Incan tell 2/4/8mb soundfonts apart so I guess yeah?

Yes, they sound quite different!

for years I used the default 2MB one as that's what my drivers defaulted to?
Then messing around I found the 8, instant soundcard upgrade! was mainly playing AOE2

It's easier to tell with instruments that have a complex and flowing sound. Orchestral instruments usually occupy large portions of sample ROM because they're really hard to synthesize and even harder to make good sample loops for without sounding obviously sampled.

If you presented me with a recording and asked me to say what the size of the sample ROM is, I couldn't tell you. But I will say that orchestral instruments are usually the first to sound different, and the first to sound a lot better with larger ROMs.

The difference between 2mb and 4mb is quite significant. The difference between 4mb and 8mb is noticeable, but less so. I have problems noticing the difference if they are any larger. I guess it also depends on the quality of the samples.

Yep about 4 or 6MB feels like a good size in my experience. Doesn't take too long to load and can sound V nice.

Here's a FLAC file for you guys to listen to, from a YT project I'm working on.. It's a 24/48 recording of the Monkey Island opening theme (I used MI1GM1.MID) cycling between the following different Soundfonts every 6 seconds:

• SCCT (4MB)
• SC-55 (25MB),
• General User GM (32MB)
• SGM V2.1 (256MB)

You can't tell me that you can't tel lthe difference as the size goes up.. Granted, size isn't necessarily better representation but quality is improved immensely.

To be honest, if you hadn't said anything about cycling between the sound fonts I wouldn't have noticed anything was off.

Anonymous Coward wrote:

To be honest, if you hadn't said anything about cycling between the sound fonts I wouldn't have noticed anything was off.

Well.. Let's just say I'm amazed to hear this 😁

Every 6 seconds? 🤣

bluejeans wrote:

I've got an ensoniq audiopci and I can't tell the difference between them all.

I don't know about ensoniq.

I remember that on AWE64 the 4 MB bank sounded really nice, but the 2 MB was awful, even worse than whatever was in the card's ROM.

PhilsComputerLab wrote:

Every 6 seconds? 🤣

Well.. It's only 96 seconds long, and changing banks every six seconds makes it possible to hear parts of each major segments of the track.

That was the plan anyway 😁

Maybe it's because I'm using crappy USB powered speakers. Let's just say that the 256MB soundfont bank is not 64 times better than the 4MB one.

I agree about the 4MB soundfont bank on the AWE64. I was really impressed with that one when I had it in 1997. At least, that is the first SFbank from Creative where the piano actually sounds like a piano. I feel happy enough not to bother buying the special adapter to add more memory. I also agree that the 2MB version is crap. I don't know if it's worse than the ROM samples, but it's certainly not better.

Here's another FLAC of Monkey Island, this time comparing the 242MB SGM-V2.01 Soundfont (my favorite) and the 386MB Timbres of Heaven Soundfont (an internet darling, but it has too much clipping and is too loud for my taste..)

As usual, all tracks normalized to -3 dB.

I will do 2/4/8MB Creative Soundfonts next, then some <32MB GM Soundfonts that can be used with AWE cards and SIMM upgrades.

Maybe you should use a original GM Midifile next time 😉 It's more authentic, or you at least should include the MT32 Version ^^
And you can notice a big difference, yes. Especially if the fonts are from different brands, but also if they are just the same set in different sizes.
Maybe most notable if you've got the instruments in mono (in 2MB) and stereo (4/8mb).
Sometimes I've got to admit, that I like the 4mb better over some 8mb sets 😉

appiah4 wrote:

I will do 2/4/8MB Creative Soundfonts next, then some <32MB GM Soundfonts that can be used with AWE cards and SIMM upgrades.

So which synth do you actually use as renderer and which sound font format?

Karm wrote:

Maybe you should use a original GM Midifile next time ;) It's more authentic, or you at least should include the MT32 Version ^^ […]
Show full quote

Maybe you should use a original GM Midifile next time 😉 It's more authentic, or you at least should include the MT32 Version ^^
And you can notice a big difference, yes. Especially if the fonts are from different brands, but also if they are just the same set in different sizes.
Maybe most notable if you've got the instruments in mono (in 2MB) and stereo (4/8mb).
Sometimes I've got to admit, that I like the 4mb better over some 8mb sets 😉

I did actually use the GM MIDI file (MIGM1.MID)

elianda wrote:

appiah4 wrote:

I will do 2/4/8MB Creative Soundfonts next, then some <32MB GM Soundfonts that can be used with AWE cards and SIMM upgrades.

So which synth do you actually use as renderer and which sound font format?

I'm using BASSMIDI and SF2 of the rendering.

I will also be doing real hardware recording for OPL, AWE and Live cards.