You have to select the MIDI output in the Control Panel.

Yeah i know!
Hard to get P330 MIDI Output without setting it.

Maybe i found some new 30 Old Year bugs. Not the first time.

A tip from me: If you are not sure whether it is real MIDI sound: It always has a reverberation. I hope that's the correct word 😉

Found a CD in the Archive.
Does anyone have any further information about this?

Those are MIDI files with embedded commands that one can use to shift/reset the hardware mode.

https://retronn.de/ftp/driver/Yamaha/db50xg/DB50XGE.pdf

Hi, I would just like to mention that the DB50XG is available as a software synthesizer on both Windows 9x and 2000/XP (as VXD and WDM, separately): S-YXG50.

That being said, I don't mean to say that it's a substitute to an SB16 and DB50XG*.
In fact, I do own such a combo myself (CT1740+DB50XG).

But I didn't use it on Windows 9x yet. Merely on MS-DOS 6.2.
And a few times on Windows 3.1, to test my copy of Cubase.

_
I just wanted to let you know, it's not a recommendation, even .
I thought that this might be useful to know, especially if Windows 98 is being running all the time.

Maybe DOS games will see the the S-YXG50, if the VXD drivers of a soundcard can connect a virtual MPU-401 to the soft synth.

Some VXD drivers of the Windows 9x era can do all sorts of dark magic, after all.
Like emulating an OPL3 or a Sound Blaster 2.

If not, maybe a second soundcard can be used, with the MIDI equivalent to a "null-modem" cable connecting to your primary soundcard.

So DOS games can talk to a physical MPU-401, and Windows listens on another soundcard for the incoming data for the S-YXG50.

Again, it's just me thinking out loud.
If that works, you could use the SB16+DBX50 in another build that runs plain MS-DOS.

(*I also think the actual, physical DB50XG has a higher quality sound font.)

Edit: There's something that comes to mind..

You can try to install the original MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 drivers from the times of the original non-PnP SB16s.

Maybe they work better with your soundcard, thus.

But please note that there were multiple versions of SB16 drivers.

The 1992/1993 releases may still have 286 support (*DRV drivers, Windows Standard-Mode).

Or if your card has an ASP chip (aka CSP chip), you can try the drivers that Cloudschatze had used.
It may help at sound acceleration, too.

"Accelerating" Windows 95 with Creative's Advanced Signal Processor (CSP)

Thanks for the detailed answer.
My experiences with General MIDI so far are limited to the Dreamblaster S2 from Serdashop. It sounds the same always and everywhere. The CT1740 was also supplied with the appropriate drivers on 3-4 diskettes. The oldest ones so far here. But there were problems with the MIDI under pure DOS. Even a restart didn't help. Only with a later SB16 Non PNP driver did everything work. The driver in Windows 98 caused problems because an SB16 was already installed and Windows couldn't do anything with the other card. Maybe it's really the driver, but it's difficult under Windows 98 since it was my primary test PC and had several sound cards installed, including drivers. This is slowly beyond my abilities.

Still questions:
1. The DB50XG daughterboard does not have a user bank that I may activate unintentionally in Windows?
2. If General MIDI always works and sounds the same under DOS, should the daughterboard be intact?
3. Can the sound card or the wavetable header cause problems? I assume it wouldn't work under DOS either.
4. Is there such a thing as the last best driver for a NON PNP SB16 for Windows 98 SE?

Almost forgot: The ASP chip socket is empty.

Thanks!

The Daughterboard is done. Doenst work anymore. Testet on three different card in two machines. Nothing...
How is this possible?

RAM was broken. Works again.
And don´t use the Windows Media Player on Win 98 with the DB50XG, use something like midiplayer_55_bse
Thx.