One thing I have observed consistently with this game is that the MIDI playback sounds warbled, glitchy and "sickly" at random intervals and eventually, MIDI playback will glitch out altogether. I have observed this problem on Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 10 machines. I know that there is a workaround of installing various MIDI mappers out there, installing soundfonts and setting them as the default MIDI Player in Windows, but I am wondering if there is a way to avoid all of the extra third-party software and getting the MIDIs to play like they are supposed to? It is VERY distracting to hear the sound track go off-key or sound like nails on a chalkboard because MIDI playback is literally bugging out.

Isn't it how it supposed to be? System Shock is known for its dynamic soundtrack which changes and shifts constantly.

I know it dynamically shifts. That is not what I am talking about. I compared the playback to videos running the game in a native DOS environment and the Enhanced Edition does have issues.

check the FAQ, you can install bassmidi or virtual midi to improve the music quality.

I appreciate this suggestion, but I stated in my initial post that I was both aware of these programs and I was seeking a solution that did not involve installing these third-party products.


EDIT: I did some tinkering with Classic Edition to see if I could find a resolution. It turns out that the General MIDI music files and/or emulation are the problem. If I set Classic Edition to SB16 or Adlib for the music, the distortion is gone. Since I see no way to swap sound emulation in the "Enhanced" Edition, I am consigned with either being forced to use a third-party program to spare my ears, turn down the music to do the same, or endure the distorted playback. :/ At the very least, I discovered this issue and someone can run with it to find a viable solution.

I wish i could change the music playback device in the EE. The MIDI music is terrible and sounds "glitchy" and not "correct".
Maybe the devs can add an option to change music playback like in the CE.

System Shock uses the 'Miles Sound System' sound drivers for DOS and its Extended Midi Music Format. Extended Midi is like normal Midi but with the optional addition of subsongs.
System shock has different Xmidi files for the Soundblaster FM (OPL2/OPL3) and General Midi.
The Soundblaster/Adlib OPL FM chip is primitive and cannot process midi data directly. The Miles Sound system does a software conversion from midi to OPL FM instructions.

Just to illustrate this point: the game music is stored as midi. It may sound more retro and cool in OPL/FM. but cannot suddenly sound stupid on a good general midi synth. unless the new Enhanced Edition wrapper messes up something with the midi throughput.

Do you get the same problems if you configure the classic edition for general midi? If so, then maybe your default midi player or its instruments are just not very good for the task, and I don't think there is a way to fix that other than changing them. Would it be out of the question to try third-party software to see if it helps? If it doesn't, the problem might be elsewhere.

Of course no amount of soundfont trickery will make general midi sound exactly like the game plays it with an OPL chip. Even if it did, it would still be different since it is apparently not even playing the same files.

Yes. The issue is that this appears on every computer I have, which include four XP 32-bit machines, one Vista 32-bit machine and two Win7 64-bit machines. I would rather avoid this. It is easier to turn the music slider all the way down than go through third-party hell. I have enough fun getting mod soups to work with the Silent Hunter franchise.

That explains a LOT. I knew that the MIDI in Windows 9x/XP was a chopped down version of something and that is why it was always wonky in implementation. I never knew it was THAT chopped down. It definitely explains why the General Midi playback for this is so ear splitting and unstable. I probably will look into this. :)

This one isn't Microsoft's fault. System Shock was meant for SB16 and not General MIDI, and sounds wonky on pretty much any GM device.

For games actually composed with a Roland SC-55 in mind, MS's GM synth is usually adequate, if not necessarily amazing. BASSMIDI with modern soundfonts can be a big improvement, but it can also make it fall apart, depending on the game, track, and soundfont. Tracks that use a lot of modulation, for instance, can easily be thrown off balance by having a soundfont that's too aggressive on the wrong instruments. Or if your soundfont's drum sounds are a bit louder than the SC-55s', a drum-heavy track could become overpowered by the drums.

This link may be relevant, or at least interesting, though I wish it had more Medical Deck examples:
http://www.wavetable.nl/?p=231

About the cut down sound canvas in Windows [2MB], consider that the original Sound Canvas ROM is estimated around 4MB.

It sounds unlikely that any game using the Miles Sound System is 'meant' for SB16. If something is really meant for SB16, I would say: go program the OPL chip directly instead of using the Miles "Extended MIDI" sound system.

Wikipedia: "LoPiccolo composed the game's score on a Macintosh computer and inexpensive synthesizer, using Audio Vision Midi Sequencer."
In his podcast LoPiccolo mentions this synthesizer: "Roland General Midi Box".

When one compares some System Shock XMI tracks intended for the Soundblaster OPL/FM with the General Midi ones: The difference I find is that the OPL/FM ones are missing some channels/sounds. This was as I expected because the OPL FM chips cannot handle as many simultaneous "voices" as a General Midi Synth.

I do agree that the System shock soundtrack can easily get weird when using Synthesizers that stray off to far from the 'Sound Canvas' standard. Because the GM intruments are used rather unconventional here.

I know I read somewhere that it was meant for SB16. I think it might have been a message board, but the explanation sounded pretty thorough and convincing. But I'm completely sure I didn't imagine this. Several years ago, I was playing on my Sound Canvas, and after beating it I read somewhere that it was supposed to be played on an SB16, so I almost immediately re-launched the setup, changed it to SB16, and replayed it yet again, and thought it was a big improvement.

I wish I could find the explanation again. I've lived for years believing System Shock is meant for SB16, and you're the first person to tell me otherwise. If I'm wrong, I'd feel terrible for giving everyone wrong information.

I think the game file structure together with LoPiccolo's podcast interview explain very wel what is up with the music. And then everyone can still have their own preference on how to listen to it.

Of course the music is also meant for SB16, they actually took the time to hand-tune the midi scores a little for playback on a FM chip. Same thing for the Gravis ultrasound soundcard. That is a rare thing. IMO System shock music sounds fine through SB16.
Regardless, According to the creator, the scores were first composed on a Roland General Midi Synthesizer. Which is likely to have been the Sound Canvas SC-55 module. Just like how Bobby Prince made the music for Doom etc.

I also have a 1994 Roland Sound Canvas midi card here, and a few clone cards by Terratec Germany. I enjoy system shock music with those devices.
On a modern System I use the 4 Meg General Midi Sound set version 4.1 from Voice Crystal ($14.95). This soundfont originated in the 90's too (Shipped with the Gravis ultrasound PnP). I enjoy system shock music with that soundfont.
Before that I used the 8MBGM soundfont form Creative Labs, which was OK.
Surely if i would get larger and more recent soundfonts; it would sound excellent with some games, yet make other old games sound very weird, especially System Shock. The music in system shock is kinda different as it is.