for an SB16 which was satisfactory (for my son's purposes that is - head-banging techno!).

Now - I've found the folder containing the Win/Roland dls but I cant find a way to reinstall it.
Can anyone help? - Is it specific only to this soundcard.

On the same lines - I have DirectX 7 installed on my computer and can playback using the DX7 wavetable using a little Direct Music player Fred suggested and the Direct Music Producer.
Is there any way to access this wavetable through Windows Multimedia Player or through the control panel?
It doesn't appear among the devices!
I cant find the dls in a search of my system but it's obviously there.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #11 –
This is probably caused by the note chase that both products do while playing. We are considering an option that turns this off when play back quality is the priority.

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #12 –
Barry - I can't help out with your install problem. I've only recently (and with great trepidation) installed the most stable version of W95 I could find (OSR 2.5) and won't be ready for W2K for at least two more generations of "new bugs for old" :)

But on the DirectMusic scene: the "drivers" for DM-midi are imbedded deep within the operating system itself, which is presumably why you can't uninstall DX7.0a once installed. It therefore doesn't show up as an available device in your midi mapper (or anywhere else for that matter). I suspect that the GS midi driver in W2K is precisely the same set of wavetables (or very similar) to the DX7 ones, so if you can get the GS thingie working again you should be home free.

I've requested DX7 DirectMusic support from my two favourite software companies: NoteWorthy Software and VanBasco Software to include DirectMusic support in future product updates; the response from both was essentially, "Well, we'll see..." My main reason for requesting it was that I was working on a game project where such a facility would have been really handy; does anyone else out there have similar needs or wants?

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #13 –
Throughout my adventures of installing Windows 95/98/2000 on a variety of equipment, I have noticed that the MS software synth is only installed for some sound cards. This might have something to do with MS licensing, but I am not sure. I do not know how to get it to install in the general case, only with specific sound cards. Maybe someone else knows if it can be done...

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #14 –
Thanks Fred and Eric,

I finally found the dls buried deep in the System32 folder.
It only appeared as a midi mapper option after installing the Ess card - since uninstalling this card it doesn't appear.

The dls is still available to the Direct Music player and DM producer.
What surprises me is that it is not available as an option for the Win Mediaplayer via the Midi Planner.
 

Re: Sound Font Help

Reply #15 –
My advice... Don't get Win2k, get WinMe (millenium edition) It should be out soon. I only have it because it comes on new Gateway computers! (I also have an SBLive! value soundcard too!)

Long live DOS!