[TAG] playmidi plays silently

[sindi keesan]

I am successfully playing midi files in linux without any need for isapnp. 
The solution was to get newer versions of ctcu.exe and ctcm.exe 
(Creative's ISA configuration utility and manager) as found in 
ctcmbbs.exe, which comes inside s64basic.exe.  I had replaced those files 
with files from ctcu.zip because of a corrupt download of s64basic.exe in 
which those two files would not work.  The good ones are from 1997.

To get this going in DOS, run s64basic.exe and follow instructions to make 
a ctcm directory.  (If you don't actually plan to use the card in DOS, it 
can be separate, otherwise within SB16).  Run ctc -- modify any settings, 
test them - A220 I5 D1 H5 E620 worked for me and I was able to pick an 
audio configuration with no midi port at all (300 or 330) and to disable 
game port and controller) followed by ctcm.  Copy ctpnp.cfg to the sb16 
directory.  Run diagnose and let it edit autoexec.bat and config.sys.  I 
remarked out what it puts into config.sys and anything about ctcm in 
autoexec.bat and instead aded to autoexec.bat the line c:\ctcm\ctcm (with 
or without /s).  Leave the set sound and set blaster and other settings, 
and diagnose, mixerset, and aweutil /s, which initializes awe32 (tho it 
did not used to do so).

After exiting ctcu, run ctcm to load the new settings.  If you have a 
separate ctcm directory, copy ctpnp.cfg to the sb16 directory.  Diagnose 
sets up DOS to run from SB16 directory.

I was then able, on both AWE32 and SB32 cards, to play AWE files with the 
'diagnose' utility and with three DOS midi players in AWE mode.  (One of 
them refused to play with io set to 240 but worked at 220).  PMB MSP and 
CDP.

I booted into linux with loadlin and insmodded the usual sb modules, and 
then awe_wave, which loaded for the first time.

I used sfxload to load synthgm.sbk (it needed the path to find it) and 
then drvmidi to play it.  I used the vol control on the radio which I am 
using as a speaker (aux input) to adjust volume.

In both DOS and linux, the radio makes regular clicking noises when I am 
not playing a midi file but otherwise it all works perfectly.

I have posted awesfx and drvmidi packages for glibc2.2.5 (statically 
compiled otherwise) at http://keesan.freeshell.org.  s64basic.exe can be 
found at several places on the web (search by name) including pipeline in 
Australia.

This was not yet tested on AWE64 and I have not yet attacked the PCI card 
SB Live, for which Creative also provides DOS drivers (sbldos.zip).


If you do not set up SB in DOS first, you will have to deal with isapnp.
I tried for a couple of hours to edit the isapnp.conf file produced by 
pnpdump (isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf) but kept getting IRQ or DMA or IO 
conflicts since I don't know what I am doing.

I think only the AWE part of SB (and maybe FM synthesis) needs to be 
initialized (in DOS with ctcm or in linux with isapnp) because I was able 
to play wav and mp3 files in linux after I booted DOS without system 
files.  I was also able to play wav and mp3 files on an Opti 931 (mad16) 
and an ESS 1868 (sb) in linux without initializing the sound card first.

The ES1868 has an IDE controller which would have to be disabled somehow 
if you want to use the onboard secondary controller in linux as hdc/hdd 
instead of hdf/hdg.  So do many other older isapnp cards.  The non-pnp ISA 
cards have jumpers to disable things with, much easier.


keesan at sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org