Every MIDI sounds lame?

[Alfonso]

What I always thought (I may be wrong) about MIDI is that it tells which note of which instrument to play, but how it will actually sound will depend on the player. For example the midi in my PC sounds awfully lame. I used to compose in Guitar Pro but I didn't have the real sound engine so I used the MIDI engine, which as I said sounds bad (at least in the computers I've run it).

Maybe a keyboard with midi input or a PC with better sound card will sound better when playing MIDI, I don't know.

Does MIDI work out with synthesizers? (A noob question I know)

The thing is, I've been considering what type of synth should I buy, and recording is something important to me.

The question is: if I buy a synth with MIDI out put, will it sound lame as it sounds my guitar pro's MIDI?

 

[happyrat1]

If you play a GM file on a $1000 synth it will still be limited to the 128 soundset of the GM standard.

However, chances are, the patches on that $1000 synth will sound much richer and more natural than the basic Windows GM soundset.

Then again, if you replace your Windows MiDI player with one that uses loadable soundfonts, you can achieve some pretty amazing results on a computer as well. The fact of the matter is that Windows defaults to a very crappy GM soundfont out of the box and it takes a bit of tweaking to make it sound amazing.

One other thing is the fact that most DAW softwares save music files in their own proprietary format which allows configurations above and beyond the basic GM soundset and allows you to use all of the hundreds or thousands of patches available on a good synth or from a decent VSTi.

Anyway, if you are considering picking up a MIDI keyboard or a MIDI controller to compose on your PC the basic questions are,

1) What's your budget?

2) What style of music do you wish to record?

3) Do you want to get a hardware synth or would you be satisfied with a voiceless MIDI controller and use your PC to generate the sounds with soft synths, VSTi's and soundfonts?

There are pros and cons to both types.

Hardware synths tend to be more stable and reliable in on stage situations where you can't afford a PC or iPad crash on stage. Good ones can also cost an arm and a leg. They also tend to go obsolete after a decade or so.

Voiceless MIDI controllers tend to be lighter and easier to carry and less expensive in the long run because upgrades are simple software instead of expensive hardware. However you are chained to a PC or a Mac or an iPad and as previously noted, tend to be unstable and rely heavily on high speed hardware with GOBS of memory and disk space.

Anyway, answer the questions above and then we can help you make an informed choice.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Here's an easy how to article on installing a soundfont in windows.

http://www.informatics-tech.com/how-to-make-midi-files-sound-better.html

Guaranteed to make your MIDI playbacks a million times better

Gary

 

[Alfonso]

wow thanks, indeed my midi now sounds way better.

I'm not sure how much I will spend, I'm not in a hurry to buy a new synth right now, so I can save money as long as I want.

I want a hardware synth.

I like metal, some guitar rifs here and there and a lot of keyboards with obscure and mysterious feeling.

anyway, thanks for the new midi sound

 

[happyrat1]

You're very welcome. Enjoy your new sounds in good health.

As for Gear Acquisition Syndrome? You'll find a lot of GAS sufferers here and on other keyboard forums.

It's a cruel addiction, worse than crack, that will suck every spare dime you can muster and drive your family and neighbours insane listening to you squeal and squawk thru the night

But it's all worth it when you stand in front of your technological wonder piloting your spaceship thru the universe of sound

Have fun!

Gary