It all worked up to Windows 7, but getting worst version by version: This chain worked well: default users had a working MIDI synthesis out of the box. There are a lot of softwares around without a configurable output device (think about game emulators and Active Movie based players, like Windows Media Player and MediaPlayer classic): they all use #0 by default.ĭevice #0 is MIDIMapper -> MIDIMapper is configured to use MGWS -> MGWS will play your MIDI. your MIDI player) starts playing, it should select a MIDI out device otherwise #0 is used. So on Windows XP, programmers had 2 well known devices: #0 (MIDIMapper) and #1 (MGWS), the former preconfigured to use the latter. MGWS is a (low quality) software wave synth, installed as MIDI out device #1. MIDIMapper, as said, was bundled with Windows, installed as MIDI device #0 and preconfigured to use the first available 'real' device, usually the well-known Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth ( MGWS from now on).Īnother MIDI device was bundled, the well known Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth ( MGWS from now on). MIDIMapper was not real device but sort of 'pipe': it receives a MIDI stream on its input and drive it to an user configured (real) MIDI Out device. Users were able to select their default MIDI Out device from a list of all installed MIDI devices.īased of this choice, all programs that were outputting a MIDI data stream (and had not selected a specific MIDI Out device) had their stream played by the selected device. Let's get back to Windows XP era, where MIDI was 'exposed' to the public and it had its own place into 'Sound and Multimedia' control panel application.

It can be managed with a configuration panel accessible from Control Panel or its Start menu icon.ĬoolSoft MIDIMapper is not only a configurator for the well known MIDI registry keys (because that 'hack' stopped working from Windows 8, see below) but a full alternative to (the now missing) Microsoft MIDI Mapper. It installs as a MIDI Output device and forces itself as MIDI device #0 (read below for an explanation). CoolSoft MIDIMapper is the missing (and needed) MIDI Mapper for Windows 8, 10, 11.

Microsoft midi mapper driver windows 7