I wish I could use FluidSynth as a Windows MCI midi driver. I'm stuck on this Microsoft Synthesizer and midiyoke->midi-in synth modules aren't the same ease 😒

Timidity's delays are horrible, not even a quad-core can help that.

I'm currently running DOSBox primarily on a gaming laptop under Win7 x64 RC1, which has a lackluster Sigmatel (now IDT) integrated sound chipset. I've been thinking of looking into software soundfont synths for use with DOSBox since the built-in Windows synth is getting kind of boring.

I was thinking of playing with the following, as it seems more recent than most Timidity stuff I've found: http://en.sourceforge.jp/projects/twsynth/rel … package_id=4230

I'm not even sure if there are any other viable options that work under Vista/Win7. Realistically I'll probably just keep using my current setup until I build my next desktop and get my real Roland SC-88 and MT-32 synths hooked up 😜

I've used Roland Virtual Sound Canvas and Yamaha S-YXG50. Both work in XP and are somewhat better than the MS synth.

Timidity + the Yoke driver thing works too but it is a pain and it's not perfect.....

Otherwise there are the semi-hated real Creative cards of course. Work fine for me. By golly they are 'el cheapo now too. I've even gotten some hand-me-downs over the years.

As I said, I'm using a laptop so an expansion card is not an option.

I tried to install the latest version I could find of the Roland VSC, but it doesn't seem to work at all with Win7.

Well there is the Audigy PCMCIA and the X-Fi fake-edition (Xtreme Audio or whatever) for Express Card slots. They only use a software soundfont synth though. It works ok, but it can't load the really big SF2s. And they are not cheap because they are low volume products and somewhat in demand.

Too bad about the VSC and 7, but I guess that's not surprising. You could just dual boot with XP. I do that.

If I were willing to dual-boot then I'd just use my USB-MIDI adapter that works in XP but not Win7, and hook my synths up to my laptop 😀

HunterZ wrote:

I was thinking of playing with the following, as it seems more recent than most Timidity stuff I've found: http://en.sourceforge.jp/projects/twsynth/rel … package_id=4230

It is mostly the same 2004 Timidity++, being the one that can run as a windows synthesizer and has three additional GUI applications. These three GUI apps may look like something, but the original console app does the same and more.
In the bigger package they also have a Windows 2000/XP driver file that installs Timidity as a Midi Device, without the need for MidiYoke. But I haven't tried that.
So Timidity++ hasn't really been updated for over 5 years now (2004/5/16).. Timidity++ really sounds better then the competition, but is also very speed sensitive, even with minimal settings. There are older versions of Timidity which are less CPU-speed dependant, but AFAIK these versions are not configured for serving as a windows synthesizer.

HunterZ wrote:

I tried to install the latest version I could find of the Roland VSC, but it doesn't seem to work at all with Win7.

Roland VSC is said to be unstable even in Windows XP: Vogons: Recommend a MIDI soft synth

I also got the Yamaha S-YXG2006-LE Softsynth running with SaviHost on windows 98. It is a bit of an odd procedure to get it installed as such, but after that it is simple and reliable, and it sounds great! (requires MidiYoke)

I thought FluidSynth was supposed to be super-awesome or whatever, but I didn't find any obvious instructions on connecting it to the Windows MIDI mapper (even via MIDI Yoke).

I believe I got VSC working fine in XP at one point.

Anybody have an opinion on the old S-YXG100? That one's only for 9x but it has some sort of waveguide synthesis.

gerwin wrote:

I have all of the above available and tested in Windows 98, but the hardware is not currently installed. I don't have any free PCI and ISA slots. 🙁

I know that you said that you don't have any free PCI or ISA slots, but in a W98 machine the AWE-32 (with some larger SIMMS) would be the way to go. On a WXP machine though, I'd recommend the SBLive.

gerwin wrote:

I find this quite odd, considering the Yamaha S-YXG50 software synthesizer (non-SF2) always worked fine with ZDoom.

BTW, a little something for ZDOOM (when used in conjunction with the custom version of Timidity created specifically for ZDOOM) that you might like or find useful -> http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=12527 😀

Apparently timiditydrv doesn't work on x64 systems 🙁

HunterZ wrote:

I thought FluidSynth was supposed to be super-awesome or whatever, but I didn't find any obvious instructions on connecting it to the Windows MIDI mapper (even via MIDI Yoke).

Indeed these particular instructions are lacking. As if they only expect you to use it with the QSynth GUI. But I managed to get it working standalone, see attached file on how I currently use FluidSynth as a windows synthesizer.

Also attached is an example of my current Timidity++ setup.

rfnagel wrote:

I know that you said that you don't have any free PCI or ISA slots, but in a W98 machine the AWE-32 (with some larger SIMMS) would be the way to go. On a WXP machine though, I'd recommend the SBLive.

Now if I had a PCI card that combines USB 2.0 ports and Ethernet on a single card; then I would have room for another PCI or ISA card, like the AWE32 Upgrade card. 🙄 Edit: or use a USB 2.0 to ethernet adapter?

rfnagel wrote:

BTW, a little something for ZDOOM (when used in conjunction with the custom version of Timidity created specifically for ZDOOM) that you might like or find useful -> http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=12527 😀

I listen to 8MBGM often, it is a very good soundfont IMHO! But I only use a few small soundfonts, so I can not compare it with soundfonts of 'modern size'. Only some drums may need more volume, which I adjusted with the config file for Timidity. I don't see any reason to use GUS patches instead of the SF2 file though?
I tried the special Timidity for ZDoom once, but it did not work that well. At least it played maybe one or two songs properly, but then it dropped out entirely.

swaaye wrote:

Anybody have an opinion on the old S-YXG100? That one's only for 9x but it has some sort of waveguide synthesis.

Never tried it, if only for the fact that it required more CPU resources then the S-YXG50.

gerwin wrote:

Edit: or use a USB 2.0 to ethernet adapter?

That might be an option for ya 😀

gerwin wrote:

I listen to 8MBGM often, it is a very good soundfont IMHO!

That was the first soundfont that I used for my first AWE-32 😀 After initially buying my first AWE-32 eons ago, I found that there were really no nice sounding GM soundfonts avaialble for the card. I remember calling EMU and them telling me that they were working on an 8 meg GM compatable soundfont that would be sold on a CD (with two other smaller soundfonts).

Hehe, I pre-ordered the CD at the time, hence yes; I actually *PAID* for that 8MBGM soundfont that was later distributed free with many of the Creative Labs sound cards <G>.

gerwin wrote:

I don't see any reason to use GUS patches instead of the SF2 file though?

<IIRC>, the only reason that I was using my GUS patch pack (verses sounfonts) on my PC that didn't have an AWE-32 in it was that the special ZDOOM Timidity build had problems with soundfont support... at the time, the GUS patch pack sounded better than the 8MBGM soundfont with that special version of Timidity.

Another reason was that I created the GUS patch pack for use with other softsynths/drivers that didn't support soundfonts (check my pack's readme here -> http://youfailit.net/pub/idgames/utils/sound_ … it/8mbgmpat.txt )

gerwin wrote:

I tried the special Timidity for ZDoom once, but it did not work that well. At least it played maybe one or two songs properly, but then it dropped out entirely.

I seem to remember that the older version of the ZDOOM Timidity build had various issues. Check this thread for a discussion about it that I had started over in the ZDOOm forums quite a while back -> http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9781&p=208725 , that might help you out.