You don't need a software synthesizer like Timidity with a SB Live!. SB Live! has onboard hardware support for SoundFonts. You only need the utility to tell which soundfont file to load in memory and use with the SoundBlaster.

I have a SB Audigy 2 ZS and I installed the latest drivers and I installed too the SoundFont Bank Manager that I took from the installation CD for the card. You can download it too on the net. But I don't know if it could work with the SB Live! 5.1? If you still have your install CD, take the one on it. And for the dosbox.conf, that's what I use in the MIDI section:

1mpu401=intelligent
2device=win32
3config=

I use too the last version of Shan's Soundfont, SGM-V2.01. It's the best for old games! http://www.geocities.jp/shansoundfont/

SB Live! drivers have an option to install AudioHQ, which is used for managing soundfonts. The icon appears in Windows' control panel as well as under Start -> Programs -> Creative.

Also, see this thread. With that version of Timidity, you only need to select Timitidy as the MIDI driver in Windows (instead of, say, SB Live Synth or Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth etc) to use it by default.

Yeah, you're right. If I remember correctly, I think that you choose your SoundFonts in the AudioHQ with SB Live!. And I see that you still can download it from Creative. Look for drivers for the SB Live Platinum 5.1. There is a package named Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Standalone Web Release for Windows 95/98/98se/ME only.

File Name : SBL51_W9xME.exe English only - Uniquement en anglais - Solo in Inglese - Sólo en inglés - Nur auf Englisch - Enkel i […]
Show full quote

File Name : SBL51_W9xME.exe
English only - Uniquement en anglais - Solo in Inglese - Sólo en inglés - Nur auf Englisch - Enkel in het Engels

This web release is a standalone package of Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 meant for existing 5.1 card users who have lost their installation CD. (For Windows 95, 98/98SE and Millennium). Supported models are the SB 0060.

This release also includes the following Creative Audio software suite (English only) :

* Creative Surround Mixer (Windows 95, 98, and Millennium)
* Creative AudioHQ (Windows 95, 98, and Millennium)
* Creative Installer 1.00.07 (Windows 95, 98, and Millennium)

I think there is too the Sound Blaster Live! - LiveDrvUni-Pack (English) that could do it. The file is larger and more recent. Try this and let us know if it works.

For Timidity, I tried it too and I got also this terrible delay, of about 1 second. I'll try to find a workaround for this.

The method Telordya suggested worked. Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out how much memory I'm able to use with the sound card. I tried loading SGM 180 and SGM 2.01 and they both seem to go beyond what's available memory-wise. I am currently using the Unison soundfont, though, so it sounds pretty good as is. I might try messing with timidity a bit more, but I'm fine with the sound of Unison. Are there any better soundfonts than unison that are in the 20-50 meg range (I'm guessing that's what it is, since I was able to use the sinfonia soundfont, and it's around 30-40 mbs)?

LiveDrvUni-Pack(ENG).exe should be the latest driver (it's what I'm using).

As for memory used by the soundfont, AudioHQ lets you adjust the cache size (it is only limited by the amount of RAM in your computer). The cache size adjustment is under the Options tab in AudioHQ's soundfont manager. You can first increase it to, say, 500mb, load the soundfont, then decrease it to the minimum.

Besides Unison, there are also these soundfonts in the ~30mb range: "GeneralUser GS" and "anothergs".

How much RAM do you have? If you have only 512 MB, forget SGM 2.01. But if you have 1 GB or more, you will be ok. My PC with the Audigy 2 ZS only have 1 GB and I can load the SGM 2.01 and play it perfectly. However, there was a tweak to do in the registry to overcome a memory limitation in WinXP, and the tweak is given by Creative themselves. But I don't remember where I found this on the Creative website. Their support website is really messy. I think they erased the Knowledge Base for the Audigy cards, or there is a temporary problem with the server. There is this message: KANA Knowledge Server is temporarily not processing requests. Don't worry though if we can't get it, I have a copy of the page in my PC. But I won't be home till tomorrow. When I'll get back, I'll post the solution here.

Yeah, I only have 512 mb. I'm really happy with the generaluser gs soundfont, though. I might mix and match between Unison and generaluser, since I really like the trumpet in unison.

I get the page I saved. It's a .mht, an Internet Explorer Web Archive. If you use Firefox like me, you'll need the Mozilla Archive Format plugin to read the file.

So to do the tweak, go check under the section How to load and configure SoundFont Banks in SoundFont Bank Manager. I think you could give a try with the SGM-v2.01. I remember that I used it with Timidity on my old 512 MB laptop with Linux. I played without problems many games in ScummVM and OpenTTD, with full great MIDI. The soundfont was loaded only when needed, and freed from memory after use. There is something similar with the Creative SoundFont Bank Manager, it's called Dynamic Cache. You have to set it, I think the default is Static Cache, which loads the soundfont and always keep it in memory. The only bottleneck on my laptop was the CPU, a P3 900 MHz 😖. I had to remove chorus and reverb to be smooth.

I tried the GeneralUser GS and it sounds great for the size! But I still prefer the SGM-v2.01 for Scumm and DOS games. I play Theme Hospital and I find that SGM sounds better in musics, but that's my opinion. I find that SGM has greater set of brass and percussions.