The following rant is my first rant on something I'm a bit passionate about, being a MIDI enthusiast and all.

---------------------------
On on Friday, February 03, 2006, it was announced that FMODEx was integrated into BYOND's system. This allegedly would open doors for developers who will use sound specific codes toward their liking. This also allowed MODs and OG G files to be playable within a dreamseeker enviornment. Sadly, FMOD also ruins the MIDI format.

Recently, there was a problem posted in the bug forum about MIDIs that sounded much differently in 3.5. Abishake was trying to get his MIDIs working so he could put them in his game. In 3.5, the MIDIs had different volumes, different instruments and missing notes; a few of them even 'fizzed' out after a while. I opened up the MIDIs in WinJammer Pro 5 and saw that they used SysEx effects. It's funny though, if it's SysEx effects that ruin the MIDI in 3.5 then there's no hope as SysEx effects are what let your sound synth know what format to play the MIDI in. It's like the control panel for your sound.

I deleted the SysEx effects and nothing changed. I then moved on into Anvil Studio and deleted all notes with a duration of 0 through their repair function. This apparently did nothing either. So then I went down the line next

and use Jazz++. I selected al the notes in the MIDI, went to Cleanup and selected 1/192. This method is only necessary when you use Jazz++ for MIDIs and boom. All the missing notes worked and none of them 'fizzed' out but there were still noticable volume problems. These MIDI problems have been reoccurring since fmod was released.

Last sunday I had made a MIDI that used MSGS patches. Microsoft General Synth (MSGS) is actually 1 and a half synths, it's GM and half GS. GM is the standard MIDI status. Microsoft GS is preinstalled in all Windows operating systems after Windows 98. Since MSGS is GM and GS, I can use the 128 instruments that GM has plus about 30 instruments GS has. So I used one of those extra 30 instruments. I played it in 3.5 and it doesn't recognize it, go figure. Oddily enough, all of these things are fine in non-fmod equipped BYOND versions i.e; 346 and lower.

I played another MIDI in 3.5(First play is in 3.5, second is in Winamp) and also noticed that fmod's polyphony is lower than my own OS-inbuilt synth.

Polyphony is how many notes in a MIDI can be played at once, which I'd estimate fmods around 32, in which is what a Windows 98 MSGS synth would be, compared to a windows XP MSGS synth would be, which is 64.

When looking through forums for answers I've come up with several. The most common on is that 'The MIDI was created in an advanced program'. This is wrong. This occurs to ALOT of MIDIs and when I say alot, I mean hundreds, possibly thousands. Any MIDIs who fit the said criteria would be destroyed.

Some MODs have also suffered. Acidjazzed evening(the recording in the link) is panned wrong in fmod, while in Winamp it's panned differently,

I don't know which one is right though or if it's just my copy of the MOD but some it. files still crash 3.5 or just stop in mid-song.

Also, it seems that you can't use Yamaha XG in 3.5. I guess fmod is basically it's own synth then, eh?


Solutions?

Dantom could reconfigure FMOD, because I know it can't be all the cause of this. Although sound satisfaction isn't top priority right now.

If you really like MIDIs like myself and dislike the way your own are being treated in 3.5, I'd suggest you follow what I did to fix Abishake's MIDIs. That's right, you'll have to download Jazz++ and Anvil Studio and go through the process of fixing each MIDI. Using the repair function in anvil Studio and then selecting all the notes in Jazz++ and going to Cleanup>1/192.

I chose the easy way and decided to stick with using 341 eternally.