What is the most versatile, most supported sample format?

[koolkeys]

Just doing a bit of research for some future projects, as well as some current things. But I'm wondering which sample format is the most practical, widely supported sample format? I mean, I know that third party support is large on Kontakt formats, but when it comes to how many samplers load Kontakt, is it the most?

I tend to think that sfz format is the one that is most powerful, while also being supported heavily by almost every sampler. But maybe I'm wrong?

Of course, there is soundfont. But let's face it, soundfonts are just so archaic these days and don't have nearly the features and flexibility that are NEEDED for modern libraries. Of course, if you disagree, let me know why.

So, if there was one primary format that is supported by more samplers, but still allowing flexibility, what would it be?

Brent

[tony tony chopper]

you're talking about sampleR/soundbank format, otherwise it's simply the wav format. And the soundfont format isn't as simple as you think it is.

[koolkeys]

Well, wave files aren't very practical to distribute multi-GB libraries because people don't tend to prefer mapping their own, especially when more creative mapping is preferred.

As for soundfont, it doesn't support round robin, or higher sample rate files, does it? I'm pretty sure it's limited in several areas. But again, I might be wrong. But I've never found as much flexibility in soundfonts as I've found elsewhere.

Brent

[ew]

Most widely supported? Akai...

ew

[Vonbrucken]

As for soundfont, it doesn't support round robin, or higher sample rate files, does it? I'm pretty sure it's limited in several areas. But again, I might be wrong. But I've never found as much flexibility in soundfonts as I've found elsewhere.

Brent

With a sf2 ( version 2.4) files you can go up to 24 bit which is far enough IMHO , but i am not sure all samplers actually support these kind of SF2 ...

[koolkeys]

Hmmm, I didn't know that. It's better, but as you said, if nobody supports them, does it matter much? Plus they are still missing some other features that most samplers can use these days.

Akai, eh? How fully featured is that? Also, outside of having an akai sampler, how do you create akai files?

Brent

[ew]

Any sample converter that I know of will convert to Akai format as well as convert from it; it's been an industry standard since the late '80s.

ew

[tony tony chopper]

Well, wave files aren't very practical to distribute multi-GB libraries because

I was just saying that you're talking about soundbank format, not sample format.

As for soundfont, it doesn't support round robin, or higher sample rate files

I don't see any samplerate limit in soundfonts, & I don't know what round robin means in a soundbank.
The soundfont specs are pretty big, & I don't even know any sampler that supports the full soundfont specs. They just all loosely import them.

[herodotus]

sfz is a very good format, but it is unevenly supported.

By this I mean that the only apps that seem to use it's full functionality are the ones actually designed in whole or part by Rene, i.e. sfz and the various Cakewalk products. All the other apps that support it seem to have a very uneven implementation of it.

But that will no doubt change with time, especially now that Garritan has championed it.

[Vonbrucken]

Hmmm, I didn't know that. It's better, but as you said, if nobody supports them, does it matter much? Plus they are still missing some other features that most samplers can use these days.

Brent

hum never said that i said that I was not sure that "All samplers support this format "...
But all the big samplers of the industry support it ( Kontakt , Halion , Giga studio , directwave) ...
SFZ free player for instance support the 2.4 format

[koolkeys]

Sorry, I thought you meant that the newer soundfont version isn't very widely supported. My bad, sorry.

Brent

[Vonbrucken]

No prob dude !!!
From the wiki article :

The SoundFont 2.4 version of the file format was introduced in 2005 with the Sound Blaster X-Fi product. (There never was a 2.2 or a 2.3 version.) The 2.4 format added support for 24-bit samples. The 2.4 format is bidirectionally compatible with the 2.1 format, which makes it so synthesizers that are only capable of rendering 2.0 or 2.1 format would automatically render instruments using 24-bit samples at 16-bit precision

[Lotuzia]

Any sample converter that I know of will convert to Akai format as well as convert from it; it's been an industry standard since the late '80s.

ew

+1.

And any decent Vsti sampler wich use one of these embedded sample programs converters will import Akai as well.

Indeed, If you dont use filters or additional sampler specific possibilities Akais is like universal.

+ To Koolkeys : Since Hal2, K2 and others it seems that the interoperability and import/export/exchange of different formats has been dropped off by all major players.

So only K2/3 will load K2 programs and its the same for Halion2/3. Unless you go to a very low level (like Akai Format) you wont have any compatibility.

This said if you compare K3 and Hal3 filters for example you may understand why. Waldorf filters and Ni filters doens't sound the same at all. Same for numerous other features of these two beasts.


LtZ