Maybe if the YMF719 or another soundcard in the same system has a working midi-in pin/connector.
You could then wire midi-out from the YMF719 to the midi-in. Then this midi-in needs to be configured as the source signal for the S-YXG50. I am not sure how to configure this, maybe 'MIDI Yoke' is required.

The only windows soundcard driver I know, that directly allows selection of all midi synths for use in DOS is the one from the Vortex 2 (PCI). As you can see here: Aureal Vortex 2 MPU-401 / external midi woes (Just that it fails to handle the Music of the game TIE Fighter properly)

A third option: install VDMsound 2.04. This allows selection of the midi device for the DOS box. I used this a little while, and to keep it simple I only installed the parts of VDMsound that do the MPU-401 emulation. Used VDMConfig.dll from version 2.10 which seems to remove the annoying tip-of-the-day system.

A fourth option: Get a Yamaha DB50XG, or similar hardware. Then you have good midi all the time, both in Pure DOS and in Windows, without nasty drivers.

Thanks

I tried installing a Vortex2 but it wasnt selectable in the dosbox midi selection

I added a device id in the registry and it became selectable but did not function. I believe with a few other registry entries it is doable but I am not a expert with setting up devices by hand in the registry.

I will poke around a little.

Yeah I can't do it. It would be pretty cool and very useful if someone had the expertise.

I mean this:

AU8830 Windows 9x Driver README.TXT This is the Vortex AU8830 Windows 9x driver version 4.06.2046 .... C. DOS BOXES Windows DOS […]
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AU8830 Windows 9x Driver README.TXT
This is the Vortex AU8830 Windows 9x driver version 4.06.2046
....
C. DOS BOXES
Windows DOS boxes are launched from the "MSDOS prompt" in the Windows 9x Start menu. Simply run the game as usual. The game still needs to be configured for the Vortex hardware settings.

Vortex provides wavetable support in DOS boxes if the game supports General MIDI output. To use wavetable in a DOS box:
1. Open the Vortex Control Panel MIDI tab.
2. Ensure that "Vortex Wavetable Receives DOS Box MIDI" is selected.
3. Open the application in a DOS box. Configure the music to use MPU-401 output. The Vortex drivers can also send MIDI to other software wavetable or external MIDI devices installed or attached on your computer.

IIRC any windows midi synth was selectable there, and it was a great feature. Unfortunately I can't verify any such things currently...
Suppose it will get more complicated if the YMF719 is there together with the Vortex 2 DOS emulation. I did not mention the Vortex 2 as a solution to your problem, just that it does what you want the YMF719 to do.

Gerwin,

Yeah what I was trying to say is that the Yamaha Synth didn't show up as an option in the drop down box until I gave it a device ID. I'm moving on but maybe one day get back to it. I f I don't I will never get this 98 box finished.

Erwin,

I see what you mean now. I'll try it out tomorrow.

Is this for running DOSBox on a Windows 98 machine>

IMO you're much better off running a proper soft synth such as BASSMIDI or VirtualMIDISynth. That will give you access to all sort of SoundFonts.

Hey Phil,

Windows 98 DOS box or maybe better called Windows 98 DOS VM, IE in Windows 98 type command.com in run and hit enter. Not DOSBox.

AFAIK any card using a WDM driver uses Windows' default MIDI device for DOS applications as the MPU-401 MIDI-out device. I'm not sure how WDM drivers handle OPL3 though.

Alexanrs,

Thanks for the info. I will try a card with WDM drivers instead of VXD drivers.

squareguy wrote:

Hey Phil,

Windows 98 DOS box or maybe better called Windows 98 DOS VM, IE in Windows 98 type command.com in run and hit enter. Not DOSBox.

Not all games will work with this method. If you have the Yamaha Soft Synth activated though, then all the DOS session games will use it when you select General MIDI. This should behave just like the Audician 32 Plus.

Is this want you want? Play Doom from within Windows 98 and use the Yamaha Soft Synth?

Phil,

Yes but of course it goes to the YMF719 and the Yamaha S-YXG50 / SYXG100 do not have a means of setting their port. It doesnt matter what the default windows midi device is, it just goes to the YMF719-S. I am hoping the WDM drivers resolve this.

Would Midi-Ox and/or Midi-Yoke be any help?

squareguy wrote:

Phil,

Yes but of course it goes to the YMF719 and the Yamaha S-YXG50 / SYXG100 do not have a means of setting their port. It doesnt matter what the default windows midi device is, it just goes to the YMF719-S. I am hoping the WDM drivers resolve this.

I'm sorry but I'm now totally confused what the problem is. What is S-YXG50 / SYXG100? Do you have another sound card installed that you want to use? What is wrong with "goes to YMF719-S"? Doesn't the YMF719-S have the Soft Synth?

I'm poor at describing things. S-YXG50 / S-YXG100 are both standalone Yamaha Software Synths. I want to route midi from a Windows 98 Dos Box to those software synths.

jwt27, that looks promising. I am reloading windows 98 right now without any sound cards to get a good base clone image before I start mucking around again.

Ohhh. I thought you have no interest in MIDI 😊

Hmm directly it will be a challenge. Because you have DOS MIDI, which uses MPU401 interface, and then Windows MIDI. What you want is similar to wanting to use a Windows USB joystick in a DOS game. Not going to be easy / work.

I've used MIDI-OX in my Roland MT-32 CM-32L and General MIDI for $50, but I'm not sure if it will let you choose the MPU401 interface.

Do you have a USB MIDI adapter, or a second sound card? You could use a cable to route the MIDI out from the Yamaha into MIDI in of your second sound card. I don't know if the Yamaha soft synths allow to choose an input device / port, but maybe then MIDI-OX would work.

The other advice I can give is that people that do what you want to do often choose an AWE64 Gold with memory upgrade and load SoundFonts. Or, if you have a spare notebook, build that MIDI box in the above video. It does Roland as well and you can choose any SoundFont you like. Or just bite the bullet and get an external Yamaha MU, Sound Canvas or DreamBlaster S1 wavetable board. There are lots of options, but yours might be a tricky one.

I have a S1 but saving it for a pure DOS box. I thought it might be fun to play around with some of the Yamaha stuff in software versus forking out money for hardware. I'm not that big on MIDI but I was curious to play with it. I'm pressing ahead now on 98 after I get an image of a fresh load with no sound cards to come back to at a future date to play with.

Really think your original question was pretty clear, and it resembles what I was trying years ago, before switching to ISA and Midi hardware entirely.

The only difference is, that I was using PCI soundcards back then, whilst you are using an ISA one.
I don't think WDM drivers have any benefit in this regard.
I don't think Midi Yoke can solve it either, not without using an actual copper wire to connect YMF719 midi-out to another midi-in connection (of the YMF719 itself perhaps). Because the midi routing from the dos box to the synth is hardcoded in the legacy sound driver.
In general Windows 9x sound card drivers have a legacy sound driver without much options (The only driver with nice dos midi options is the one from the vortex 2) and I would not know how to intercept the midi signal software-wise, except for totally bypassing the legacy driver by using VDMsound to intercept Dos midi instead.

It is an interesting subject, But it is much more straightforward using proper midi hardware.

You could always just put a jumper between the MIDI in and out pins on the gameport connector and use MIDI Yoke or something to redirect it, but I believe a software solution is more elegant.
The reason why I believe WDM drivers might help is because, with them, DOS support is not provided by the sound card drivers anymore, but rather the generic SBEMUL.SYS that comes with Windows. And I'm pretty sure those just use the default devices. Since they are generic, though, I have no idea how it handles OPL3.