How can you find your sound cards MIDI capabilities?

hda7 · 08-27-2010, 03:24 PM

I have an internal PCI sound card, and I would like to find out what MIDI capabilities it has, if any. It is currently using the ens1370 ALSA driver. It has the standard Line in, Line out, and Mic jacks, as well as what appears to be a game port. I think it has some MIDI capabilities, because "cat /dev/snd/midiC0D0" does not fail with "no such device or address," but I don't know if it has MIDI input capabilities, or if it can synthesize, or what. Is there any way to tell?

cladisch · 09-14-2010, 08:59 AM

The ENS1370 does not have a MIDI synthesizer.

With a gameport-to-midi adapter, you might be able to connect to external MIDI devices.

hda7 · 09-20-2010, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cladisch

With a gameport-to-midi adapter, you might be able to connect to external MIDI devices.

Would I need an adapter that actively translates signals, or just two connectors hardwired together?

cladisch · 09-20-2010, 11:41 AM

The gameport use TTL signals, while MIDI uses a current loop and asks for optocouplers.

Wiring the gameport signals to the MIDI pins might work, if you're lucky, but you're supposed to do it like this: Make your own PC-Midi Adapter.

hda7 · 09-21-2010, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cladisch

The gameport use TTL signals, while MIDI uses a current loop and asks for optocouplers.

Wiring the gameport signals to the MIDI pins might work, if you're lucky, but you're supposed to do it like this: Make your own PC-Midi Adapter.

OK, Thanks. I forgot that MIDI is supposed to be opto-isolated.