Found out there's advantages to Roland VSC VST over Player
+ Lower latency (~30% in my case)
+ Better organized GUI
+ Change reverb, chorus, delay macro presets
+ More crash (mutex) resistant
+ Instrument names update without problems
+ Record sound (SAVIHost)
+ Keyboard player (SAVIHost)
- No mute buttons
- No drag-drop midi play
- Have to manually swap sound sets files

Like its lots better than player version. Thanks to robertmo for mentioning SAVIHost VSTi. 😀

Used with loopMIDI and I can chain all sorts of stuff together now before it hits BASSMIDI also.

VSC VST note: RVI01.dat = SC-88Pro data
- You can replace with the VSC32 Player sound sets instead (vsc55.dat, vsc88.dat, vsc88pro.dat)
- I assume parts of it are compressed but other pieces look like huge table data

edit:
WTH? Blackthorne (1994 DOS) is logging Ethnic (Intro) + Orchestra (Stage 1) drum kits?? VST says polyphony peaks at 44 + 91 (!?) during stage 1 bgm only? Likes to hover ~40 quite often enough.

Are notes off counting as polyphony too? I've never seen weird stuff like this before. No GS / GM resets. I'm mixed, unsure about the ethnic drum kit sounding right - Orchestra feels more believable imo. But I can't say. 😐

edit2:
Notes still releasing when 'note off' count as polyphony. Ethnic is wrong (sc88 capital fallback problem - Gravis uses the Orchestra drum kit).

tikalat wrote:

Like its lots better than player version. Thanks to robertmo for mentioning SAVIHost VSTi. 😀

Used with loopMIDI and I can chain all sorts of stuff together now before it hits BASSMIDI also.

I am sure you will like VSTHost more 😉

Does anybody know how to change the volume for a single soundfont in the load order? the bassmidi.chm mentions a command (BASS_MIDI_FontSetVolume) but how am I supposed to use it and where? Thanks if somebody can help me. Alternatively, is it possible with other means (VST version, other programs, fluidsynth etc)?

code120 wrote:

Does anybody know how to change the volume for a single soundfont in the load order? the bassmidi.chm mentions a command (BASS_MIDI_FontSetVolume) but how am I supposed to use it and where?

AFAIK the BASSMIDI Driver doesn't support that feaure of Ian Luck's BASS and BASSMIDI libraries (what the BASSMIDI Driver utilizes for it's magic). so unfortunately that's a no-go.

Ok thanks, I'll stop looking for a solution then.

Hello, I have a problem. Bassmidi is installed with soundfonts, but when a midi plays, it's crackling like rice krispies. This happens whether I'm using playback on Noteworthy Composer or running a game in DosBox. I doubt the problem is my hardware, since I can run MIDIS through XMplay fine. What gives? Is there a setting in BASSMIDI that I am missing? Here are my specs on audio (onboard, no sound card):

Intel Core i5
8GB ram
Realtek High Definition Audio
Nvidia High Definition Audio
Nvidia Virtual Audio Device (Wave extensible) (WDM)

I am also running Windows 8.1

Try VirtualMIDISynth.

Stereoprism wrote:

Hello, I have a problem. Bassmidi is installed with soundfonts, but when a midi plays, it's crackling like rice krispies. This h […]
Show full quote

Hello, I have a problem. Bassmidi is installed with soundfonts, but when a midi plays, it's crackling like rice krispies. This happens whether I'm using playback on Noteworthy Composer or running a game in DosBox. I doubt the problem is my hardware, since I can run MIDIS through XMplay fine. What gives? Is there a setting in BASSMIDI that I am missing? Here are my specs on audio (onboard, no sound card):

Intel Core i5
8GB ram
Realtek High Definition Audio
Nvidia High Definition Audio
Nvidia Virtual Audio Device (Wave extensible) (WDM)

I am also running Windows 8.1

Have you messed with the buffer size settings?

Stereoprism wrote:

Hello, I have a problem. Bassmidi is installed with soundfonts, but when a midi plays, it's crackling like rice krispies. This happens whether I'm using playback on Noteworthy Composer or running a game in DosBox. I doubt the problem is my hardware, since I can run MIDIS through XMplay fine. What gives? Is there a setting in BASSMIDI that I am missing?

Firstly, try increasing the "DirectSound buffer length" and "XAudio2 buffer length" within the "Advanced" tab of the BASSMIDI Driver's "Configuration" utility.

Ensure that you're not running anything that is using the BASSMIDI Driver, and try sliding both of those sliders to the max. Also, uncheck the "Use sinc interpolation" checkbox (just for $%^&s and grins). Then, click the "Apply" button, and see if that helps.

Lastly, a few cut 'n' pastes of some of my posts over in this message thread -> http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?sh … ic=87639&st=325 :

RichNagel wrote:

A (sort of) workaround for stuttering... […]
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A (sort of) workaround for stuttering...

I've recently set myself up an old laptop. It's and older Dell Inspiron 6000, with an Intel Centrino Mobile 1.6GHz processor, and 1GB of RAM.

After installing the BASSMIDI Driver, I also noticed a few stutters and skips when using my "Weeds General MIDI SoundFont v3.0" (approx. 55MB). Although, I was quite surprised at how well and smoothly that MIDI playback was... given that the laptops CPU was only 1.6GHz 😀

Anyhow, I found a sort of a $hit-rig type of workaround that stops ALL of the stuttering and skips:

1 - I copied my "WeedsGM3.sf2" SoundFont to the new filename "WeedsGM3.preload".

1b - Note that I currently have an unreleased "Version 4.0" update for the SoundFont (gotta get off of my arse and upload that sometime <GRIN>), so I copied that "WeedsGM4 Update.sf2" file to the new filename "WeedsGM4 Update.preload" as well.

2 - I then created a simple batch file with the filename of "Preload SoundFont.bat", with the following contents:

---cut here---
@ECHO OFF

FC/B "C:\SoundFonts\WeedsGM3.sf2" "C:\SoundFonts\WeedsGM3.preload"

FC/B "C:\SoundFonts\WeedsGM4 Update.sf2" "C:\SoundFonts\WeedsGM4 Update.preload"
---cut here---

3 - I then created a WinDoZe shortcut link to the batch file with the filename "Preload SoundFont.lnk", setting it's properties to "Minimized", and assigning it to a hotkey combo as well (in my case, "SHIFT+ALT+F").

4 - Lastly, I copied the "Preload SoundFont.lnk" shortcut file to the "Startup" folder of my Windows Start Menu.

OK... what does this whole schmear do?

Upon powering up the PC and Windows starts, a binary file compare will be executed between the two ".sf2" and ".preload" SoundFont files. A side effect of doing this causes Windows to read the ".sf2" SoundFont files into memory, and totally fix the problem with the stuttering and skipping when playing MIDI files 😀

P.S. I can ALSO press "SHIFT+ALT+F" hotkey combo to do the same on-the-fly if I so desire 😀

P.P.S. Oh, and the extra startup time for Windows before the system is idle? NO MORE time than would normally be needed for my desktop PC that has an actual SoundBlaster Live card in it (when Windows initally starts up, and my SoundFont is loaded into system RAM for the SBLive).

RichNagel wrote:

Yes, that's what I'm running... Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3. […]
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mudlord wrote:

Is this workaround with Windows XP?

Yes, that's what I'm running... Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3.

Although, I'm assuming that this should help/work with Vista/7/8 as well, as these incarnations of Windows handle "file caching" (for lack of a better term) similarly to Windows XP 😀

In other words: Read a largish file once within a given Windows session, hard drive access. Read the same largish file a second time within the same Windows session, almost no hard drive access.

P.S. Been twiddling around with my described $hit-rig fix... seems to work quite well. 100% success (with either NO stutters, or only minimal ones) when using my SoundFont with the BASSMIDI Driver; running DOOM in DOSBox, running Tetris Classic for DOS (or Tetris Classic for Windows, running under an installed copy of Windows 3.11 in DOSBox), playing MIDI files in Windows Media Player, as well as when running my ancient version of Cakewalk Professional v3.01 😀

RichNagel wrote:

OK, here's another handy one... […]
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OK, here's another handy one...

My previous instructions are great if you load and use the SAME SoundFont (or a set of SoundFonts) ALL of the time.

The following instructions allow you to do the same, except on-the-fly for ANY SoundFont (handy if you load various different SoundFonts within a given Windows session):

1 - Create a new batch file using WinDoZe Notepad with the filename "Preload Any SoundFont.bat" with the following contents:

---cut here---
@ECHO OFF
COPY /Y %1 %1.preload
FC/B %1 %1.preload
DEL %1.preload
---cut here---

2 - Copy this file to your "C:\Windows" directory.

3 - Create a Windows shortcut to the file (right-click the file in your "C:\Windows" directory, and click "Create Shortcut.

4 - Rename this shortcut to the filename "Preload Any SoundFont.lnk".

5 - Set the properties for the shotcut to "Run" as "Minimized", and change the icon to your preference (I like icon #18 (the eighth icon in the second row) in the "C:\Windows\System32\MMSys.cpl" Windows Control Panel file).

6 - Copy the new "Preload Any SoundFont.lnk" shortcut file to your "C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\SendTo" directory.

After restarting Wwindows, you can right-click on any SoundFile file, click on "Send To", and then left-click on "Preload Any SoundFont" for ANY SoundFont file 😀

P.S. @ Stereoprism ,

I JUST realized that I had an email from you from a short while back that was buried in my mess of an email inbox... sorry, I must of missed it. BTW, I am NOT the author of the BASSMIDI Driver, simply a BIG FAN of it 😀

Firtasik wrote:

Try VirtualMIDISynth.

This is interesting, it uses the same backend as BASSMIDIDRV. It's also been updated more recently, so it's using a newer version of the BASSMIDI library.

Not trying to knock VirtualMIDISynth, but this blurb from this page -> http://www.arachnosoft.com/main/soundfont.php … n&embedded=true :

At first, reading this table might lead you to think that CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth is much better than BASSMIDI Driver. Actually, my advice would be to install both synthesizers on your system, as BASSMIDI Driver offers two separate synths, less latency and does not suffer from any issue while rendering MIDI files - whereas VirtualMIDISynth, although using the same BASS engine, can occasionally suffer from some "orphan" notes (which aren't being cutoff at the right time).

Not to mention, not only does the BASSMIDI Driver offer lower latency (if your CPU speed can handle it), it ALSO features TWO MIDI ports ("BASSMIDI Driver (Port A)" and "BASSMIDI Driver (Port B)"), just like a Sound Blaster Live.

Lastly, the problem of the older BASSMIDI Audio Library is fairly trivial... it's fairly easy to update your installed version of the BASSMIDI Audio Library as detailed here -> http://jasonwilliams400com.startlogic.com/sno … nfiguration.htm (at the bottom of the page, in the "Optional BASS and BASSMIDI Audio Library Updates" section) 😀

(EDIT) To tell the truth, I really need to get off of my arse and install the VirtualMIDISynth Driver, and do some latency tests with it; similar to the ones I did for the BASSMIDI Driver (see the two pics here -> http://jasonwilliams400com.startlogic.com/sno … Play/XMPlay.htm , scroll down to the "BASSMIDI Driver Screenshots" section, and then further below to the "Latency" pics).

Thanks for the scoop. I'd definitely be interested in hearing the results of any testing that you may get around to doing, especially anything that tests it against BASSMIDIDRV.

Well, I think that BASSMIDI Driver performs better than VirtualMIDISynth, but not on Windows 8.1. It must be some compatibility issue (crackling).

No improvement with the buffer settings maxed out and sync interpolation turned off... in fact, it got a bit worse, and skipped like a scratched CD from the 90s : )

About to try the batch file method.

Firtasik wrote:

Well, I think that BASSMIDI Driver performs better than VirtualMIDISynth, but not on Windows 8.1. It must be some compatibility issue (crackling).

That's weird. I just the other day stepped a buddy of mine through installing the BMD under Windows 8.1, and it works quite well.

Batch file method didn't work. I'll continue to play with the BASSMIDI settings, but it's definitely a disappointment if I can't get this to work right. Part of the fun is playing DOS games with fantastic-sounding music!

Well... VirtualMIDISynth worked! No crackles at all. Thanks a lot for the help. The only disadvantage I'll have is only one bank at my disposal (two banks are great for my purposes - using one strictly for games, and the other for composing.)

Oh well, I'm happy with the result as is! Thanks again!

rfnagel wrote:

Firtasik wrote:

Well, I think that BASSMIDI Driver performs better than VirtualMIDISynth, but not on Windows 8.1. It must be some compatibility issue (crackling).

That's weird. I just the other day stepped a buddy of mine through installing the BMD under Windows 8.1, and it works quite well.

That's weird indeed. It could be hardware related, but the BASSMIDI Driver on Windows 7 worked for me just great (BTW, I have a cheap Asus Xonar DS).

Anyway, I did a small audio comparison:

BMD versus VMS

Yes, the VMS slows down loading time. So, there's no perfect solution yet.

Stereoprism wrote:

Well... VirtualMIDISynth worked! No crackles at all. Thanks a lot for the help. The only disadvantage I'll have is only one bank at my disposal (two banks are great for my purposes - using one strictly for games, and the other for composing.)

Oh well, I'm happy with the result as is! Thanks again!

Glad to hear it!

Firtasik wrote:

Anyway, I did a small audio comparison:

BMD versus VMS

Yes, the VMS slows down loading time. So, there's no perfect solution yet.

VMS has an option to disable preloading of the entire soundfont at once, but it's probably better to suffer that one delay at the start than to have slight stuttering whenever a new instrument is loaded.