I found this list from 1998: https://community.fortunecity.ws/tinpan/elton … 231/softsyn.htm

https://kbswiki.miraheze.org/wiki/List_of_sof … are_MIDI_synths

I collect some here in a rather terrible review format. Be it drivers, VSTs, or standalone players.

pachuco wrote on 2024-12-09, 23:29:

https://kbswiki.miraheze.org/wiki/List_of_sof … are_MIDI_synths

I collect some here in a rather terrible review format. Be it drivers, VSTs, or standalone players.

i did your whole list of softsynths. except for the phone related ones, i was familiar with most of them. i didn't know about the edirol hyper canvas gm2 synth and i revisited the inivision cybersynth which i had tried before, but gave up on. this time i found a v3 iso which installed with a midi-in option setting that allows cybersynth to be used with external programs. i'm using midiplayer6 via midiyoke, but i'm unable to get anything that approaches smooth playback from cybersynth. conversely, when i load the same midi file in the cybersynth interface it plays as expected. i don't think the issue is midiyoke as this is the only instance where playback is stuttering. i'm wondering if an internal cybersynth setting will address this?

another softsynth i gave up on is novastation. i've since discovered a 'yamaha S-YXG50' edition of the software. the question in my mind is whether this is a special licensed edition or if yamaha has always been the softsynth bundled with novastation?

stanwebber, did you ever find the Korg softsynth mentioned at MIDI (GS/XG/GM/GM2)

Stretch wrote on 2025-01-17, 00:38:

stanwebber, did you ever find the Korg softsynth mentioned at MIDI (GS/XG/GM/GM2)

no, that is the only softsynth on that page i've never been able to source.

I created a project on Github that uses disassembled / statically recompiled version of the WebSynth D-77 synthesizer to build a Linux ALSA driver and a tool to convert a midi file to PCM.

j^aws wrote on 2019-06-09, 12:30:

Not very well known that works with Win98 (manual says so): […]
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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.

i recently got my hands on a copy of terratec producer (komplexer) v1.0.3 which i believe is the last version before it was discontinued. i can confirm that it runs under win98 as a vsti or standalone, but i had to jump thru some hoops to get there. the installer i obtained required nt5.0 & up and kernelex was no help. i had to install under win10 and track the registry changes with regfromapp (nirsoft) then copy the output .reg file and terratec producer folder over. i needed to convert the unicode regedit5 format to ansi regedit4, but after applying to the registry i was up & running. so far it's borderline unusable on my p3 850mhz...i expect you'd need a processor well north of 1ghz for reliably smooth playback.

stanwebber wrote on 2025-01-16, 19:11:

i did your whole list of softsynths. except for the phone related ones, i was familiar with most of them. i didn't know about the edirol hyper canvas gm2 synth and i revisited the inivision cybersynth which i had tried before, but gave up on. this time i found a v3 iso which installed with a midi-in option setting that allows cybersynth to be used with external programs. i'm using midiplayer6 via midiyoke, but i'm unable to get anything that approaches smooth playback from cybersynth. conversely, when i load the same midi file in the cybersynth interface it plays as expected. i don't think the issue is midiyoke as this is the only instance where playback is stuttering. i'm wondering if an internal cybersynth setting will address this?

The only Windows 9x soundcard driver I can find that has CyberSound Virtual Synthesizer (16-bit CyberSyn.dll) is the Coolsound 933 (OPTi 82C933) soundcard driver.
You're talking about CyberSound Studio, and now you can run and use on Windows 2000 and later without compatibility issue thanks to a new patched CyberSyn.dll (thanks to ROMphonix Discord)!
M-HT needs to decompile this synth I requested.

well i guess the updated cybersyn.dll does me no good--i want the software to work under win98se. i don't have any opti 82c933 cards, but i have been looking to acquire an 82c931 with both admos wavetable and a waveblaster connector. i wonder if the 82c933 drivers are applicable. i'll have to check if the 82c933 is emulated in 86box as well.

edit: i couldn't wait...86box can emulate an 82c931. yes, the 82c933 drivers are applicable and the cybersound softsynth installs for the 82c931 as well. i used the 247cybers.zip driver package from the eu shuttle driver archive: https://download.shuttle.eu/Archive_2004/Driv … io/Opti/82c933/

incidentally, i finally figured out how to get cybersound studio working as a standalone softsynth. it's not very intuitive and the help file is not direct at all. by design only 1 midi channel is enabled for recording (midi-in). you must explicitly enable multi-channel recording from the menu and then individually click on the other 15 channels (30 clicks if you want passthru) to enable them. there is no way to save this! you can save recordings and profiles, but channel selection is not included. every time you close and re-open the application you must re-click all the individual channels. yeah, deal breaker...i'm still looking for an 82c931 with qdsp wavetable plus waveblaster header.

i revisted the terratec producer on my athlon xp 2100+ system and it has the horsepower to spare to run the softsynth, but for the life of me i can't locate any komplexer or microq soundbanks that approximate anything even close to general midi. it's dissappointing, although not exactly surprising, that this use case never sparked any interest online. as it stands there's not much use for this softsynth for our purposes.