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Be Aware of what yourAudience uses to Listen to MIDI |
| Background | |
| The MIDI Specification was developed by Manufacturers of Hardware and Software to establish protocols that would allow Synthesizers or any type of MIDI equipment and software to communicate with each other. In the case of Computers and software, the platform or operating system was immaterial, since the MIDI language was universal. | |
| Personally, I have been involved in Music all of my life. In 1987 I experienced the thrill of loading my first commercial MIDI file in an Atari ST computer, and also opening this file in a very early version of CakeWalk, one of todays most popular sequencing software packages. | |
| Although I only started producing midi recordings in mid 1997, I have followed the development and progress of MIDI avidly as applicable to the Personal Computer since 1988. | |
| Progress | |
| In 1991 the General Midi Level 1 Standard was established. This was a minimal implementation of the MIDI Specification used by manufacturers of Sound Cards and Synthesizers. In reality, it meant that by specificying a "Patch" number of "1" a Piano sound would always be played. There are 128 Instruments, each of which is allocated a specific number, in the GM standard. | |
| Unless you had other specific requirements in mind, the sound card installed in the majority of PC systems is the Creative Labs SoundBlaster. How well we remember those tinny, unrealistics instrument sounds. Bear in mind however, that the first sound cards were aimed at the "Gaming" public to add the element of sound to PC games. (Much like the first "talking" movies). | |
| Sound Cards Today | |
| Sound cards have evolved into highly sophisticated hardware, capable of reproducing very authentic sounding instruments. This is due to the advancements made in "sampling" the actual sounds of a particular instrument. | |
| Every sequencer of MIDI files has their own personal preference as to Sound Card, of which there are many outstanding examples. All of the current sound cards contain at least the GM Standard of instruments and Drum sounds as true samples. These sampled sounds, referred to as Wave-table synthesis, are stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM) chip on the card itself. | |
| Creative Labs introduced Wave-table synthesis in their AWE32 line of cards which could play notes polyphonically (more than one note at the same time on each channel) and multi-timbrally (16 channels simultaneously.) The AWE64, which is the newest version, incorporates an additional sythesizer, the Creative WaveSynth/WG. This is a software synthesizer that can be configured to handle an additional 32 instruments. This feature is of no use whatsover when creating General Midi files for the Web. | |
| The AWE64, referring to the capability of playing 64 notes at one time is somewhat misleading. Any sound card is only able to play 32 notes at a time. The additional 32 must be configured to play through an external sound module or synthesizer. Again, this serves no useful purpose on the Web. | |
| Additional Memory Chips and Daughterboards | |
| Additional Memory chips available for the AWE32/64 are NOT required for General Midi. The additional memory is used to store special instrument sounds which you create (Sound Fonts), or for storing Sound Fonts which you download or purchase. This also has no use on the web since you would have to supply your sound font in addition to the midi file in order to allow the listener to hear your special instrument creations. | |
| The Yamaha Daughterboard for AWE32. This, again, is a separate synthesizer which incorporates the Yamaha XG Instruments. Unless the visitor has a Daughterboard installed , has a Yamaha Synth or SoftSynth, they can not enjoy your XG files. | |
| Software Wave-table Synthesis | |
| In addition to sampled sounds contained on a ROM chip, with the advent of high-speed CPU's such as the Intel 200MMX chip, Software Synthesis has leaped ahead. You can upgrade an old SB16 card by installing software such as the Yamaha S-YXG50. So, instead of utilizing the old SB16 FM synthesis, the card transfers the midi data to a software synthesizer which in turn generates the sampled sound required. The Roland Virtual Sound Canvas is another example of Software synthesis. Both enable the user to hear true sampled sounds. The disadvantage is that software synthesis can not be used with any graphical program such as playing along on a software keyboard, as there is a delay of approximately 300 milliseconds from the time the note is sent to the software and the time when you actually hear the note. Software synthesis is an alternative to upgrading to the present generation of sound cards. Creative Labs now include Software synthesis on the CD Rom shipped with SB16 cards. | |
| So, what does all that mean to me? | |
| As a producer of MIDI songs for the Internet, you must be aware of how the user listens, and what do they use to listen to your files. | |
| My personal preference is the SoundBlaster AWE64, of which I purchased the most reasonable package available, the OEM version, which ships in a static-resistant envelope together with CD Rom for installation. Also on the CD is a fine MIDI Player, Wave editing software and the most complete documentation of any sound card. | |
| The AWE32/64 incorporates E-mu's (EMU8000) wave table of sounds. E-mu long being the leader in producing sampled sounds as incorporate in the E-mu line of professional synthesizers. | |
| The clarity and over-all tonal quality of the GM instruments is, in my humble opinion, outstanding. I have owned the Turtle Beach TBS2000 & Ensoniq cards, and currently have a Roland Sound Canvas, external module. In addition I have all of the software synthesizers installed which I can enable/disable for comparison purposes. | |
| Today the sound card installed in the majority of PC's is still the Sound Blaster. | |
| For those of you who are new to creating midi files for the web, we would urge you to listen to your work in more than one environment. You may be quite shocked at the results. If, for example, you use an external Roland Sound Canvas as your method of recording and listening, you should at least install one of the Sound cards, and additionally a software synthesizer to hear the differences in tonal quality and overall balance of the different instruments. | |
| Enabling/Disabling different sound cards/software synthesizers. | |
| With Windows 95, it is very simple to re-route playback of midi files to either an external sound module, sound card or software synthesizer for comparison purposes. | |
Each output source has its own specific "Driver". These drivers
can be accessed and changed at will.
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| Following is a partial view of the MultiMedia control panel after clicking on the MIDI tab. | |
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| From the above it will be noted that the driver currently assigned
to MIDI is the YAMAHA SXG50. To change this, simply click on any
of the other listed drivers to move it to the position under the "Single
Instrument" option . Click on the "Apply" button and then the "Close" buttom
(further down the panel, but not shown in this partial view.) The change
is effective as soon as you close the control panel and does not require
re-starting your system. Not shown (further down the list box) you will
find "MIDI for External MIDI Port". Select this to direct output to your
external synthesizer or sound module.
This assignment can also be done from within any MIDI Player, Sequencer software, Band-In-A-Box, Windows Media Player, etc. |
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| IMPORTANT! For the SoundBlaster AWE32/64, ensure that the driver you select is "AWE64 MIDI Synth". This enables the on-board E-mu sound samples contained in the 1 MB ROM chip, and is what everyone should use when listening to General Midi files.. | |
| Listening to MIDI on and off the web. | |
| With the ever-mushrooming number of people connecting to the Internet, there is a whole new breed of MIDI enthusiasts. People who simply enjoy music and have discovered that midi files are typically small and can be saved in great numbers without consuming their entire hard-drive. | |
| This, then, is your principal audience. Typically they have a SoundBlaster card connected to two small amplified speakers, and in addition they may have a sub-woofer. Anyone visiting a Midi site such as this should have at least a SB16 upgraded to include software wave-table synthesis. | |
| Serious Midiophiles usually have the Line-out jack of their sound card connected to a Stereo amplifier driving a pair of good stereo speakers. This is my personal recommendation if you really want to enjoy MIDI to its fullest. Many people have old Stereo systems just gathering dust, so what better way to put it to good use to enhance your listening experience! | |
| Les Gorven
Revised: December 9, 1999 |
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| Questions or comments? Write to Les | |
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