KSPROPSETID_Synth_Dls

The KSPROPSETID_Synth_Dls property set contains properties that are used to download DLS samples and instruments to a MIDI synthesizer. These are the properties of a synth node (KSNODETYPE_SYNTHESIZER) on a DirectMusic pin of a DirectMusic filter (see MIDI and DirectMusic Filters).

This section describes the behavior of these properties with regard to how they download and unload "chunks" of memory containing DLS data. The actual format of the downloaded instrument and wave data chunks is specified in the low-level DLS discussion in the Microsoft Windows SDK documentation.

DLS downloads and unloads can occur at any time during the pin's existence. Unlike DirectMusic events, they are not time-stamped and should be processed as soon as possible.

In this section, the term DLS resource, or just resource, refers to either a DLS instrument chunk or a DLS wave chunk. The system properly maintains reference counts on all DLS resources:

  • When a client unloads the last instrument referencing a wave, the system automatically generates a call to unload the wave.

  • Conversely, the system defers the call to unload a wave until the client unloads the last instrument referencing the wave.

Property items in this set are specified by KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS enumeration values, as defined in header file Dmusprop.h.

Usage Summary Table

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_APPEND property specifies the amount of reserved storage space that the client appends to the DLS data in each buffer that it downloads to the synthesizer.

Get Set Target Property descriptor type Property value type

Yes

No

Pin

KSNODEPROPERTY

ULONG

The property value (operation data) is of type ULONG and specifies the number of bytes that the miniport driver needs to reserve for its own use at the end of each downloaded DLS data buffer. The client then allocates each download buffer to be large enough to contain the requested number of bytes after the end of the downloaded data.

Return Value

A KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_APPEND property request returns STATUS_SUCCESS to indicate that it has completed successfully. Otherwise, the request returns an appropriate error status code. The following table shows some of the possible error codes.

Status Code Meaning

STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL

The operation did not complete successfully.

These additional bytes are intended for drivers that need extra padding for alignment requirements or to replicate the start of a sample in order to simplify sample interpolation.

Usage Summary Table

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_COMPACT property is a request for the synthesizer to make available the largest possible chunk of free sample memory.

Get Set Target Property descriptor type Property value type

No

Yes

Pin

KSNODEPROPERTY

None

No property value (operation data) is associated with this property.

Return Value

A KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_COMPACT property request returns STATUS_SUCCESS to indicate that it has completed successfully. Otherwise, the request returns an appropriate error status code. The following table shows some of the possible error codes.

Status Code Meaning

STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL

The operation did not complete successfully.

The implementation of the handler for this property should not interrupt playback.

For more information, see the description of the IDirectMusicPort::Compact method in the Microsoft Windows SDK documentation.

Usage Summary Table

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_DOWNLOAD property is used to download DLS data to the synthesizer.

Get Set Target Property descriptor type Property value type

Yes

No

Pin

KSNODEPROPERTY + SYNTH_BUFFER

SYNTHDOWNLOAD

The property descriptor (instance data) consists of a KSNODEPROPERTY structure that is immediately followed by a SYNTH_BUFFER structure, which specifies the location and size of the DLS data buffer that is being downloaded.

The property value (operation data) is a SYNTHDOWNLOAD structure. The miniport driver passes back the following information in this structure:

  • A handle that the miniport driver generates to uniquely identify the downloaded DLS data. This client should save this handle and use it later to unload the data (see KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_UNLOAD).

  • A Boolean value that indicates whether the client can free the buffer containing the DLS data after the property request completes. If the miniport driver has made its own copy of the DLS data, the client can free the buffer. Otherwise, if the miniport driver continues to use the client's original DLS data buffer, the client should not free the buffer until the miniport driver unloads the DLS data.

Return Value

A KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_DOWNLOAD property request returns STATUS_SUCCESS to indicate that it has completed successfully. Otherwise, the request returns an appropriate error status code. The following table shows some of the possible error codes.

Status Code Meaning

STATUS_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL

The buffer was too small to complete the operation.

STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL

The operation did not complete successfully.

STATUS_NO_MEMORY

No memory is available to complete this request.

For more information, see the discussion of the IDirectMusicPort::DownloadInstrument method in the Microsoft Windows SDK documentation.

Example

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_DOWNLOAD property request specifies the location of the DLS download data with a user memory address. The miniport driver should probe and lock the user memory containing the DLS data before attempting to access it. The following example code shows how to do this:

  NTSTATUS Status = STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL;
  PSYNTH_BUFFER pDlsBuffer = (PSYNTH_BUFFER)pRequest->Instance;
  PMDL pMdl = IoAllocateMdl(pDlsBuffer->BufferAddress, pDlsBuffer->BufferSize,
                            FALSE, FALSE, NULL);
  if (pMdl)
  {
      __try
      {
          MmProbeAndLockPages(pMdl, KernelMode, IoReadAccess);
          PVOID pvUserData = MmGetSystemAddressForMdlSafe(pMdl, NormalPagePriority);
 
         // do something with the data here
      }
      __except (EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER)
      {
          Status = GetExceptionCode();
      }
 
      MmUnlockPages(pMdl);
      IoFreeMdl(pMdl);
  }
  else
  {
      Status = STATUS_NO_MEMORY;
  }

Usage Summary Table

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_UNLOAD property unloads a DLS data resource that was previously downloaded.

Get Set Target Property descriptor type Property value type

No

Yes

Pin

KSNODEPROPERTY

HANDLE

The property value (operation data) is of type HANDLE and contains the handle of the downloaded DLS data resource that is to be freed. This is the handle that the miniport driver generated to identify the DLS data in a previous KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_DOWNLOADget-property request.

Return Value

A KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_UNLOAD property request returns STATUS_SUCCESS to indicate that it has completed successfully. Otherwise, the request returns an appropriate error status code. The following table shows some of the possible error codes.

Status Code Meaning

STATUS_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL

The buffer was too small to complete the operation.

STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL

The operation did not complete successfully.

STATUS_PENDING

The operation will complete at a later time.

The miniport driver should unload the DLS data as soon as there are no notes playing that use the DLS data. If the synthesizer is not able to free the memory associated with the DLS data resource at the time of the KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_UNLOAD set-property request, it can use asynchronous property completion to finish the request at a later time.

If, after unloading the DLS data resource, the synthesizer receives a note-on event that uses the resource, the miniport driver should ignore the event unless a new DLS data resource has been downloaded in the interim.

For more information, see the discussion of the IDirectMusicPort::UnloadInstrument method in the Microsoft Windows SDK documentation.

Usage Summary Table

The KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_WAVEFORMAT property is used to query the synthesizer for its output wave format.

Get Set Target Property descriptor type Property value type

Yes

No

Pin

KSNODEPROPERTY

WAVEFORMATEX

The property value (operation data) is of type WAVEFORMATEX and specifies the wave format of the synthesizer's output stream.

Return Value

A KSPROPERTY_SYNTH_DLS_WAVEFORMAT property request returns STATUS_SUCCESS to indicate that it has completed successfully. Otherwise, the request returns an appropriate error status code. The following table shows some of the possible error codes.

Status Code Meaning

STATUS_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL

The buffer was too small to complete the operation.

A property-value buffer of sizeof(WAVEFORMATEX) bytes might not be large enough for all wave formats. For example, a multichannel format requires a buffer of sizeof(WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE) bytes. If the property request returns a status code of STATUS_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL, the client can check the property-value size that the miniport driver outputs, allocate a larger buffer, and then submit a second request.

For more information, see the description of the IDirectMusicPort::GetFormat method in the Microsoft Windows SDK documentation.