Indeed, I'm playing talkie version right now, but my memories come from text version. That's why harp seemed to quiet for me.

   

quote:

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Originally posted by Seldon
Indeed, I'm playing talkie version right now, but my memories come from text version. That's why harp seemed to quiet for me.

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Examples sounds bad. I like very abstract MIDI-Sound and real recorded Instrument-Sound or in some cases well sampled virtual instruments. But this synthetic instruments are horrible in my ears... it seems like the "Uncanny valley" of music. Sound fonts want to sound like real instruments, but they can not... then rather completely abstract sounds

   

quote:

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Originally posted by Lebostein
Examples sounds bad. I like very abstract MIDI-Sound and real recorded Instrument-Sound or in some cases well sampled virtual instruments. But this synthetic instruments are horrible in my ears... it seems like the "Uncanny valley" of music. Sound fonts want to sound like real instruments, but they can not... then rather completely abstract sounds

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I mean the mp3 examples from the first post of this thread, I don't know which sound fonts are used for this.

   

quote:

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Originally posted by Lebostein
I mean the mp3 examples from the first post of this thread, I don't know which sound fonts are used for this.

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New minor FatBoy release today, version 0.765, a relatively trivial change overall that took a lot of detailed work to accomplish.

https://pub.dotbalm.org/misc/FatBoy-v0765.7z

And a sample to showcase the changes:

▶ Roland SC-88 Pro demo track 19: Strings

Changelog:
• 84 individual changes to sample start offsets of the GM solo violin instrument for more consistent and accurate attack thresholds

   

Sorry, I was off the grid for a while there.

Thanks so much for your exceptional ongoing efforts to improve FatBoy.

I think it is going from strength to strength and in my opinion it now far surpasses SGM in Sierra games where the soundtracks were composed specifically for General MIDI rather than MT-32.

Using my previous reference point of Beauty's Theme from King's Quest VI, are you able to advise what is happening specifically between the 1:23 and 1:26 marks?

Is this perhaps the same issue I noticed in the Castle of the Crown theme, where certain instruments seem to blend notes? You mentioned it was because the instrument set in FatBoy relies less on synthesizers and more on real instrument samples?

If it were not for those two instances I would say it is already perfect.

SGM:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/KQ6_beauty_SGM.mp3

FatBoy:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/KQ6_beauty_FB.mp3

   

quote:

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Originally posted by almeath
[...]
Thanks so much for your exceptional ongoing efforts to improve FatBoy.

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quote:

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Originally posted by almeath
I think it is going from strength to strength and in my opinion it now far surpasses SGM in Sierra games where the soundtracks were composed specifically for General MIDI rather than MT-32.

Using my previous reference point of Beauty's Theme from King's Quest VI, are you able to advise what is happening specifically between the 1:23 and 1:26 marks?

Is this perhaps the same issue I noticed in the Castle of the Crown theme, where certain instruments seem to blend notes? You mentioned it was because the instrument set in FatBoy relies less on synthesizers and more on real instrument samples?

If it were not for those two instances I would say it is already perfect.

SGM:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/KQ6_beauty_SGM.mp3

FatBoy:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/KQ6_beauty_FB.mp3

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Thanks to a report from almeath, I've been looking closely into the GM flute preset to try to resolve a bit of a catch-22. To improve the legato or wreck the staccato, that is the question.

Well, I did experiment with reducing the initial pressure build-up of the sound chamber in the flute samples, but really that just made it sound lobotomized. In the end I was able to improve the attack somewhat without reducing quality, but it will never be quite as well-defined in fast legato as a purely synthetic flute sample (as in the case of SGM's flute).

Re-examining the flute also uncovered multiple fairly ridiculous mistakes I'd apparently made while constructing the preset, namely in the bottom register of the softer velocity instrument and in the very top register of the harder velocity instrument. Both issues are corrected, as they should have been the first time I put the damned thing together. Oh well, at least I caught it eventually.

https://pub.dotbalm.org/misc/FatBoy-v0766.7z

Here's a sample of that rebuilt concert flute in action:

▶ Bjorn Lynne: Two Kings In Hadinland

This piece emphasizes how well the flute sounds in subtle arrangements, which is really lost with more synthetic woodwinds. It also demonstrates FatBoy's shiny new steel string acoustic, the samples for which came from a pickup'd Taylor from what I'm told. It certainly sounds better than the ratty Yamaha campfire acoustic I mic'd for UHD's steel string (it also found its way into many other popular soundfonts -- sorry everyone, that guitar was a POS).

Changelog:
• Corrected GM concert flute's soft velocity in low registers
• Corrected GM concert flute's hard velocity in high registers
• Slight adjustment to GM concert flute's volume envelope release
• Added just a touch of reverb to the nylon string guitar

   

Had some more free time today, and used some of it to work on FatBoy. One of the bigger changes was a flute revamp per a bug report by almeath, wherein the attack on the flute didn't sound quite punchy enough in quick legato arrangements.

https://pub.dotbalm.org/misc/FatBoy-v0768.7z

And the obligatory flute showcase sample:

▶ Duke Nukem 3D - Track 32

I wound up having to replace the flute with some of my older samples which, while not quite the quality of the newer ones (the latter being recorded with a somewhat higher-quality instrument), it does work well for both staccato and legato. I also cleaned up some other presets in the process.

Changelog:
• Reworked GM concert flute using older samples for better versatility
• Major cleanup and slight tuning adjustment of oboe
• Attenuation adjustment of "Bass & Lead" preset to coincide with other bass levels

   

More minor improvements to the FatBoy SoundFont (v0.77), namely to the flute and choral "aahs".

https://pub.dotbalm.org/misc/FatBoy-v077.7z

Here's a quickie to showcase the new, crisper mixed "aah chorus" samples:

▶ Quest For Glory IV - Graveyard

Changelog:
• Concert flute reworked yet again for a best-of-both-worlds approach. Short-attack concert flute samples were used for higher-velocity ranges, natural attack samples utilized in lower-velocity range.
• Found and made use of better quality recordings of the same choral samples in previous versions of FatBoy (and UHD). This version's samples are both crisper and longer (for more natural-sounding looping).

   

I thought this track from King's Quest VII would be good to test the "aahs":

SGM:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/SGM_KQ7_VU.mp3

FatBoy:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/FB_KQ7_VU.mp3

The "aahs" start at about 17 seconds in.

Is it just me, or does something sound slightly out of tune at the start of the track .. possibly the flute?

   

I also wanted to mention that the change of flute and subsequent adjustments are very good, especially in the previous tracks I mentioned from King's Quest VI that were affected by the staccato and legato issues.

   

quote:

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Originally posted by almeath
I thought this track from King's Quest VII would be good to test the "aahs":

SGM:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/SGM_KQ7_VU.mp3

FatBoy:

http://userweb.eftel.com/~almeath/mac/FB_KQ7_VU.mp3

The "aahs" start at about 17 seconds in.

Is it just me, or does something sound slightly out of tune at the start of the track .. possibly the flute?

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quote:

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Originally posted by almeath
I also wanted to mention that the change of flute and subsequent adjustments are very good, especially in the previous tracks I mentioned from King's Quest VI that were affected by the staccato and legato issues.

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