I'm setting up a new PC (Windows XP) Computer. Can someone recommend the 'best quality' sounding PCI soundcard which also includes high quality midi voices, for computer playback of GM/GS & XG midi files? Currently, the GM instrument voices on my PC's 'built into the motherboard' soundcard sounds really cheesy. I realize that I can send midi file playback out to my Keyboard (Tyros) or to another remote sound module, but would prefer the convenience of being able to play them thru the computer alone. Am I asking too much? Are there any PCI midi soundcards avilable which match or approach the sound quality of a dedicated GM/GS & XG midi sound module? Recommendations please. Thanks.

Scott

Hi,

I dont know exactly how much you are wanting to spend. so ill give you a large price arrange of products.

First is one of the cheapest, yet highest reccomended PCI board I know. Its the E-mu 0404. For only 100 bucks it has 24bit recording and ships with ships with ASIO 2.0 and WDM drivers, Steinberg Cubasis, Steinberg WaveLab Lite, SFX Machine LT, and a trial version of Minnetonka's diskWelder BRONZE. Which is a fantastic deal. I dont know exactly how good the samples are,maybe somebody else will know.

For 500 bucks the E-mu 1820M is the master level recording PCI, it is more exspensive at 500 bucks, but its a three piece kit with 2 PCI and a desktop box.

A good middle man is the E-mu EmulatorX, 2 piece PCI, 2gb of sounds. Bundled software and so on. for 300 bucks its a powerful package.

Each product i listed is on musiciansfriend with a large discription of each id reccomend checking them all out.

Phil


[This message has been edited by Pennywizz6 (edited 03-27-2005).]

Scotty,

I used to use a Roland Sound Canvas SCC-1. I still have it, but it uses the ISA bus instead of PCI bus. The sound engine on that card was out of this world. It had effects and Top Notch GM instruments.

Can you use this card?

Al

It is hard to find HQ soundbanks on soundcards. Several years ago I owned a Terratec EWS64XL (500$ card!) but the quality was very poor compared to today keyboards / arrangers.

I understand in the first place you are looking for a GM-soundmachine.... not a recording device ?

My neighbour just purchased a creative Audigy SB Live Platinum! card (150$) .... it does not impress me at all.

What about a FM sound module???
Okay, if you're working with sound/audio cards then attend to the ASIOdirect standard. The standard that Phil recommended seems to be the newest once.
Which sequencing software do you use? IMHO Cubase is a good choice.
------------------
Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 03-27-2005).]

Hi Phil, thanks for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that I ALREADY own a fairly decent quality (for recording) dedicated to 'digital audio' only soundcard (M-Audio Delta 66), but this card doesn't include any midi voices whatsoever.

I'm specifically looking for a PCI type card to provide high quality sounding in the computer "GM/GS" & "XG" voices for midi file playback. My past experience has been that the midi voices included on PCI soundcards sound unimpressive at best, and NO MATCH to the quality of midi playback out to my Yamaha Tyros, but was wondering if somehow MIDI soundcard technology may have improved in recent years (months?) to more closely approach the quality of the GM/GS & XG sounds included in a dedicated sound module or top of the line keyboard.



Al, thanks for the offer, but I'm specifically looking for a PCI type 'midi voice' card and one which INCLUDES XG Voices as well.



Roel, I have to admit I too was not very impressed with the midi sound coming from the Audigy SB Live! Your reply seems to confirm my worst suspicion , that midi sound quality from computer soundcards haven't improved yet to the level of a dedicated high quality GM/XG external sound module or kb. I'm a little surprised because I would think that the technology is available to accomplish this. That being the case, I wonder which CURRENT computer 'midi soundcard' which INCLUDES both GM/GS & XG sounds, is the BEST out there now.



Sheriff, were you by any chance referring to FM radio?! Just kidding.



I use Cakewalk Sonar with a M-Audio Delta66 soundcard which includes support for ASIO, so was specifically looking for a dedicated to 'GM/XG midi voices' only card as the Delta66 already provides decent digital audio converters.

Scott

If you have the space, I would buy a used Roland G 800 . You have them for the price of the emu soundcard.
Also very handy as a midi keyboard in case you want to record in realtime in Sonar.
(and I can send you an ins file for G series
)

Most soundcards with synth banks are consumer cards.
I don't know about the expensive emu card mentionned, but all soundblasters have emu chips.

XG is yamaha only as far as I know.

Alternative is ofcourse the software route.

Fred

Scott, you already use Sonar[with VST support]..Get Edirol/Roland Hyper Canvas[soft synth wavetable]..Your sequences will never sound better than this..

Scott,
I don't think such a animal exists.
I know there were some low quality sound
cards that had XG sounds(see the OMB site),
but for "high quality", I think you are going to have to either go with a Creative card where you can load soundfonts, or use
a high quality sound card like your delta44
with a software soundfont player or sampler.
I used to own a Roland RAP-10 that had a
GM/GS sample set, but the newest generation
of cards don't have ROM wavetables anymore.
If anyone knows of any, please let us know.



[This message has been edited by Vquestor (edited 03-27-2005).]

I pretty much gave up on a similar XG quest sometime ago. I migrated all my midi files from GM to XG years ago and then I searched for ways to play those files on my computer(s) in a high-quality manner. It was all in vain - Yamaha keeps making products then disowning them, like the SW1000XG soundcard which reportedly had a good XG synth... discontinued. Then there was the Yamaha MU-128, not a soundcard but Yamaha's most powerful XG sound module... discontinued. Then I used the XG softsynth, the S-YXG50 & 100... discontinued.

Lately I've had to examine why I would want XG capability in a computer at all. GM/GS is still going strong but it's so limited.

My last hold on XG was using the Yamaha S-YXG50 on a laptop as a SMF player for backing when playing a piano... I did away with that program and now use the laptop to play MP3 files of my 9000 Pro playing my SMF's, which sounds much better.

In the end, as you know, I bought a duplicate 9000 Pro as a permanent part of my studio. I use it a lot. Maybe you should think about a used Tyros as a backup to your stage Tyros and as a sound module for your home computer.

For interest and future exploration, I bought Sonic Refills' Omnisoundz GM for Reason's NN-XT to allow Reason to play GM files in a reasonably good manner.