Opening XG MIDI files with Yamaha S-YXG50 VSTi

Hi, I used to have a DB50XG daughterboard and was very fond of listening to XG MIDI files, and I’ve just found the S-YXG50 VSTi, which to my ears sounds exactly the same as the DB50XG (though I don’t expect it can do QS300 emulation), and have been able to open XG MIDI songs in VSTHost, and they play back perfectly on the S-YXG50. Does anybody know how to make this work in Cubase Elements 7? I have downloaded the demo to test this out, as I would love to be able to use the S-YXG50 for writing songs (as well as using other VSTs).
I’ve imported some XG MIDI files into Cubase Elements 7, but when I add the S-YXG50 to one of the tracks, it plays back the piano sound, and presumably the SysEx Data track has to be played into the S-YXG50 first.
I’ve never used Cubase before, can anybody help me out? I think it’s a bit different to getting a MIDI file to play Windows built in soft synth, as of course, I’m using a VSTi version of the S-YXG50.
Just as an aside, I’ve had complex songs with 60 plus voices playing, only take up 0.6% CPU time, on my three year old i7 860! Quite amazing seeing at it’s all done in software.

Check in Preferences under MIDI/MIDI File/Import Options/Destination that it is set to “MIDI Tracks” and that “Auto-dissolve Format 0” is selected, that should load into individual tracks. XG files will have the correct Program Change embedded in each track. Set the output of each track to your VSTi.

Pity you don’t still have the DB50XG … it can be adapted to be an external MIDI expander with circuits like this. It’s also possible to fit into the box of the Terratec DMX 6-Fire, an older PCI soundcard and the built-in synth in the Axon AX 100 is actually on a Waveblaster connector, so it’s just a matter of exchanging it for a DB50XG.

I hadn’t come across the S-YXG50 before, but I’d say it’s pretty old software and I’m assuming it’s only 32-bit, so I wouldn’t care to test its stability on Windows 7 or 8 64-bit.

Thanks very much MrSoundman, it’s sort of worked. I can import the MIDI file and it plays back through the S-YXG50, (I add the S-YXG50 first, to a blank project, give it its own track, then import the MIDI file), but all the songs I have seem to ignore most of the XG effects, and they play back about one quarter slower than they should. Very odd.
I can see at the start of each MIDI file that each track has a small amount of data that is read (I see it in the tracks, and each track shows a ‘signal’ for a split second when you start playing the file), so it looks like the Sysex data is being read, just not properly. The instruments on each track are correct, but the effects aren’t - I’m not sure if there are any effects, or just a reduced amount of them - I’ll try to do some videos to show the difference between the playback on VSTHost and on Cubase Elements 7.

In VSTHost they play back perfectly. I can vouch that the S-YXG50 sounds EXACTLY the same as the DB50XG, as I made numerous MP3 files of my favourite XG MIDI files, played by my old DB50XG, before I sold it, and I’ve been comparing them to the same songs played throughthe S-YXG50 in VSTHost, and there is no difference. Unless my ears are deceiving me. Presumably the S-YXG50 doesn’t offer QS300 mode, and XG Gold wouldn’t work with it anyway, would it? (Maybe if I did some sort of clever MIDI looping with XG-Gold and VST Host? Probably pointless)

I forgot to say, I’m running Windows 8 64 bit, and the S-YXG50 VSTi is working very well - the only bug I’ve seen is in Cubase Elements 7, sometimes the GUI doesn’t display and it just shows a blank window, but it only displays the channels and levels anyway, you can’t do anything with it. But it’s certainly stable.

If you put your details in your sig it’ll be easier for people to give relevant answers. Are you running 64-bit or 32-bit Cubase Elements? Assuming S-YXG50 is a 32-bit plugin, you’ll have problems hosting it in 64-bit Cubase, especially if it’s using a VST version older than 2.4 (you can find this in the plug-in information window).

Hi MrSoundman, I’ve added my specs. to my signature, sorry about that. Do you know how I ‘thank’ you for your posts? I can see that you’ve been ‘thanked’ by others, but I can’t work out how to do it myself.
I think the S-YXG50 must be a 64 bit plug in, because it runs fine in Cubase Elements 7, and in VSTHost. Where is the plug-in information window? Do you mean the GUI?
Anyway, it’s almost working, I’ve just listened to another song, and I’m pretty sure it has no effects at all, everything else is the same as when played properly in VSTHost, so maybe there is another setting I need to change to make it recognise the sysex commands in the first bar of each track.

Thanks, it’s the little “thumbs up” icon …

I seriously doubt this, as it appears to have been discontinued nearly 10 years ago.

64-bit Cubase can “bridge” 32-bit plugins (but not very well, especially if the plugin was not developed with the VST 2.4 version of the SDK (software development kit). I also suspect you have the 32-bit version of VSTHost installed (vsthostx86) which will “see” 32-bit plugins without any problem.

In Cubase, in the Devices menu, select Plug-in Information. Look in the SDK column to find out what version S-YXG50 uses.

@mosis I know this is a pretty old thread, but I’m just wondering where you got a version of S-YXG50 that works on Windows 8 64bit? I have a few FL Studio projects I started on my laptop, which has Windows XP and they use S-YXG50, but everything I read says it doesn’t work on newer versions of Windows. If you could help me out it would be a huge help, cheers.