motherboards and MIDI ports

dnewhous · 08-05-02, 01:32 AM

Does anyone know if the on-board gameport/MIDI ports that come with some motherboards (for instance the ASUS P4T533) will be usable as MIDI ports if the motherboard does not have on-board audio?

(ASUS motherboard configurations are not uniquely defined by their model number)

It is my feeling that future consumer sound card models will no longer feature MIDI ports due to the precedent set by the Audigy.

If you own a motherboard like this, look in the MIDI settings of the multimedia control panel in Windows. If there is a selection there to use the MIDI port as the MIDI output device then the answer to my question is yes, otherwise it is no.

David · 08-05-02, 07:16 AM

Sorry if I sound a bit silly here, but if a obo doesn't have any sound on board, will all the sound/Midi ports not be there?

David

dnewhous · 08-05-02, 09:25 AM

Your question is silly and you don't understand what a MIDI port is for.

A MIDI port is used to connect an external MIDI synthesizer to the computer. An actual separate hardware box. The most commonly used examples would be a Roland MT-32 (a legacy device) or a Roland Sound Canvas. You could use them as your MIDI synth if you wanted instead of whatever is on your sound card or on-board audio.

On a sound card with both an on-board synth and a MIDI port, you will see two entries in the MIDI control panel, one with the word "external" on it.

The software synth that comes with DirectX is essentially a software version of the Sound Canvas, but without the DSP, so there's no reverb.

I don't understand how it works at a low level, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't have the motherboard's port act as a MIDI port even without on-board audio. However, I am not sure it would work and I am not sure anyone would actually implement it if it could be done.

David · 08-05-02, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dnewhous
Your question is silly and you don't understand what a MIDI port is for.

A MIDI port is used to connect an external MIDI synthesizer to the computer. An actual separate hardware box. The most commonly used examples would be a Roland MT-32 (a legacy device) or a Roland Sound Canvas. You could use them as your MIDI synth if you wanted instead of whatever is on your sound card or on-board audio.

On a sound card with both an on-board synth and a MIDI port, you will see two entries in the MIDI control panel, one with the word "external" on it.

The software synth that comes with DirectX is essentially a software version of the Sound Canvas, but without the DSP, so there's no reverb.

I don't understand how it works at a low level, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't have the motherboard's port act as a MIDI port even without on-board audio. However, I am not sure it would work and I am not sure anyone would actually implement it if it could be done.

Sorry, I don't know anything about MIDI

.

Try the Video and Sound forums, you may get more replies there.

David

08-05-02, 01:32 AM	Thread Starter #1
dnewhous Disabled Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fullerton, CA	motherboards and MIDI ports Does anyone know if the on-board gameport/MIDI ports that come with some motherboards (for instance the ASUS P4T533) will be usable as MIDI ports if the motherboard does not have on-board audio? (ASUS motherboard configurations are not uniquely defined by their model number) It is my feeling that future consumer sound card models will no longer feature MIDI ports due to the precedent set by the Audigy. If you own a motherboard like this, look in the MIDI settings of the multimedia control panel in Windows. If there is a selection there to use the MIDI port as the MIDI output device then the answer to my question is yes, otherwise it is no. Last edited by dnewhous; 08-05-02 at 02:57 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

08-05-02, 07:16 AM	#2
David Forums Super Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Hiding from Americans and making pretty colours in a drybox in St Andrews	Sorry if I sound a bit silly here, but if a obo doesn't have any sound on board, will all the sound/Midi ports not be there? David __________________ David J. Nelson MChem(Edin) PhD(Strath) AMRSC [Academia Profile] OC Forums Super Moderator // Overclockers.com Editor The Workhorse: [Lenovo W510] Intel Core i7-720QM / 8 GB DDR3 / nVidia Quadro FX880M / Crucial M4 256 GB SSD / Windows 7 The HTPC/Server: AMD Phenom X4 9650 / 6 GB DDR2 / nVidia 8300 / 5 TB of HDDs / Antec Solo II Case / Windows 7 The Gaming Rig: AMD Llano A6-3650 / 4 GB DDR3 / nVidia GTX260 / 2x 500 GB HDD in RAID0 / Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Case / Windows 7 The Benchmarking Setup: Various LGA775 chips / Asus Rampage Formula / 2 GB OCZ 1066 MHz DDR2 / nVidia Quadro NVS 285 / 320 GB HDD / Windows 7 My research fellowship is eating all my time, so I may be slow to reply to emails and private messages.
	QUOTE Thanks

08-05-02, 09:25 AM	Thread Starter #3
dnewhous Disabled Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fullerton, CA	Your question is silly and you don't understand what a MIDI port is for. A MIDI port is used to connect an external MIDI synthesizer to the computer. An actual separate hardware box. The most commonly used examples would be a Roland MT-32 (a legacy device) or a Roland Sound Canvas. You could use them as your MIDI synth if you wanted instead of whatever is on your sound card or on-board audio. On a sound card with both an on-board synth and a MIDI port, you will see two entries in the MIDI control panel, one with the word "external" on it. The software synth that comes with DirectX is essentially a software version of the Sound Canvas, but without the DSP, so there's no reverb. I don't understand how it works at a low level, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't have the motherboard's port act as a MIDI port even without on-board audio. However, I am not sure it would work and I am not sure anyone would actually implement it if it could be done.
	QUOTE Thanks

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

motherboards and MIDI ports

Internet Services

Website Development

Tech Hardware