Why these instruments?

Based on my experiences with many different soundcards, I have chosen what I think are the more acceptable, or tolerable, of the instrument sounds available. Some of the higher end cards have far superior sounds, but others can be quite painful. So, in order to try and ensure that everyone visiting this site hears a reasonable facsimile of the music as I hear it, and would like it to be heard, I have chosen a "band" consisting of choices that should make for comfortable listening.

Horns:

I use the Oboe for many lead lines and melodies. I have found that the so-called "saxes" are generally bad sounding and I avoid them in general except for the Soprano Sax. To me, there is nothing worse than the 'saxes' which sound like worn out VW Beetle horns or childrens' toys. I have also used French Horn, the Muted or regular Trumpet, Trombone, Brass 1, and Synth Brass 1. They are generally not too bad, and are useful in many pieces.

Pianos and Organs:

I tend to stick with the Acoustic Piano #1 or Chorused Piano, and sometimes use the Honky-Tonk Piano for enrichment. I find that the other pianos vary so widely among different sound cards that I avoid them. The organ sounds are pretty good across the board, and I use the Percussive (#2) and Hammond B-3 Organ (#3) a lot. I think that these are good for most sound cards, even the least expensive. I also use the Vibraphone, Steel Drums, and Marimba, and Kalimba, as they are generally pretty good.

The Basses:

I tend to stick with the Acoustic Bass, Fretless, and Fingered Basses. I think these are the most universally acceptable sounding for Bass lines. Of course for Funk songs, one needs a Slap Bass, and I do use one for this type of music, but in general, the Acoustic and Fretless will be my choice.

Guitars:

I tend to stick with the Acoustic Guitar or the Distortion Guitar for Rock tunes (often doubled with the Charang and Harmonics). On occasion, I use the Jazz Guitar, Steel, Muted, or Clean Guitars. These are the most tolerable.

Drums:

There are basically two choices for the drum sets in a song. There is the #1 setting, the basic standard kit, and the jazz kit, which is usually #40 or 41. I try and avoid the other settings, because they are often numbered differently on various cards, and I don't really have a use for the Techno or Orchestral Drum kits. If I need Orchestral, I use the Tympani.

Strings:

I completely avoid the solo string sounds, such as the violin, viola, etc, because they are awful! In general, I may use the String Ensemble # 1 or 2, or the Pizzicato Strings, when called for, and sometimes the Synth Strings. The other sounds just seem to be too risky to me.

Voices:

This is almost a no-brainer. I use the Choir Ahs, Oohs, and Syn Vox voices and try and avoid the others, as they vary drastically. I try and steer clear of them, though I may use the Solo Vox, Spaced Voice, or Brightness sometimes.

Other Sounds:

There are a few other instruments that I use to provide atmosphere and to fill out the orchestration. Among these are the Sweep Pad, which is generally acceptable; the Bowed Glass setting and Metal Pad, which give a good mellow sound to chords; the Square or Saw Wave synth settings, which are pretty good standard synthesizer sounds; the Soundtrack and Fifths Wave, which can give a great spacey feel; and have also used the Harpsichord, Music Box, Bandneon, Tubular Bell, Koto, and Harp. Other sounds, I try and avoid because one never knows what they might sound like. I do not use the sound effects like the Telephone Ring, Helicopter, Seashore, or Gun Shots because they are silly and not musical. Although, if one were writing a comedy piece, they might come in handy.

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