Yeah, I have VirtualMIDISynth installed mainly as a default synth chooser, but I absolutely do not depend on the default selection for DOSBox, because using D-Fend Reloaded to explicitly choose a synth is much more reliable.

D-Fend Reloaded fixed it, thanks!!!

Necro'ing this because I can't seem to get the Linux version to work at all.

Manually directing BASS_Init to the number corresponding to the ALSA "pulse" device (since I'm unfortunately stuck with PulseAudio for now) makes it run but I get no sound output despite loading a valid SF2 file.

Not sure what's wrong. Other ALSA programs can use the "pulse" device just fine.

Hi, I'm using Windows 7 64 bit and I have a few questions:

- I have installed the latest BassMidi version, but I have a problem. When I launch a certain game (that uses midi), it crashes. It doesn't happen when the midi mapper is set on another device. Also, I have a setup of an older BassMidi version (not sure which one... seems like there isn't a version info in the program) and it works fine there.
Although I can tell some instruments sound better on the latest version, this game isn't working. Is there a crashlog in some hidden folders? Can this be fixed?

- When a midi tries to play the "modulation wheel effect" it doesn't work in BassMidi, although the readme says it's supported. I thought at first it was a Windows 7 problem, but the default GS synthetizer can reproduce that effect properly.

- This isn't just really a BassMidi problem but I'm still puzzled, I have a few midis (at least one) that does some kind of differend pitch bend effects, but a certain effect is reproduced wrong. This happens both in BassMidi and with the default GS synthetizer, but apparently a player program called "Synthfont" doesn't have this problem. Other pitch bend effects works fine, but not the one in that certain midi. How is that possible?

Props to the developer, this program is very nice. 😀

Try the CoolSoft driver, see if it gives you fits as well.

CoolSoft VritualMIDISynth uses the same engine as BASSMIDIDRV, so I'd be surprised if specific MIDI effects would sound different between the two of them. Would be interesting to hear results of testing though.

Yes, but I meant that CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth uses a different sound interface, so may not be prone to crashing in the same situation. The current setup of my BASSMIDI driver is to use DirectSound on Windows XP, and WASAPI on Windows Vista and newer. I really need to overhaul the configuration dialog, and do further testing on various platforms, but I just don't find the motivation to use Windows for much more than gaming and occasionally updating my published software. I even need to get a new code signing certificate before February, but I haven't been churning out much of anything to justify the expense yet.

Oops yeah I forgot about the crashing part and was focusing on the mod wheel part.

Ok I have tested, so far (sorry for a long post):

1) Game crash: I have installed Coolsoft but I also remembered there was a hidden commandline parameter in the game that can enable/disable directsound (still not sure which is the default one and what does the parameter, but I think the parameter disables directsound) and this actually affects things for Coolsoft:

- Bassmidi + normal launch or with parameter = crash (there is actually another parameter that disables midi, in this case the game starts with no midi at all)

- Microsoft GS + normal launch or with parameter = works

- Coolsoft + normal launch = the game and midi works but there is no sound; but in windowed mode, the moment I open the Coolsoft mixer the sound is back. If the mixer loses the focus, sound is lost again; the midi always works

- Coolsoft + parameter = works

Well, the game is old and designed for Windows 95 while I have windows 7 so strange behaviors have to be expected, but it's nonetheless interesting how things changes between devices...

2) Mod. wheel: this is also strange: I get the same results between Bassmidi and CoolSoft, and I figured out the results changes based on the soundfont used. If I change sf2, I get the mod. wheel on both programs, which seems to make sense since GS doesn't use that sf2. But it is still strange as I remember the mod wheel, with that same soundfont, was working in my Windows XP and the SB Live 5.1 card. Since I still have that setup I went trying and the mod. wheel worked fine with the soundcard, while Bassmidi 1.0 behave like the Windows 7 setup depending on the soundfont

(On a side note for some reason in XP the latest Bassmidi version crashed but not even Coolsoft or Wingroove worked, maybe the antivirus messed up something although I uninstalled it and now when I try to install the latest Bassmidi it asks me to close lot of Windows processes which is impossible. I dunno if the registry can be tweaked to fix this but I don't need it anymore for now)

Conclusion: I don't know why the modulation wheel doesn't work with virtual softwares with certain soundfounts

3) Pitch bend: same issues in all devices, GS included. If you are curious enough this is the midi which actually have pitch bend effects but they sound wrong no matter what. This does NOT happen:
- in Windows XP or earlier, at least with the soundcards that supported soundfonts
- if the midi is uploaded in solmire.com
- with Syfonone and Synthfont programs
Beats me what's going on

3) Pitch bend: same issues in all devices, GS included. If you are curious enough this is the midi which actually

The problem is the midi file itself. Sor-st1.mid contains incomplete Pitch Bend Sensitivity (0,0) RPN messages.
It only sends the MSB (CC# 101) part of the address to Channels 4, 11, 12. So what happens depends on the actual state and implementation details of the synth. Some synths (e.g. MS GS) after a reset seem to set RPN LSB (CC# 100) to 0 and works with this file. But others (e.g. bassmidi and SYXG-50) rather set RPN LSB to null and expect and explicit RPN MSB and LSB value before data part. With these synths you can get different results depending on what previous files have been played before this problematic Sor-st1.mid.
Here is a patched version of the file that simply contains the missing RPN LSB parts on track 4, 11, 12 ( and works with bassmidi).

I upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 a few weeks ago, and BASSMIDI worked fine (I had to reinstall it after installing the Windows 10 sound drivers for my mobo).

Fast forward to today, and BASSMIDI suddenly has no option under default MIDI, and DOSBox mixer /listmidi lists Munt as the only MIDI driver after a reboot. Apparently overnight Windows 10 seemed to assert itself over BASSMIDI and replaced it with the default Microsoft driver... But even that disappeared after a reboot, leaving me with NO General MIDI whatsoever.

Is there any fix for this, or is MIDI for DOSbox games dead in Windows now? It seems like Windows actively attacks MIDI drivers that try to override it now in some bizarre random fashion.

**EDIT**
Just for information's sake here, it seems that uninstalling/reinstalling BASSMIDI fixes it-- probably for another few weeks. So I guess that's kind of a quick-and-dirty solution.. Not very elegant, and a huge pain in the butt, but still, works.

I recommend CoolSoft MIDIMapper and/or D-Fend Reloaded if you're a Windows 10 user, as Windows 10 has no MIDI mapper.

Are you sure you didn't get upgraded to the lasted build of Windows? It's basically an OS upgrade but you probably didn't notice.

Not unless there was a patch last night that didn't reboot my computer. Was playing World of Xeen last night with BASSMIDI providing the MIDI and this afternoon when I loaded it up it was that horrid Microsoft cat-screeching MIDI, and BASSMIDI reported only MT32 and Microsoft.. Rebooted and it was just MT-32. Uninstalled/reinstalled BASSMIDI and it worked again.

(fixed quote tags --HunterZ)

robertmo wrote:

I already know all that.

Have you tried my Timbres of Heaven SoundFont?
I made Timbres of Heaven for BASSMIDI and Ian loved it.
It supports all of the most common GS and XG Sound Effects, including the ones you have listed. Nothing should be quiet. 😀
There are many custom SFX in there which you will not find in any other bank.
The '.mlb' file in the archive is a patch library/map for use with Anvil Studio.

This is my latest build: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18hcVJEpPoTIU … iew?usp=sharing

~Don Allen

Dune 2 intro uses following sound effects: […]
Show full quote

Dune 2 intro uses following sound effects:

bank 1
127 machine gun

bank 3
122 wind
124 door slam

bank 4
124 scratch
125 car crash

bank 5
122 bubble
124 wind chime

bank 7
125 jetplane

I only tried soundfonts that have all above effects with following results:

[SF2] Eternal Hydrogen II - 3MGMGS.sf2
frozen/stuck/looped? wind
too silent harvester1

GeneralUser GS SoftSynth v1.44.sf2
wrong rocket
too silent wind
btw there is a bug in this sf i had to fix:
Bank 4 Scratch should be ID 124 not 123

[SF2] GM SoundFonts [shared by ZSF] - Sound Canvas 1.0.sf2
poor rocket start
too silent harvester1

a340.sf2
poor rocket start
too silent harvester1

Roland SC-55 v1.1.sf2
poor rocket start
too silent harvester1

Emuaps.sf2
poor rocket start

FluidR3 GS.SF2
poor harvester stop, poor glasshit, poor many other

ChoriumRevA.SF2
too silent jet landing

GS sound set (16 bit).SF2
too silent harvester1 & harvester2

In all above cases when I say "too silent" it is almost always not heard at all.

I will just mention other soundfonts I checked to be complete:

Following soundfonts don't have above sfx at all as they are GM only so they just play wrong effects from bank 0 instead:
Gravis_Ultrasound_Classic_PachSet_v1.6.sf2
1mgm.sf2
OPL-3 FM 128M.sf2
Arachno SoundFont - Version 1.0.sf2
AweROMGM.sf2
Emuaps8.sf2
WeedsGM3.sf2

Following soundfonts have some but not all sfx used by dune2 intro so missing ones are played from bank 0:
[SF2] GM SoundFonts [shared by ZSF] - Titanic 200 GS 1.2.sf2
SGM-V2.01.sf2

I'll have to try Timbres of Heaven again as I didn't realise it had been updated.

I typically viewed Musyng Kite as the best soundfont with the most realistic sounding instruments, etc (which OP should try) but it has some key issues with both instrument volume (some get drowned out entirely) and there are a few instruments with very questionable quality (e.g. the Harp sounds terrible).

I'm sorry if this isn't the right thread but I have a question about BASSMIDI and Windows 10 and I'm hoping someone here can help me.

I installed the Bassmidi driver but the BASSMIDIDrvCfg.exe and the BASSMIDIDrvUninstall.exe don't appear nowhere. My \Windows\System32\bassmididrv folder only has dll files, so I can't run the BASSMIDI Driver Configuration Utility. I don't even have entries for it on the Start menu.

How can I fix this?

Is bassmidi driver abandoned? I can't find it in the link. Are people using something else for dosbox and soundfonts these days?

ancalimonungol wrote on 2020-02-27, 14:31:

Is bassmidi driver abandoned? I can't find it in the link. Are people using something else for dosbox and soundfonts these days?

I use Coolsoft VirtualMIDISynth because it uses BASS on the back-end as well.

i tried using virtualmidisynth, but i discovered that even the legacy 1.x versions are all compiled with sse2 so that lets out my athlon xp system.

i discovered this similar bassmidi based driver here, but all the support links are dead. i checked archive.org and found a working repository of old versions and got v3.1 to install on my athlon system so all is good on the sse2 front.

since this now appears abandoned my question is: does anyone know what the last released version of this driver was? and where can i obtain it?