SIlverstanfan04
A Pokenerd like no other
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- Seen Jun 30, 2025
This is my first ever time posting a thread on this site so please bare with my lack of experience.
introduction to instrument values
Anyone who has hacked music in a ROM before will be familiar with the general midi format and instrument numbers, for those who are not familiar here is a quick breakdown:
the general midi format assigns each instrument a value which is universal, by that I mean those values are the same in almost every program which supports midis.
An example of this would be the trumpet, which is instrument number 58, String Ensemble is number 48, french horn is 60 etc etc... This is important to remember when making music.
What's the deal with HGSS?
In HGSS (and apparently a lot of other non game freak games) the sound font's instruments are NOT ordered according to the general midi format, this is confusing for most and can lead
to custom music sounding awful as a result, This tutorial will explain the commonly used instruments in HGSS and their values.
Commonly used instruments in HGSS and their values
The following list consists of commonly used instruments and their values in the ROM, this set up is true for the handful of banked I've examined.
(e.g strings is number 23 , which in the GM format is the tango accordion)
0 - grand piano
1 - bright piano
2 - electric piano
3 - Rhoads piano
4 - same as 3?
5 - Vibraphone
6 - Marimba
7 - Xylophone
8 - Bell
11 - drawbar organ
16 - overdriven guitar
17 - distortion guitar
22 - synth bass 1
23 - string ensemble
26 - pizzicato strings
29 - trumpet
32 - french horn
33 - clarinet
34 - flute
39 - drums
More may be added in the future if the scope of this thread expands beyond instruments commonly used both in HGSS and in custom tracks. I hope this helps you with HGSS music hacking!
introduction to instrument values
Anyone who has hacked music in a ROM before will be familiar with the general midi format and instrument numbers, for those who are not familiar here is a quick breakdown:
the general midi format assigns each instrument a value which is universal, by that I mean those values are the same in almost every program which supports midis.
An example of this would be the trumpet, which is instrument number 58, String Ensemble is number 48, french horn is 60 etc etc... This is important to remember when making music.
What's the deal with HGSS?
In HGSS (and apparently a lot of other non game freak games) the sound font's instruments are NOT ordered according to the general midi format, this is confusing for most and can lead
to custom music sounding awful as a result, This tutorial will explain the commonly used instruments in HGSS and their values.
Commonly used instruments in HGSS and their values
The following list consists of commonly used instruments and their values in the ROM, this set up is true for the handful of banked I've examined.
(e.g strings is number 23 , which in the GM format is the tango accordion)
0 - grand piano
1 - bright piano
2 - electric piano
3 - Rhoads piano
4 - same as 3?
5 - Vibraphone
6 - Marimba
7 - Xylophone
8 - Bell
11 - drawbar organ
16 - overdriven guitar
17 - distortion guitar
22 - synth bass 1
23 - string ensemble
26 - pizzicato strings
29 - trumpet
32 - french horn
33 - clarinet
34 - flute
39 - drums
More may be added in the future if the scope of this thread expands beyond instruments commonly used both in HGSS and in custom tracks. I hope this helps you with HGSS music hacking!
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