virtualbox.org

I have a 32-bit Windows 7 host and I'm trying to run virtual Windows 98.

I use old sequencer software that won't run in Windows 7. The MIDI hardware interface is very basic, and uses a USB port. It works on the host.

Can a guest OS use a USB port for MIDI like this?

The USB hardware is presented to the guest, so in theory any USB device is accessible, if you have guest OS drivers for it. If it's very fussy about timing however then it may not work well in a VM.

Thanks. O-kay, well, theory is a good start, but I can see why this wouldn't be a popular experience to have input on. It's worth a try, though I think my odds are slim. Thus far I'm amazed that resource-wise VirtualBox runs effortlessly while the host machine isn't all that speedy (1.66 GHz Intel Atom w/1GB RAM).

It seems like the host machine could be a lot faster if 98 in a VM just zooms (though thus far I'm only in DOS).

I was hoping to use the host OS drivers (automatic in Windows 7, thus very easy). Doing the exact same job, the only drivers I've used otherwise are for the 9-pin serial port or game port on the original hardware. I've never tried USB, thus don't know if it's possible, and of course new computers don't have 9-pin ports.

Optimistically, MIDI is relatively undemanding bandwidth wise, so if there's a timing problem, it would have to be inevitable. MIDI files typically range in the low thousands of kilobytes, so that's all your transmitting, over the course of several minutes.

The VM should be thought of as a separate PC, so you need separate drivers for it. All the host will do is connect the generic USB device to the VM at the lowest level, i.e. an ability to communicate. Application level drivers (i.e. something that makes this a MIDI device as opposed to some other kind of USB device) will still need to be installed.

If the device has an option to connect to a serial port on the host then the VM does have a separate virtual serial port feature.

Sounds useful but it also seems like a match is required, i.e., serial virtual port -> serial host port. The newer host hardware only has USB ports, so somehow a serial driver in the guest would have to talk to a physical USB on the host.

Winjas wrote:The newer host hardware only has USB ports, so somehow a serial driver in the guest would have to talk to a physical USB on the host.

USB/serial adapters for any current host are quite common. Serial ports may have died in the home and office, but they are still heavily used in industry and science.

The native serial port of a PC cannot be used for MIDI, because the baudrate of 31.25k is not supported.
If there is a MIDI port on the host or another computer, MIDI over Ethernet can be used for the guest.
Otherwise an USB MIDI adapter is the only solution I know of, and they all work pretty well including a VM, and far exceed the problems with latency in the sound system.

jorgensen wrote:The native serial port of a PC cannot be used for MIDI, because the baudrate of 31.25k is not supported.
If there is a MIDI port on the host or another computer, MIDI over Ethernet can be used for the guest.
Otherwise an USB MIDI adapter is the only solution I know of, and they all work pretty well including a VM, and far exceed the problems with latency in the sound system.

I don't know what happened, but I posted a reply to this and it disappeared.

I'll have to abbreviate: There is serial MIDI. MIDI over Ethernet sounds intriguing. And though no experience in a virtual machine, the latency I experience is usually related to the dragon called audio. If MIDI works at all it should be a cake.