No Microsoft in MIDI devices

[user6867832854710887]

In the old Cakewalk, when I didn't have my Roland hooked up,  the Microsoft MIDI used to show up in the MIDI I/O devices in preferences. Now there's nothing. Is there something else I can use?

[user905133]

By "Microsoft MIDI" do you mean "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth?"

Edited 4 hours ago by user905133
revised post pending further testing

[David Baay]

2 hours ago, user6867832854710887 said:

Now there's nothing.

Support for GS Wavetable was deliberately removed some time ago for compatibility reasons. I subsequently discovered a that it's still available if you set MIDI driver mode in Preferences to UWP instead of the default MME. But I can't say how long this workaround will persist, and I've seen flaky behavior using UWP mode with the one interface I have that supports it for hardware outs so I'm back to MME.

[Bass Guitar]

I just made a video on this very topic 

But the first option in the video the Coolsoft Virtual MIDI Synth  was also removed by the new Sonar. It works in Platinum. 
So VST SynthFont and Coyote are the only options now. Coyote is free  but DX so Sonar might not support that option someday. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Bass Guitar

[user905133]

36 minutes ago, David Baay said:

Support for GS Wavetable was deliberately removed some time ago for compatibility reasons. I subsequently discovered a that it's still available if you set MIDI driver mode in Preferences to UWP instead of the default MME. 

After writing up an extensive post (with images and all sorts of warnings / disavowals) on how to do this (which I also discovered a while ago) about an hour and a half ago, I deleted all the details in order to do some further testing--basically to try to find some of the limitations of using UWP to play the MS GS Wavetable Synth in real time.

For purely esoteric purposes, I will share the original version of the post. 

• As for my additional tests (so far):
  • Real time play with program changes (aka patch changes) worked on my PC.
  • Recording MIDI and playing back with the MS GS Synth worked on my PC.
  • So far as I can tell, recording audio did not work (but I didn't try every method possible).
    • Real time recording of audio (played live) seemed to be incompatible with Windows.
    • Real time rendering also didn't work.
    • So far as I can see the audio doesn't work with my audio drivers.
      • I could hear the MS GS Synth, but the Audio did not go to any Console Strips (including the HW Strips). 
• I might try some more tests, but basically (as I originally stated), the only use I found for the MS GS Synth is to play real time midi and to hear the MS GS sounds. 

  PS:

36 minutes ago, David Baay said:

I've seen flaky behavior using UWP mode with the one interface I have that supports it for hardware outs so I'm back to MME.

Way back when, I also switched back to MME after some earlier explorations of UWP for much the same reason--while some things seemed to work with my legacy gear, there were a number of things that UWP couldn't do that I depended on and I didn't want to buy all new gear just to use UWP.

Edited 3 hours ago by user905133
added a PS

[user905133]

20 minutes ago, user905133 said:

After writing up an extensive post (with images and all sorts of warnings / disavowals) on how to do this (which I also discovered a while ago) about an hour and a half ago, I deleted all the details in order to do some further testing--basically to try to find some of the limitations of using UWP to play the MS GS Wavetable Synth in real time.

For purely esoteric purposes, I will share the original version of the post.

Here's the original post:

2 hours ago, user6867832854710887 said:
. . .  the Microsoft MIDI used to show up in the MIDI I/O devices in preferences. . . .

By "Microsoft MIDI" do you mean "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth?"  If so, I have been able to make it appear by changing the MIDI Driver mode from MME to UWP (which can only be done when there is no project loaded).

IMPORTANT: I have only done this on rare occasions because my system works best with the MME Drivers. Some of my allegedly "legacy" gear doesn't work with UWP Drivers.  I have not explored why nor what Cakewalk and other software features that I depend on don't work or might be problematic with UWP Drivers.  (FWIW I have an ancient PC--formerly Windows 7--with Windows 10 Pro.) 

For these reasons, I do not recommend the UWP MIDI Driver Solution just to be able to use the MS GS Wavetable Synth unless you know what you are doing and accept full responsibility for anything that might happen!! 

I'm just reporting what I have found because your comment, "Microsoft MIDI used to show up in the MIDI I/O devices in preferences" made no sense to me unless you were talking about the MS Synth.  As always, I defer to others who might know more about using UWP MIDI Drivers and the MS Synth.

 NOTE: The Program Change [aka Patch Change] button on my usb keyboard changes patched in this mode and I can play the MS GS Synth in this mode.  So if that's what you need, maybe this will help.  If anything you depend on doesn't work (or breaks), please don't blame me!

Caveat: The basic test (Can I play the GS sounds in real time to hear what they sound like and do program changes change the GS Patch) was done with the Free Tier. 

   [MIDI Driver mode, NOT Audio]

EDIT: On second thought I don't see any value in doing further explorations to try to get the MS GS Synth working more fully. 

Edited 2 hours ago by user905133
(2) to add a note about not doing anything more with the MS Synth; (1) to finish reconstructing original post

[user905133]

.
 

Edited 3 hours ago by user905133
accidentally hit submit, not edit