From: dudemon@dakine (me )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: UPDATE: Summary soundcards
Date: 17 Dec 92 19:58:55 GMT
Comments: General MIDI used wrong in this group
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Jerry van Waardenberg (waardenb@cs.utwente.nl) wrote:
: **** SOUNDCARDS - Which is the best? ****
: 
: 3. By MIDI. Note-information is send through a MIDI-interface
: to a MIDI-device, which produces the music. There are two MIDI
: standards: General MIDI and Roland MPU-401. The latter is an
: extended version of General MIDI.
: 

jerry,
the term General MIDI is  used wrong throughout the article.  General
MIDI is a standard that defines a basic set of instruments and
associated program numbers, and a set of standard controllers (panning
and reverb).  GM is usful when midi sequences  are to be distributed 
on a mass scale (i.e. for games or multimedia presentations).  If you 
construct your sequence using the GM definition, anybody can play
it back on any GM compliant synth and it will sound (at least sort of)
like you intended.  This avoids the common problem of different 
manufacturers assigning the same instrument sounds to different program
numbers.  if you ignore the GM standard and intend to distribute your
sequences, then you run the risk of the your piano track coming out
as a tuba on someone elses synth.  i have enclosed a copy of the
GM spec below.

i believe what you were really trying to get at in your article is that
there are two-different types of midi INTERFACES in general use.  the
mpu-401 type is a "smart" interface. it can handle many of the midi
protocol interactions inside of the interface itself, without bothering
ongoing processing on your cpu.  the mpu-401 is the most commonly
supported smart interface used on pc-compatibles.  the other type of
midi interface is a "dumb" interface or UART type.  These types of
interfaces function just like a serial port, they know nothing of
the midi protocol.  These types of interfaces simply transform the
signals on the midi bus into a byte stream that must be processed
by the main cpu, interupting it for every bytes received.  hope
this clears things up.

peace and happy holidays,

tim

tim edwards  tedwards@autodesk.com
cyber dude
autodesk, inc.


ps.  here is a copy of the GM spec i picked up off of rec.music.synth awhile
back

=======================================================================

GM v7 Standard Capital Tone Mapping
(Based on Roland GS as implemented in the GSS-1, not yet ratified by IMA)

       PC#      Tone Name
------- piano ----------------------------------------------------------

1.      00h     Piano 1         (Acoustic Grand)
2.      01h     Piano 2         (Bright Acoustic)
3.      02h     Piano 3         (Electric Grand)
4.      03h     Honky-tonk
5.      04h     E.Piano 1       (Rhodes)
6.      05h     E.Piano 2       (Synth E.Piano)
7.      06h     Harpsichord
8.      07h     Clav.

------- Chromatic percussion -------------------------------------------
9.      08h     Celesta
10.     09h     Glockenspiel
11.     0Ah     Music Box
12.     0Bh     Vibraphone
13.     0Ch     Marimba
14.     0Dh     Xylophone
15.     0Eh     Tubular Bell
16.     0Fh     Santur

----- organ ------------------------------------------------------------
17.     10h     Organ 1 (Full-drawbar Organ)
18.     11h     Organ 2 (Percussive Organ)
19.     12h     Organ 3 (Rock Organ)
20.     13h     Church Organ
21.     14h     Reed Organ
22.     15h     Accordion
23.     16h     Harmonica
24.     17h     Bandneon

----- guitar -----------------------------------------------------------
25.     18h     Nylon-str. Gtr
26.     19h     Steel-str. Gtr
27.     1Ah     Jazz Gtr
28.     1Bh     Clean Gtr
29.     1Ch     Muted Gtr
30.     1Dh     Overdrive Gtr
31.     1Eh     Distortion Gtr
32.     1Fh     Gtr Harmonics

----- bass ------------------------------------------------------------
33.     20h     Acoustic Bass
34.     21h     Fingered Bass
35.     22h     Picked Bass
36.     23h     Fretless Bass
37.     24h     Slap Bass 1
38.     25h     Slap Bass 2
39.     26h     Synth Bass 1
40.     27h     Synth Bass 2

----- strings & orchestral instruments -------------------------------
41.     28h     Violin
42.     29h     Viola
43.     2Ah     Cello
44.     2Bh     Contrabass
45.     2Ch     Tremolo Str
46.     2Dh     Pizzicato
47.     2Eh     Harp
48.     2Fh     Timpani

----- ensemble ------------------------------------------------------
49.     30h     Strings
50.     31h     Slow Strings
51.     32h     Syn. Strings 1
52.     33h     Syn. Strings 2
53.     34h     Choir Aahs
54.     35h     Voice Oohs
55.     36h     SynVox
56.     37h     Orchestra Hit

----- brass ---------------------------------------------------------
57.     38h     Trumpet
58.     39h     Trombone
59.     3Ah     Tuba
60.     3Bh     Muted Trumpet
61.     3Ch     French Horn
62.     3Dh     Brass
63.     3Eh     Synth Brass 1
64.     3Fh     Synth Brass 2

----- reed ----------------------------------------------------------
65.     40h     Soprano sax
66.     41h     Alto sax
67.     42h     Tenor sax
68.     43h     Baritone sax
69.     44h     Oboe
70.     45h     English Horn
71.     46h     Bassoon
72.     47h     Clarinet

----- pipe ---------------------------------------------------------
73.     48h     piccolo
74.     49h     flute
75.     4Ah     recorder
76.     4Bh     pan flute
77.     4Ch     Bottle blow
78.     4Dh     Shakuhachi
79.     4Eh     Whistle
80.     4Fh     Ocarina

----- synth lead ---------------------------------------------------
81.     50h     Square Wave     (Synth Lead 1)
82.     51h     Saw Wave        (Synth Lead 2)
83.     52h     Syn. Calliope   (Synth Lead 3)
84.     53h     Chiffer Lead    (Synth Lead 4)
85.     54h     Charang         (Synth Lead 5)
86.     55h     Solo Vox        (Synth Lead 6)
87.     56h     5th Saw Wave    (Synth Lead 7)
88.     57h     Bass&Lead       (Synth Lead 8)

----- synth pad --------------------------------------------------
89.     58h     Fantasia        (Synth Pad 1)
90.     59h     Warm Pad        (Synth Pad 2)
91.     5Ah     Polysynth       (Synth Pad 3)
92.     5Bh     Space Voice     (Synth Pad 4)
93.     5Ch     Bowed Glass     (Synth Pad 5)
94.     5Dh     Metal Pad       (Synth Pad 6)
95.     5Eh     Halo Pad        (Synth Pad 7)
96.     5Fh     Sweep Pad       (Synth Pad 8)

----- synth sfx -------------------------------------------------
97.     60h     Ice Rain        (Synth SFX 1)
98.     61h     Soundtrack      (Synth SFX 2)
99.     62h     Crystal         (Synth SFX 3)
100.    63h     Atmosphere      (Synth SFX 4)
101.    64h     Brightness      (Synth SFX 5)
102.    65h     Goblin          (Synth SFX 6)
103.    66h     Echo Drops      (Synth SFX 7)
104.    67h     Star Theme      (Synth SFX 8)

----- ethnic misc. ----------------------------------------------
105.    68h     Sitar
106.    69h     Banjo
107.    6Ah     Samisen
108.    6Bh     Koto
109.    6Ch     Kalimba
110.    6Dh     Bag Pipe
111.    6Eh     Kokyu
112.    6Fh     Shanai

----- percussive ---------------------------------------------
113.    70h     Tinkle Bell
114.    71h     Agogo
115.    72h     Steel Drums
116.    73h     Woodblock
117.    74h     Taiko
118.    75h     Melodic Tom
119.    76h     Synth Drum
120.    77h     Reverse Cymbal

----- sfx ---------------------------------------------------
121.    78h     Gtr. FretNoise  (Playing Noise 1)
122.    79h     Fl. Keyclick    (Playing Noise 2)
123.    7Ah     Seashore        (SFX of Nature)
124.    7Bh     Bird            (SFX of Animal)
125.    7Ch     Telephone       (SFX of Instrument)
126.    7Dh     Helicopter      (SFX of Traffic)
127.    7Eh     Applause        (SFX of Human Noise)
128.    7Fh     Gun Shot        (SFX of Weapon)

GS Standard Drum note assignments
      Standard Set                             Orchestral Set
========================================================================
D#1     High Q
E1      Slap
F1      Scratch 1
F#1     Scratch 2
G1      Sticks
G#1     Squre Click
A1      metronome click
A#1     metronome bell
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B1      Kick Drum 2                              Concert BD
C2      Kick Drum 1                              Concert BD
C#2     Side Stick
D2      Snare Drum 1/Brush swish (brush set)     Concert SD
D#2     Hand Clap   /Brush slap (brush set)      castanets
E2      Snare Drum 2/Brush roll (brush set)      Concert SD
F2      Low Tom 2                                Timpani F
F#2     Closed Hi-Hat                            Timpani F#
G2      Low Tom 1                                Timpani G
G#2     Pedal Hi-Hat                             Timpani G#
A2      Mid Tom 2                                Timpani A
A#2     Open Hi-Hat                              Timpani A#
B2      Mid Tom 1                                Timpani B
C3      High Tom 2                               Timpani C
C#3     Crash Cymbal 1                           Timpani C#
D3      High Tom 1                               Timpani D
D#3     Ride Cymbal 1                            Timpani D#
E3      Chinese Cymbal/Reverse Cym. (elec.set)   Timpani E
F3      Ride Bell                                Timpani F
F#3     Tambourine
G3      Splash Cymbal
G#3     Cowbell
A3      Crash Cymbal 2                           Concert Cymbal
A#3     Vibra-slap
B3      Ride Cymbal 2                            Concert Cymbal
C4      High Bongo
C#4     Low Bongo
D4      Mute High Conga
D#4     Open High Conga
E4      Low Conga
F4      High Timbale
F#4     Low Timbale
G4      High Agogo
G#4     Low Agogo
A4      Cabasa
A#4     Maracas
B4      Short Hi Whistle
C5      Long Lo Whistle
C#5     Short Guiro
D5      Long Guiro
D#5     Claves
E5      High Wood Block
F5      Low Wood Block
F#5     Mute Cuica
G5      Open Cuica
G#5     Mute Triangle
A5      Open Triangle
==========================================================================