Making music with midi synths (Video Games)

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Posted by EliPsE on Nov-13-2011 17:46:

Making music with midi synths (Video Games)

I was just curious how many producers here actually make music with just midi modules/synths?

A friend of mine has started his own project for making maps for old games like Doom. He had asked me to come up with something original so he can use in his custom maps.
I loaded up logic and setup quicktime midi synth and was able to bang out a 9 minute track that I was proud of. After I finished, it made me want to start all my tracks in just midi synths rather than loading up vsts and digging thru sample libraries. It allowed me to just focus on the music and ideas that I had at the moment. It also made me remember back in a college music course about how my teacher swore by making songs in midi first.

If anyone else makes music like this or for video games, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.

Posted by Morvan on Nov-13-2011 18:06:

I'd use all different approaches regularly. Having one set course every single time you create music makes your music predictable.

Posted by Looney4Clooney on Nov-13-2011 22:23:

there is not such thing as a midi synth. Midi has not , is not or will it ever be something you can hear.

Posted by Mel David on Nov-13-2011 22:34:

He means the General MIDI soundset, I think.

It covers most if not all the orchestral sounds and some electronic sounds too. Just don't expect anything too expressive. You can do incredible things with the GM soundset as long as you are fine with its sonic limitations. For classical music it's fine, but not Hollywood standard or course, due to weedy wind instruments and strings.

As for FX you are limited to chorus and reverb.

Eg. try to make a drum n bass track with it and you'll soon run out of cool sounding stuff to use. Think the intro music to Mario 64 rather than Squarepusher.

But yeah when you save a song, you are talking about a few KB of data. It's up to GM playback engine on the games console/soundblaster card that determines the final quality of the music playback.

Posted by Looney4Clooney on Nov-13-2011 22:36:

i know what he means. Every single video game had a synth. midi is a protocol. It doesn't have a sound. GM soundset means nothing in terms of sound. It could apply to the latest sample libraries or a synth 20 years ago.

Posted by EliPsE on Nov-13-2011 22:51:

yaya I know midi is just a protocol and does not have sound.

Posted by tehlord on Nov-13-2011 23:13:

I once had a DX7, a D50 and an Akai S1000 hooked up to an Atari ST

I swear I could hear the MIDI moaning.