Using standard MIDI sounds from a MIDI-file

[skumborg]

Hi all,

I've recently downloaded a few MIDI-files - songs like "Party Rock Anthem" and more in that genre.

When I listen to them in the Chrome browser or Quicktime it sounds "quite" good with the "right" songs. But when I load it in Live (the tracks are separated in the MIDI-files) it just uses a plain sinus-tone (that's what I've read somewhere) or some other plain sound. I guess the sounds in Chrome/Quicktime is some standard MIDI-sounds

How can I figure out, which standard MIDI-sounds are used? And can I get access to these standard MIDI-sounds in Ableton, so I can make the MIDI-file sound like it's playing in Chrome/Quicktime?

If that's possible it's easier for me to find some better sounds included in Ableton Suite 8 after wards.

[m.o]

If you search around about MIDI standard sounds/instruments you should find there is a list of instruments/sound types connected to the MIDI standard (though this list was alway 'suggested' sounds), this was for synth manufacturers make presets following some sort of convention or standard.

This would be my guess.

http://www.midi.org/techspecs/gm1sound.php

[skumborg]

But you don't reply to my question

I know about General MIDI, but how can I find out, which General MIDI sound (number, name or both) is associated with the different tracks in the MIDI-file? The creator of the MIDI-file must have been choosing the sounds (General MIDI sounds) that's best for the track, so it will sound as close to the original as possible.

I've been trying to open the MIDI-file in Sibelius and TextWrangler (and, of course, Ableton Live), but I can't find the information.

Can anyone help me?

[m.o]

You're quite right sorry.

The midi tracks would contain program change or bank select commands (special CC messages), I think this is what you see in the midi editor to the left in the boxes "Bank", "Sub bank" and "program".

So in the version of part rock I found from google, I see 34, 82 and 82 for the three tracks, which would be if you look at the table in my previous link;
34 = Electric Bass (finger)
82 = Lead 2 (sawtooth)
81 = Lead 1 (square)

With that you can pick some ableton default instruments and go from there (though I admit it didn't sound too good when I tried)