The trouble with the General Midi 1 standard is that it doesn't include any explanation of what any of the names mean, so I had to spend multiple seconds of research on going to the GM-1 Wikipedia page and scrolling down to the best guess of the editors there. Apparently, by "SynthStrings", they probably mean a string synthesizer, or string synth, an electronic instrument originally intended as a relatively cheap and portable substitute for a strings section, but which people later started to use as an instrument in its own sake.
So, that's what I tried to imitate. And since GM-1 has two SynthStrings program numbers and says nothing about how they should differ, I just tried to follow what GeneralUser GS seemed to do and make the second version a little brighter in timbre.
Here's 050 SynthStrings 1:
[sfx]
...and 051 SynthStrings 2:
[sfx]
Originally I intended to try and imitate the style of the examples listed in the Reverb article, but honestly? The heart wants what it wants, and today it wanted something much, much heavier. Hopefully it still gives you a sense of what these two SFX sound like.
It actually sounds like very good violin, @packbat.
Synthesizer Strings at least to me is more like what Vangelis used in Five Circles.
Of course this may be difficult albeit impossible to get in Pico-8.
Good job on the music as always. Gold star. Darnit if this thing just will not play the pasted MUSIC data.
@dw817: Aw dangit! Well, if someone else wants to take a hack at these things, they can feel free to mod my attempts if that would help - it is downright rude that GM-1 has so many similar instruments to try to differentiate between.
And thank you re: the music - I've been in a rough headspace all day and I'm glad I could find a way to work with that.
Here now, @packbat. I tried the best I could. I think I got the first note correct. If you can glean an instrument out of there for "synthesizer" you are welcome to it with my thanks.
[Please log in to post a comment]
