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Lesser known Win9x MIDI Softsynths

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First post, by Stretch

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I found a list of some MIDI softsynths archived from a Japanese website at Sound Cards Heaven - Soft synth MIDI many of which I had never heard of before. If you browse the website in the Google Chrome web browser, it can translate the page so you can navigate easier.

You can't download any software, but you can listen to sample playback of the source MIDI sp33xg.mid from the free Yamaha MIDI Song Library. You need this software to play the music Yamaha SoundVQ

Softsynths in this list that I was unaware of, which I would like to find out more about:
Altec Lansing WaveCUBE
Brooktree WaveStream
Faith WebSynth
InVision CyberSound
FPD98 (this one has a free lite version available but I couldn't get it to run in Windows 98)

P.S., there is also a FAQ on that website 8 Mb tone file bug (?) (Sound Blaster AWE series in general) which states that the 8MBGMSFX.SF2 soundfont has an incorrect drum setting. Can someone with soundfont knowledge confirm?

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 1 of 20, by elianda

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Conexant WaveStream is used with the Aztech WaveRider Platinum 3D
https://retronn.de/imports/hwgal/hw_sound_car … 38-mmsn853.html

Invision Cybersynth 1.00.38 is used with the Shuttle Spacewalker Soundsystem HOT-247 V2.0
https://retronn.de/imports/hwgal/hw_shuttle_s … ystem_card.html

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Reply 2 of 20, by Stretch

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I found a sample of Faith WebSynth on youtube with the title MIDI - Faith Multi Player FX-77. I think that software came bundled with some computers in Japan in the late 90s - early 2000s.

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 3 of 20, by yawetaG

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Stretch wrote:

I found a sample of Faith WebSynth on youtube with the title MIDI - Faith Multi Player FX-77. I think that software came bundled with some computers in Japan in the late 90s - early 2000s.

e.g. https://www.inversenet.co.jp/pclist/product/S … %252DDJ70V.html

Also came as WebSynth D77 with some Onkyo soundcards and audio interfaces (boxes have WebSynth logo, lack Windows XP logo).

Reply 4 of 20, by yawetaG

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Attached are the following WebSynth D-77 items:

- Windowns 95/98 version
- Windows 2000 version
- Windows ME version
- Instrument map (English)
- installation manual (Japanese).

I haven't tried to install them myself yet, and the zips were made on a modern Mac, so please mention it if something doesn't work.

Reply 5 of 20, by Stretch

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Thanks. I tried the win9x release on some typical game MIDIs, and I think it compares favorably to Roland VSC3.

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 6 of 20, by j^aws

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Stretch wrote:
I found a list of some MIDI softsynths archived from a Japanese website at Sound Cards Heaven - Soft synth MIDI many of which I […]
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I found a list of some MIDI softsynths archived from a Japanese website at Sound Cards Heaven - Soft synth MIDI many of which I had never heard of before. If you browse the website in the Google Chrome web browser, it can translate the page so you can navigate easier.

You can't download any software, but you can listen to sample playback of the source MIDI sp33xg.mid from the free Yamaha MIDI Song Library. You need this software to play the music Yamaha SoundVQ

Softsynths in this list that I was unaware of, which I would like to find out more about:
Altec Lansing WaveCUBE
Brooktree WaveStream
Faith WebSynth
InVision CyberSound
FPD98 (this one has a free lite version available but I couldn't get it to run in Windows 98)

P.S., there is also a FAQ on that website 8 Mb tone file bug (?) (Sound Blaster AWE series in general) which states that the 8MBGMSFX.SF2 soundfont has an incorrect drum setting. Can someone with soundfont knowledge confirm?

Not very well known that works with Win98 (manual says so):

Terratec Komplexer
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.soundo ... -vst%3famp

It's a virtual analogue/wavetable synthesiser based on a Waldorf MicroQ. Works as a standalone or VST soft synthesiser.

Reply 7 of 20, by Bondi

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I found Altec Lansing WaveCUBE software on this disc here https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31120
Path to extract is A.PAQ\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS\WAVECUBE
It installs fine in W98, but doesn't work. It crashes as soon as it tries to make any sound. Initially it's a W95 program.
From what I read elsewhere this is a pretty interesting program. It's not only a softsynth, but also has 3D effects functionality . Depending on the position of the instrument on the stage it sounds accordingly.

PCMCIA Sound Cards chart
archive.org: PCMCIA software, manuals, drivers

Reply 8 of 20, by matze79

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Here is Crystal Softsynth included:

ftp://ftp.dosreloaded.de/Soundkarten/Crystal/ … audio%20cs4239/

it works also with other Soundcards 😉

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Reply 9 of 20, by stanwebber

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elianda wrote on 2019-01-09, 09:36:
Conexant WaveStream is used with the Aztech WaveRider Platinum 3D https://retronn.de/imports/hwgal/hw_sound_car … 38-mmsn853.htm […]
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Conexant WaveStream is used with the Aztech WaveRider Platinum 3D
https://retronn.de/imports/hwgal/hw_sound_car … 38-mmsn853.html

Invision Cybersynth 1.00.38 is used with the Shuttle Spacewalker Soundsystem HOT-247 V2.0
https://retronn.de/imports/hwgal/hw_shuttle_s … ystem_card.html

no matter what i try i can't get the invision cybersynth working in win98se. i figured out how to install it manually from the opti .inf files, but everytime i try to use it i get a directmusicport device in use or port reset error message. it seems that the invision cybersynth was also bundled with other opti 82c933 & 82c931 cards like the silicom wavemaster 64fgp. i even found a later 1.00.41 version on the eu shuttle driver archive site. in the release notes the 1.00.38 version history makes reference to 'check opti drivers' so maybe having the physical hardware present is a requirement. there are dozens of previous versions listed in the history, which may not have this limitation, but every driver package i've looked at is v1.00.38 or later.

i actually own an aztech waverider platinum 3d so i already had the conexant/rockwell/broadtree wavestream softsynth installed (driver files available on the aztech midi music workstation cdrom). i have since rotated the card out of my system to be replaced by a crystal cs4232 and the wavestream softsynth continues to work so i'm guessing it can be installed independent.

Reply 10 of 20, by Stretch

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I recently found Altec Lansing WaveCUBE, which I found as WAVECUBE 40 MIDI Driver

It works fine in a Win98 VM. The readme file indicates it could also work in Win 3.1, but I couldn't get it to install.

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 11 of 20, by Bondi

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Stretch wrote on 2023-12-21, 01:00:

I recently found Altec Lansing WaveCUBE, which I found as WAVECUBE 40 MIDI Driver

It works fine in a Win98 VM. The readme file indicates it could also work in Win 3.1, but I couldn't get it to install.

I wonder if it's the same version that I found above. The disk isn't accessible now.
Here's the extracted folder from that disk https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DYPmJLLRbJ7m … iew?usp=sharing

EDIT: Likely yours is a different version, as readme of mine says:
1. A Pentium Processor of 75MHz or higher
2. 8 MB of memory (12 MB recommended)
3. Win95
4. 100% compatibility to SoundBlaster16 soundcard, Installed for
Windows95

PCMCIA Sound Cards chart
archive.org: PCMCIA software, manuals, drivers

Reply 12 of 20, by Stretch

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Bondi, the disk you posted is still WaveCUBE version 4.0 like the one I found on archive.org, although the setup files are slightly older based on file dates.

It works in a Win98 VM. I just ignore the part where it says it can't find an SB16, because my VM is using the Ensoniq AudioPCI.

There is a section in the read-me which indicates compatibility with Win 3.11 but I misinterpreted it. You're correct that the min requirements only state Win95.

When you play a midi file, you can move the individual instruments with your mouse, and then save the preset with the WaveCUBE app.

I think the only other software that can manipulate midi in 3D, is the Creative 3D MIDI Player for the X-Fi sound card.

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 13 of 20, by stanwebber

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matze79 wrote on 2020-11-17, 16:20:

Here is Crystal Softsynth included:

ftp://ftp.dosreloaded.de/Soundkarten/Crystal/ … audio%20cs4239/

it works also with other Soundcards 😉

is there a mirror of this dead ftp site? or a list of the files in the directory? i have another crystal softsynth, but it only works with a crystal chipset detected.

Reply 14 of 20, by stanwebber

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Stretch wrote on 2023-12-21, 14:29:

Bondi, the disk you posted is still WaveCUBE version 4.0 like the one I found on archive.org, although the setup files are slightly older based on file dates.

It works in a Win98 VM. I just ignore the part where it says it can't find an SB16, because my VM is using the Ensoniq AudioPCI.

installing wavecube v4 on a physical win98se box was very problematic. on 2 out of 3 systems it either hung or bluescreened immediately on startup after the requested reboot. restarting in safe mode and uninstalling was the only way to recover. it seems the wave device you select during setup is closely tied to this behavior. i eventually got wavecube working on all 3 systems by substituting a virtual audio cable ( https://software.muzychenko.net/en/virtual-audio-cable-3/) device during setup (then switching back to primary wave device after reboot). on reboot, immediately change the midi device in multimedia settings from wavecube to something else and don't change it back unless you have the wavecube settings open and the correct midi driver selected as the dialog tends to default back to the wrong driver on closure.

all my primary sound devices use wdm drivers (coexisting with secondary vxd devices) so maybe vxd only systems will have less issues, although the wavecube readme explicitly states both mmsystem & directsound compatibility

Reply 15 of 20, by Stretch

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The driver I'm using for the sound card in Vmware Workstation 16 is a VXD driver, which explains why I haven't ran into any problems.

Now what I'm trying to figure out is how to convert the Ensoniq WaveCube instruments located in the mddb folder to GUS patches or SF2. The database file MDTB.MDS doesn't have a header so I don't know what the values mean.

Win 11 - Intel i7-1360p - 32 GB - Intel Iris Xe - Sound Blaster G8

Reply 16 of 20, by matze79

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stanwebber wrote on 2023-12-22, 09:05:
matze79 wrote on 2020-11-17, 16:20:

Here is Crystal Softsynth included:

ftp://ftp.dosreloaded.de/Soundkarten/Crystal/ … audio%20cs4239/

it works also with other Soundcards 😉

is there a mirror of this dead ftp site? or a list of the files in the directory? i have another crystal softsynth, but it only works with a crystal chipset detected.

https://drivers.dosreloaded.de/index.php?b=So … al_audio+cs4239

https://www.retrokits.de - blog, retro projects, hdd clicker, diy soundcards etc
https://www.retroianer.de - german retro computer board

Reply 18 of 20, by matze79

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hm maybe the difference is i installed the softsynth with crystal card builtin and later changed it out for ess Card.
Need to draw the machine out of storage and check.

https://www.retrokits.de - blog, retro projects, hdd clicker, diy soundcards etc
https://www.retroianer.de - german retro computer board

Reply 19 of 20, by stanwebber

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well, i had a similar occurrence. i installed a broadtree/rockwell/conexant softsynth included with an aztec waverider platinum that set up a software-only midi device as well as a hybrid midi device that blended an additional 32 software voices with the hardware wavetable to achieve 64 voice polyphony. i swapped that card out for a crystal 4232 with a sam9233 wavetable chip and the softsynth continued to work incorporating the new hardware instruments from the sam9233. next i swapped in an ensoniq opus card and bam, both softsynths were gone.