Main features | What now? | FAQ | License | Version history | Download | Soundfonts | References | Troubleshooting
VirtualMIDISynth is a software MIDI synthesizer implemented as a Windows multimedia user driver, accessible as a standard MIDI Out device.
It works on Windows XP / Vista / 7, both 32 and 64 bits, and is based on the great BASS library from un4seen.
NOTE: MIDI application must be 32bit. (UPDATE: 1.4.0-beta versions add support for 64bit client applications too).
Brief intro
If you are a MIDI/karaoke fan, like me, you know that MIDI play quality on Windows systems was not really good out of the box. The bundled "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" MIDI Out device is just... ehm... simple: poor samples, mono sound, no effects (reverb, chorus) support.
On 32bits systems some better alternatives exist, like the well-known YAMAHA XG SoftSynthetizer S-YXG50 and Cakewalk-sfz+.
Upgrading to an x64 system was a pain for me: S-YXG50 doesn't work at all, Cakewalk-sfz+ was unusable.
One day Ian Luck (un4seen) added to his great BASSMidi library a great feature: the possibility to live render a MIDI stream, including SysEx messages. I quickly realized that, if only I could intercept a MIDI stream and drive it through Ian's library, well, we'll get a great MIDI Synth.
The challenge was to create a good quality synth and let the user to stay away from complicated virtual MIDI chains (ever tried VanBasco -> MIDI Yoke/LoopBe1 -> SynthFont chain ?).
The user should have a virtual MIDI Out device, selectable as output by his preferred player... nothing more.
Here we are, VirtualMIDISynth is the answer: an user mode multimedia x86/x64 driver, works on XP / Vista / 7, implemented as a MIDI Out device.
Main features
- User mode multimedia driver, no reboots, no BSOD
- Directly accessible as MIDI Out device, no need for MIDI virtual cables (like MIDI Yoke, LoopBe1)
- MIDI mixer to set track mute/volume, accessible through systray icon while playing
- Compact size (setup is ~400 KBytes)
- No DLL cluttering, everything is contained in \System32 subfolder
- Clean installer, won't affect other MIDI devices
- Efficient RAM usage (allows using large SoundFonts, > 1GByte)
- Virtually unlimited polyphony (limited only by CPU)
- Load up to 10 SoundFonts and chain them
- Configure MIDI Mapper default device (this feature is already available in XP, but missing in Vista / 7)
Planned features (coming soon...)
- DirectX DSP effects like reverb, echo, chorus (thanks to BASS library)
What now?
Well, having a better MIDI experience is easy as 1-2-3:
- Download VirtualMIDISynth following the link you find at the bottom of this page and install it (you need administrative privileges)
- Download a SoundFont (you'll find a list of free high quality files below) and add it to VirtualMIDISynt
- Run your favourite MIDI application and configure it to use VirtualMIDISynt or, better, set VirtualMIDISynt as your default MIDI Out device (see screenshot)
- Donate to CoolSoft ;)
oops, this step was not mandatory, anyway... thanks for doing it!
FAQ
Why, in 2011, are you still playing MIDI files? Have you ever heard of MP3?
Well, first because MIDIs are cool and compact; in a few megabytes you can store thousands songs.
Second, I love Karaoke; VanBasco is one of my preferred MIDI/KAR players.
I tried playing a MIDI file on my PC, and it sucks!
I agree, that's why I wrote VirtualMIDISyn!
MIDI only contains "instructions" on what should be played: instruments, notes, their length, power and so on. It's up to the synthesizer to translate these "commands" into sound.
The bundled Windows synthesizer, "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth", is the worst.
Which players work with VirtualMIDISynt?
VirtualMIDISynt works with Windows Mediaplayer and MPlayer classic. Since these players cannot change their MIDI out device, you must set VirtualMIDISynt as your default device.
I suggest you to try VanBasco player, which is one of the best MIDI/KAR players around.
How much does it cost?
VirtualMIDISynt is freeware, you can use it as you like.
Why are you releasing it for free?
Because the greatest part of MIDI synthesis is done by BASS libraries from un4seen; I only wrapped them in a Windows driver and gave them an easy to use interface.
That's great, how can I thank you?
Send me a comment and tell about this software to your friends / forums / social networks.
You could also support its development with a donation.
License
VirtualMIDISynth is freeware.
Donations are welcome.
Version history
v.1.4.0-beta12 - 2012-05-03
- NEW: Mixer level meter now shows the running average of output level, making it more realistic.
- NEW: Better looking LED stripe for mixer level meter.
- NEW: Option to preload the whole soundfont file into memory before play.
It increases the required memory and adds a small delay at start, but also gives a more
smooth play because samples are already available in memory.
- NEW: Horizontal scrollbar into soundfont list to allow reading long filenames.
- NEW: Default systray context menu item is now mixer, double click on icon to open it
- FIX: Version checker update frequency not saved
- FIX: Configurator now show warning only if driver is running and playing
- FIX: Better BASS initialization handling for already initialized BASS devices
- FIX: Increased channel name font size and enabled cleartype drawing
v.1.4.0-beta11 - 2012-03-31
- NEW: New "reset to default values" button in Advanced options tab.
- FIX: Hardware mixing is back to enabled by default.
- FIX: Additional output buffer default value is 200ms (best value to avoid stuttering, thanks to Milo Roncarolo for his help in debugging this long aged issue).
Please reset advanced settings before proceeding.
- FIX: Fixed MIDI_RESET message handling to make Synthesia work correctly.
v.1.4.0-beta10 - 2012-03-29
- FIX: Hardware mixing is now disabled by default and software mixing is used instead. This should help with buggy audio drivers. Hardware mixing can be enabled through Options tab.
v.1.4.0-beta9 - 2012-03-26
- FIX: Fixed BASS initialization with BASS based MIDI clients (like KaraFun)
v.1.4.0-beta8 - 2012-03-18
- FIX: Volume levels not set after driver restart
v.1.4.0-beta7 - 2012-03-15
- FIX: Wrong audio device selection, causing the driver to become mute
v.1.4.0-beta6 - 2012-03-13
- NEW: Output audio device can now be selected through configurator.
- NEW: Added option to automatically open MIDI Mixer while playing.
- FIX: Increased MIDI rendering thread performances, which now is realtime.
- FIX: Fixed installation issues on some systems with beta5
v.1.4.0-beta5 - 2012-03-13
- Broken setup, not available anymore
v.1.4.0-beta4 - 2012-03-01
- NEW: Added advanced configuration settings for buffer length and default output sample frequency
- FIX: Fixed BASS initialization
v.1.4.0-beta3 - 2012-02-25
- NEW: Redesigned configurator, now options are splitted into tabs
- NEW: Configurator "advanced" settings now allows user to lower CPU requirements by disabling some features like effects, polyphony, ...
v.1.4.0-beta2 - 2012-02-18
- FIX: Improved sound buffer and update thread efficiency
v.1.4.0-beta1 - 2012-02-08
- NEW: Added support for 64bit MIDI client applications
v.1.3.1 - 2011-12-10
- NEW: Post setup actions are not preselected by default.
"Show readme.txt" option has been removed and this file is now shown during into setup (while still available through Start menu link).
"Run configurator" and "Open website" checkboxes are blanked if a SoundFont is already configured.
Clickthrough users should now be happier during updates.
- FIX: Fixed updater code causing VirtualMIDISynth device to disappear on some localized WinXP versions.
(thanks to user "exit" from kvraudio forum who helped pointing out compatibility issues under his localized XP)
v.1.3.0 - 2011-10-25
- NEW: Added update check feature; you can configure VirtualMIDISynth to automatically check if an updated version is available.
Default check frequency is 14 days (can be changed with configurator). If an update is available, a balloon notification appears on systray when VirtualMIDISynth is loaded (but no more than once a day).
- NEW: Mixer window position is now clipped to the nearest screen, avoiding it to open out of screen when switching from dual-screen config to single.
- NEW: Updated bassmidi.dll to version 2.4.8.
- FIX: Fixed an important memory leak on Mixer window that causes hosting process memory to continuously increase when the Mixer is shown.
- FIX: MidiMapper now creates the whole registry path if not exists.
- FIX: Configurator now checks if another instance is running.
v.1.2.0 - 2011-08-31
- NEW: The driver now has a blacklist of processes not allowed to load it.
That's because WinXP loads multimedia DLL drivers into system processes too (like winlogon.exe and svchost.exe... that's crazy, I know).
This makes the DLL file to be always in use, causing the update/uninstall procedure to fail. (thanks to G. Grimaldi for feedback).
- NEW: Version is now shown on configurator dialog title too
- FIX: Killing processes that are locking driver files is no more mandatory during update/uninstall (system process cannot be killed and the setup fails). User now can skip this step and a reboot will be required at the end.
- FIX: Mixer is now automatically closed when MIDI client closes
- FIX: Closing Mixer dialog causes a crash under WinXP
- FIX: Fixed memory leak after long usage
NOTE FOR v.1.1.* USERS on WinXP
Previous setup procedures (v.1.1.* and prev) does not allow to continue if VirtualMIDISynth driver DLL files were in use and tried to kill locking processes.
Sadly on WinXP these processes are system ones, then the file is always locked and cannot be freed. Trying to kill such vital processes causes system crash.
Users are required to upgrade to 1.2.0, that can be safely upgraded/removed.
v.1.1.1 - 2011-08-10
- FIX: Mixer won't save volumes if not properly closed
- (ie. closing the MIDI client when the mixer is still open)
- FIX: Wrong volume knob positions
- NEW: Systray context menu now opens with left-click too
v.1.1.0 - 2011-07-25
- New MIDI Mixer dialog, with per-channel volume/mute settings.
Dialog is accessible through systray icon.
- Updated bassmidi.dll to version 2.4.6.3
- Removed unused effects settings in configurator
v.1.0.4 - 2011-05-25
- Fixed DLL loading issues with client applications that use BASS.dll
BASS now is not freed if it was initialized by the client app.
- VirtualMIDISynth now works with KaraFun Player and KaraFun Studio
- Setup procedure now better show which processes are locking VirtualMIDISynth files
v.1.0.3 - 2011-05-05
- Fixed deadlock in VanBasco (and maybe other) player:
play a MIDI, stop it then launch another one through explorer doubleclick
- Code optimization, message queue is now more efficient and leave player independent from MIDI playing
- Setup procedure now allows to automatically kill processes that are locking driver DLL
v.1.0.2 - 2011-04-27
- Updated to bassmidi 2.4.6.2:
Fixes problem with the sysex reading, which meant that GS sysex events (eg. to enable a 2nd drum channel) weren't being processed.
- Fixed installer product name
v.1.0.0 - 2011-04-03
Download
VirtualMIDISynth 1.3.1 setup (385 KB)
Windows XP / Vista / 7 (x86/x64)
BETA VERSIONS (only for testing, do not use on live stage!)
VirtualMIDISynth 1.4.0-beta12 setup (680 KB)
Subscribe here to receive software update notifications.
SoundFonts
Here you'll find a list of some free and quality SoundFonts available on the net.
Please let me know if I miss something or if some link dies...
Troubleshooting
If you're experiencing problems playing MIDIs with VirtualMIDISynth, here's a list of common issues I got from users feedbacks.
Please check all of them before contacting me.
- VirtualMIDISynth requires a modern CPU to run.
An Intel Core2 CPU (or newer) should be fine, like an AMD AthlonXP processor (or newer).
RAM is not so important, 1GB should be enough unless you use a very big SF2 like CrisisGeneralMidi.
- Ensure all of your system drivers are updated, including video, audio, chipset, motherboard.
- Ensure your operating system is fully updated through Windows Update (maybe MS guys already solved your bug...).
- Disable your antivirus/firewall/malware detector (I don't mean Windows Firewall but any other third-part firewall software, like ZoneAlarm or Comodo).
This kind of software could have some scheduled tasks running while you're playing on-stage and is still the most common cause of playing issues.
You can't believe how many people still go on-stage with their antivirus/firewall/skype/msn active!
- Disable any other software running in background: skype, msn, mail checkers, printer monitor softwares, cell phone suites, 3G keys softwares.
They all could have background tasks that unespectedly use CPU power.
- Play a MIDI with VanBasco player and ChoriumRevA soundfont. The first is a really light MIDI/KAR player and the latter is a light (and good) SF2.
Please configure VanBasco's MIDI output to use VirtualMIDISynth directly, not through MIDI Mapper (se the picture above).
- If your MIDI player has a MIDI output device setting, configure it to use VirtualMIDISynth directly instead of MIDI Mapper; this will shorten the MIDI chain and give the best results.
- If you hear nothing, please:
- Double check if you have selected at least one soundfont, and this soundfont contains the instruments needed by the MIDI you're playing.
Try to load a General MIDI SF2 like Weeds or Fluid (see above).
- Open the MIDI Mixer while playing (right click on VirtualMIDISynth systray icon) and check if the output level indicator near the master volume is active.
If not, that means VirtualMIDISynth is not receiving MIDI data so recheck your player configuration.
- On Vista/7 the system audio mixer now has a channel for each process using an audio output; open the full audio mixer (not only the master volume) and check the volume slider associated with your player.
- VirtualMIDISynth uses the default audio device for playing (1.4.x will allow to select another different device for MIDI output).
If you have more than one audio device (usually laptops have more than one), please check that you're listening the default one.
Now, if you still have problems, feel free to contact me with these info (the more the better):
- Operating system version, including service pack and bitness (32 or 64 bit)
- CPU type, RAM size
- Sound card type
- VirtualMIDISynth version installed
- MIDI Software and soundfont you're using to play
References
Links to sites that talk about us:
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English
Italiano
Comments
Is there a version...
Is there a version of this synth that works with a MIDI computer game they call "Synthesia"?
Could you please provide more
Could you please provide more informations? What's Synthesia web site URL?
I suppose you already tried it unsuccessfully. Did you get an error message or does it simply not work?
Here it is:
Here it is: http://synthesiagame.com/
Does it have a config dialog
Does it have a config dialog where you can choose the MIDI output device?
Does VirtualMIDISynth appear there?
What happens if you choose VirtualMIDISynth as output device?
Could you please elaborate a little bit the tests you've already done?
I did a few tests and the
I did a few tests and the game crashes whenever I set it to this synth!
Also, is there version of this synthisizer for macintosh computes?
Cool Software
Hey your soft is cool and it works in my midi karaoke program... but i have a little problem, when i used it in my laptop some song slow or stack for a second when playing, i dont know where's the problem but i suspected the hardrive because when its reading the midi playing stack or delaying.... i tested in 2 laptop same problem... but in my desktop no problem
thanx again....
It could be, but...
It could be an HDD issue, as you said. But I bet it could also be related to CPU performance.
Software synth is a really CPU intensive task, so maybe your laptop hangs a bit for this reason.
Next version will have some configurable settings about rendering quality (so you can tune CPU usage).
Soundfont chain
Hi,
Could you give an example of using the soundfont chain. I've loaded one GM/GS soundfont, but don't yet understand how loading others benetah it in the chain would affect playback.
Thanks.
Installation problem
Hi
I'm trying to update my release to the new 1.1.1 but it isn't possible 'cause I receive a message to close all running tasks and I must confirm it to continue.
But if I confirm it also closes winlogon then the system can't continue to work and go on blue screen.
Also I tried to uninstall before the previous release 1.1.0 but it's the same.
How to solve it?
I'm using Windows XP SP3
More, I advice to display the release number on mixer and parameters screen.
Thanks in advance
Ciao
Gianni
That shouldn't happen, just
That shouldn't happen, just because winlogon shouldn't load VirtualMIDISynth.dll at all.
Could you please double check if VirtualMIDISynth.dll is in really use by winlogon.exe using SysInternals Process Explorer?
I'll get in touch with you by email, then we'll post final solution here...
New version available
I just released version 1.2.0 which addresses your issue (common to WinXP users, see version history) in two ways:
Thanks a lot for your precious help on solving this bug.
CooSoftVirtualMIDISynth 1.2.0
Every time I enable the VirtualMidiSynt in Windows XP, when I apply it returns to the (Sint.softw.tab. Sound wave MS G), I can not define (CoolSoftVirtualMIDISynth) to make it permanent without having to keep changing all the time that I run a MIDI. Will would be able to uninstall the Sound Canvas Synthesizer Windows XP and make your final VirtualMIDISynth?
I'll try to answer...
Well, it's really hard to understand your question but I'll try to.
Why you first mentioned Sint.softw.tab. Sound wave MS G (I suppose you meant the XP bundled MIDI Synth), then Sound Canvas Synthesizer?
Are you talking about changint the system default MIDI device? If yes, are you using VirtualMIDISynth configurator to set it?
On WinXP you can also try using the control panel | multimedia | devices and you'll find a dropdown box with all of the installed MIDI out devices. Try to select VirtualMIDISynth here and press OK, then check if this setting has been saved.
I don't know about your technical experience, don't follow the suggestion below if you're not sure.
Open Regedit and go to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\MIDIMap
The value of key szPname entry on the right is current default device; what do you read there?
Thanks!! I suck in English, I
Thanks!! I suck in English, I live in Brazil, and I'll explain in my language, maybe you will understand better.
A qualidade do seu sintetizador é exelente, funciona muito bem no Windows XP.
O problema é o seguinte:
Toda vez que habilito o (CollSoftMIDISynth) na caixa de reprodução de música midi no Windows, quando você aplica e fecha a caixa a mesma retorna para o sintetizador original do windows xp sound canvas (Sint.softw.tab sons wave MS G) o mesmo acontece no seu configurador, não fixa. Toda vez que vou ouvir um midi ou karaoke, tenho qie voltar a habilitar novamente o seu sintetizador, gostaria de saber se tem como remover o (Sint.softw.tab. sons wave MS G) definitivamente.
Muito Obrigado pela sua atenção!!
ciao. all'ultimo file da
ciao. all'ultimo file da scaricare dice che c'è bisogno di password per estrarre... qual è?
Beh, lo dice molto
Beh, lo dice molto chiaramente l'autore nella pagina stessa:
"Registering on forum is needed to have the password to extract this Rar archive", ossia "è necessario registrarsi al forum per avere la password".
Io rispetterei le richieste dell'autore, dato che non chiede soldi...
Altrimenti usa Google ;)
scusami non me ne sono
scusami non me ne sono accorto. ma come faccio a registrarmi?
Forum
Il link al forum è in cima alla pagina: http://www.bismutnetwork.com/12Forum/
Excellent !!!
You are a genius!!! Thank you very much, I'm going to write a post on my blog to sponsor your creation.
Bye,
Riccardo
Thanks in advance. Please
Thanks in advance.
Please drop the link of your post here when you're done ;)
Link
Scusami per l'inglese, era evidente che un genio così non poteva che essere italiano (d'altra parte Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo o Guglielmo Marconi sono nostri antenati...)
Ecco il link all'articolo, spero possa far conoscere ancora di più la tua splendida creazione:
http://www.salmo69.com/2011/10/usare-soundfonts-con-karaoke-e-basi.html
Ciao
Riccardo
It would be awesome with jriver media center /jukebox
Hi thx for this good configurator for the bass.dll.
I 'll love to use it with jriver media center (i use vanbasco) but j river is better for my hunfred of midi files :)
Please take a look at it!
Now it works with synthesia
Now it works with synthesia :) and it's awesome!
http://synthesiagame.com/
Can this work with MIDI sheetmusic
I can't get this synth to work with a program called "MIDI sheetmusic"!
any ideas?
I just got a brand-spanking new computer, and this synth only works on it with Vanbasco!
HELP????
.NET software issue
MIDI sheetmusic is a .NET software compiled with AnyCPU platform target.
It means that on X64 OS it runs at 64bit, so it doesn't work with the current version of VirtualMIDISynth (a 64bit version is on its way...).
There's a lot of documentation on the NET on how to patch the EXE to make it run in X86 mode, and all of them require an utility called CorFlags.exe; the sad part is that this utility is only available within the Platform SDK (hundreds of MB for just a few KB tool...).
That's why I wrote RunAsX86, a really small wrapper to (try to) run a .NET AnyCPU application in X86 mode.
You can find it here. I tested it with MIDI sheetmusic and it worked!
VirtualMIDISynth and JRiver media center
@kiwi: I tried both 16.0.181 and 17.0.59 (beta) versions of JRiver media center and I can't play MIDI files at all.
I mean I can't play them out of the box, regardless VirtualMDISynth.
It seems this software lost MIDI support after version 13 (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=67457.0).
This is a workaround that worked for me:
This way I can play MIDI files into JRiver using VirtualMIDISynth as syntesizer.
Please tell me if this workaround works for you.
If yes, and if you already have a JRiver forum account, please reply to the thread I linked above and link this message (use the permalink); it could help other JRiver users.
Good, but Mixer Master "max" volume too low...
Hi dear Coolsoft! My best regards for your software, it's simple and functional. Just one reflection: Mixer Master "Max" Volume is too low!
I explain better: I use Karafun software to play midi files, but I have in my archive also many .cdg files (playing with Karafun too) and their master volume is much different (higher) than midis and the mixer volume is too low even if it's set to "max". So I have to adjust amplifier volume every time I'm going from a midi song to a mp3 song...
Do you think VirtualMidiSynth Mixer will be upgraded in the future?
Thanks
Give me some details
Hi Gianni, thanks for your feedback; you forgot to mention which OS you're using.
Anyway I tried to reproduce your issue on Win7-x64 with KarafunPlayer 1.20.82 unsuccessfully: MP3s and MIDIs sound at the same volume (at least for my hears ;)).
I'm using the FluidR3_GM soundfont, maybe it's louder than your.
Could you please confirm that KaraFun is not the culprit (i.e. playing a MIDI with VanBasco or WMP)?
I see that it uses the same Bass libraries of VirtualMIDISynth, maybe there's some incompatibility.
problems with K5
Ciao, pare che con Karaoke 5 (uno dei player attualmente più diffusi) i midi si blocchino con Virtual Midi Synth, soprattutto con W7.
Potresti verificare la compatibilità e risolverla ai prossimi aggiornamenti?
Hi, it seems midi stops with Karaoke 5 (one of the most used players), mainly with W7.
Could you please verify compatibility and solve the problem with next updates?
Ciao, rispondo in inglese
(Ciao, rispondo in inglese così ci leggono tutti...)
Hi, thanks for your feedback.
I don't know Karaoke 5, will test it soon (I hope a trial version of this player exists...).
Meanwhile, please help me to reproduce your issue:
Some weeks ago I helped a user experiencing the same stuttering issues on Win7 and, after a lot of tries, it turned out that his SF2 was corrupted.
Once downladed again, the issue disappeared.
bugs e problemi
Ti riporto i problemi in italiano solo per essere sicuro di descriverli con maggior precisione.
partiamo del basso risorse utilizzate:
provato e installato su:
W7 64 bit 16 Gb di ram e i7 quadcore, applicazione midi a 32 bit
WXP 32 bit 4 Gb di ram e intel dual core (sia su un fisso che su un portatile)
I soundfonts utilizzati sono stati testati e funzionano anche con Virtual midi synth ... quando non creano il problema suddetto e con altri player come Van Basco. Quelli che uso tendono ad avere una dimensione fra i 200 e i 350 Mb (un banco da me creato in standard GM2/GS).
Karaoke 5 è in due versioni free e professional la differenza oltre alla licenza d'uso è la presenza di una libreria di suoni K5 (un synth interno), il doppio schermo video, il mixer per avviare due midi sfumandone uno e avviandone un altro, puoi trovarlo senza problemi nella versione free per testarlo.
I problemi rilevati.
Se faccio partire un file dal database di k5 (normalmente partivano) con lo stop and start (per interrompere un midi e avviarne un altro), il midi non parte. Resta fermo al palo. Se poi faccio partire un mp3 o campio periferica midi torna a funzionare, altrimenti resta fermo.
Altro problema rilevato con vanbasco se faccio partire i brani dalla finestra playlist va tutto ok, se uso la playlist della barra titolo del programma (quella a sfondo grigio) cominciano a saltare i brani e a incepparsi i suoni.
Comunque nota di stramerito... il programma è favoloso e sono pronto a fare tutti i test necessari per migliorarlo. Ho provato il mio banco soundfont sia con il Virtual Midi Synth che con il synth hardware della Creative Audigy (con i driver KX) che con Synthfont e sfz (e altri vst soundfont player), ma con il Virtual Midi Synth suonano mooolto meglio, interpretando piu' correttametne i messaggi midi dei files.
Spero di esserti stato d'aiuto e sono a disposizione per qualunque chiarimento.
Ti ho mandato una mail, così
Ti ho mandato una mail, così possiamo analizzare più velocemente il problema e poi riportiamo qui i risultati.
I sent you an email, so we can quickly analyze this issue and report back here the results.
This is indeed a Cool Software...but :(
Hi,
I am a Midi Sequencer/Keyboardist Live Musician
I've been looking for this kind of software as replacement for my yamaha S-YXG50...& you're really Heaven Sent.
but i have a big problem, i am using HP Mini 110 ,& Vanbasco as Midi File Player...when i installed this on my Desktop it just worked great, without any glitches at all...in other words very smooth!
but on my Laptop, it just keeps hanging, glitches everywhere...i followed ur advise on turning AV & any other background services but still no cure...is there any other solution for this? coz i really want to play Soundfont on live performances as its far more better than soft synth...
HP Mini 110
Intel Atom
CPU N280 @ 1.66GHz
1 GB Ram
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3
I've been using SRS Audio Essential as well but i already uninstalled it so basically the only software i installed other than Coolsoft is Yamaha S-YXG50... i turned off Microsoft Security Essential, turned off Windows Firewall...set Processor Scheduling to Background Services. then Adjusted the Performance Options to BEST PERFORMANCE. i tried using smaller SF2 files like Chaos & ChoriumRevA but still i experienced glitching...what could be the problem with this? i really really like your software, i just hope i can get this to work smoothly on my Machine.
As a Musician i want to better off my Music and your Software is really the answer to it, if only i can get this to work.
please help me...Thanks!
Thanks
Thanks for your kind compliments ;)I think the culprit is the CPU Atom N280.
If you still have problems, feel free to contact me through the Contact form, giving some more details about your configuration (see the Troubleshooting section).
Waiting for your feedback...
New beta released
New version 1.4.0-beta3 released.
The most noticeable add is an "advanced" configuration which allows user to lower CPU requirements by disabling some features like effects, polyphony, ...
Please give me your feedback, guys!
Hi Claudio...tested it..with
Sad to hear that... In fact,
Sad to hear that...
In fact, ATOM processors target are low-power devices, where performances are not the's first thought.
PS: you should put VirtualMIDISynth on an USB stick, together with your preferred SF2, and try them at the computer shop before buying your new computer... ;)
Complimenti
Complimenti per la Sua creatura. Funziona molto bene sia con VanBasco che con Karafun. Ho voluto scrivere principalmente per complimentarmi ma anche per chiederLe:
Ho caricato questi sounfont (FluidR3_GM ) sono i piu' consigliati?
Inoltre:
quando cambio brano il MidiMixer scompare. Non è possibile fare in modo di poterlo mantenere visibile sul desktop?
Chiedendo scusa per le domande che possono sembrare banali, La saluto e le ribadisco il mio personalissimo GRAZIE!!
Mimmo Rizzi
Grazie per i complimenti,
Grazie per i complimenti, fanno sempre piacere.
Per quanto riguarda il Mixer, il problema è da ricercarsi nel "client MIDI" ossia il programma che usa VirtualMIDISynth per la riproduzione.
Se il programma rilascia il driver tra un brano e l'altro, la DLL che lo contiene viene scaricata e non c'è alcuna possibilità per VirtualMIDISynth di restare vivo; si chiude e scompare.
VanBasco, ad esempio, facendo Stop (e anche Pause), non chiude il Mixer.
Non conosco KaraFun, verifichi se c'è un'opzione che permette di tenere in vita il driver/periferica MIDI anche quando non in uso.
PS: a fini statistici, potrei sapere il sistema sul quale esegue VirtualMIDISynt? Intendo CPU, RAM, Sistema Operativo, 32 o 64bit...
K5, Karafun e... i Drums
Ciao Claudio, è un po' che non ci sentiamo.
Ho letto alcuni posts precedenti a proposito di Karafun e K5.
C'è da dire che questi softwares, al contrario di VanBasco e Karall, non hanno un loro Midi-Engine e guarda caso usano proprio lo stesso Bass-Midi usato da VMS. Io personalmente non li uso ma tempo fa feci qualche prova con K5 ottenendo una serie di errori e la chiusura del programma. Se ricordo dipendeva dal fatto che K5 non riusciva ad adeguarsi a versioni più recenti di Bass-Midi. Anche senza l'uso di VMS i softwares citati (K5 e Karafun) in certi casi entravano in conflitto tra di loro per lo stesso motivo. Non ho provato le attuali versioni ma ho sentito dire che adesso installano i moduli Bass-Midi in maniera personalizzata e cioè non shared (il che si dovrebbe evitare). Spero di avere aggiunto un tassello alla ricerca di soluzioni, purtroppo chi come me produce software sa bene che spesso i problemi dipendono non dal proprio software ma dai comportamenti maldestri di altri.
Aggiungo un ulteriore elemento di discussione sperando nel commento di altri utenti.
Claudio, se ricordi ne avevo accennato in una email privata tempo fa.
In alcuni casi ho l'impressione che il canale 10 (quello dei Drums) abbia in certi casi qualche problema: un volume troppo alto (ed infatti per campionare sono spesso costretto a lavorare sul mixer) o la selezione del banco errato. E' chiaro che questo dipende anche dal SF usato ma ho fatto prove con diversi SFs e l'impressione resta. Potrebbe inoltre dipendere anche dallo stesso Bass-Midi.
Sarebbe utile conoscere l'esperienza degli altri.
Saluti
Gianni
Salve, ho scaricato,
Salve, ho scaricato, installato, inserito soundfont ma quando su vanbasco metto VirtualMidiSynth non sento niente, muto. Con il classico Midimapper si sente.
Ho dimenticato qualcosa?
Ho windows 7.
Aggiornata sezione Troubleshooting
Ciao, ho appena aggiunto alla sezione Troubleshooting qualche suggerimento.
Prova a seguire le indicazioni del punto 8 e fammi sapere (includendo i dati richiesti alla fine della sezione Troubleshooting).
Dati
Ecco i dati ...
CPU Pentium4, Turion X2 (Fisso e Portatile)
RAM 2 Gb (entrambi)
Sistema Operativo Seven 32 bit... (entrambi)
client MIDI ... non so che sia e come trovarlo (sorry) - anche VanBasco comunque, quando lancio un nuovo brano, mi riporta il "Mixer" nascosto nella barra vicino l'orologio. Io intendevo se si potesse mantenerlo in visione sul desktop.
Per i SoundFont che sto usando sono quelli piu' indicati o mi consiglia altri?
Ribadisco i miei Complimenti!!
Grazie Mimmo RIZZI
Idea per il Mixer
OK per le caratteristiche dei PC, le ho registrate...
Il client MIDI è proprio VanBasco; ho fatto qualche prova ed effettivamente anche VanBasco scarica il driver quando si mette in stop il player (e VanBasco perde il fuoco):
Purtroppo non c'è nulla da fare: se il driver viene scaricato il sistema operativo chiude tutte le risorse aperte da quest'ultimo, inclusa la finestra del Mixer.
Ho però pensato ad un modo per "limitare" il problema: un'impostazione che permetta al Mixer di ricordare lo stato di visualizzazione e, se necessario, riaprirsi al successivo caricamento del driver. Cioè se ho chiuso VanBasco con il Mixer aperto, la prossima volta che lo riaprirò il Mixer sarà riaperto automaticamente.
Se riesco l'aggiungo nella beta5 in arrivo.
Grazie
Grazie veramente per quello che fa...
giusto per contribuire ... e per chiarire cio' che fa a me...
Di nuovo Grazie!
Mimmo RIZZI
Il programma si incanta
Ciao,
Innanzitutto devo ringraziarti perchè è veramente un bel programma che suona molto bene.
Ho un portatile (64 bit) 4 GB Memoria processore Intel core i3 2,13 Ghz, ed utilizzo Vanbasco con SFont Fluid R3.
Purtroppo ogni tanto il brano si incanta. Ho cercato di togliere lacuni programmi che potrebbero dare fastidio, ma il problema rimane.
Potresti darmi una soluzione?
Grazie
Giampy
Feedback
@giampy:
le specifiche del tuo PC sono più che sufficienti per avere una riproduzione fluida, quindi deve esserci qualcos'altro che rallenta il sistema.
Ricontrolla la sezione Troubleshooting qui sopra, quindi prova la versione 1.4.0-beta5 che ho appena rilasciato...
New beta released
I just released a new beta version, 1.4.0-beta5.
The most important change you'll find is the rewrite of MIDI rendering task, which is now a high priority (realtime) thread.
This should fix stuttering issues.
Please give me a feedback about it!
New beta released
I just released a new beta version, 1.4.0-beta6.
The previuosly released beta5 setup had issues on some systems, so I preferred releasing a newer one with a different version numbering.
Includes the same changes as beta5:
The most important change you'll find is the rewrite of MIDI rendering task, which is now a high priority (realtime) thread.
This should fix stuttering issues.
Please give me a feedback about it!
Trying this one out! tnx :)
Trying this one out! tnx :)
New beta released 1.4.0-beta7
1.4.0-beta7 fixes wrong audio device selection that sometimes cause the driver to become mute.
This will be the latest 1.4 beta, next release will be 1.4.0 final (unlsee someone point out a critical bug).
Beta 7
Salve, sto testando il Beta 7. Ho constatato con piacere che il Mixer va in "primo piano" sul desktop all'apertura del brano ma, non memorizza le impostazioni precedenti. Ad esempio se abbasso il livello del ch 4 all'apertura del brano successivo, anche se il cursore risulta abbassato, l'audio di quel canale si sente. Scusandomi per la lungaggine ho creduto oppurtuno segnalare per rendere ancor piu' fantastico questo software. Grazie e complimenti ancora.
Mimmo RIZZI
Grazie
OK, sistemato. Il difetto è presente sin dalla beta5, quando è stata introdotta la nuova feature di apertura automatica del Mixer.
Grazie per la segnalazione.
ENGLISH: Channel volumes were not restored on next play.
This bug was introduced in beta5, when the new feature "Automatically open mixer" was added.
Thanks for pointing it out.
Sorry
Ho scaricato la versione Beta 7 ma il problema del "vocal" che non si memorizza al successivo brano credo che sussista ancora. Scusa se lo segnalo ancora ma è solo per testare e contribuire a migliorare il tuo fantastico software.
Buona Giornata
Mimmo RIZZI
Sistemato, ma non ancora rilasciato
La mia risposta probabilmente era equivoca: intendevo dire che l'ho sistemato, ma non ancora rilasciato.
Speravo di evitare una Beta8 e passare direttamente al rilascio finale, ma a questo punto preferisco prendermela con calma.
Tra qualche minuto troverai la Beta8 disponibile.
1.4.0-beta8 released
This should be the latest beta before 1.4.0 final.
It fixes the bug pointed out by Mimmo:
v.1.4.0-beta8 - 2012-03-18
- FIX: Volume levels not set after driver restart
piccolo problema
Ciao e complimenti per il programma!Io ho un portatile asus con processore intel i5 480m 2.66ghz,4gb di ram e win 7.Uso vanbasco,ma purtroppo le canzoni non vanno via lisce,ma ogni tanto singhiozzano.Ho disattivato tutto,aggiornato tutto e ho provato tutte le versioni postate,ma aimè sempre lo stesso problema.Il soundfont che mi fà meno difetto è il weedsgm3,invece con gli altri più sono grossi e più è il difetto!Ho provato a guardare le prestazioni della cpu mentre suona,ma lavora al massimo al 4 per cento.grazie e spero ci sia qualche modo per risolvere..
Saltellamenti
Di tutti gli utenti che hanno segnalato saltellamenti, tu sei quello con l'hardware più potente; il tuo sistema è decisamente sufficiente per ottenere una esecuzione fluida.
Io non sono riuscito in alcun modo a riprodurlo.
A pegggiorare le cose c'è il fatto che ho feedback da parte di utenti con macchine molto meno performanti che riescono a suonare senza problemi in modo fluido.
Puoi confermarmi che hai provato la 1.4.0-beta8 e che hai impostato l'uscita MIDI di VanBasco direttamente su CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth e non su MIDI MAPPER?
conferma
Grazie per la risposta,comunque ti confermo che ho provato anche l'ultima versione ed ho impostato l'uscita su coolsoft..!
In realtà sono giorni che faccio prove di tutti i generi anche sulle impostazioni di vanbasco, ma nulla!
Anche poco ma il saltellamento lo fa.
Sono anni che uso vanbasco per il karaoke con un expander esterno, ma questo programma che hai creato, a parte la comodità, ha dei suoni decisamente migliori.
Spero che si trovi una soluzione e sono felice di aiutarti a testarlo visto che lo uso tutti i giorni.
Grazie per la disponibilità
Vista la tua disponibilità, ti ho mandato una mail in modo che possiamo continuare l'indagine in privato e poi riportare (speriamo...) qui i risultati.
SALTELLAMENTI
E' proprio lo stesso problema che avevo riscontrato e di cui ho scritto qualche giorno fa.
Se trovate una soluzione, ben lieto di esserne messo a conoscenza. Il programma lo merita.
Grazie!!!
Join us!
Includo anche te nei test, hai una mail... ;)
Provate anche altri Players
Ho letto spesso di problemi relativi a "balbettamenti" anche su macchine performanti.
Siccome io ho provato VMS già dalle prime release, su diverse macchine e con diverse performance e sistemi operativi NON riscontrando MAI nessun tipo di problema del genere mi viene il dubbio che potrebbe essere generato dal player stesso.
L'elemento comune è che ho provato sempre con lo stesso player e cioè con Karall. Siccome credo che sia impossibile per l'autore del software fare un analisi accurata senza avere lo specifico PC disponibile e siccome lo stiamo mandando al manicomio... :) invito coloro che hanno questo tipo di problemi quantomeno a fare una prova con Karall che anche in versione demo esegue il brano almeno per 1 minuto, abbastanza per valutare.
Lo potete scaricare qui: http://www.karmidi.com
Sarebbe già interessante fare questa verifica, permetterebbe all'autore di valutare possibili influenze dello specifico Midi-Driver utilizzato.
Saluti a tutti
Gianni
Thanks
@Gianni_EU: grazie per il supporto morale ;)
In effetti è difficile risolvere un problema se non riesci a riprodurlo, neppure in parte.
Io consiglio sempre VanBasco perchè secondo me è il più leggero e performante; comunque ho provato anche KarAll, K5 e Windows Media Player.
In tutti i casi non ho avuto problemi di sorta, neppure nelle macchine virtuali che uso per testare VMS sugli altri sistemi operativi.
E solitamente le macchine virtuali non vanno proprio d'accordo con le applicazioni multimediali realtime.
PS: le comunicazioni per le prove le facciamo via mail non per "insabbiare" ma perchè vorrei tenere più snella possibile la pagina di VMS ed evitare una lunga serie di messaggi tipo "prova questo", "non va", "allora quest'altro", "si, un po meglio"...
Ho intenzione, a breve, di attivare un forum in modo che tutte le richieste di aiuto siano suddivise (ed ordinate) per thread.
Karafun
Buongiorno,sono sempre io... allora ho scaricato la Beta 8. Tutto perfetto. Nessun "saltellamento" tranne in alcuni casi ma molto sporadici. Il Mixer mantiene la memoria delle tracce messe in "mute". Il tutto con VanBasco. Ora, per contribuire al perfezionamento di questo favoloso sw lo sto testando con Karafun. Ebbene, mentre la versione 1.3 funziona perfettamente la versione 1.4 Beta 8 sebbene mantiene la memoria del mixer e sebbene si setta automaticamente l'output del Coolsoft... non riproduce nulla. Ho provato le varie configurazioni di uscita del karafun ma nulla. Ripeto con la versione 1.3 tutto fila liscio tranne che per le migliorie apportate alla versione 1.4 Beta 8 (Mixer ecc.).
Susandomi per il disturbo ho voluto solo segnalare per apportare il mio contributo.
Cordiali saluti
Mimmo RIZZI
Stesso problema di cui
Stesso problema di cui sopra
Con la beta 8 1.4 del synth non riproduce nulla con l'ultima versione di karafun, mentre con vanbasco tutto ok.
Comunque complimenti per lo splendido lavoro.
Grazie miell!
New beta released 1.4.0-beta9
Beta9 fixes issues with BASS based MIDI clients, like KaraFun.
This was a really bad issue, because KaraFun is BASS based (like VirtualMIDISynth); but KaraFun Player (the latest version at the time of writing is 1.20.86) is still linked to an older BASS library version (2.4.6) while VirtualMIDISynth actually uses the newer 2.4.8.
That said, now it works; but in the future this could lead to worst incompatibilities when, suppose, BASS 3.0 will be released... if VirtualMIDISynth will be upgraded it could not work with not updated clients anymore.
This issue made me think about a 2.x branch of VirtualMIDISynth, with the driver splitted into two components: Driver and SoundServer.
The driver is the only part loaded by the MIDI application, and will not contain any reference to BASS libs.
The SoundServer will be the audio rendering component, it will be an isolated process and will load BASS libraries independently from the MIDI client.
I'll soon release a preview version of 2.x series, just to test if this new architecture is better (and stable) than the current one.
Sempre problemi di inceppamenti saltuari...
Purtroppo sto riscontrando sempre inceppamenti e saltellamenti random !!! :o(((
Anche con l'ultima BETA il problema persiste.
Il Notebook, come ti avevo gia scritto x email, non e' scarso...
Non me ne intendo moltissimo, non so se c'entra il bios da aggiornare...o altro... boh!!!
Ho installato W7...Vista e attualmente ho XP SP3 (DirectX 9c)...veramente un mistero, ma a leggere in alto vedo che ce ne sono parecchi con il mio stesso problema !!!
Fiuuuuuuu', quindi c'e' da dedurre che possa essere un problemino in VMS da scovare e risolvere.
Ma non ci sono programmini che creano una "radiografia" (in un file di testo) dell'hardware installato sul mio PC...piu' che altro da poter risalire ad eventuali incompatibilita' o altro...;o)
Saluti e buon lavoro (in ogni caso sei un Genio).
Andrea
Preview build of 2.x version
Here we are, I've just built a working preview of what should be the next 2.x series of VirtualMIDISynth.
CoolSoft_VirtualMIDISynth_2.0.0_alpha1
I'll release here "unofficially" (within this comment) because it's really incomplete and unstable.
I just want to be clear: it won't hurt your system but don't use it on live stage!
Consider it as a "technology preview".
Well, as I said in previous comment I'm testing a new architecture for VirtualMIDISynth; I'd like to separate the driver and the sound engine.
I'm not interested about its stability and usability, the only things I'm going to test is if this is the right way to follow.
Please try it and tell me if it works better/like/worst than 1.x versions...
Waiting for your feedback
It's a real nice program! I
It's a real nice program! I mean really, but it seems to make my laptop crash, not BSOD, but it keeps restarting Windows explorer, and I can't open up Microsoft Office programs for some reason...
VirtualMIDISynth is not
VirtualMIDISynth is not related to Windows Explorer (I mean explorer.exe, not Internet explorer iexplore.exe).
Additionally, the blacklisting feature of VirtualMIDISynth prevents it being loaded from explorer.exe, so that's strange.
Do you have any error message, or does Event Viewer contain anything relevant?
Have you tried to uninstall VirtualMIDISynth?
If yes, did Windows Explorer issue disappear?
New beta released 1.4.0-beta10
Hardware mixing is now disabled by default and software mixing is used instead.
This should help users experiencing stuttering with "buggy" audio drivers.
I'm both testing the 2.0 and
I'm both testing the 2.0 and 1.4.10
thanks...
Grazie, anche se nn ho capito
Grazie,
anche se nn ho capito bene cosa hai modificato nella Beta10 (per colpa della mia ignoranza e non certo Tua).
Ti faccio sapere ;o)
Andrea
Synthesia
Hi,
I was testing your product on Synthesia (www.synthesiagame.com) but it does not play any sound while playing the midi files. I tried ur versions 1.3.1, 1.4(latest) and 2.0 alpha. However everytime i hear no sound. But in the main window in Keyboard setup of synthesia, i can hear the sound while selecting coolsoft virtual synth.Please help find a solution for my problem.
Thanks.
New beta released 1.4.0-beta11
@SynthLover: I just released beta11. It also fixes the bug you noticed. Please test it and give feedback.
v.1.4.0-beta11 released
- NEW: New "reset to default values" button in Advanced options tab.
- FIX: Hardware mixing is back to enabled by default.
- FIX: Additional output buffer default value is 200ms (best value to avoid stuttering, thanks to Milo Roncarolo for his help in debugging this long aged issue).
Please reset advanced settings before proceeding.
- FIX: Fixed MIDI_RESET message handling to make Synthesia work correctly.
Thanks for your quick
Thanks for your quick reply,
And yes its working now. thanks a lot. i have also requested other forum users to submit their test results.
Thanks
Hi there, Your beta 11
Hi there,
Your beta 11 works perfectly but sometimes it just holds the same note for a few seconds instead of playing according to the synthesia's notes and then returns to normal again. it only happens in track heavy midis( like 10-12 tracks). i hope its something u can fix. i use the sgm 2.01 soundfont by the way.
Thanks
Could you please try to
Could you please try to increase the Additional output buffer length (default is 200ms but it strictly depends on your hardware and drivers).
You'll find this setting into Configurator, "Advanced" tab.
Please tell me what's the length that fixes your issue.
Broken setup procedure, please download it again
I just found a bug that prevents installing version 1.4.0-beta11 on clean systems (with no previuos versions already installed).
Setup is now fixed; if you're experiencing this issue please download setup again.
Nothing has changed but the setup procedure, so if you already installed it there's no need to re-download it again.
Sorry for that ;)
Virtual midi synth output buffer in synthesia
In response to your question, i have generally experienced that:
1.Soundfonts lesser than 100 mb can run at 0-300ms fluently.(Choriumreva, merlin gmv22 and the soundfonts nicholas suggested.)
2.Soundfonts greater in size than 100 mb run at 300-400ms fluently.(fluidr3 and sgm 2.01)
However sometimes even these large soundfonts run at 0 ms flawlessly.
I tested the program on an intel core 2 duo of 1.47 ghz and 2 gb ram.
Also whenever i try to set the update to 7 days, it reverts back to 14 days.
Coolsynth with Jriver media center
Thx for the reply and sorry for the delay.
So i have maid what you suggest and it works :D
It's just anoying to install quicktime and to do a long chain but at least i can use fantastic tagging of MC and play my midi files with a soundfont ==>bye bye Van basko .
So i am very satisfied but some feature request :)
Solo button on the mixer
Preset saving on the mixer
Better lisibility of the track name in the mixer
maybe a tempo change (i don't think it's possible it's more a player implementation like vanbasco but in case of :)
Also i have noticed volume meters in tracks don't move i have tried both hardware mixing check or unchecked.
Anyway good job to un4seen and to you have killed microsoft on this :)
Ps: I have answered in the JR forum :)
About your feature requests
Added to my todo list
Already on todo list, scheduled for one of the first 1.4.x series release
Hard work, because available space is not so much and I don't want to use a custom font that must be deployed and installed... what about a tooltip?
Can't be done, no way. At driver level I receive MIDI events as they're sent by the player, so there's no way to tell the player to play faster.
There's no VUMeters on tracks, only on the master track. This is a (understandable) limit of BASS library and will be a CPU hog.
Tracks are identical so I know users think there could be a VUMeter there...
If some GUI artist is listening I'm open to suggestions for a better looking mixer deck.
Thanks for your feedback.
Nice for solo buttons and
Nice for solo buttons and presets it's the priority.
For the fonts tooltips it 'll be better but maybe u can simply another stock font?
Tempo change i understood :)
Volume meters , yes i have noticed after to have send my post that it's not level meter but maybe just a led 'll be possible for to know if a track receive data?
For gui i 'll be glad to try a version if u have the sdk for to do it am not a super gui designer but u can see some of my works here:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=53745.0
or here:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/141/era2inmulab.png/
As u can see i am on the flat mood :p
GUI design
You're better than me in GUI design!
There's no SKD for GUI, because it's not meant to be skinned. And also GUI rendering is really simple to be light and fast.
Version 1.4 will be open source; at that time I'll call you back and we could plan how to work together (if you'll have spare time).
i 'll have :) so u have my
i 'll have :)
so u have my mail...
complimenti per l'ottimo
complimenti per l'ottimo lavoro svolto fino ad ora, mi sono accorto che e rimasto tutto invariato al 2 aprile, come procedono i lavori a quanto l'uscita ufficiale della nuova versione? GRAZIE SIETE GRANDI
Ritardi
Ciao, purtroppo alcune vicende di personali hanno limitato un po la mia presenza on-line.
Comunque sembre che l'ultima beta della 1.4.0 sia sufficientemente stabile e quindi la release definitiva sarà quella (a parte qualche piccola modifica "cosmetica").
Si la versione 1.4.0 e
Si la versione 1.4.0 e stabile, cmq per i problemi personali spero si siano risolti e per il meglio,ti auguro buon lavoro e ancora complimenti per il programma :)
CoolSoft VirtualMIDI Synth is Just What I Needed
Thank you for such a great product! When I bought a new laptop with Windows 7 (32bit), it seemed that MS Windows 7 had much less functionality than my XP desktop, including the playing of MIDI files on an external device. There was no option to choose a different MIDI output, and a search for a CASIO WK200 driver compatible with Win 7, although it was referred to on websites, I did not want to "sell my soul" to get a driver that might not be a sure thing. With VirtualMIDISynth, I can play MIDIs through my keyboard using a USB cable. That includes MIDI files played in Windows Media Player. It feels good to get something back that MS left out of their product.
complimenti
veramente complimenti va benissimo ..cosi almeno si evitano tanti programmi
grazie e buon lavoro
How do I get to the mixer?
The image of the mixer on you home page indicates that the mixer is available via right-click of the icon in the system tray, but there is no CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth icon in my system tray, even when I am actively routing MIDI messages to the virtual synth. All sounds on all MIDI channels are piano - I want to use the mixer to add some variety.
Systray icon is only shown
Systray icon is only shown when the driver is loaded by MIDI player application (and after a MIDI open call).
Are you sure you're hearing MIDI sound through VirtualMIDISynth? (I suppose yes, because they're really better than the default one)
On Win7 some icons are hidden by default; can you please check that VMS icon is not actually hidden?
If not, please provide further info about your system, VMS version, the player you use...
Keep MIDI alive
Thank you very much. I was very pissed off that Microsoft just removed the MIDI synth output selection in Vista/7. They seem to come up with "improved" operating systems that have less and less functionality. Then I came across BassMIDI, the VSTi MIDI Driver (which also has Yamaha XG VSTi synth - x64 included!!), and now Virtual MIDI Synth. Very much appreciated. Thanks.
Vi ringrazio per l'ottimo lavoro
vi ringrazio per l'ottimo lavoro che state svolgendo, mi chiedevo a quando l'uscita ufficiale della nuova versione?
Grazie per i complimenti
Grazie per i complimenti.
La pubblicazione della versione 1.4.0 finale è legata alla pubblicazione dei suoi sorgenti, che attualmente sono in fase di pulizia/revisione.
Comunque non ci saranno nuove features rispetto all'ultima 1.4.0 beta, quindi puoi usare quella tranquillamente.
It sounds good, but...
Dear Sirs,
thank a lot for development and FREE distribution of your VirtualMidiSynth.
It sounds very very good, but I have found some "imprecise" timing when playing MIDI files with one big SoundFont like Fluid_R3 (I'm a WinLive Pro 5.0 user and 95% of my database was built using M-Live MIDI files) using my laptop FSC Amilo Pro V8010 (P4 1733Mhz - 2GB RAM - 250GB HDD - WinXp Pro with "high performances" - no frills - settings). In particular, it seems to be "lame" (i.e.) when playing a guitar strumming inside the MIDI file, or when the song structure is complex (e.g.with several tracks of pads, etc.).
Using the same HW and the same playing SW with other different virtual sound module (e.g. using Roland or Yamaha engines) feels good (NO "lame" phenomena).
I tried using the same SF (Fluid_R3) with another player (SyFonOne), and the "laming" is pratically nonexistent (but the sounds are poor...); this is valid if i set up the SW for "STATIC MEMORY ALLOCATION" (= reserving ALL the necessing RAM pre-loading the SF).
I'm not a programmer, but I suppose that the "laming" may be caused by DYNAMIC MEMORY ALLOCATION.
Then, if possible, I suggest (for a future release) to implement a flag that leave the user select for STATIC MEMORY ALLOCATION (=fixed by SF size, preloaded) or DYNAMIC (variable, "on demand", RAM size). I don't know if this may be a good idea, but that's all...
Thank you very much.
Alex
Version 1.4.0-beta12 released
I just released version 1.4.0-beta12 the (hope) last one before the final 1.4.0 (see version history for details).
The most important new feature is a new option to preload the full SoundFont into memory to improve play smoothness.
I thought that it was better to enable it by default, but if you're experiencing long start delays and/or other issues please let me know.
Please help !
I use Midifile optimizer. We used several versions of software, but also several adjustments when upload an SMF receive the following message http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8540/virtualmidisyntherror.jpg . I would be very grateful for a donation even if I get help. Thank you!
This is a DLL versioning issue
This is a DLL versioning issue:
I tried version 7 trial (the last one) of Midifile optimizer and it works, no issues.
So I searched for an older version 5 trial (the same version you have, as for the linked screenshot) and with this one I got the same error you have.
The issue is related to Midifile optimizer using the same BASS libraries I use for VirtualMIDISynth.
Midifile optimizer 5 uses a really old BASS library version 2.3.x (which misses the required BASS_UpdateChannel function), while Midifile optimizer 7 uses the newer 2.8.x series.
That said, there's really nothing I can do to fix this error, this is an architectural limit of Windows User Mode drivers: they are DLLs, so they're loaded into the same process space as the client.
When you load Midifile optimizer it loads its own DLLs, including BASS.dll. Choosing VirtualMIDISynth as your output device will cause VirtualMIDISynth.dll to be loaded inside Midifile optimizer process.
VirtualMIDISynth now can't load BASS.dll again, because it was already loaded by the host process (Midifile optimizer), so it is forced to use the already loaded one.
This works only if the already loaded BASS DLL is compatible with the one expected/required by VirtualMIDISynth.
To solve the architectural limit, a 2.x version of VirtualMIDISynth is being developed. In this version the driver and the sound-server are two separate processes; the first (loaded into MIDI client) won't use BASS at all, so it should be compatible with every MIDI application; the latter is the process which renders MIDI sound and, being a separate process, it could load its own BASS library.
A preview of the 2.x version of VirtualMIDISynth has been released here: http://coolsoft.altervista.org/comment/457#comment-457
Please note that it's not ready for production use, only for testing!
Finally you have two choices:
Thanks for your reply! I
Thanks for your reply! I tried all the variations I found on this site, all displaying the same error. I've downloaded the software demo Midifile Optimizer 7 and it works. It will cost 100 euros to upgrade from 5 Pro and hopefully it will worth every penny. I say this because I found some tones out of control and it sounds long. I tried 3 SoundFont packs with the same problem. On XP I used Roland VSC and Yamaha XG Synthesizer. They have worked very well with Midifile Optimizer. I have a Dell laptop with i7 processor, 6 gb ram Windows 7 64bit. I installed XP on it but I didn't found all the drivers needed. It is interesting that the old Cakewalk 9.03 which are usually works flawlessly Van Basco also works well. It's very difficult to work with MIDI on the W7. I don't know what the people from Microsoft thought. The Midi had left as it was on XP. Again all respect for your work and further success.
If W7 is poor on MIDI side,
If W7 is poor on MIDI side, W8 is even worst...
.
I don't know if 100€ worths a try, that's up to you
Anyway version 2.x of VirtualMIDISynth can't show that error message, because it simply doesn't load BASS dll dynamically.
And so it should work with Midifile Optimizer 5.
Have you tried it?
Please note that it's not "officially" available, but you can find its download link here: http://coolsoft.altervista.org/comment/457#comment-457.