A very very very basic MIDI question.

[bankcello]

I would like to be able to listen to MIDI files and have them sound like something. I use the Turandot notation program to create string quartet scores from scanned parts. Turandot allows me to play back the music, via MIDI, which is useful for proof reading and enjoyment. However, with few exceptions all of the instruments sound very much like an accordian, or cheap electric organ.

Is there a cheap way I can update my very basic setup to do this? I currently have a cheap sound card with FM-Synthesis MIDI. What do I need to do?

Thanks in advance for any help for this MIDI neophyte.

[wrench45us]

as usual there are better qualified folk than me to answer such a question

basically most computer music makers I know work with some kind of hosting program that faciliates midi or audio editing and creating tracks to build songs.
then a given host application will 'host' vst instruments that have a very wide variety of sounds and capabilities.
one sort of instrument that sometimes can work standalone is a sampler that bases its response on samples of 'real' instruments.

I think for your situation I would look into the free sfz soundfont player from rgc:audio. Even though it's free, it's a very high quality application.

http://www.rgcaudio.com/sfz.htm

It can work standalone and there's a sticky thread down in rgc support area of places to find soundfonts to laod into sfz. Hammersound, I believe has some string soundfonts.

Then to accept the midi file you need a host that can import the midi file and assign it to the track with sfz or another instrument.

Others may know of free hosts. I'm not altogether certain, but I think energyXT standalone $40 usd is probably capable of importing and applying midi files. And energyXT has a very responsive and enthusiastic support community.

energyXT would be a good place to start because it's cheap and I suspect once you get into this world you'll find many more uses for energyXT.

good luck.

[DevonB]

If you're doing orchestral stuff, I'd look into GPO from http://www.garritan.com which would give you everything you need; good sounds, notation software, host sequencer if you wanted it, etc. $249 isn't bad for everything one would need.

Devon