General MIDI
- Overview
- Games
There are 41 games documented on PixelatedArcade
supporting General MIDI.
General MIDI is part of the category Sound Hardware Supported.
General MIDI is a specification for music synthesizers which specifies a minimum set of features that must be met.
Some of the requirements include the protocol the devices communicate over, a minimum of 24 note polyphony (that is, devices
must be able to play at least 24 notes at the same time), a minimum set of 128 different instrument sounds, support of
16 channesl with channel 10 reserved for percussion, and more. General MIDI synthesizers could be built into a PC sound card
or in an external module connected via a MIDI interface such as the Roland MPU-401. For games, an MPU-401 was typically
required.
Games supporting General MIDI could be played with any sound card, external synthesizer, or other device supporting the standard. Although the actual sound quality could vary depending on the device used, the instruments and sounds would be consistent. Some devices, such as the Roland Sound Canvas, included additional sounds or capabilities above and beyond those required by General MIDI and some games support these capabilities as well.
Games supporting General MIDI could be played with any sound card, external synthesizer, or other device supporting the standard. Although the actual sound quality could vary depending on the device used, the instruments and sounds would be consistent. Some devices, such as the Roland Sound Canvas, included additional sounds or capabilities above and beyond those required by General MIDI and some games support these capabilities as well.
Pictures
Click on a picture below to view a larger version.| IBM DSP Sound Card |
| A General MIDI compliant sound card by IBM |
Platforms