Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth without soundcard?

[TimOBrienFlorida]

You could use any General MIDI Soundfont to give you the basic instruments, and many sound far better than the stock Microsoft ones. If you have a program that supports vst's the free Cakewalk SFZ soundfont player works great.

HammerSound has plenty of free GM collections. I tend to use Unison and Cadenza myself....

[EtherealEntity]

That's the thing - I really don't want those ones that sound 'better' - I went through a period of trying to make some of my tabs sound 'real' with soundfonts and tried a ton. Yes some are pretty good - but the point is I want to avoid that need to mix and think about levels that I spoke of.

The GS Wavetable synth gives a clear sound on everything at any volume, no need to adjust, can hear all articulations, no bugs on certain articulations, etc.

When I'm just composing in a program like that it's exactly what I want until I move to my DAW. I love the basic sound and I'm so used to it.

I'm fairly confident its part of Windows and not the soundcard... Just want to make sure

[fireberd]

The (crappy) Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth is part of Windows. If you are happy with it then use it. Whatever is set as the "default playback device" should output analog sound from whatever source including the GS Wavetable.

I doubt that you would be able to use the Synth's that come with a DAW as you now do with the GS Wavetable.

[EtherealEntity]

Cool Thanks

Yeah I know I can't use the DAW synths - apart from the whole Sibelius/Eastwest thing.

It is indeed crappy, but like I said - I can hear what I'm doing for basic operation

Thanks

[TimOBrienFlorida]

Originally Posted by EtherealEntity

That's the thing - I really don't want those ones that sound 'better' .....

You CAN get the 8Mb soundfont sets that come from the core of the SBLive cards.

If you'd looked on the hammersound.net collections you'd have seen them.


If you google the Merlin_8mbgm soundfont it is suppossed to be a direct download of the Emu/Creative SBLive card.

(Although you are selling yourself short as the other bigger GM soundfont are fare superior....)