Re: Soundfonts and MIDI output (beginner questions)

[luis jure]

on 2011-05-08 at 15:35 Heather W. Reichgott wrote:

>1. Is the choice of soundfont a property of the MIDI file itself, or a
>property of the playback software? (Or both?)

as far as i know, the midi file itself can only send "program change"
messages on a given channel: select a certain "patch" number on that
channel. the resulting sound depends entirely on the device (hardware or
software).


>I have Timidity++ and found a place in timidity.cfg where I can specify a
>soundfont.

exactly.

>But would I have to go into the config file every time I
>wanted to open a new file for playback, if I had files that used
>different soundfonts?

you can have several configuration files for timidity, and chose one with
the -c option. if i understand correctly what you want, this might be the
way to go for you.


>If the choice of soundfont is a property of the
>MIDI file, can I specify it in a Lilypond file's MIDI output block?

no, for the reasons given above.


>2. Is there an easy way to see a list of all the instruments in a
>soundfont and hear samples of the sounds?

you could try a soundfont editor. i don't know the present status of
swami/snurf, the only soundfont editor i remember for linux. look for a
debian/ubuntu package for it.

good luck,

lj