When working on a project in Lilypond I usually set things up to generate midi files as well as printable output, mainly for note- checking. But it is interesting to generate an ensemble midi file too. I play these files with TiMidity, using the fluidr3_gm soundfont.
I know the (very) basics about midi instruments (although I'm a bit vague about midi channels), and I know how to improve things by using timidity to generate wav files which I can import into qtractor or similar and then edit the combined result. What I am about to ask is not really a Lilypond question at all (at least, I don't think it is), but I am hoping that somebody on this list can point me in the right direction. Clearly I am not making the right searches on line, because I have never managed to find the information I want. What I should like to know is 1) how can I use drum and other untuned percussion sounds? 2) I notice that fluidr3_gm has dozens - probably hundreds - of extra sounds and instruments beyond the standard 128. How can I access these? 3) how can I use other soundfonts? There seem to be a lot of free soundfonts available on line, but I have no idea how I would use them. It would be nice to have a decent trumpet sound (the fluidr3-gm one is very poor), the sound of violin section as will as solo violin, string harmonics, timpani roll and so on. Can anyone point me to a useful online source of such information? David
