Definitions for "General MIDI"
Standardisation for midi data, arrived at, yet still not standard enough and being regularly up-dated............Basically GM says that a certain sound such as drums will be on a certain channel, and that Controller data for things like the Pitch Wheel, and the Sustain Pedal etc will be all standardised.........Basic perameters are defined by GM. but not enough as yet....Outside of the basic controllers and the assignments of sounds to channels, all the manufacturers kit uses different Control Numbers for adjusting their particular synths' sound......Which is a pain in the arse......Anyway it is going to be further standardised in the future, so they say.
A table of 128 standard sounds or instruments for MIDI cards and synthesisers.
A synthesizer specification created by the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) defining a common configuration and set of capabilities for consumer Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) synthesizers.