Virtual MIDI routers for Windows 7 x64

[aMUSEd]

Looking at the MIDI OX/Yoke websiteit seems it's still a 32 bit programme and since it's basically a driver may have big problems in Windows 7 (if it's even possible to install it). The only one I can find that seems to have been developed more recently for x64 systems is LoopBe which comes in free and commercial versions:

http://nerds.de/en/loopbe1.html

LoopBe looks very good actually but has anyone had experience with these and are their other alternatives for x64 systems?

(the website also has some other useful midi tools)

[koolkeys]

I have used Loopbe on my Windows 7 64-bit machine a little. Haven't had any issues to report, though I haven't tested it heavily. Seems to work fine though.

I believe it's really the best option at the moment, and probably the most supported by the dev. But there may be other virtual MIDI utilities I don't know about.

Brent

[knockman]

I was researching virtual MIDI cables and MIDI over LAN stuff the other day. I don't have a 64-bit OS so I cannot vouch for it, but I read of folks using MIDI Yoke happily on 64-bit - might've been in Vista but surely worth a try?

On a side note, I messed about with nerds ipMIDI application which was fun, though sometimes flaky via WiFi. A similar app is this free one:

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/winnt/art/se456934.html (Japanese instructions but very easy to work out)

[Angel Powerlord]

Bome's MIDI Translator comes with virtual MIDI ports and runs fine under Win7 64bit. All sorts of MIDI translations, mappings and filtering possible. Professional support.

Angel

[aMUSEd]

Bome's MIDI Translator comes with virtual MIDI ports and runs fine under Win7 64bit. All sorts of MIDI translations, mappings and filtering possible. Professional support.

Angel

It looks interesting but I just had a look at the page and nowhere does it explicitly say it is 64 bit - just that it works in Win 7 and that "the installer has improved 64 bit support":

V1.7.1: Update Release (Win)

* enhanced MIDI support:
- can use multiple devices of same name (Vista, Windows 7)
- detect names of standard USB devices (Windows XP)
* improved virtual MIDI driver:
- compatible with Windows 7
- sends timestamps now
- no driver nag screen during installer (Vista, Windows 7)
- improved 64-bit support of driver installer

the ambiguity is not transparent marketing which doesn't impress me

[timbesamusca]

I just tried MidiYoke on Windows 7 64-bit. It installs without problems and seems to be working fine here.

[C00kie]

Looking at the MIDI OX/Yoke websiteit seems it's still a 32 bit programme and since it's basically a driver may have big problems in Windows 7 (if it's even possible to install it).

If it works fine (which seems to be the case) then obviously weather it's truely 646bit is a completely moot point. Not?

[cipolipo]

Hey there,

(Bome's Midi Translator) looks interesting but I just had a look at the page and nowhere does it explicitly say it is 64 bit - just that it works in Win 7 and that "the installer has improved 64 bit support":
(...)
the ambiguity is not transparent marketing which doesn't impress me

Thanks for the suggestion. I found it somewhat obvious that the software would work on 64-bit Windows (otherwise I would have explicitly excluded it in the list of supported OS's). The Midi Translator program itself is 32-bit but works 100% on a 64-bit OS. As far as I can tell, it wouldn't benefit from being a native 64-bit application. MIDI doesn't take much memory...

However, the driver(s) that ship with Midi Translator also come in a 64-bit version. Obviously, during installation, the correct driver is installed (a 64-bit OS cannot load 32-bit drivers).

So at this point I don't see a point in creating a 64-bit version of Midi Translator -- except for somewhat questionable marketing reasons.

Hope that explains!
Florian (Bome Software)

[aMUSEd]

Hey there,

(Bome's Midi Translator) looks interesting but I just had a look at the page and nowhere does it explicitly say it is 64 bit - just that it works in Win 7 and that "the installer has improved 64 bit support":
(...)
the ambiguity is not transparent marketing which doesn't impress me

Thanks for the suggestion. I found it somewhat obvious that the software would work on 64-bit Windows (otherwise I would have explicitly excluded it in the list of supported OS's). The Midi Translator program itself is 32-bit but works 100% on a 64-bit OS. As far as I can tell, it wouldn't benefit from being a native 64-bit application. MIDI doesn't take much memory...

However, the driver(s) that ship with Midi Translator also come in a 64-bit version. Obviously, during installation, the correct driver is installed (a 64-bit OS cannot load 32-bit drivers).

So at this point I don't see a point in creating a 64-bit version of Midi Translator -- except for somewhat questionable marketing reasons.

Hope that explains!
Florian (Bome Software)

No that's fine - the crucial bit that needed clarifying (and maybe you could be a bit clearer about that on the site) is that the driver is 64 bit. That can make a difference.

I'm surprised MIDI Yoke runs at all - Win 7 would not allow me to even install a 32 bit driver for my Hartmann Neuron controller but maybe it doesn't operate as a driver like the others?

[cipolipo]

AUTO-ADMIN: Non-MP3, WAV, OGG, SoundCloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter and Facebook links in this post have been protected automatically. Once the member reaches 5 posts the links will function as normal.

No that's fine - the crucial bit that needed clarifying (and maybe you could be a bit clearer about that on the site) is that the driver is 64 bit.

Done: http://www.bome.com/products/miditransl ... erview/win (http://www.bome.com/products/miditranslator/overview/win)

Cheers,
Florian

[aMUSEd]

Excellent - thanks. Does it run in kernel mode like the LoopBe driver?

[cipolipo]

Excellent - thanks. Does it run in kernel mode like the LoopBe driver?

well, it definitely has a kernel component -- it really emulates a physical device. But it is different from a loopback driver, because it does not loop: When you use a MIDI program to send MIDI data via a loopback driver, you need to send your message through Windows' MIDI stack, then it's going to the loopback driver, which immediately sends it to Windows' MIDI stack to deliver it to the receiving app. So Windows is involved twice.

With Bome's MIDI driver, things are a little different: Of course there is one "public" end, which can be opened in a normal MIDI program as a MIDI port, but the other side is a "private" end, which can only be accessed from Midi Translator.

Midi Translator injects its outgoing MIDI messages directly into the driver (the private end), rather than going trough Windows' MIDI stack to send messages. On the public end, however, the messages always pass through the Windows MIDI stack, which usually adds a bit of latency.

Of course, the same optimization applies when you send MIDI messages from a MIDI program to Midi Translator.

Hope that explains
Florian

[aMUSEd]

Yes it does - so are you saying your driver should have less latency than LoopBe? That seems an important issue.

[cipolipo]

are you saying your driver should have less latency than LoopBe?

I haven't done competitive latency measurements. I leave that to the press

But from an architectural point of view, the Bome driver is directer than loopback drivers, and thus has high potential to be more efficient. And of course, we have optimized the Bome driver for low latency. During development, I once measured 12 microseconds from Midi Translator to MIDI app, but that's some time ago and really just an inofficial measurement.

Florian

[Rock Hardbuns]

<BUMP> Feb 17th 2011 </BUMP>

http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/loopMIDI.html