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Help! Computer?s MIDI is broken?

Ika

Ika

Lifer
The MIDI on my computer is broken. When I go to Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the Audio tab, there is a blank entry listed as the selected MIDI device. The Microsoft GS Wavetable Software Synth shows up in the dropdown list, and I can select it and supposedly Apply settings, but when I exit the menu and come back, the blank listing is selected again. I thought this was a problem with my SoundMax integrated sound, but when I upgraded to an AV710, the MIDI problem persisted. This means I don?t get sound from YouTube, .swfs, FL Studio, or anything that might use MIDI. I tried looking for ways to reinstall the MS Synth, but to no avail. Help!
 
There are 5 options there beside the one for MS with my soundcard. I've never messed with the MS option, so I can't help, except suggest that you buy a better card.
 
Originally posted by: Seekermeister
There are 5 options there beside the one for MS with my soundcard. I've never messed with the MS option, so I can't help, except suggest that you buy a better card.
Click to expand...

I'm quite positive that the sound card is not the issue here, as the AV710 is a very popular solution for stereo audio. I know this problem isn't very common, because I've spent fruitless hours looking for an answer. Additionally, the AV710 driver properties shows a MIDI tab that lets me "use the MIDI functions of this device". So, I know that the AV710 has at least some type of MIDI capabilities; the problem is getting Windows to use it.
 
One thing to check is that the volume cotrol for your MIDI device is not muted. This is seperate from Wave and CD volume. It may be called synth, midi device, FM midi, or have some other title depending on your cards drivers. The controls are viewed by double clicking on the speaker in your systray or go to Control panel / sounds and audio devices / volume.

Did you hit apply after selecting Microsoft GS Wavetable Software Synth ? If you did and it can't take effect, perhaps windows doesn't have the complete program including the instrument definitions.

If all else fail, you could always try the old but good "Wingroove" ver WG09E_E.EXE if it's still avaliable at http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~hiroki/english/wgdl.html . This is a program that uses it's internal instrument definitions to convert midi to wav on any 16 bit capable sound card. It can be run stand alone or installed and is $10 shareware after a trial.


Jim
 
Originally posted by: xgsound
One thing to check is that the volume cotrol for your MIDI device is not muted. This is seperate from Wave and CD volume. It may be called synth, midi device, FM midi, or have some other title depending on your cards drivers. The controls are viewed by double clicking on the speaker in your systray or go to Control panel / sounds and audio devices / volume.
Click to expand...

Oh, that reminds me, there's one more issue (that I believe is related). The volume thing doesn't appear in the systray anymore, even though I ticked the checkbox saying "Place Volume button in the taskbar." I believe this problem showed up at the same time as this MIDI problem, but I have no idea what's causing it.

I triple-checked the volume control options (going through Control Panel in the process) and no, I have not muted anything.

And one final problem... my PC can't use the Sound Recorder accessory. The mic works and everything, and when I test the mic through the Advanced... button in the mic volume control, it records fine. However, when I open up Sound Recorder, all the buttons are grayed out, even the Record button.

I seriously CAN'T wait until I have my own computer.
 
Do you get any sound but the Windows sounds? If not, go to Start|Run, type in services.msc, and start the Windows Audio service (It probably won't stay started, so you'll have to do this every time you boot your computer). I seem to have this problem every few months, and it eventually goes away by itself.
 
You didn't mention it - but, I found that WMP 11 (Beta) kills SoundMax MIDI. I put 10 back in and we're happy again.
 
Originally posted by: corkyg
You didn't mention it - but, I found that WMP 11 (Beta) kills SoundMax MIDI. I put 10 back in and we're happy again.
Click to expand...

Negative, but this is interesting... I guess it COULD be a software issue (though I really don't know when it broke).

Originally posted by: pkrush
Do you get any sound but the Windows sounds? If not, go to Start|Run, type in services.msc, and start the Windows Audio service (It probably won't stay started, so you'll have to do this every time you boot your computer). I seem to have this problem every few months, and it eventually goes away by itself.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that's not it. Windows Audio is running perfectly normal.
 
Originally posted by: Seekermeister
This may be a waste of time, but I'm wondering what application is associated with .mid and .midi file extensions in File Types?
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As of now, Windows Media Player, but it was because at the time, it was the only MIDI-playing music player I had.

But, an interesting development this morning...

I found a midi plugin for Foobar, installed it, and tried a MIDI song just for kicks... and it worked! This confuses me to no end. Apparently, the MIDI still works on the card. My theory is that the Windows MIDI synthesizer is broken. SWFs still don't play sound, WMP still doesn't play MIDIs.
 
The MIDI synthesizer in Windows is a software synth. Why not try this?

MIDI

My principal use of MIDI these days is as background in email using OE. That is the first things that doesn't work when there is a problem. And, it is a software problem all the time.
 
I installed two other software synths on my computer (Yamaha XG Synth and Roland VSC). Both show up in the MIDI dropdown selection menu. However, once again, the problem is my computer won't "stick" to these software synths. When I select one and click "Apply", it looks fine, but when I leave and come back, the selection is blank again, just like it was under Microsoft's SW Synth. GRARRWRR!!! Not having sound in Flash files is really bugging me.
 
Originally posted by: Aflac


Oh, that reminds me, there's one more issue (that I believe is related). The volume thing doesn't appear in the systray anymore, even though I ticked the checkbox saying "Place Volume button in the taskbar." I believe this problem showed up at the same time as this MIDI problem, but I have no idea what's causing it.
Click to expand...
I have this problem as well, but my MIDIs still work.

 
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Have you tried re-installing your audio drivers completely from scratch?
Click to expand...

I think so. When I installed the new sound card I uninstalled my original integrated sound drivers and installed new VIA drivers I pulled off the internet. I'm pretty sure the problem lies somewhere within Windows itself, however.
 
Agree! Today I allowed WMP10 to,upgrade to the latest WMP11. It plays MIDI OK by itself, but it will not provide any background sound for a MIDI file embedded in OE. Took some doing, but I managed to go back (System Restore) to WMP 10 and everything works perfectly. Either SoundMax or the general Windows MIDI synth. WMP 11 performs perfectly with my laptop - but it does not use SoundMax. It has Audigy 2NX.
 
Originally posted by: Aflac
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Have you tried re-installing your audio drivers completely from scratch?
Click to expand...

I think so. When I installed the new sound card I uninstalled my original integrated sound drivers and installed new VIA drivers I pulled off the internet. I'm pretty sure the problem lies somewhere within Windows itself, however.
Click to expand...


Ok, did you disable the onboard sound in the BIOS? Do that, then re-install the drivers for your new soundcard.
 
I have a solution for you if what biggestmuff doesn't work.

If you have the windows CD you used to install windows or that came with the computer put that cd in the drive. Go to start, run type sfc /scannow.

If that doesn't fix it

Use the windows CD that it came with or that you use to install windows, boot off of it and do a repair install on your system. It won't delete any of your data and your applications should still work. If that doesn't work your solution is a backup and reinstall from scratch. If it's a newer dell you may have to use their recovery option to reinstall windows and I'm not sure if you can do a repair install that way, so if they don't then you may have to back up your data before you do it. I know thats a little extreme just to get your midi to work but the bottom line is your windows is corrupted in one way or another which is why it doesn't work. Yes, there may be some crazy registry key that you could delete or edit that might fix it but if there aren't that many people that have the problem then you are going to have to be the one to find that needle in the hay stack or no one will.
 
Originally posted by: btcomm1
I have a solution for you if what biggestmuff doesn't work.

If you have the windows CD you used to install windows or that came with the computer put that cd in the drive. Go to start, run type sfc /scannow.

If that doesn't fix it

Use the windows CD that it came with or that you use to install windows, boot off of it and do a repair install on your system. It won't delete any of your data and your applications should still work. If that doesn't work your solution is a backup and reinstall from scratch. If it's a newer dell you may have to use their recovery option to reinstall windows and I'm not sure if you can do a repair install that way, so if they don't then you may have to back up your data before you do it. I know thats a little extreme just to get your midi to work but the bottom line is your windows is corrupted in one way or another which is why it doesn't work. Yes, there may be some crazy registry key that you could delete or edit that might fix it but if there aren't that many people that have the problem then you are going to have to be the one to find that needle in the hay stack or no one will.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the helpful post. I have a Dell Dimension 4500, circa August 2002. I'm not sure what happened to any Windows-related CDs we have, so I'll have to look for them... but I'm pretty sure there's no recovery option. I just need to make sure that no data is deleted, because I don't have anywhere to back up my stuff.
 
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