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.

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 !!!

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...

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