Package: fluid-soundfont
Architecture: all
Suggests: fluidsynth, timidity
Description: Fluid (R3) General MIDI SoundFont
This is a GM/GS SoundFont, for use with any modern MIDI synthesiser: hardware
(like the emu10k1 sound card), or software (like FluidSynth).
As you can probably tell, to provide a SoundFont in the Ubuntu archives will be a vast increase in usability in all software dealing with MIDI synthesis, as previously we were unable to offer an out-of-the-box functioning system. Whilst we have freepats, that leaves a lot to be desired, and a SoundFont is far more desirable than the mass of old patch files.
Inclusion of fluid-soundfont will enable users to play back MIDI files with any number of software synthesisers (and, if gstreamer-midi is enabled, this will include gstreamer-based software) and compose music (with packages such as mscore or rosegarden), to list just two tasks.
fluid-soundfont was originally uploaded before FeatureFreeze, but due to licensing inconsistencies, was rejected. I am now currently uploading to Revu[0] a new package which has been relicensed under the MIT license. The new source distribution is found at [1].
fluid-soundfont cannot cause any regressions, being a new package in both Ubuntu (and not currently in Debian), and has no known bugs. The impact is limited, and can only improve on the functionality provided currently. Certainly, it will not add any bugs to Hardy, and its inclusion will close bug #163727. Furthermore, it is a very simple package, involving no building, and only the installation of four files, two of which are documentation.
[0] http://revu.tauware.de/details.py?package=fluid-soundfont
[1] http://tsmithe.users.ubuntustudio.org/fluid-soundfont_r3.tar.gz
I'd suggest work on getting into Debian and then backport to Hardy from
Hardy+1 after the first sync.