Confused about SoundFont Presets

[MJL54]

Hi, I hope someone can answer this question. I see I'm the only member on this forum. Anyhow, I'm using Audigy2. I don't understand how I'm supposed to load pre-sets. I have a soundfont file, for instance, a Sax that has several pre-sets. The Audigy help files says I can use the soundfonts with a different pre-set than whatever I may have installed there now. Trouble is, I can't seem to get it right. I'm supposed to click on the pre-set button and that takes me to the pre-set display/load box in the SFBM. Okay, fine. But whenever I do that I just end up loading the same old soundbank file and the same pre-set keeps appearing in the pre-set selection screen. Also, I have no idea whatsover how to use the SoundFontBank manager, which is a list of all the melodic and percussion pools with their respective allocation numbers, or whatever. I have no idea how these work with the other files.

If anyone has experience with Audigy here, please help me out. Thanks.

[Samplecraze]

Did the card come bundled with Vienna?

[James Argo]

Lets see if I can help you...
First, did you install AudioHQ application came with Audigy? If so, then you can access SoundFonts manager (usualy third tab) to raise alocated memory size for your soundfonts (by default, it's 2 MB). Once you've raised amount of memory allocated for soundfonts, you can upload different soundfonts file (.sf2) into different banks. Some sequencer like Cakewalk's Sonar lets you attach/detach soundfonts using it's own way. You better also tell us what's your sequencer. You can select different banks and patches to use using your sequencer. Post more latter...


Jaymz

[MJL54]

Originally Posted by Samplecraze

Did the card come bundled with Vienna?

I have Vienna. I've been too busy creating music to study up on it. Thing is, I know how to use soundfonts - that's not exactly the problem. Specifically, I don't understand how you install a different pre-set with the same font. The font will have, say, three different pre-sets, ok? The soundfont will have a reference of [000][001]. What does the first number refer to? Is it the bank number? And the second number refers to the preset, doesn't it? so you'd have, say, [000][001], [000][002], etc, for each pre-set? The help file says I should click on the pre-set button and then select the bank, and then load the font. Well, if my font's already loaded, I just don't get it. Added to this little problem of mine is the fact that my notation program only plays from bank 0 anyway, so I have to stack my fonts, and though I have managed it I'm never sure if there is a "right" way to do it - I usually manage through guesswork. My other programs (Multitracks, PowerTracks and Noteworthy), I can choose the bank for each instrument, but I'm still confused about the pre-sets. Boy! Sorry about this but I just don't get it.

Mike.

[James Argo]

You mixed terms which were confusing me a bit...

Anyway, let's make same perception of term used.

Soundfonts file (.sf2) is the file contains banks and patch.
Soundfonts Bank is where you store soundfonts in the memory. One soundfonts bank will hold one .sf2 file uploaded into memory.
Bank is group of patches. This is different "bank", not Soundfonts Bank. One bank usualy can hold up to 128 patch. Each bank usualy named by numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc...
Patch is the instrument (you called it pre-set?). It is selected after you select bank from the application. Each patch usualy sequenced by numbers (0-127 or 1-128) and name of instrument it sounds beside it.

So you need to upload soundfonts file into Soundfonts bank, then select the Soundfonts Bank from your application, then select bank, and then patch (instrument).

Hope it helps,

Jaymz

[MJL54]

Thanks for you help, James. It would be so much eaiser if people could get together round the computer; I'm sure the problems would be solved very easily. The terminology and having to explain exactly what one means is what makes it difficult. With Audigy, the term "pre-set" means a setting of a particular soundfont, a setting that emits a certain distinctive sound for that specific soundfont, such as Real Tenor (sax) has 10 pre-sets, in my collection. So, I load a General Midi font in my 000 bank, because as I understand it, without that the sax won't play. It needs the GM bank to draw from - that's my understanding. Some people call it "spotting" the soundfont bank. So, anyhow, if I load Real Tenor into, say, bank 001, if you look at the soundfont bank manager's drop-down list you'll see that the default for that soundfont is "Soft Sax." The other 9 "pre-sets" are the ones I wanted to load. I use Finale Notepad Plus, which I think is only able to access the 000 soundfont bank of Synth A; and I use Multitrack and Power Tracks. I believe that with other, more expensive Finale products one can access these other pre-sets, but I don't know how to do it with the other programs. I don't expect help with that here, however, if anyone has something to add, great. Otherwise, I'll be on my merry way and try to get un-confused.

Thanks very much.