SON OF A GUN

But now I have two captures and might as well make a video and document this bug! Stay tuned.

Here is the comparison video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRKo2lhYBgk&feature=youtu.be

So your Sound Canvas must have been faulty then...

I'm getting the same issue with the NEC XR385. And that's on a Roland MPU401AT interface, so we can rule that out.

I never stated I had that particular "bug" with the drums on the SC. It was more like whistles playing and strings missing on E3M2, most probably after playing some MIDI in Windows, or after playing Shadow Warrior, can't remember. But good that you could reproduce it with the Yamaha.

Again, play some random MIDI files on both units and than check how they sound in games and with other MIDI files. Especially with that XG file I previously linked. It's clearly an issue of the OS not issuing a reset command, if there is such a thing with MIDI.

I don't see any bug here, everything behaves well know.
Just see here:
http://www.megatrade.ru/English/db50faq.html

Especially:

Almost all XG products, including the MU80, MU50, DB50XG, and SW60XG, have a TG300B mode. A GS reset message automatically activates this mode, allowing playback of GS music data.

I just checked it and Duke3D plays the way what you call "bootup version" when issued a GS reset and the second version when issued a GM reset before.
What this tells is just that starting Doom issues a GM reset, nothing more.

Now the only question is, in which mode does the DB50XG and DB60XG (aka NEC XR385) initialize at boot up/reset. I think there was a thread here somewhere already stating this reset state difference. But after all it looks like that DB50XG started up with XG reset on power up and DB60XG in TG300B mode.

Just try yourself, issue a GM reset, start Duke3D and then issue a GS reset and start Duke3D and you get exactly the difference discussed here.

So it is no bug, just working as it should be...

Didn't found the thread here at vogons, but here it was described in detail:
http://www.dosforum.de/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5992
with google translate: http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl … %3D5992&act=url

I recommend always to issue a appropriate reset command before starting a game.

Additional note:
As you use the EWS64 also, you can see an identical behavior using the Dream Synth, it sounds different depending on the GM or GS reset sent before.
And it is enough to run setup of duke3d for testing, since grabbag is the Music Test song...

Well it was the first time I heard about this, although I did post in this thread, so maybe I just forgot. It certainly never comes up when the NEC XR385 gets recommended.

d1stortion wrote:

Again, play some random MIDI files on both units and than check how they sound in games and with other MIDI files. Especially with that XG file I previously linked.

🤣 No way. I'm done 😜 I cut two videos, didn't get a thanks for trying to help, and if you want to investigate further, do it yourself.

I'll stick with my Roland gear 😁

elianda wrote:

I recommend always to issue a appropriate reset command before starting a game.

That's what I want to know for this whole thread: how? Or does one need deeper knowledge of SysEx commands for that?
You only refer to the XR385/DB50XG/DB60XG in your post. Is the answer for the problems I had with my SC-55ST analogical, i.e. playing different MIDI files before playing a game that does not issue a reset causing missing instruments etc.? I recall Duke3d playing different after Shadow Warrior too (or vice versa).

@Mau1wurf: Thanks for posting and trying.

I usually just use GSPlay for this.
You can already send a reset with the commandline
GSPlay.exe GM
for GM reset and
GSPlay.exe GS
for GS reset, if you set the device type in the ini file to some GS compatible device. For the Roland it should be something like M.
You can also send SYX files that have raw binary MIDI commands. I have a XG-Reset.SYX and one that switches the DB60XG to MT32 mapping.

But usually typing less characters is more comfortable, so choose your batch folder and add a gm.bat there that calls gsplay. With such setup typing
gm<enter>
at the command prompt resets your device.

I often have two or more MPU-401 compatible devices, so I setup two folders with gsplay. One that targets port 300 and another that targets port 330 f.e.
Another approach would be to copy the appropriate ini file there prior calling gsplay.

Probably other Midi players and/or tools can sent the reset command as well.

edit: you can find gsplay here ftp://78.46.141.148/dos/sound/

Works like a charm, thanks a lot! This solves that problem once and for all 😊