Does your game allows to choose 2 sound cards? one for samples and another for music?
Many old games only used one sound card, often when you choose a roland or other music synth you are basically trading off (most or all) sfx for better music....

Don't bother with loading sfx in soundfond memory this will not work as this is not how things are supposed to work... (it would work in theory but it would require the game's support and provision of such a soundfont)
Basically you either choose 2 sound cards if possible or choose sb+fm music or gm music

Yeah, "The lost Vikings" as the example. With GM as the sound device - you have the great music, but the sound effects are strange.
Looks like the GM sound effects are the worst. The MT-32 have "intelligent mode" and sample reloading, so - the game can use custom effects... SB use digitazed effects by default. Etc.

I see. Yea I remember playing Ultima 7 with GM and every time the thunder would come down it would make the noise of a door closing instead hehe. Oh well I guess it's just a tradeoff. Ok thanks guys that explains it.

Make sure you try the chorus and reverb settings of the AWE64:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oPw7C8_K3Q

Makes Adlib / Sound Blaster games sound quite a bit nicer 😀

The other thing you can do is run sound fonts from within Windows. Though a PCI Sound Blaster live! or Audigy might be better for this.

This thread is a little old, and not sure about Indy, but Willy Beamish is a MT-32 game, not a GM game.. so with that setup (AWE64) you should use the Sound Blaster/Adlib option in the installer.

In MT-32 setting you will hear all the instruments (other than drums) played incorrectly, and all the special MT-32 sound effects will play as little wrong instrument beeps and boops instead of the long playtime and the correct instrument, for example the 'Eating' sound effect during the dinner/breakfast sequence.