[Bug 51966] New: Autostart fluidsynth

[WineHQ Bugzilla]

https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=51966

Bug ID: 51966
           Summary: Autostart fluidsynth
           Product: Wine
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: x86-64
                OS: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: P2
         Component: -unknown
          Assignee: [e-mail]
          Reporter: [e-mail]
      Distribution: ---

Many distros keep fluidsynth off by default because it consumes quite some
memory (126MiB), and usually it conflicts with other user sessions (only one
session can run fluidsynth at the same time).

If fluidsynth isn't running Wine could autostart it, so midi music works. Once
Wine is closed, if it was started by Wine, Wine could close it.

A good default configuration for launching it is:
fluidsynth -si -a alsa -m alsa_seq -C no -g 0.5 -L 1 -r 48000 -R yes -z 1024 -o
synth.default-soundfont="[soundfont]"

Where soundfont could be, if present and in this order:
- GeneralUser.sf2 (better more realistic audio)
- FluidR3_GM.sf2 (more frequent)

Under one of these folders, depending on the distro:
/usr/share/soundfonts (fluidsynth default, modern)
/usr/share/sounds/sf2 (debian default, vintage)

[Bug 51966] Autostart fluidsynth

[WineHQ Bugzilla]

https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=51966

--- Comment #1 from Ken Sharp  ---
> Many distros keep fluidsynth off by default

Never even heard of fluidsynth.

I don't think Wine should be searching for and starting random executables.

[Bug 51966] Autostart fluidsynth

[WineHQ Bugzilla]

https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=51966

--- Comment #2 from Rafał Mużyło  ---
(In reply to Ken Sharp from comment #1)
> > Many distros keep fluidsynth off by default
>
> Never even heard of fluidsynth.
>
> I don't think Wine should be searching for and starting random executables.

...wash your ears :grin:

Seriously though, fluidsynth is one of few linux midi software synthesizers,
one of the last that are still alive upstream. It's a bit of a heavy beast, but
it's likely hard to write something lightweight that would cover midi synth
properly.

On one hand, using it would be making wine start a 'random' executable, on the
other without it it's either 'winetricks dmusic' or you need to somehow know
what to do when some/all of the music is not being played in the program of
your choosing (among other - to know it's midi music) and how exactly to make
it work on linux.

[Bug 51966] Autostart fluidsynth

[WineHQ Bugzilla]

https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=51966

[e-mail] changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 CC|                            |[e-mail]

--- Comment #3 from [e-mail] ---
Many windows95/98 games use midi music and need MIDI synthesizers.

My experience:
"银河英雄传说IV EX for Windows95" (Legend of Galactic Heroes IV)
https://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Legend_of_Galactic_Heroes_IV#EX_version

If fluidsynth is not running, the game will not play music. If I click the
Change Music button, it crashes: 
G4xWin.exe OnCrate error: mixerGetControls(ctrlid=00000000h) failed on
hmx=C000h, mmr=11!

I think this "missing feature" has also affected many old games, such as
"Heroes of Might and Magic II".

Please note that DOSBOX has good MIDI support.
Bug severity should be major, for old game lovers.