General MIDI sounds just suddenly changed

Hi!

Since a few days, I don't know for what reason, the sounds are totally different.

Even when I play a normal MIDI file with Windows Media Player, it sounds totally different from how it used to sound before (different sounds, instruments and sometimes even time).

I have absolutely no clue how this happened.

Thanks in advance!

Almighty Windows Cd and reinstall function :D

Hmmm but what exactly do I have to reinstall?

Check Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Dev. -> Audio -> MIDI

The default instrument set is "MS GS Wavetable SW Synth"

Yea, and it's the only available option I see.

Well, the default soundbank is usually located in \Windows\system32\drivers\GM.DLS

It's a roland soundcanvas instrument set with a size of 3,440,660 bytes. If the file size is different, you have a different soundbank installed (by another software).

Yeah I have that, with the exact number of KB as you stated.

Yet the sound is completely different from what it used to be :(

Could it be perhaps that there was another soundbank and it was disinstalled?

What other soundbanks are typically on a Windows?

OK. I think it has nothing to do with the soundbank, because I installed another audioplayer (QuickTime) and when I open the same file it produces totally different sounds... yet there is no new soundbank installed in the Audio options.

Is there anything else that regulates the MIDI output?

I also noticed that when I let my notation software play single notes, the sound is correct and clear... it's only when the whole midi file is opened that everything sounds strange!

Strange... Try another midi-player software, which allows you to change Midi Out Port / Synth.

Anyway, what notation software you are using? A notation software usually does not open a midi file directly, but imports it by quantizing midi note events. In general the smaller note values you are using for quantization, the better the playback will be, while using longer note values produces better score look.

Thanks for all the advice. I finally solved the problem, and found the solution very randomly.

Basically, I'm using a EEE computer (netbook) which apparently tries to save energy by not using full capacity of its processor. All I did was put to "High Performance Mode" and the MIDI sounds are playing back perfectly as before, both on my notation software (capella 2004) and Windows Media Player.

I didn't imagine, though, that MIDI took up so much processing power that such strange effects would happen. MP3s and everything else play properly also on "Saving Mode"...

Anyway, thanks for everything! :-)