MIDI Yoke Junction NT

Version 1.71
DRAFT: 09-21-02

Description
MIDI YOKE NT is a MIDI Patch Cable driver. It is a Windows (versions NT4, 2000, XP)
multimedia driver. If you are using any other version of Windows (example: Win 95, 98, ME),
you should obtain the midiyoke.exe package from http://www.midiox.com/, rather than this
package (myokent.exe).
MIDI YOKE is used to connect any Windows MIDI Application outputs to any other
Applications inputs. The MIDI data stream is passed directly from output to input -- Example:
[ Sequencer

Out ]==>[ Out MIDI Yoke In ]==>[ In MIDI-OX 32 ]

Another:
[MIDI Keyboard In]==>[In MIDI-OX Out]==>[Out MIDI Yoke In]==>[In Sequencer]
This allows you to connect the MIDI output from one program to the MIDI input of a different
program. MIDI Yoke can be configured to provide a varying number of MIDI Ports (from 1 to 8).
In addition, each port allows multiple opens of both input and outputs: up to 3 openings per port.
This flexibility provides for almost any configuration imaginable.

MIDI Feedback
The powerful nature of MIDI Yoke requires that a bit of care be exercised in it's use: do not
connect the outputs of one port to the same number inputs within a single application. If you do,
it will cause MIDI feedback -- this phenomena will bring a computer to it's knees, and likely
crash the system.
Version 1.50+ of MIDI Yoke attempts to detect MIDI feedback by any of 3 configurable methods.
The first method was supported in previous versions: it simply sends an undefined controller
number out the input port every so often (once every 50 messages). It looks at the output port to
see if the controller shows up: if it does it assumes MIDI feedback and disables the driver. The
second (new) method analyzes the rate of messages traveling through the driver. If they exceed a
certain threshold (2048 messages per second by default), the driver assumes MIDI feedback and
disables the driver. The third (new) method combines the previous two: it analyzes the data rate.
If the rate exceeds the threshold, the driver sends an undefined controller out the input. If the
controller shows up at the output, MIDI feedback is detected, and the driver is disabled.

To recover from any of these conditions, simply close all connections attached to both ends of the
particular MIDI Yoke port. After that the port may be reopened (but common sense would dictate
that you should configure the routing differently).

Re-installation
If you are re-installing MIDI Yoke, you need to first de-install and remove the existing driver via
the Multimedia applet, Devices tab: Select MIDI Yoke 1, and press [Remove]. After you have
removed MIDI Yoke, you need to reboot the system - if you don't the existing driver will still be
in memory and won't let you increase your ports. After reboot, follow the installation directions,
and then reboot again. A pictorial series for Windows 2000 is available on the MIDI-OX
Website: http://www.midiox.com.
If you used the automatic installer, the driver will not be displayed in plain sight in the Sounds
And Audio Devices Property, Hardware TAB, but is listed inside the Legacy Audio Drivers
line in that dialog. Expand those properties to get to the driver configuration. It can also be
reached in the System applet: Hardware, Device Manager, Legacy Audio Drivers, Properties.
You need to access it from there to adjust or Remove it.

Installation
A self-extracting automatic installer has been developed for those having trouble installing the
driver under Windows NT 4: myntauto.exe. The automatic installer appears to work on
machines for which the original installer also works. Get it from the MIDI Yoke page at
http://www.midiox.com/myoke.htm
If you use the automatic installer (mynauto.exe), the driver will not be displayed in plain sight in
the Sounds And Audio Devices Property, Hardware TAB, but is listed inside the Legacy
Audio Drivers line in that dialog. Expand those properties to get to the driver configuration. It
can also be reached in the System applet: Hardware, Device Manager, Legacy Audio Drivers,
Properties. You need to access it from there to adjust or Remove it.
For all Windows NT versions: make sure you don't leave an expanded MYOKENT.DLL in your
MIDI-OX directory: If Windows NT finds this file it attempts to load it instead of the system one,
and anomalies result. So delete all myokent.dll files after install except the one in system32.
Windows XP

Windows XP install is similar to Windows 2000. An annotated pictorial series is available on the
MIDI-OX website if needed: http://www.midiox.com.
Windows 2000

Under Windows 2000, use the Control Panel Add/Remove Hardware to install MIDI Yoke NT.
Click Next... Choose (*) Add/Troubleshoot. Click Next... Choose Add a new Device. Click
Next... Choose (*) No, I want to select the Hardware from a list. Choose Sound, Video and
Game Controllers. Click Next... Press [Have Disk]. Browse to the directory containing the
drivers (myokent.dll and oemsetup.inf). Select the MIDI Yoke NT driver from the list. Make

sure you don't leave an expanded MYOKENT.DLL in your MIDI-OX directory: If Windows NT
finds this file it attempts to load it instead of the system one, and anomalies result. It's perfectly
okay to leave the compressed version in your MIDI-OX directory (MYOKENT.DL_). An
annotated pictorial series is on the web-site: http://www.midiox.com.
Windows NT

Under Windows NT, use the Control Panel Multimedia Applet to install MIDI Yoke NT. Select
the Advanced tab, highlight the MIDI Devices and Instruments section, and press Add. Choose
Unlisted or Updated driver, and browse to the directory containing the drivers (myokent.dll
and oemsetup.inf). Select the MIDI Yoke NT driver from the list. Make sure you don't leave an
expanded MYOKENT.DLL in your MIDI-OX directory: If Windows NT finds this file it attempts
to load it instead of the system one, and anomalies result. It's perfectly okay to leave the
compressed version in your MIDI-OX directory (MYOKENT.DL_)

Release Notes
1.71

This release changes the following:

The driver creates threads on behalf of each application that opens it. The priority class
and priority have been reduced to normal levels.
The timeout value after issuing a driver close has been reduced to 1 second (from 3
seconds).
The driver has been included in the self extractor in an uncompressed format. This may
help some people who had trouble installing the previous driver.

1.70

The Driver has been versioned to 1.70 to differentiate it from the Windows 9x driver. This
release fixes two items:

A SysEx buffer bug has been repaired. When the buffers on the input application
attachment were smaller than those on the output application attachment, data was not
always split correctly into separate buffers.
If an attached application crashed, the associated MIDI Yoke slot would become
orphaned and unavailable for further use until the system was rebooted. We now
attempt to clean up any orphaned attachments the next time a MIDI Yoke port is opened.

1.59

The Windows NT4, 2000, XP version of MIDI Yoke will now present 8 different input and output
ports. Each port can be opened by to 3 applications at each end (input and output).
1.56

The MIDI Yoke NT drivers have been updated and are versioned as 1.56, but they are still Beta
drivers: there are still some known quirks associated with its use.

VENDOR INFORMATION
MIDI Yoke driver may not be re-distributed without obtaining prior written permission. Since
MIDI Yoke is freeware, our only means of compensation will come from commercial distribution
of it. We welcome any and all proposals from individuals or corporations that would like to
commercially distribute MIDI Yoke along with their other products.

Contact
JamieOConnell@midiox.com

DISCLAIMER
MIDI YOKE JUNCTION DRIVER is provided without any warranty, expressed or
implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular purpose.