Accurate Generation of Instrument Sounds in a Sound Card for a PC Best answer on the web

Posted in: darrelrussell.com edit
08 Jan 2009
  • Hello. I am looking to compose music using a MIDI compatible keyboard, composition software, and a sound card. The computer runs some standard windows version such as Windows XP. This question pertains only to the third component -- the sound card.
    In the past, I have found sound cards to be seriously lacking in terms of how accurately the generated sounds of an instrument reflect the actual sounds of the instrument. For example, the "choir" sound would sound like a nasal whine and nothing like a real choir. Those sound cards were mainly for general use such as playing MP3s, WAV files, or CDs. And then they had the "MIDI" functionality as an add on.
    So now for my research request. I would like to find a few sound cards that are designed exclusively or primarily for accurate generation of the sounds of musical instruments for serious music composition. Any other features such as gaming enhancements, MP3 enhancements, surround sound, etc . . . are not needed. I'll only use the sound card for serious music composition.
    My main concerns are as follows:
    - Designed for serious music composition
    - MIDI compatible
    - Must faithfully generate accurate sounds for all or most available instrument voices - Must have all standard instrument voices including all voices found in a symphony orchestra, band, and major standalone instruments (for example "organ" is a major standalone instrument) - Must be able to play enough voices at the same time for any serious composition, presumably the most demanding being a full-fledged symphony - Must be compatible with standard music composition software
    - Price is not much of an issue. I'm not expecting to only pay $30 for such a good card. I realize it could be several hundreds of dollars or possible more and that's OK.
    What I'd like is if you could find the few best sound cards meeting the aforementioned criteria, provide their technical specifications and price, and point me to a place to buy them. "Best" means generally accepted as being top-of-the-line for music composition. I will compare them and ultimately decide which one to buy.
    Thank you.

    rushingriver


  • The answer is exactly what I was looking for. Now I know the major players in terms of sound cards for serious music composition and can make a decision on which one to purchase. Thank you.


  • At this point and time, the soundcard you choose should be considered the "front end" of your music composing system, the method of listening to your work and recording in any live instruments such as your voice or acoustic instruments.
    There is no soundcard on the market that offers truly realistic instuments and power. Why? Because it is too expensive to this implement on ROM chips.
    Your researcher did suggest the EMU cards - but keep in mind that those cards are not providing the sounds, the software is reading from sampled data on your hard drive.

    The way to go is to choose a composing package that allows use of VST or DXi instruments. This includes all the major music packages such as:
    -Steinberg Cubase SE, SL, SX (SE is less than $140)
    -Abelton Live
    -Sonar
    -Sound Forge Acid
    -Protools LE (Uses RTAS plugin format)


    With any of these above programs - you load up a "Software synth" - which is the equivelent to a real hardware synthesizer - except polyphony is limited by your CPU power!
    An example product that has a full range of decent sounds (that can be further expanded btw) is called Sampletank.
    www.sampletank.com
    Each instance of this plugin allows 16 part multitimbral operation. Just like an external Rackmount synth such as a Roland 1080 etc.

    There are many more sounds and synth plugins available - all specific to pianos, orchestra sounds and at this point any insturment you could imagine!!
    The two world standard companies that distribute the top-noch sound libraries can be found here:
    www.soundsonline.com

    and

    www.ilio.com

    Of course, these can add up in cost very fast!! But if you want the sounds that are currently used in Television, Film and Commercials... You'll find them all there.
    Also, the drivers and support for those Yamaha cards are not great. Your best bet would be the mentioned M-Audio cards as a great starting point.
    The main advantage of having the sound generated by softsynths is that you are not bound to your soundcard. You can upgrade that at will can keep your sound library intact.
    Regards,

    Neil Parfitt


  • Dear rushingriver,



    The most highly specialized MIDI sound card on the market is the Yamaha
    SW1000XG, which uses the proprietary XG technology for realistic sound
    production. Although the SW1000XG is several years old, it remains
    the standard for professional MIDI composition. It comes with over
    1000 realistic voices, including all major orchestra, band, and solo
    instruments. Up to 64 voices can play at one time. The SW1000XG can be
    enhanced with the addition of plug-in sound cards such as the PLG1000XG,
    which adds more than a thousand new voices. You can expect to pay a
    pretty penny for all this performance. The SW1000XG is available for
    $699.95 online, while the PLG1000XG enhancement will run you $190.


    XG format, from Yamaha, is basically a set of rules describing how
    a tone generator will respond to MIDI data, like GM. GM, however,
    applies only to a limited set of parameters. XG significantly
    expands on the basic GM format, providing many more voices,
    voice editing capability, effects, external input, and other
    features that contribute to enhanced musical expression. And
    since XG is totally upwardly compatible with GM, GM data can
    be accurately reproduced on any XG tone generator. XG features
    tone arrangement and modification, a variety of musical effects,
    and expandability for the future. [...]

    XG (Sondius-XG) is a Stanford University/Yamaha system (over
    400 patents!) for generating very realistic instrument sounds
    using 'physical modelling' of the instruments. For more info,
    see Staccato Systems Technology Overview (they were the first
    licensees of the Sondius technology and sell a s/w synth called
    SynthCore that uses it).

    University of Waikato: Mark Utting: Advanced PC Soundcards for MIDI
    http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~marku/soundcards.html


    Using the SW1000XG is a delight. To your application program, the
    SW appears as two soundcards for inputs (numbered one and two to
    correspond to the analog and digital inputs) and as 6 soundcards
    for output (corresponding to the six virtual mixer outs).[...] XG
    Works is full-function sequencer with some audio capabilities and
    with effects control and a mixer for the SW1000XG. It works well
    and could function as a main sequencer if your needs aren't that
    demanding. I like the fact that it has built in rhythm patterns
    which could come in handy for the percussively challenged. It
    lists for over $100 and is a good addition to the package. The
    documentation is much leaner than I would have liked. There is
    an essential 442 question answer FAQ on the XG Factory website
    and I think that this should have been included on the CD with
    the XG Works manual, at least a shareware version of XG Edit and
    Hubis loopback device. All in all, however, I think that the SW
    is a phenomenal value for its street price of about $530. It's
    the soundcard to beat, by far!

    Tony Thomas' Techtrends: Yamaha SW1000XG Soundcard
    http://www.tonythomas.net/sw1kxg.htm


    Yamaha XG: home page
    http://www.xgfactory.com/

    Yamaha XG: main features [see screen shots at botom of page]
    http://www.xgfactory.com/html/prod/sw1k_02.htm

    Yamaha XG: specifications
    http://www.xgfactory.com/html/prod/sw1k_05.htm


    InstrumentPro: Yamaha SW1000XG: $699.95
    http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-YAMSW1000XG


    Same Day Music: Yamaha PLG100XG Wave Synth Plug In Board: $190
    http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--YAMPLG100XG



    Another line of high-end sound cards with realistic MIDI sound quality is
    made by E-Mu. Although E-Mu's products are aimed at the music production
    professional with an emphasis on studio work, they function well on
    the desktop and are designed in several respects to meet the needs
    of composers. E-Mu cards can play all 128 voices in the standard MIDI
    repertoire, but also include nearly 800 additional samples that cover
    all the major solo and ensemble instruments. They are compatible with
    standard MIDI applications and are bundled with studio software for
    custom sound design. The number of concurrent voices depends on hardware
    capabilities. For example, a Pentium 4 running at 3 GHz can play over
    220 voices at the same time. E-Mu's best MIDI interface is the 1820M,
    which costs $499 online. For more budget-conscious consumers, the 1212M
    can be had for $199.


    E-Mu: Digital Audio Systems
    http://www.emu.com/products/category.asp?category=754&maincategory=754

    E-Mu 1820M
    http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=2211&category=754&maincategory=754

    E-Mu 1212M
    http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=2209&category=754&maincategory=754


    AudioMidi: 1820M: $499
    http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/product.cfm?pid=4808

    AudioMidi: 1212M: $199
    http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/product.cfm?pid=4810



    Finally, you may be interested in M-Audio products, which are relatively
    inexpensive PCI sound cards and USB devices that provide top-notch
    MIDI sound quality at a relatively low price. Two M-Audio products
    in particular are bundled with several hundred realistic instrument
    voices, which can be supplemented by samples available on CD-ROM or as
    downloadable files. The Audiophile 2496 is a high-fidelity sound card
    that can be purchased online for $99. The Audiophile USB is an external
    device that include available for $199. M-Audio products in general are
    widely used by professional composers and music performers.


    M-Audio: 2496
    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile2496-main.html

    M-Audio: USB MIDI Interfaces
    http://m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.list&ID=usbmidiinterfaces

    M-Audio: Artists
    http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=artists.list


    NewEgg: M-Audio Audiophile USB [see reviews near bottom of page]
    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=29-121-107&depa=0

    AudioMidi: Audiophile 2496: $99
    http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/product.cfm?pid=962

    AudioMidi: Audiophile USB: $199
    http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/product.cfm?pid=3275



    It has been a pleasant challenge to address this question on your
    behalf. If you feel that any part of my answer is unclear or incorrect,
    please post a Clarification Request so that I may fully meet your needs.


    Regards,

    leapinglizard