Soundfonts Anyone?

[Toonsmith]

Does anyone here use soundfonts? If so, how do they compare, sound wise, with VSTi or midi. Are the instruments sounds created more authentic to the real instrument or do they have that same old synth sound?

[AlChuck]

Sound Fonts are sample files -- WAV data, with ADSR envelopes and such, like any sampler format. So they can be as good- or bad-sounding as any other sample, I suppose there are some limitations -- I doubt you could create a Sound Font as big and therefore as rich and detailed as some of the GigaSampler sound sets would be, since Gigasampler streams off disk while playing rather than loading the sounds into memory.

You say "how do they compare... to VSTi or midi." I assume you mean "external synths" when you say "midi," because they're all MIDI devices. You can't really compare them quite like this, it's a little like comparing apples to apple pie. VSTi and DXi (softsynths) are, like hardware synths, of many different. Sound Fonts, being samples, are used as sound sources for samplers. Many synths create their sounds in different ways -- FM synthesis, additive or subtractive synthesis, physical modeling synthesis, granular synthesis -- and some of these methods also use (or can use) actual WAV data as raw material in building a sound.

What I'm trying to say is that a Sound Font is a sound set, to be used in a sample-playback type of synth, and to my knowledge they have no inherent limitation other than size that causes them to sound any worse than any other sample format with the exception of streaming samplers like Giga.

[Toonsmith]

Well, I'm gonna find out what it sounds like this weekend. I found a free soundfont player on the internet and what the people over at Kvr-Vst say is a pretty good soundfont called Cadenza Strings. Your right, the SF2 files are mega-byte munchers. But if I can get the sound I want, hey, I can live with it.

Hey Al, are you a keyboard/midi player or are you a guitarist. I saw in the marketing forum you were looking for musicians. Don't worry, I'm not hitting you up for a job. Though I like jazz I'm more into New Age and Classical music.

[AlChuck]

I'm a guitarist...

[johnnymegabyte]

I use a Soundblaster PCI 128 soundcard which has 3 sets of soundfonts. I use the 8 Meg library ( 2 or 4 exists), and have the midi setup as GS Midi. I get roughly 300 instruments compared GM's 128. The sounds are not too bad. ( see last paragraph for more info ) Has a decent 12 string guitar, for example.

I play guitar. I used to play, and now play, record, etc for self entertainment / hobby. I work in the music business. I program original songs, and some of my favorites I can't find on the net.

I use JAZZ++ as my midi editor and player (free ware from www.jazzware.com) Jazz has some audio functionality, but I'm not using it. I create backing tracks ( drums, bass, strings, etc).


The one problem with the SB PCI 128 is the reverb and chorus are either "on" or "off" right across the board. There is no settings for individual instruments / midi channels. Reverb ON just plain sucks for drums or bass tracks.

I am planning to upgrade to a SB Audigy on a new PC, which will give me individual control, plus addition effects ( distrortion, flanger, pitch shift ) I also believe the card comes with an additonal library of soundfounds ( either 16 or 32 meg )


FINAL WORDS ... for me, soundfonts gave me a cheap alternative to drums machines, synths, etc. becuase it came free with the soundblaster, and the JAZZ midi editor was free. The sound quality is pretty good.

[dopey]

i run every soundfont i use through FLstudio soundfont player.

Converted some of them to wav with 'awave'

but not as good as the originals... They are small and easy to share online! I love soundfonts plenty shared on hammersound.com anyone know where to get more?? :P

[pennylink]

Originally posted by dopey
I love soundfonts plenty shared on hammersound.com anyone know where to get more?? :P

http://www.geocities.com/portcaptain.geo/index.htm
http://www.hollowsun.com/vintage/index.html
http://www.synthzone.com/soundfont.htm
http://www.soundfonts.it/#cat7
http://www.personalcopy.com/
http://www.soundfonts.com/freesoundfonts.asp

Have fun!

[dopey]

thanks m8!

[Toonsmith]

Yeah, that's what I wanted. It's not an ensemble but it's a great violin sound. Blows away all my VSTi string plug-ins.

If you do have a soundfont player and want a good string sound then goto Hammersound.com and pick up Cadenza strings. I don't think you'll regret it.