First post, by isdeai
This has been happening since the days I was using Sound Canvas VA. Now that I have the actual hardware SC-55mkII, this phenomenon is still there. So here it is:
With SCVA, you need to first create a MIDI port using CoolSoft MIDI Mapper or LoopMIDI, then load the SCVA DLL before any MIDI can be played back through this virtual device, right? But sometimes, I was listening to a MIDI file with Media Player or something before I realized I actually forgot to load the SCVA. And the playback was 100% proper SCVA MIDI, not the crappy FM.
Last night, I selected several MIDI songs and played through my SC-55 via Media Player and went outside for a smoke. When I came back, the music was still playing through the speakers, on the third song or something, but then I noticed the EQ bars on the SC-55's display weren't moving at all. But the music was playing. I turned off the SC-55, and the MIDI continues to play! And it was true Roland MIDI, not FM.
This only happens under Windows environment (I'm on Win10 Pro64). When I play DOS games, ScummVM or DOSBox, if there's something missing in the MIDI setup, there will be no music, period. But in Windows, it's as if by some means the instruments are preloaded into the memory, so playback is still possible without the actual device being loaded or turned on.
I don't know how to reproduce this phenomenon, it just happens sometimes. If I do it deliberately, then things go back to how it was supposed to be.
Is this normal or is it just me?