Thread: MIDI sounds

  1. #1
    i want wookie cookies the Wookie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    455

    MIDI sounds

    anyone know of a way to change your midi sounds so they sound less midi-ish and more real-ish...like the midi libraries. i heard you can do it, something lik soundfonts..but i think thats for soundforge only, but yeah that would be cool. i have an audigy if that matters (which it probably does)

    so any ideas?

  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Posts
    4,912
    Well I've been doing a bit of composing lateley, using The Midi Maker, and I had the same problem where it sounded very midi-ish. If this is something you're making on your own and you're not just modifying existing MIDI files, I found that by overlapping every note you could make everything flow a lot smoother, and it sounded just like I was actually playing the piano. It won't work completely for some things, but give it a try.

  3. #3
    i want wookie cookies the Wookie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    455
    i using guitar pro to lay out some tabs...mainly i want he guitars/bass to sound better...well the bass isn't too bad, but mainly the guitars. how do you overlap notes?

  4. #4
    Programming Sex-God Polymorphic OOP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    1,078
    If you have any sound blaster sound card from the past 6 years or so then you can use soundfonts. The Audigy is one of those, so you can use soundfonts. You don't need any extra software, it works globally on your system with all midi's when you change your soundfont Also, the DLS (downloadable sounds) format is picking up a bit. It's pretty well established, though harder to find pre-made instruments for than soundfonts, but work just as well, and you don't need a soundblaster to use them. DirectX's DirectMusic uses them with their music formats and the DirectMusic music editor editor comes with a DLS editor as well, so you can make them for free. The editor allows for importing midi's as well. Bank changes are all localized and the DLS format is much more portable, so you're best off using it if you want to distribute your music as midis and have them sound properly. If you're just interested in having them sound good on your computer, then soundfonts do just fine.

    You can get DirectMusic Producer here. It's free, extremely powerful, and easy to use. You can do all neat stuff like creating patterns, randomly varying music, its own audio scripting, realtime DLS instrument changes, audio environments, 3D support, dynamic looping, and a lot more. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a programmer as well as a musician.
    Last edited by Polymorphic OOP; 03-09-2003 at 11:51 AM.

  5. #5
    i want wookie cookies the Wookie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    455
    cool, thanks..do you know of any places to get soundfonts? ive found places but you gotta pay up

    checking out the producer now..

  6. #6
    Programming Sex-God Polymorphic OOP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    1,078
    http://www.thesoundsite.net/

    is the best free site that I know of, though they limit your downloads to 1 at a time and the downloads are pretty slow (least thats what it used to be like. I haven't downloaded any in a while). They have a pretty large amount of instruments there of varying quality. It's a great site.

  7. #7
    i want wookie cookies the Wookie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    455
    yeah downloads are pretty slow...so when i add in a soundbank itll just add more instruments using that file? im reading the background info over on soundfont.com..sounds cool

  8. #8
    Programming Sex-God Polymorphic OOP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    1,078
    I don't have a soundblaster anymore now that I'm in college so I can't give you step by step instructions for loading them, also, I had a Sound Blaster Live! so it's prolly a little different. If the audigy software is anything like Live!'s then open up audio hq and select Soundfonts. You can load as many soundfonts at once as your memory allows. When ever you make a soundfont active you have to "overlap" an existing instrument, so be sure to be logical about it -- overlap a guitar with a new soundfont guitar or a piano with a new soundfont piano. Also, if you're going to get new soundfonts, make sure you get them for all the instruments in the song or else it usually sounds unbalanced in quality. It's tough to find a mix of good instruments.

  9. #9
    i want wookie cookies the Wookie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    455
    no prob...ive loaded them in, just figuring out how to actually use them now..lol

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Guitar Hero ALSA MIDI output
    By redxine in forum Linux Programming
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-24-2009, 11:03 PM
  2. Intercept the MIDI Out
    By MattMik in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10-18-2007, 02:05 AM
  3. Playing a Midi. (win32 console) (MSVC++)
    By knave in forum Windows Programming
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 05-17-2003, 10:40 AM
  4. Converting from MIDI to WAV/DLLs
    By sean in forum A Brief History of Cprogramming.com
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 10-27-2002, 11:31 AM
  5. Sounds, or no sounds?
    By face_master in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 09-03-2001, 05:29 PM