M-Audio Radium61 and GS wavetable softsynth...

[jazzbaritone]

Howdy, y'all; borrowed an M-Audio Radium61, downloaded and installed
the (unsigned; argh!) driver for WinXP, and connected the keyboard to
one of my Toshiba laptop's USB2 sockets.

I'm hoping to drive the WinXP GS wavetable softsynth, but can't make
any sounds. Playing a MIDI file via Media Player 11 works as expected.
I must be missing something, (a piece of software?), but dunno what's
lacking.

I'd appreciate any tips.

TIA.

 

[Chris Laarman]

(e-mail address removed) ([email protected]) in
(e-mail address removed):

Howdy, y'all; borrowed an M-Audio Radium61, downloaded and installed
the (unsigned; argh!) driver for WinXP, and connected the keyboard to
one of my Toshiba laptop's USB2 sockets.

I'm hoping to drive the WinXP GS wavetable softsynth, but can't make
any sounds. Playing a MIDI file via Media Player 11 works as expected.
I must be missing something, (a piece of software?), but dunno what's
lacking.

The GS Wavetable thing (file GM.DLS) could be embedded in a file player. I
don't know, I have never bothered to try.

If you aim to play a software synthesizer from a keyboard, try SynthFont
(http://www.synthfont.com/) with a sound font, or Synth1
(http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/index.html#down, page in
Japanese).
Both are freeware, but SynthFont has a nag screen.

Many soft synths have the VST interface. You can use these in a VST host
like many sequencers, or else in this free dummy:
http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm.

Synth1 is VST only, SynthFont comes in a stand-alone and a VST version.

Other software to benefit from (by reducing latency and resources) is an
ASIO driver for the resulting sound. If your audio output device (like an
AC'97) doesn't come with its own ASIO driver, get free and universal
http://www.asio4all.com/.


Note for other readers using Vista: the audio (and graphics) handling has
changed from XP, and not every piece of software has been adapted yet.

 

[theplectrum]

Howdy, y'all; borrowed an M-Audio Radium61, downloaded and installed
the (unsigned; argh!) driver for WinXP, and connected the keyboard to
one of my Toshiba laptop's USB2 sockets.

I'm hoping to drive the WinXP GS wavetable softsynth, but can't make
any sounds. Playing a MIDI file via Media Player 11 works as expected.
I must be missing something, (a piece of software?), but dunno what's
lacking.

I'd appreciate any tips.

TIA.

You need an Audio/midi Sequencer.

Here are some freeware examples :

http://www.digitalsoundplanet.com/SoftwareHouse/Products/Audio_Master/Freeware/freeware.phtml

Also Google for

SEQ24

Anvil Studio

Maize Studio

Luna

Cheers,
Jerry

 

[jazzbaritone]

(e-mail address removed) ([email protected]) in
(e-mail address removed):


The GS Wavetable thing (file GM.DLS) could be embedded in a file player. I
don't know, I have never bothered to try.

If you aim to play a software synthesizer from a keyboard, try SynthFont
(http://www.synthfont.com/) with a sound font, or Synth1
(http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/index.html#down, page in
Japanese).
Both are freeware, but SynthFont has a nag screen.

Many soft synths have the VST interface. You can use these in a VST host
like many sequencers, or else in this free dummy:http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm.

Synth1 is VST only, SynthFont comes in a stand-alone and a VST version.

Other software to benefit from (by reducing latency and resources) is an
ASIO driver for the resulting sound. If your audio output device (like an
AC'97) doesn't come with its own ASIO driver, get free and universalhttp://www.asio4all.com/.

Note for other readers using Vista: the audio (and graphics) handling has
changed from XP, and not every piece of software has been adapted yet.

Thanks for your generous response, Chris. I'm trying to understand how
the h/w and s/w components interact in WinXPProSP2. Why do I need a
sequencer, given that there must be a sequencer in Media Player, as it
can play MIDI files? Is there a Web site or document that you can
point me to so that I can learn about this? I've done some Windows
coding in C (coursework only), C++ (using Borland's OWL a few years
ago), and Visual Basic, so I have a rudimentary understanding, even if
it's a bit rusty.

My sound output device is the Realtek AC97 Audio device; I checked the
Realtek site as their driver updates are usually pretty regular, but
didn't see anything about ASIO.

And I don't understand your point about the GS wavetable thing being
embedded in a file player. In my system, it's the softsynth provided
by Microsoft.

APJ in CA.

 

[Chris Laarman]

(e-mail address removed) ([email protected]) in
(e-mail address removed):

Thanks for your generous response, Chris. I'm trying to understand how
the h/w and s/w components interact in WinXPProSP2. Why do I need a
sequencer, given that there must be a sequencer in Media Player, as it
can play MIDI files?

Sequencers are the MIDI equivalent of word processors. So if you don't
merely want to listen to MIDI files, but also want to record or edit MIDI,
you'll need a sequencer. (Or a notator. Originally sequencers didn't bother
too much about printing scores, and notators didn't bother too much about
non-printing elements of MIDI, but nowadays they tend to overlap to a great
extent.)

Is there a Web site or document that you can point me to so that I can
learn about this?

Probably too elementary for hasty people, but a great resource:
http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/ Or the MIDI Manufacturers Association:
http://www.midi.org/.
A site I always forget: the FAQ of at
http://home.sc.rr.com/cosmogony/. And probably that newsgroup itself.
A great place for tutorials, but unfortunately victim of a disappeared web
host: http://www.homesequencers.net/. It may take weeks or even months to
come back. (Murphy's laws apply...) And the Yahoo group of the same owner:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/HOMESEQUENCERS/.

I've done some Windows coding in C (coursework only), C++ (using
Borland's OWL a few years ago), and Visual Basic, so I have a rudimentary
understanding, even if it's a bit rusty.

It is not of specific use, I'd think, but it may help in a more general way.
By the way, some MIDI software features a programming language.

My sound output device is the Realtek AC97 Audio device; I checked the
Realtek site as their driver updates are usually pretty regular, but
didn't see anything about ASIO.

That is exactly where ASIO4ALL comes in handy.

By the way, the ASIO audio driver model is a development of Steinberg, maker
of the rather famous Cubase software line. And so is that synthesizer
interface VST. The strictly Microsoft way is DirectX (DX) for synths and WDM
for audio.

And I don't understand your point about the GS wavetable thing being
embedded in a file player. In my system, it's the softsynth provided
by Microsoft.

The sounds are licensed from Roland (or their Edirol division). As far as I
can see, the Microsof thing is a "lite" version of Edirol's Virtual Sound
Canvas (stand-alone version). And the file name extension DLS identifies the
"GS Wavetable SW Synth" as a mere collection of sounds - so something must
be present to handle them.
(I just tested GM.DLS as just another sound font in SynthFont.)


But the answer to your original question may be simpler than I had been
thinking. Windows has a fundamental notion of handling outgoing MIDI
messages, but it doesn't bother at all about incoming MIDI messages.