Hi! I am an occasional listener of MIDI files and would like to improve how they sound. When I had Windows XP I did know the onboard sound system was using synthesis. Now, with Windows 7 hiding the setting from the Control Panel, I can only guess it is also synthesising because it keeps sounding as bad. I understand instruments can sound more realistic by using a wavetable: a bank with samples of real instruments. Can you point me to any free implementation? Any quality improvement will suffice. I am not asking for a dedicated MIDI player or a MIDI to WAV converter, just something that transparently directs MIDI commands to a soft table instead of a FM synthesizer. So, this will work with any application that generates MIDI commands. Thank you!
I don't listen to midi files but I do now converting a midi to a wave will not improve the fidelity. When I downloaded music I would find lossless audio with terrible fidelity. I figure someone converted low fidelity lossy to lossless to improve the sound. It can't work. That said, try using earbuds or some other high quality listening device to improve the sound. I suggest avoiding low fidelity formats since you can hear the difference.
Mez, thank you for your reply. Yes, converting a badly rendered MIDI to WAV is of no use. But my interest is installing some dll or something the like, so the speakers jack outputs a sound closer to real life pianos, violins, etc. As I stated, I am not looking for a *files* converter, because some music programs (e.g. some VisualBasic projects) generate MIDI commands and no .MID files, so a converter would have nothing to do.
Well I needed to actually find out what MIDI files are before I answered this time. There is no such thing. First I suggest checking Wikipedia so you understand what they are. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI I would not use a MIDI -> Wave converter. The beauty of the MIDI is that it is the essence of the music but not music. Don't let a computer dictate what it should sound like. Humans are much better at those type subtleties. Then you can use something like this http://www.image-line.com/downloads/flstudiodownload.html You did guess one thing correctly unlike audio recordings, MIDI files are all about the player. MIDI files are an instruction set not recorded music. I suggest you use this or some other trial version of a quality MIDI app. I would do a system backup to an external drive. Then install the app. Work on the project until you get the sound the way you want it then use Audacity to record the music and export it to a wave file. That your be your MIDI -> wave conversion. Then save the wave file to a thumb drive or external drive and restore your back up. You do this so if you need to use it again in the same way you can. This is easier than trying to out smart the manufacturer to eliminate all trace that you used the trial version. If this becomes a pain because you are using it too much it is time to buy the package. If your needs are not all that demanding you could try this free player or some other one http://soundfont-midi-player.en.softonic.com/ By the way, it would be nice to know what you are doing. I never got into MIDI technology and it sounds fascinating. Also let me know how it works out and how you accomplished your goal. 9 out of 10 queries do not post whether the proposed solutions worked. This educates anyone that reads this thread.
Mez, sorry my present duties are keeping me from advancing into this subject, but be sure I'll put your hints to the work. In your last link there is the term "soundfont"; well, googling with this I found more material than with "wavetable". I'l let you know!
