diff --git a/src/sound/mididevices/music_wildmidi_mididevice.cpp b/src/sound/mididevices/music_wildmidi_mididevice.cpp
index f294fecfa..5fa57b9bd 100644
--- a/src/sound/mididevices/music_wildmidi_mididevice.cpp
+++ b/src/sound/mididevices/music_wildmidi_mididevice.cpp
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 
 #include "i_musicinterns.h"
 #include "doomerrors.h"
+#include "i_soundfont.h"
 
 // MACROS ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -123,6 +124,13 @@ WildMIDIDevice::WildMIDIDevice(const char *args, int samplerate)
 			WildMidi_Shutdown();
 			CurrentConfig = "";
 		}
+
+		auto reader = sfmanager.OpenSoundFont(CurrentConfig, SF_GUS);
+		if (reader == nullptr)
+		{
+			I_Error("WildMidi: Unable to open sound font %s\n", CurrentConfig.GetChars());
+		}
+
 		if (!WildMidi_Init(args, SampleRate, 0))
 		{
 			CurrentConfig = args;
diff --git a/src/sound/wildmidi/file_io.cpp b/src/sound/wildmidi/file_io.cpp
index 723359856..0cdca4c79 100644
--- a/src/sound/wildmidi/file_io.cpp
+++ b/src/sound/wildmidi/file_io.cpp
@@ -42,20 +42,7 @@
 #include "i_soundfont.h"
 
 std::unique_ptr<FSoundFontReader> wm_sfreader;
-static FString config_name;
 
-bool _WM_InitReader(const char *config_file)
-{
-	auto reader = sfmanager.OpenSoundFont(config_file, SF_GUS);
-	if (reader == nullptr)
-	{
-		_WM_ERROR(__FUNCTION__, __LINE__, WM_ERR_LOAD, config_file, errno);
-		return false;	// No sound font could be opened.
-	}
-	wm_sfreader.reset(reader);
-	config_name = config_file;
-	return true;
-}
 
 unsigned char *_WM_BufferFile(const char *filename, unsigned long int *size) 
 {
@@ -64,7 +51,7 @@ unsigned char *_WM_BufferFile(const char *filename, unsigned long int *size)
 	if (filename == nullptr)
 	{
 		fp = wm_sfreader->OpenMainConfigFile();
-		filename = config_name;
+		filename = wm_sfreader->MainConfigFileName();
 	}
 	else
 	{
diff --git a/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.cpp b/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.cpp
index 0a9adb496..d0441cc00 100644
--- a/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.cpp
+++ b/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
 #include "reverb.h"
 #include "gus_pat.h"
 #include "wildmidi_lib.h"
-#include "files.h"
 #include "i_soundfont.h"
 
 #define IS_DIR_SEPARATOR(c)	((c) == '/' || (c) == '\\')
@@ -663,21 +662,13 @@ static int WM_LoadConfig(const char *config_file, bool main) {
 	int token_count = 0;
 	auto config_parm = config_file;
 
-	FileReader fr;
-	if (main)
-	{
-		if (!_WM_InitReader(config_file)) return -1;	// unable to open this as a config file.
-		config_parm = nullptr;
-	}
-
 	config_buffer = (char *)_WM_BufferFile(config_parm, &config_size);
 	if (!config_buffer) {
 		WM_FreePatches();
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	FString bp = wm_sfreader->basePath();
-	if (config_parm == nullptr) config_file = bp.GetChars();	// Re-get the base path because for archives this is empty.
+	if (config_parm == nullptr) config_file = wm_sfreader->basePath().GetChars();	// Re-get the base path because for archives this is empty.
 
 	// This part was rewritten because the original depended on a header that was GPL'd.
 	dir_end = strrchr(config_file, '/');
@@ -2502,20 +2493,16 @@ WildMidi_GetString(unsigned short int info) {
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_Init(const char * config_file, unsigned short int rate,
+WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_Init(FSoundFontReader *reader, unsigned short int rate,
 		unsigned short int options) {
 	if (WM_Initialized) {
 		_WM_ERROR(__FUNCTION__, __LINE__, WM_ERR_ALR_INIT, NULL, 0);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	if (config_file == NULL) {
-		_WM_ERROR(__FUNCTION__, __LINE__, WM_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
-				"(NULL config file pointer)", 0);
-		return -1;
-	}
 	WM_InitPatches();
-	if (WM_LoadConfig(config_file, true) == -1) {
+	wm_sfreader.reset(reader);
+	if (WM_LoadConfig(nullptr, true) == -1) {
 		return -1;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.h b/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.h
index b5aa79849..c5d27f595 100644
--- a/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.h
+++ b/src/sound/wildmidi/wildmidi_lib.h
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ struct _WM_Info {
 typedef void midi;
 
 WM_SYMBOL const char * WildMidi_GetString (unsigned short int info);
-WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_Init (const char * config_file, unsigned short int rate, unsigned short int options);
+WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_Init (FSoundFontReader *reader, unsigned short int rate, unsigned short int options);
 WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_MasterVolume (unsigned char master_volume);
 WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_SetOption (midi * handle, unsigned short int options, unsigned short int setting);
 WM_SYMBOL int WildMidi_Close (midi * handle);