There is no MIDI synth on a motherboard, hence no 99 cent synth chip

The DSP functionality on the motherboard is to process already prepared
Audio, not synthesize it from MIDI.

So in a discussion about lousy MIDI sounds, there's no blame to be put on the motherboard or an imagined 99 cent synth chip.

If you aren't using an external MIDI module, the MIDI sounds from your PC are coming from software synthesizers.

Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.