SB Live! Midi Synth on Vista

[JohnnyRancid]

Well I have this new computer with Vista preinstalled on it. I'm a huge fan of collecting midi's from doom wads, but I was ashamed to notice that the sound of the MIDI's are different than that of the ones on my other computer (A Windows 2000). The instruments sound much more lame and sound overall pretty low quality. After toying around with both computers, I found that on my Windows 2000 one, you could set different midi devices. I had 3, one that plays no sound at all, one that plays good sound, and one that plays identical to the way my Vista comp plays.

Microsoft wavetable synth (or something similar to that) was the name that sounded like my Vista computer, and SB Live! MIDI Synth is the kind that I liked. I want to get that device on my Vista, but I dont know whether or not I already have it, or how to get it if I dont, or how to change it.

I dunno if you guys are geniouses with this MIDI stuff, but most people I've seen (after much google searching) either dont know or know too much that I cant comprehend what they are talking about.

[Aliotroph?]

You're probably shit outta luck as they say. When M$ wrote Vista they pulled out the sound bits and rejiggered them to make them "better" or at least very different. Most sound drivers that worked on XP will either do nothing or cause errors on Vista. Right now it's still bad enough that some of Creative's stuff that was written for Vista won't even work on Vista.

There's no way you're getting the SB Live MIDI back unless you have a a Creative Labs sound card though. Would you kindly post what computer you got? :)

Even with my sound drivers that work on vista there are still weird issues with some apps that need bigtime tweaking. And I'm pissed that there isn't an XG softsynth that works on Vista. Yamaha's MIDI stuff sounds better most of the time than Creative's. and shame on M$ for not updating that garbage one they bought from Roland for 10 years!

[JohnnyRancid]

Acer Aspire 5315-2153

As a formal reply i direct you to my signature, This really is very dissapointing.

[rustyslacker]

I did a bunch of googling and it appears that your computer has a supremely generic sound card (not a Creative one). You could probably try to install the Creative drivers anyway to see what happens, and if everything screws up, just use system restore.

As a formal reply i direct you to my signature, This really is very dissapointing.
I've been sitting here contemplating a witty, cynical response for about thirty seconds. Luckily, I've decided to be mature for the moment, just because it's the Christmasy season and I'm in a happy mood. :)

[Aliotroph?]

Heh, Acer. Been ages since they built anything worth spending money on. I have an Acer LCD. I gave it away.

Installing Creative drivers will do nothing. Vista will see those, not see a Creative card, and go "meh." They wouldn't work anyway. SB Live! MIDI uses samples stored in the card's firmware.

Only half-decent-sounding MIDI player I found that works on Vista is this thing: http://www.sonicspot.com/midig/midig.html

It's extremely customizable if you like hacking MIDI stuff but its big drawback is for some MIDI formats it fucks up the instruments and subs in a piano, the flutes are off pitch (I somehow edited that on mine) and there's no french horn (they used the generic disco brass band samples). It also has polyphony issues that only appear on Vista but still manages to sound better than the M$ thing.

[JohnnyRancid]

Hmm... Im thinkin about it. How do I use it? Just save it somewhere and my midi files will magically sound better?

I really need an alternative to the MS Wavetable. Its sooo bad. It cant do chorusing or reverb, the Gothic DM 2 songs sound TERRIBLE.

I dont really do anything to midi files as far as hacking goes, I just prefer to use them over my normal music when playing doom. But I at least want them to sound to their best potential. and SB Live! Midi Synth is by far the best I've heard yet. I'm getting really sick of putting up with a lousy midi device.

Maybe I could just scream at the Microsoft guys until they fix it.

[The Undertaker]

If your using Zdoom there is Timidity.

[DaniJ]

Hopefully this helps:
http://www.vistax64.com/vista-music-pictures-video/78038-midi-mapper-how-can-we-change.html

[JohnnyRancid]

If your using Zdoom there is Timidity.
Ive considered that but I dont know how to make it work.