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KVR Rank: 21 21 [30-Day: 32; 7-Day: 43; Yesterday: 56]
46 members are watching sfz for news
Product sfz
Developer Cakewalk
Primary Type SoundFont Player
Price (MSRP) Free
Plug-in Formats
Instrument(s)VST
Operating System Availability
Operating
System
Latest
Version
Download Is it
Available?
Windows 1.9.7 Free DownloadReleased
Miscellaneous Information
Copy Protection None
Supported Sample Formats include OGG, SF2, sfz, WAV
Average User Rating Average rating - 8.531
Fully Compatible
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sfz

Main Engine

  • High Quality band limiting sample-playback engine.
  • 9 quality settings to allow precise CPU usage optimisation.
  • 256 voices of polyphony, unlimited layers per voice.
  • Per-channel polyphony limiter.
  • Fully Multi-timbral operation, supports all 16 MIDI channels.
  • Supports any standard/custom samplerate, including 22k, 32k, 44.1k, 48k, 88.2k, 96k, 192k and 384k.
  • Extensive SoundFont compatibility.
  • Several loading modes: Whole SoundFont, Single Program, Direct-from-Disk streaming.
  • Stereo Output.
Sound Generator
  • A LPF, two LFOs and two Envelope Generators per layer.
  • Filter Cutoff, Filter Resonance, Keyboard Tracking, Velocity Tracking and Envelope Amount.
  • Vibrato LFO with Delay, Speed and Depth control.
  • Modulation LFO with Delay, Depth, Filter Depth, Pitch Depth and Amp Depth controls.
  • Modulation EG with Attack, Hold, Keyboard-To-Hold, Decay, Keyboard-To-Decay, Sustain, Release and Pitch Depth controls.
  • Amplifier EG with Delay, Attack, Hold, Keyboard-To-Hold, Decay, Keyboard-To-Decay, Sustain and Release controls.
Effects
  • Stereo Chorus and Stereo Reverb.
  • Effects on/off switch.
Programs / Banks
  • 128 internal programs (scenes).
  • Saves and Loads standard program (.fxp) files (saving only possible using the microHost, loading thru drag-and-drop operation).
  • Drag and drop support for program files (.fxp) and SoundFont files (.sf2).
  • All settings saved in the song.
Graphic User Interface
  • Total Layers and Voices played indicator.
  • Sound Preview ribbon at bottom, MIDI transmit to host (VST).
MIDI implementation
  • Extensive MIDI implementation: Velocity, Pitch Bend, Modulation, Sustain Sw and a lot more.
ASIO microHost
  • Ultra light ASIO host for live performance and programming (90k)
  • Supports 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz samplerates.
  • Virtual keyboard with PitchBend/Modulation/Program Change/Transpose controls using PC keyboard.
  • Simultaneous use of multiple MIDI ports.
  • Saves 16-bit and 32-bit WAV files direct-to-disk.

RSS FeedAll KVR Audio news items relating to sfz.

Tonehammer launches Microhammer [Kontakt, SFZ & WAV Libs] 14th January 2010
Chicken Systems releases Instrument Manager 13th October 2009
AcousticsampleS releases AcademicGrand for EXS24, GIGA, SFZ and HALion 1st July 2009
Dangerous Bear Underground announces Apokrypha 2 SFZ Universal Sample Library 26th January 2009
Loopmasters launches Artist Series Downloads with Future Drum & Bass from Nu:Tone 28th April 2008
Garritan debuts ARIA Sample Engine at NAMM 21st January 2008
Nucleus SoundLab releases VS Resurrection [Wusik|SFZ|SF2] 15th October 2007
sfZed updated to v0.8.13 23rd May 2007
sfZed updated to v0.8.12 2nd April 2007
Nucleus SoundLab releases Ambient Space I (WSK|SF2|SFZ|Reason) 19th March 2007
AcustiX releases Steinway Piano III and Bösendorfer Piano II (HAL|SFZ) 8th March 2007
Pettinhouse releases DirectGuitar Lite v1.5 14th February 2007
Nucleus SoundLab releases Viral Free [KON|SFZ|WSK] 24th October 2006
Nucleus SoundLab releases Viral Outbreak Vol. 1 (WUSIK|SFZ|KON) 24th July 2006
Pettinhouse releases DirectGuitar in SFZ format 10th July 2006
Nucleus SoundLab announces Viral Outbreak Vol. 1 (WUSIK|SFZ|KON) 30th June 2006
Nucleus SoundLab releases SoundCell Trilogy (WSK/SFZ/SF2) 24th March 2006
Nucleus SoundLab releases SoundCell FREE and announces SoundCell Trilogy 8th March 2006
Smart Loops Launches SL Sample Sets (Drums) 9th February 2006
sfZed v0.8.8 now available 3rd January 2006
Cakewalk announces SONAR 5 7th September 2005
sfZed v0.8.7 released 31st August 2005
sfZed updated to v0.8.6 31st May 2005
Precisionsound releases Funky Electric P200 (HAL/Kon/Sfz) 1st March 2005
sfZed updated to v0.8.5 21st February 2005
Cakewalk acquires rgc:audio 20th January 2005
sfZed v0.8.4 released 10th January 2005
rgc:audio sfz v1.9 released 3rd June 2004
rgc:audio sfz v1.4.1 released 22nd April 2004
rgc:audio sfz v1.3 released 11th April 2004
rgc:audio sfz v1.2.2 released 28th March 2004
rgc:audio sfz updated to v1.0.6 29th November 2003
rgc:audio sfz v1.0 and sfz+ beta released 31st October 2003

User Reviews by KVR Members for sfz.

CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR REVIEW


By herodotus
On 8th April 2007
Version: 1.97

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herodotus


2 of 2 people found
this review helpful.

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helpful to you?
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  GUI
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sfz is an amazing thing.

It's power seems hidden but is actually in plain sight in the form of the sfz format. The sfz format is a series of simple easy to read text opcodes that allow you to do all of the cool stuff. You can find all these opcodes here: http://www.rgcaudio.com/sfzformat.htm

Basically, how you tap into the power of sfz is to put your raw samples in a folder and write a plain text file that 'maps' the samples. This file can assign them midi note numbers, can assign velocity layers, can assign filters (it has a variety of resonant filters) assign EG and LFO (each of which can modulate pitch, filter or amplifier), assign loop points, or do just about whatever else you would ever need to do with a sampler. All using simple bits of plain language code. This code is simple. Much simpler than html or css and infinitely simpler to read than 'real' code like C++.

Now this might seem weird at first: using words instead of knobs to control a sampler. But once you get used to it, it takes no more time than changing screens on a hardware workstation.

As this code is more or less the interface, and it is easy to understand, I gave the ui rating at 5: weird, but usable.

So why go through this trouble? Well The most blatantly impressive thing about this totally free player is the quality of its interpolation algorithm. There have been numerous tests demonstrating its quality, but the simplest test is just to take some ambient pad sample, drag and drop it onto the gui, and play it up and down your keyboard. Even when the formants are completely 'munchkinized', the sound quality of the sample is remarkably smooth.

The creative power of being able to alter and harness sound in this manner, using only a free piece of software like this is almost incredible. Especially when one thinks of the excitement generated just 20-30 years ago by the first Fairlights ($40,000) and Emulators ($10,000) and then ponders that their powers are quite literally miniscule compared to this amazing piece of freeware.

Mssr. Rene, I salute you.
 
Last edited by herodotus on 8th April 2007    Report

By Midiworks
On 9th December 2004
Version: 1.97

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Midiworks


4 of 4 people found
this review helpful.

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I am with sfz since the first beta release and a lot of things happend since then.
Most of the features are hidden behind that super simple
gui, not accessible right out of the box.
You need to use midi controllers or an freeware editor
to get your hands on the hidden power inside sfz.

Editor:
http://audio.clockbeat.com/sfZed.html
Feature list:
http://www.drealm.org.uk/sfz/plj-sfz.html

The feature list is just too long to be listed here
and beats every other sampler available today.

Yes, even sfz+, the commercially available version
with sliders on the gui.
Yet without the features of the free sfz.
The sound quality is the the best you can get these days,
sfz & sfz+ are the untouchable king and queen in this category.

The soundfont compability is excellent,
every parameter of a sf2 is reproduced correctly.

There is no problem to take a huge Gigasampler file
and convert it to sf2, then load it into sfz.
It will stream perfectly from your hard disc.

Can you believe that this fantastic VSTi is free ?
Yes, it really is !

Thanks a lot Rene !!!
 
Last edited by Midiworks on 9th December 2004    Report

By bandasound
On 4th February 2004
Version: 1.0

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bandasound


1 of 5 people found
this review helpful.

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Man i love this thing...and its free...I was using Bismarks BS-1 (unfortunatly bought) and now i only use SFZ for my sound fonts...works flawlessy and sounds excellant. I may investigate buying the "+" version but the free impresses me so much i dont know if it can be whole much better! and i usually dont do alot of editing to sound fonts...so editing features are not a huge issue!

side note: did see an issue with DFD function the sound would seem to develop latency will in use. My be a RAM issue with the coding...
 
   Report

By Soundspectral
On 30th November 2003
Version: 1.06

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Soundspectral


3 of 3 people found
this review helpful.

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Friends, this is a great soundfont player !

sfz even streams direct from disc.
So there is no problem loading a huge piano in just
1-2 seconds.
sfz's streaming makes other soft samplers exept
Gigasampler/studio look like toys.

With this version 1.06 all sf2 parameters play back
great here.

There is a whole synth engine behind this simple GUI.
Resonant Filter, LFOs and even FX (Reverb, Chorus)

256 notes, different quality modes,
where the lowest mode already sounds better than most
other samplers.
There is nothing to tweak on the gui but you can use
midi control to change some parameters.

If you need more, go try the inexpensive sfz+
with many controls on the gui and more features.
Grab sfz it is free !

Thank you Rene for sfz and Triangle I+II
 
   Report
Latest 4 reviews from a total of 4

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