First post, by Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman
- Rank
- l33t
The goal: connecting the MIDI-OUT of a pure DOS PC to the MIDI-IN of a soundfont-running PC, so pure DOS games can run their MIDI music using soundfont.
The first question: since it seems there are not many modern sound cards have MIDI-IN capability, can USB-MIDI converter cable work as MIDI-IN? Ergo, if I connect a DOS PC's standard MIDI cable into a modern PC's USB-MIDI converter, can the modern PC receive MIDI signal from the DOS PC?
So, here is the requirements:
(a) the soundfont appliance should be powerful enough to process MIDI songs without lagging, stuttering, or crackling.
(b) the soundfont appliance should be quiet. It shouldn't use active cooling fan if possible.
(c) small form factor is preferable, so it could sit nicely with typical hardware synth like Roland MT-32 or SC-55.
(d) the soundfont appliance should be able to be shut down using power button (ATX power switch software shutdown). I guess all modern mobo support it, do they not?
And, here is the questions:
(1) should I better use Linux or Windows? Regarding to requirement (d), is it more difficult to configure Linux to work with ATX shutdown?
(2) Intel or AMD? Intel is more suitable for games, has better single-core performance, but it seems AMD is not bad in scientific computing and video encoding (unless we compare it to I7). Which one matters more to soundfont processing?
(3) Fluidsynth or Timidity?
(4) Should I better use dedicated sound card, or can I use the mobo's built-in AC97 sound card? If the latter, then I guess it's more difficult to meet requirement (c).
(5) How much does multiple core and 64 bit matter when playing MIDI using large soundfonts?
It seems if I'm using Linux, I can theoritically compile the soundfont software specifically for multicore and 64 bit, but would it matter? And more importantly, can it be done?
I'm also thinking of using mini barebones like this one, but considering they typically use Atom-like processor, I don't think it's powerful enough to run soundfont smoothly. (Hell, I even have this kinda problem running on Core i5).
So, any suggestions? Many thanks.
Never thought this thread would be that long, but now, for something different.....
Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman.