Midi Sound effects?

[Revan]

hi just wondering if anyone knows of any site that lets you download free midi sond fx?

[BOYD1981]

some soundcards do already have sound effects banks.
if you mean like the type used in old games (i think dune 2 used them for explosions) then that isn't normal midi, it's adlib and the sounds are usually created by the card rather than being samples (FM synthesis, like the keyboards of old)...

[InCreator]

some soundcards do already have sound effects banks.

Don't they all have some? Isn't midi simply the command list for soundcard which built-in instrument to use and how?

[EldKatt]

Don't they all have some? Isn't midi simply the command list for soundcard which built-in instrument to use and how?

Well, the final 8 patches in the General MIDI patch list are sound effects--all GM-compatible soundcards (that is essentially every modern soundcard) have these, of course. But some soundcards have additional banks (sets of 128 patches) that might contain more sound effects. Some also have a percussion patch with lots of sound effects mapped. MIDI in practice isn't quite as standardized as it may seem at first. Many (or perhaps most) soundcards have additional features that are not in the GM standard, and then there are several other expanded standards, most notably Yamaha's XG. MIDI in itself is a pretty abstract skeleton.

But I digress. I'll shut up now.

[Paper Carnival]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but shouldn't there be any software alternative to Microsoft GS SW synth that would sound more reallistic?

[xenogia]

If you have a Sound Blaster Live or any other compatible sound card that supports Sound Fonts.  You can use these instead of the fundamental samples that are included on the sound card.  They are much more realisitic but take up a ridiculous amount of ram.  You will need at least 512 mb of ram minimum to run the really good ones.  Have a look at the website and download a few.

http://www.soundfonts.it/

But remember this will only work if you include the soundfont for download with your game, and if the end user's soundcard can support it.

[modgeulator]

If you don't have an SBLive you can use a freeware soundfont player called sfz and another program called MIDI Yoke to get Windows to play on it. Unfortunately that's a bit of an involved process to set up. I could go through it if anyone's really interested. You'll have to set it up again every single time you want to play something through it.
Roland and Yamaha used to make commercial software synth device drivers that could be used as an alternative to the Microsoft GS synth but I think they've been discontinued now.

[xenogia]

If you have a Creative Labs card (such as the sound blaster range) go to www.kxproject.com.  I would have to see these are the best drivers for the card with low latency and easy setup of soundfonts also.