BASSMIDI MIDI driver for Windows Vista/7 (x64 incl.)

[mudlord]

Yes, we are taking strict measures so this *insert favourite choice selection of curse words* of a *insert favourite choice selection of curse words* doesn't happen again. We also don't plan on taking donations, either. New license agreement at some stage will reflect that. At least now newer installer on Vista and up won't require restarts anymore when thats released.

[phanboy4]

RichNagel: WOW, that site is badass Looks super cool!
phanboy4: because XP sucks, it didn't like floating point sample output (boo!). So we made it only work on Vista and up, which do natively support such sample formats. Seems under XP in this case for BASSMIDI, the FP sample methods caused latency.

This was on Win 7 64, not XP. I still get 'pops' in playback within Dosbox sometimes, but not every time. Makes the TIE fighter intro sound great though, thanks again.

[Bregalad]

Sorry but is there any planned support for NRPN message listed here ?
Currently Drum pitch is supported but no drum panning nor vibrato or reverb which I use a lot in my midis.

As an experiment (when I was hearing low latency), I setup my antique version of Cakewalk Pro v3.01 like this

Wow just wow I'm not the only one who STILL use that program I can't belive it !
I use Calkewalk 3 because all the newer version sucks hard. Don't fix it if it's not broken.

[RichNagel]

Wow just wow I'm not the only one who STILL use that program I can't belive it ! I use Calkewalk 3 because all the newer version sucks hard. Don't fix it if it's not broken.

MAN! We need to start a club! CWP301 is ALL, and I repeat ALL, that I have ever used for my MIDI sequencing and composing... going back to 1995 when I first bought it Before that, it was Sequencer Plus Pro for DOS by Voyetra, but after purchasing CWP3 for Windows, I never gave SPP a second look <grin>.

I had always been pleased throughout the years to find that my good old CWP3 *STILL* would run under modern operating systems... and my BIGGEST FEAR when migrating to Windows XP Pro (SP1, then SP2, and currently SP3) was that CWP3 wouldn't run. But it does, and quite well too I might add :happy: :happy:

Anyhow, my little rant on the subject (re: newer versions suck!) -> http://www.simpilot.net/~richnagel/#cakewalk


Cheers

[mudlord]

Sorry but is there any planned support for NRPN message listed here ?

You will need to ask the XMPlay dev about that. D:

[RichNagel]

Just a little question:

Over at the Un4seen forums Ian posted in this message thread -> http://www.un4seen.com/forum/?topic=12497.0 :

Looking into it, there was indeed a problem with the sysex reading, which meant that GS sysex events (eg. to enable a 2nd drum channel) weren't being processed. An update (2.4.6.1) to fix that is up on the BASS page now.

Would there be any reason or advantage (and would it be "safe") to download that newer version ( http://www.un4seen.com/bass.html#addons / http://www.un4seen.com/download.php?bassmidi24 ), and unzip the "BASSMIDI.dll" to my "C:\Windows\System32" directory (overwriting the original from the latest BASSMIDI Driver installation)?


(edit) P.S. Added a little installation and configuration tutorial linked from my main XMPLay/BASSMIDI Driver page ( http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/SoundFon ... XMPlay.htm ) right here -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/SoundFon ... ration.htm

[Bregalad]

MAN! We need to start a club! CWP301 is ALL, and I repeat ALL, that I have ever used for my MIDI sequencing and composing... going back to 1995 when I first bought it Before that, it was Sequencer Plus Pro for DOS by Voyetra, but after purchasing CWP3 for Windows, I never gave SPP a second look <grin>.

Yeah. I've used this program for more than 10 years now, and I don't think I'll ever change haha. It works prefectly fine with Windows 7 by the way, even though was originally written with Windows 3.1 in mind (it makes me laugh they call the i486 a "high clocked" processor). Even if it would stop working in newer Windows there would probably a way to run it through Linux + Wine or DOSBox.

At worse I'd rather write my own sequencer from scratch and make it a CW3 clone than use another one (well I'm not that good at coding unfortunately.... but everything can be done with a little will).

I don't use Cakewalk Pro but Cakewalk Express 3.01 but I think it's pretty much the same. I think it was free so maybe the pro version has more features.
The newer Cakewalks sucks hard. I mean usually when releasing a newer version of a program you'll add new features, optimize things, etc... Here they REMOVED features, and tons of them ! It's unbelievable, but they really did :
- You can't drag and drop part of the sequences easily anymore
- You can't draw controllers and pitch wheels anymore
- Whenever something is selected it's in pink urggg
- Whenever you use NRPNs or RPNs it will "decode" them into a new "pseudo-midi event" that will NOT be decoded properly and that will completely screw up what you wanted to do.
- Whenever you save your file not only it will f*** off the (N)RPNs, but it will always add a blank space before the beginning of the file... That would be workable if it didn't add it EVERY time you save the song, so if you make your own sequence from scratch you'll soon find yourself with 15 blank bars at the start
Removing a blank bar takes a fraction of a second in CW3 but it's a headache in newer versoins.
- It's still possible, but much more longer/complex to "filter" MIDI events to cut/modify/paste etc...

The only bad thing about CW3 is that you can only remove sysexes but not ADD them. So I always have to use another program to make a blank MIDI file with the sysexes I want and do the sequencing in CW3, works fine for me.

[RichNagel]

even though was originally written with Windows 3.1 in mind (it makes me laugh they call the i486 a "high clocked" processor).

Hehe, the PC I used up until 2009 for ALL of my MIDI sequencing (*yes*, I said *2009* LOL!) -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Weeds_486DX4-100.htm

Even if it would stop working in newer Windows there would probably a way to run it through Linux + Wine or DOSBox.

Hehe, see attached screenshot Only problem is that the release version of DOSBox doesn't support MIDI IN (for a MIDi keyboard), but there are custom "SVC" DOSBOx builds available that do

I don't use Cakewalk Pro but Cakewalk Express 3.01 but I think it's pretty much the same. I think it was free so maybe the pro version has more features.

CW Pro has a LOT more features. Hehe, make sure you read my little blurb about CWP over at my web page ( http://www.simpilot.net/~richnagel/#cakewalk )... among other things, the link to this page -> http://www.queststudios.com/roland/utilities.html , and this file -> http://www.queststudios.com/roland/util ... ewalk3.zip

FYI, you can unzip that file to a floppy and install CWPro from the floppy. If not, you'll need to create a "DISK1" directory on your hard drive (e.g. "C:\DISK1"), unzip the files to that directory, and run the CWPro installer from there.

Dunno why, CWPro is weird like that. Anyhow, THAT is the full retail installer floppy for CWP301... released for free with the blessings of Twelve Tone Systems. Hey, at least they did *something* right LOL!

P.S. Various tidbits (amongst other things) for CWP301; for Yamaha XG hardware -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/ , and for EMU SoundFont hardware -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/SoundFonts/

The newer Cakewalks sucks hard. I mean usually when releasing a newer version of a program you'll add new features, optimize things, etc... Here they REMOVED features, and tons of them!

Yeah. I remember back in the day "aquiring" a copy of Cakewalk Pro Audio v5.0... I uninstalled it the SAME day <YUCK>!

The only bad thing about CW3 is that you can only remove sysexes but not ADD them. So I always have to use another program to make a blank MIDI file with the sysexes I want and do the sequencing in CW3, works fine for me.

In CWP301, you *can* (see second attached pic)

Anyhow, I LOVE CWP301! Gawd only knows how many MIDIs that I've sequenced with it.. a lot that have been released (such as my soundtrack for Eternal DOOM 1/2/3), as well as a cazillion that haven't been released (including several commercial projects that went belly-up during the course of their development).

P.S. Some of my more recent stuff can be found at my web site at http://www.richnagel.net ...search for "Blockbuster Movie Soundtrack (Part 1)!" and "Blockbuster Movie Soundtrack (Part 2)!"<grin> on that page for the MP3s; the original MIDIs all sequenced with CWP301, of course

[Maxime]

@Maxime,

Hey, I'd never heard of your "Arachno" SoundFont before... sounds real nice!

Love the documentation too! Hehe, I've always considered myself the "King of plain-text files" <grin>, but I like those spiffy looking docs that you provided with your Arachno SoundFont

Thanks for your kind comments
When I wrote the documentation, I was afraid that nobody would read it because of its length... so I'm always pleased to read comments from people who found it useful!

I'm currently listening to my own MIDI files with your SoundFont. Sounds good and nicely balanced, but I still have many presets to check!
Your Power drumkit would sound very nice with MaliceX's Jazz Jackrabbit Boss Level MIDI, if he had used it instead of a XG drumkit

BTW, I'm also an occasional CWP 3.x user
Used this thing to assign GS/XG presets to my own MIDI files, to check them on my Roland SC-8850 and Yamaha MU1000 GS/XG synths...

[RichNagel]

When I wrote the documentation, I was afraid that nobody would read it because of its length... so I'm always pleased to read comments from people who found it useful!

My plain-text files that I've included with most anything that I've released over the decades have always been a "story" or "novel"... I too always wondered if anyone ever read them due to their length <grin>.

I'm currently listening to my own MIDI files with your SoundFont. Sounds good and nicely balanced, but I still have many presets to check!

Thanks The ones that I mostly focused on where the real-world instruments... never been much into the "synthy" type things. Although, I've had a few users favorably comment on the Synth Strings and Synth Brass... even though I never spent that much time with them when creating the SoundFont LOL!

(re: never been much into the "synthy" type things) Heh, although my MIDI keyboard is a Casio CZ-1 (1980's phase distortion synthesis)... but I only use it for MIDI entry and playing; the audio output of that keyboard hasn't been connected to an amp in decades <grin>.

Your Power drumkit would sound very nice with MaliceX's Jazz Jackrabbit Boss Level MIDI, if he had used it instead of a XG drumkit

Hehehe, someone who actually realized where that power kick and snare originally came from LOL! Another; hmmm... where did that Gunshot come from <grin>?

BTW, I'm also an occasional CWP 3.x user Used this thing to assign GS/XG presets to my own MIDI files, to check them on my Roland SC-8850 and Yamaha MU1000 GS/XG synths...

Those two tone generators/MIDI modules are real nice

I remember when the SC-88 Pro first hit the market (what was it, 1996 or so?) really drooling over the MP3 demos that Roland had at their web site I was using several AWE32s (with 32MB RAM on each, and much older bits and pieces of my "Weeds GM" SoundFont loaded into them), as well as my old Wave Blaster 1 (based on the EMU Proteus line of rack mount MIDI modules). But, WOW! Those SC-88 Pro demos REALLY sounded nice

As far as Yamaha XG stuff, I recently discovered the S-YXG50 WDM softsynth. Check here for some XG related stuff that you might find handy -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/ , as well as these MIDIs/MP3s (all "XG-ified"):

http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/D_E1M1_XG.mid
http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/D_E1M1_XG.mp3

http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_X ... ove_XG.mid
http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_X ... ove_XG.mp3

http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/Grabbag_XG.mid
http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/Grabbag_XG.mp3

http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/Grabbag_XG.mid
http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Yamaha_XG/Grabbag_XG.mp3

...and two of my own compositions (both "XG-ified"):

http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Weeds_Mu ... e_Live.mp3
http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/Weeds_Mu ... n_Live.mp3 (from "Eternal DOOM")


Oh, and for other SoundFonts of mine, and other SoundFont/AWE32/SBLive related stuff -> http://www.cmoo.com/snor/weeds/SoundFonts/

P.S. Damned near forgot: SoundFont related, surf to my web page at http://www.richnagel.net , and scroll down to/search for "Some SoundFont CD-ROMs for Ya!"

[mudlord]

Uploaded new build.

[RichNagel]

Uploaded new build.

Works like a champ, Mudlord Thanks!

[Tarvis]

I'll paste this from Doomworld:

I have a strange problem. Under Windows 7, I can't get the BASSMIDI driver to show up in the list at all. Not even in it's own configuration utility's dropdown menu.

Any advice? I had the Timidity + MidiYoke setup in another thread of the forum, but I uninstalled both before trying this.

The list I mean is that in Vista MIDI picker, Winamp, even BASSMIDI's config tool itself. Is there some registry option I need to add manually?

EDIT: I've figured it out. Apparently the installer didn't change this registry entry for whatever reason, in:
HKEY_LOKAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32\
download/file.php?id=7199
It was wdmaud.drv before I manually changed it. Are there other entries the installer makes that I should check?
Dunno how or why, but it's fixed now! Works great! Only complaint is that it drops the first few notes when first playing a song (I'm guessing when soundfont is loaded; though timidity didn't do this), but otherwise sounds awesome!

A suggestion: Could there be an option to always keep the soundfont loaded in memory, from startup, for those who wish it? I have plenty of memory to spare, so I certainly wouldn't mind

[RichNagel]

EDIT: I've figured it out. Apparently the installer didn't change this registry entry for whatever reason, in: HKEY_LOKAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32\ download/file.php?id=7199

You know, I myself had similar problems when going from v1.02 to v1.03 (hehe, I've been unofficially 'version numbering' them in my mind for my own reference <grin>). I simply attributed it to being that I had installed all of the versions since the first.

After straightening out that registry entry (after unusntalling v1.02, it didn't remove the "Midi1=bassmididrv.dll" entry, so's I manually deleted all references to "Midi1=bassmididrv.dll"); v1.03 then installed just fine. Later (when it was released), I uninstalled v1.03 and installed the current v1.04 without a hitch

but otherwise sounds awesome!

It's amazing how much better that the BASSMIDI driver sounds compared to other softsynths (without latency, too).

'Twas playing around with some of my MIDIs in Cakewalk Pro v3.01, and experimenting with the various Yamaha XG reverb effects (via sysex dump) that the BASSMIDI extension supports:

Code: Select all

Yamaha XG Hall 2 Reverb
Hall 2        F0 43 10 4C 02 01 00 01 01 F7

Yamaha XG Hall 2 Reverb Parameters
                                   Param Range
                                   **    **-**
Reverb Time   F0 43 10 4C 02 01 02 19 F7 00-45
Diffusion     F0 43 10 4C 02 01 03 0A F7 00-0A
Initial Delay F0 43 10 4C 02 01 04 1C F7 00-3F
Hpf Cutoff    F0 43 10 4C 02 01 05 06 F7 00-34
Lpf Cutoff    F0 43 10 4C 02 01 06 2E F7 22-3C
Dry/Wet       F0 43 10 4C 02 01 0B 28 F7 01-7F
Rev Return    F0 43 10 4C 02 01 0C 40 F7 00-7F
Rev Pan       F0 43 10 4C 02 01 0D 40 F7 01-7F
Reverb Delay  F0 43 10 4C 02 01 10 0D F7 00-3F
Density       F0 43 10 4C 02 01 11 03 F7 00-04
Er/RevBal     F0 43 10 4C 02 01 12 4A F7 01-7F
Feedback      F0 43 10 4C 02 01 14 40 F7 01-7F


Heh, with the right tweaking, it sounds almost EXACTLY like my SBLive's hardware EMU SoundFont synth with it's EAX reverb!

[mudlord]

To clarify:

Someone had a issue with the current installer?