Paddan1000 wrote:
I have an AWE64 Gold with 12 MB of RAM in my DOS-computer. I know how to upload soundfonts to the card in DOS and emulate General MIDI.
My question is:
Which is the best soundfont, in the .sbk format, known to man? I want a soundfont that works with any GM supporting game and sounds so good that I'll never want to use another soundfont again.
The problem with your desire to use the Creative *.SBK sound-font format in pure DOS is that you must then use the Creative AWEUTIL DOS Terminate Stay Resident (TSR) program to load the sound-fonts. Since the AWEUTIL program uses the non-maskable interrupt (NMI), you will have problems with any DOS protected mode game. So if you can afford the DOS memory hit of the AWETUIL TSR you would be OK for real-mode only DOS General MIDI games. That is, if your motherboard properly supports the NMI - many do not do so...
Paddan1000 wrote:
So far I'm still using the ROM-samples of the AWE64, since I've haven't been able to find anything better by myself
As forum member swaaye suggested, if you use the superior Win9x solution of Creative Win9x VDX drivers to support the loading of *.SF2 fonts, along with the Creative AWECP32 control panel app you can gain access to the loaded *.SF2 loaded sound-font banks via the General MIDI re-direction inside of the Win9x DOS emulation. If you go this route you get the support for the more common Creative *.SF2 sound-font format.
Some additional General MIDI choices for an AWE64 Gold *.SF2 sound-font are:
1.) The Creative 4MB General MIDI sound-font: 4GMGSMT.SF2
This Creative 4MB sound font is better than the 2MB GM sound-font and better balanced than the 8MB Creative GM sound-font.
2.) The converted 4MB Roland SCC-1 General MIDI sound-font: SCC1T2.SF2
This appears to be an AWAVE tweaked user conversion of the Roland SCC-1 ROM to *.SF2 sound-font. Not bad for a conversion and will allow an AWE64 Gold to get into the Roland SCC-1 (SC-55) ball park.
3.) The 4MB Gravis Ultrasound evolved General MIDI (GS) sound-font: VCGS4MV4.SF2
This sound-font is a commercial product (~$15) which is sold by Voice Crystal and is in essence the refined version 4 of the Gravis Ultrasound General MIDI version 3 PATch files which were produced by the same company Eye & I Productions. I have purchased this sound-font and have used it on an AWE64 Gold as a Gravis Ultrasound emulator for my nephew's 'retro' Win9x Intel 44BX based computer.
If you need good performance of DOS games under Win9x with an AWE64 Gold, you must use the ROM or *.SF2 sound-fonts. The use of a emulated General MIDI card such as the Roland Virtual Sound Canvas v3.23 will not suffice for DOS games under Win9x, while the Roland VSC will function properly as a General MIDI player, WAVE converter or as General MIDI support for Windows games or programs. For any DOS games needing General MIDI support under Win9x you must use the AWE64 Gold ROM or have loaded a GM *.SF2 sound-font or you will have poor game performance and General MIDI sound output
Best of luck,
dvwjr