VOGONS


First post, by Jolaes76

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My SC-8820 has dead MIDI ports so I am thinking about a software signal reroute. Is it possible, using MIDIOX and MIDI Yoke, to redirect MIDI signals from the soundcard's gameport to the SC-8820 that is connected to the computer via USB cable?

I mean I am trying to start DOS games under Win98. DOS games only know about MPU-401 so they send MIDI to the soundcard's game port. Can I tap into that signal and send it to "SC-8820 synth part A" ?

Any help is truly appreciated.

Last edited by Jolaes76 on 2011-03-26, 10:38. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 1 of 8, by dvwjr

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Jolaes76 wrote:

My SC-8820 has dead MIDI ports so I am thinking about a software signal reroute. Is it possible, using MIDIOX and MIDI Yoke, to redirect MIDI signals from the soundcard's gameport to an the SC-8820 that is connected to the computer via USB cable?

Are you sure that the SC-8820 'computer' switch is set to MIDI and that a Win98 MIDI application can send MIDI data the Win98 MIDI redirector when it is pointed to the Roland SC-8820 driver provided "SC-8820 synth part A"? IF the physical DIN-5 MIDI ports are "broken", then try the USB port connection method (and switching the 'computer' switch to USB) to see if any Windows MIDI program can produce MIDI output.

The other SC-8820 'computer' switches were for Mac, PC (serial port) and USB (USB v1.0) which of course do not use the DIN-5 MIDI ports.

Jolaes76 wrote:

I mean I am trying to start DOS games under Win98. DOS games only know about MPU-401 so they send MIDI to the soundcard's game port. Can I tap into that signal and send it to "SC-8820 synth part A" ?

Unlike Win2K and WinXP which can redirect the MIDI I/O ports at 0x330 for the NTVDM DOS emulation, Win98 itself does not not hook the MIDI I/O ports at 0x330 for its DOS 'emulation' mode via a system VxD. In its Win98 VxD SoundBlaster drivers for 16-bit ISA sound-cards, Creative did hook the MIDI I/O ports at 0x330 (or 0x300) to allow MIDI data redirection/conversion to the E-mu 8000 I/O ports for the AWE32/64 E-mu 8000 based engine for the Win98 DOS mode, or it allowed direct MIDI I/O AWE32/64 game port pass-thru (buggy) to an external MIDI device.

If your sound-card is a Creative SB32/AWE32/AWE64 with the correct drivers and the AWE32 Control Panel applet then DOS mode MIDI I/O port re-direction is possible. Otherwise, you are dependent on another ISA sound-card's driver support for MIDI I/O port re-direction for the Win98 DOS 'emulation' mode. Of course, if your SC-8820 MIDI ports are truly hosed, then you are out of luck.

dvwjr

Reply 2 of 8, by Jolaes76

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Thanks for the answer.

Using the USB connection method, the module plays midi files fine with Winamp or any other player.
There is no MIDI sound output under pure DOS with any of these cards (they should work, according to other people on this forum): Vortex 2, SB Live, AudioPCI
So only the DIN IN and OUT are fried. (Well, possibly the serial PC/MAC, too. But that is not important for me.)

It seems my only option is having the module serviced.

BTW what I tried was:

launching a DOS game in WIN98 that plays MIDI on MPU-401, then starting up MIDIOX and connect the Vortex 2's MIDI OUT to SC-8820 synth part A (provided by the USB driver)

The signal could not get through - an error message popped up saying that the MIDI device is in use, and DOS window applications need exclusive access to the MIDI device 😢

Reply 3 of 8, by sklawz

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lo

i don't have an sc8820 but looked at the manual.

it states that the 5 pin din midi in port only works
when both the following conditions are met:

1. switch is set to midi
2. power is supplied via 12V adapter.

what it actually says is that if you power the device
via usb then the input selector switch is ignored.

ie, for 5 pin input usb must be disconnected
completely.

before you consider servicing this device i would
try at least a couple of alternative 12V power sources
before giving up

bye

Reply 5 of 8, by Jolaes76

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Thanks sklawz,

the unit I own probably has multiple defects then. It should work on USB power under Windows, but regardless of the switch position, none of the computers I tried with detects it until I plugin in the 9V adapter as well. So it needs more juice than a standard US 2.0 hub can provide.

Reply 6 of 8, by megatron-uk

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USB is only rated to provide 5v at 500ma, so I'm surprised it works at all actually. Do you have any other MIDI devices that you could use to chain their output to the 8820 input? Perhaps try to get hold of a cheap USB to MIDI port to see if the MIDI DIN ports are really toast or not.

My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net

Reply 7 of 8, by Jolaes76

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It should work fine on USB power, by the book. 400 ma / 5V should be enough but it clearly is not.

I tried the MIDI pass-through method (with an MT-32) as you and others suggested but unfortunately, that did not work either

🙁

Reply 8 of 8, by Salient

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If it helps any, I have an SC-8820 as well, and it works fine here when connected USB-only, including the MIDI out (to which i've connected an sc-55).
However, I remember having it hooked up on another PC once, and although it seemed to work, when playing a 'complex' midi file, it would stop producing sound sooner or later and would only come back up when rebooting the whole computer because it couldn't be recognized as a MIDI device anymore.

MIDI comparison website: << Wavetable.nl >>
(Always) looking for: Any Wavetable daughterboard, MIDI Module (GM/GS/XG)