I can’t seem to figure it out. When it plays a MIDI file, it references Timidity++ in the output:

  Metadata:
    name            : Piano
    instrument      : Timidity GM patches
    sample          : Piano
                    : 0:
                    : 1:
                    : 2:
                    : 3:
                    : 4:
                    : 5:
                    : 6:
                    : 7:
                    : 8:
                    : 9:
                    : 10:
    extra info      : 51 patterns, 26 channels, 1/11 instrument, 12/12 samples
  Duration: 00:03:06.00, bitrate: 1 kb/s
  Stream #0:0: Audio: pcm_s16le, 44100 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 1411 kb/s

Playing the file with Timidity++ results in nothing, as Timidity++ apparently isn’t a soundfont, and searching “Timidity GM patches” brings up nothing.

  • scrion@lemmy.world
    2·
    12 days ago

    No, Timidity++ is not a soundfont, it’s a synthesizer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiMidity++

    So, your installation found that Timidity++ was available and used it to synthesize the required sounds, no sound font needed (TiMidity itself can make use of available sound fonts though).

      • thingsiplay@lemmy.ml
        1·
        12 days ago

        Maybe ffplay doesn’t use timidity application. The name says “GM patches” under “instrument”. Sounds to me like some Timidity based soundfont, not an application.

        • scrion@lemmy.world
          2·
          11 days ago

          The sounds are coming from patch files loaded via PAT_Load_Instruments in libmodplug, which is what’s used to generate the sounds.

          You are right though that the patch/instrument consists of several pre-generated samples and does not use Timidity “live”.