O2star
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Planet Zaxxon

So here and there, I've been buying random midi devices that I assumed would be compatible with MS-DOS. And by far the easiest one to set-up and works the best (in comparison) was the Gravis Midi Adaptor. It plugs into the gameport, and gives you Midi IN, Midi OUT, and even Midi Thru. Plus, it still has 2 gameport controllers on the other side, so you dont lose your gameport.

How to Install: Plug it in. The End.

It worked in Windows 98se, and MS-DOS, with no drivers to install whatsoever.

So for those who want some dos midi support with Impulse Tracker, or as a playback device with games, this is the one to get. I bought it on ebay for about $6.

Battle Lava
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sweet

Shiru
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Russia, Moscow

MIDI port is in the sound card itself, actually, but without galvanic isolation circuit. These 'adapters' that connected to the gameport only has sockets and few components for galvanic isolation (even not always, some ignores safety reasons and connect lines directly). This means that you can make the adapter by yourself rather easily, if you have some knowledge about electronics.

Last edited by Shiru (Oct 25, 2010 3:10 am)

arfink
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Minneapolis
Shiru wrote:

MIDI port is in the sound card itself, actually, but without galvanic isolation circuit. These 'adapters' that connected to the gameport only has sockets and few components for galvanic isolation (even not always, some ignores safety reasons and connect lines directly). This means that you can make the adapter by yourself rather easily, if you have some knowledge about electronics.

This. However, a link or some such to pinouts would be mighty helpful. Also I am surprised nobody bothered with mentioning this before. So many people doing MIDI, and nobody pays attention to one of the oldest and most prevalent MIDI controllers around- the classic gameport MIDI.

InactiveX
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England
OxygenStar wrote:

How to Install: Plug it in. The End.

It worked in Windows 98se, and MS-DOS, with no drivers to install whatsoever.

This is true of any adaptor that gives the MIDI sockets from the joystick port. As already mentioned, these devices are simply passing through signals, not doing any real "hard work". So a driver wouldn't come into it, and it is not something that is OS-specific in any way.

Takes me back though - I haven't used a joystick port for MIDI since I had a 486 and Windows 3.11 (and it was for the time, current tech)!

Last edited by InactiveX (Oct 25, 2010 3:50 am)

O2star
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Planet Zaxxon

Well, anyone can build anything to make things work. Unless you are me who does no building of any kind. So this would be the cheapest alternative. (I would think)

and yea arfink, no one seems to talk about midi at all for any application. So I thought to post this and maybe inspire some conversations about it. Which Shiru did nicely.

Shiru
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Russia, Moscow

I actually still use gameport MIDI (from SB Live). When I needed MIDI on PC for first time (~2000) it was not easy to buy the adapter, so I planned to make one (there was schematics in books about PC hardware), but then I got luck and bought one.

Now I searched in Google, and found this simple schematic, with galvanic isolation (only 6 components). There are many other similar ones, although most of them a little bit complicated, they has two additional inverters. I haven't found one without the isolation, but I'd not recommend to use one anyway, it is dangerous for your gear.

Last edited by Shiru (Oct 25, 2010 6:19 am)

Emar
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☺☺☺

sorry for the hijack but does IT have midi clock out? or maybe FT2? or ANY dos sample tracker? ive read the manuals but midi support is pretty nonexistent

O2star
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Planet Zaxxon

well I would assume that IT has midi clock out... Im looking at the midi settings now, and it seems like it is capable of sending a midi clock through midi out, if thats what you mean.

akira^8GB
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New York City

What's the latency through gameport? Serial is super tight (like mac or Amiga MIDI interfaces)

Emar
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☺☺☺
akira^8GB wrote:

What's the latency through gameport? Serial is super tight (like mac or Amiga MIDI interfaces)

i can vouch for serial being super tight big_smile 

But i have found midi in on the gameport(possibly its just my midi interface), to have a bit of lag considering my soundblaster desktop is "decked" out (by 96's standard tongue) midi out+ clock sync works like a charm however....

@O2star I read somewhere on Pouet that others have had luck fiddling with the IRQ numbers for the midi port to get LTP midi working.


fuxin toshiba "blah blah blah we will just take all the peripherals off to make a small laptop, O SHIT we NEED those peripherals....what do we NEED? AN INFARED PORT!!! screw the gameport, who would want to have fun on this thing anyways?"

Last edited by Emar (Feb 2, 2011 1:18 pm)

herr_prof
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afaik gameport is just another serial port.

Emar
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☺☺☺
herr_prof wrote:

afaik gameport is just another serial port.

Im aware of this but so many progs only have a GRAVIS/SOUNDBLASTER type setting for midi

akira^8GB
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New York City

Well, the place where  I notice serial MIDI being the tightest is on input. I have basically no latency when I hit a key on my controller and I hear a sample triggered on my Amiga!
I have one of those gameport to MIDI cables but I never really used it.

O2star
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Planet Zaxxon
akira^8GB wrote:

What's the latency through gameport? Serial is super tight (like mac or Amiga MIDI interfaces)

I spent a day messing with midi in/midi out in impulse tracker when I first got the gravis/midi adaptor... I didnt have any problems, or hear any lagging... The computer I tested it on was a P3, 768 mb, running win98se.

Last edited by O2star (Feb 2, 2011 10:46 pm)