why cant my pc use my joystick port for midi???

[coplinger]

I have the joystick port, I have the cable, but my pc & all of its software doesn't see the joystick port as a midi out device. Is this a driver issue? BTW the port is on my epox 8kha+ mobo.

[Grotius]

I'm basically a newbie, so what do I know, but I suppose one possibility is that you might have more luck with the joystick port on a soundcard as opposed to the motherboard. I take it your soundcard has neither a joystick port nor a MIDI port?

[AlChuck]

You're on the right track. A MIDI port is not the same as a joystick port, but a joystick port can be implemented in such a way that, with the proper adapter for cabling, it can be used as a MIDI port. This is how the Sound Blaster was designed and most consumner soundcards follow this model.

It might be possible that an onboard sound chip can leverage a game port as a MIDI interface, but if your device had that capability a MIDI In and Out port should be present in the list of devices. I have a laptop at work with a on-board sound chip and it appears that there is no MIDI interface.

I suppose it's also possible that there might be a third-party software app that allows a generic game port to be used as a MIDI interface...

[coplinger]

I figured it out-in the BIOS for the mobo, there was an option to disable the port for MIDI. I just had to enable it. Thanks all.