SW1000XG - anyone still using it?

[3dmus]

...and if so, are you using it successfully with a relatively recent motherboard?

Reason I'm asking is that I recently installed my old SW1000XG card in my EP45 (Gigabyte) motherboard, mainly for XG MIDI duties (digital out going into my main Echo MIA card). Thing is, it works fine for a while, but when I play around with it a bit with XGedit/XGPad and Reaper, it mostly BSODs in less than 20 minutes.

When checking the minidump, it appears it's related to the driver (yswds.sys). I realise this is NOT a Reaper problem btw.

I have read about PCI voltage incompatibility (not supporting older 5V cards), can't seem to find out what PCI voltage my motherboard (EP45-DS3) supports.

I would love to be able to use my old card again! Sure, there are so many VSTi's out there with millions of MB etc, but there's just something about the SW1000XG. Plus, there doesn't seem to be any true XG VSTi out there (I'm aware of the old Yamaha soft synths, but they don't seem to be sold anymore?)

Any insight would be appreciated.

cheers, 3dmus.

[mpoirier]

Hi,

Unfortunately, I am afraid there is not much you can do about it.

I sold mine a couple years ago and got some E-MU modules instead, vintage but external MIDI modules, no problem. I am affraid the 29ms latency is a bit outdated on this card. It may not be able to follow newer motherboards throughput...

I loved my SW1000XG, but at some point you may be better off trying something new and stop worrying about technical difficulties and make music !

Michel

[corazon]

Just use an old free P3 or cheapo p4 and consider it a rectangular synth, since you're already used to recording its outputs. Even old LCD monitors are on the cheap, or at the computer recycle center.
Cheers

[Dame Celia Molestrangler]

Mine is working fine on an ASUS mobo with an Intel Dual Core CPU.

As for latency? Who would use it for audio these days anyway?

Mine outputs (MIDI only) via SPDIF to the digital in of my Emu1212m (and Audiophile2496 before it). I don't use it as often as I used to but it does get used. Stable as you like - always has been.

[Tale]

My SW1000XG also still works just fine. Of course my mainboard isn't exactly new anymore, but it's not that old (it's an ASUS P5LD2 SE Core 2 Duo mainboard).

A while ago I also experienced blue-screens, in REAPER of all apps. It turned out I had to "Restrict MIDI hardware output to one thread" under Prefernces > MIDI Devices. Everything has been just fine again ever since. So if your blue-screen only appears when REAPER is also active, then perhaps this setting will also solve your problem.

Originally Posted by Dame Celia Molestrangler

As for latency? Who would use it for audio these days anyway?

When I started using REAPER I made a couple of test recordings through the SW1000XG, which worked quite well. If I remember correctly the latency was 128 samples or so, not too bad. Of course the SW1000XG supports only 16-bit audio, which is why indeed I don't use it for audio anymore.