OK! So, about the update. I did a new installation of timidity because I just couldn't figure out what was wrong with mine. Works again, now and I'm pretty positive it's set up correctly, same as last time. Things are definitely very different with the updated patset. Much more "studio" and perfected in GM+AWE mode for me. I miss my Gothic choir in the XG/XG battle theme, it disappeared or got quiet or changed! I dunno, maybe I did something weird and forgot about it, but XG just isn't sounding right on my system, I'm wondering if my hardware is doing something funny or if I should try the original lgp instead of the splash cymbal one. Not like it's not working, it is, but some of the instruments are super quiet compared to others now. The midi that plays as the game opens has a super loud accented long note off what sounds like an electric piano or bass at one point. It was there for me before but now it's louder in the mix even. I wish I knew the names of the midis off the top of my head but I haven't even bothered to unpack the lgp files yet to look at them all. The entire sound side of FF7 I've pretty much avoided til recently. I used ff7music and dealt with it.
What sounds really good to me now is the GM(in timidity) + Awe(in ff7config). I never tried the GM+AWE because I hadn't read your notes carefully. Once I went from XG/AWE(which is wrong) to GM/AWE it came to life. It sounds original, but sweet. Is it possible you were working on that one a good deal and maybe it somehow threw the XG off some for me? The other thing is... The update runs way way way smoother. Again, new installation but now the music loads instant. Idk what happened there, my previous installation had a big delay (well half a second or a second). I followed your readme more closely this time, along with the screenshots in your posts, and now I get instant response from the midi on pretty much any setting. So yeah, I'm really really pleased. I want to start trying to learn how to customize the set if I run out of busy work type-mods to do. But honestly, the GM/AWE is really good so far, it's just I haven't got the time or patience to even play through the game lately much less to listen critically to the soundtrack. I suspect as I move past that ONE song "the battle theme" and the next 1 or 2 after it, the XG/XG sounds will impress me more. XG has more potential I would think.