KVR Audio

learjeff · Post by **learjeff** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 3:23 pm

I've been building soundfonts using Gigastudio32 and then converting using CDExtract or Extreme Sample Converter. However, due to a recent OS upgrade on my computer, GS no longer works -- if installed my computer freezes up after a few minutes even if I don't run it.

I expect that to be a temporary problem for a number of reasons I won't go into here. Meanwhile, I just finished my second round of sampling my Rhodes and I'm dying to put together a soundfont using the new samples. (You can find my first attempt HERE.) This time I was much more careful about getting even gradations in velocity, with 5 layers.

Does anyone know a good free or inexpensive program to create a soundfont from scratch? I get the impression that while the above two are good a manipulating them, they aren't good for creating new ones.

I can't use Vienna because I don't have a Soundblaster. I use sfz for soundfonts.

Thanks!

scamme · Post by **scamme** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 3:33 pm

Try this: http://www.soundfaction.com/alive/

scamme · Post by **scamme** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 3:35 pm

Try this one: http://www.soundfaction.com/alive/

edit: Duplicated 'couse of slow PC, sorry!

ceenda · Post by **ceenda** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:28 pm

You might want to try Synthfont as well. The main program has a subsection called "Viena" (with the 1 'n', yeah, I know...

). Basically it's similar to vienna, but it's free (though you're asked to make a donation) and allows you to make custom soundfonts.

papatomany · Post by **papatomany** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 7:18 pm

Hi, Jeff --
Glad to hear version 2 is on the way. VSampler does it. I'm not sure how well it does it, though. I own VSampler but haven't tried making a soundfont in it. It's not cheap (by my measure), but there's a
"full-featured 30-day-trial mode, allows to test the full version of VSampler for 30 days *without any function limit*"[according to their site].

pljones · Post by **pljones** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:23 pm

You could see if you like sf2comp (if you can still find it to download). Text-based input file describing the instrument you're creating, plus the samples. Run through the soundfont compiler. Out pops..? (Not used it in compile mode, so I don't know if it actually works... I assume it does...)

learjeff · Post by **learjeff** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:48 pm

Thanks, guys. I'll look into your suggestions.

I tried synthfont, but the soundfont editor doesn't work yet (it seems to be a "read only" editor at this point). Furthermore, it has lots of obvious bugs and mistakes. Two things I remember off the top of my head:

1) It derives the pitch of a loaded sample but gets it completely wrong. OK, I wrote code to do this and it's not trivial, so no big ding here.

2) It doesn't understand the relationship between MIDI note numbers and piano notes. For example, when it shows the piano roll, it labels F4 as "60 C". Or, if I enter a MIDI note number for a sample, it prints the wrong note name.

When I first found it, I thought I could work with the author on it. But I found so many things that seemed either wrong-headed or too different from how I think, I was dismayed at the thought of trying to communicate with the author.

I'll look for sf2comp. I was thinking about writing a program like that, which would help automate building the layered keymaps. I already have a Python program that takes a long wave file with a bunch of samples for one velocity layer, and it chops them up and detects the pitch and names them accordingly. It would be nice to have a more-or-less "one button" program to quickly build the sf from the data. That would make it easier to try different variations on sampling, and allow me to focus more on the sampling and less on construction. I'd get faster feedback after doing a sample set, to find out what to change or whether to redo.

learjeff · Post by **learjeff** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:39 am

sf2comp looks like it would be perfect. Unfortunately, when I run it I get an error. I've emailed the author, so there's hope.

I tried SoundFaction Alive. It seems to need a hardware soundfont, or else to be run from within Cakewalk (which I don't have). In any case, it keeps complaining about not being able to load the soundfont on my soundcard (which makes sense, because I don't have a soundcard that does soundfonts.) Also, while the GUI looks nice, it looks like it might be clumsy with lots of samples (e.g., about 70 for the one I'm doing now).

Any more ideas?

John Vulich · Post by **John Vulich** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 2:40 am

I create patches in Reason's NNXT sampler, save them to disc and then use Awave Studio to convert them into SF2 files. Depending on what native samplers you have and the conversions that CDExtract will allow, perhaps you can do something similar.

BTW, Awave Studio can create SF2 files from scratch but I find the workflow of their interface, for this, rather cumbersome. That's why I create them in Reason first. But then again every single dedicated SF2 editor I have ever seem looks cumbersome to me.

lawapa · Post by **lawapa** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:14 am

I also use Awave from FMJsoft. And that thing is a great tool for making not just soundfonts. The list of supported formats is huge. Soundforge is what I use to prep my samples but Awave can do the job from start to finish. I just like the graphical representation of the wave files in SF. Awave is a select and process interface.

dougsyo · Post by **dougsyo** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:33 am

papatomany wrote:Hi, Jeff --
Glad to hear version 2 is on the way. VSampler does it. I'm not sure how well it does it, though. I own VSampler but haven't tried making a soundfont in it. It's not cheap (by my measure), but there's a
"full-featured 30-day-trial mode, allows to test the full version of VSampler for 30 days *without any function limit*"[according to their site].

I have EXSC, Vienna, Soundfaction Alive, and VSampler. I use EXSC to convert other formats to SF2. Vienna and Alive both want a SB (Alive will work with LiveSynth Pro in a fashion, but the latter is no longer available). VSampler is the most straightforward to convert already-looped wavs into soundfonts, for me.

I don't use it to play soundfonts, though, I prefer sfz/sfz+. Both VSampler and EXSC offer demo versions.

Doug

pljones · Post by **pljones** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:05 am

learjeff wrote:sf2comp looks like it would be perfect. Unfortunately, when I run it I get an error. I've emailed the author, so there's hope.

You've got SFEDT32.DLL as well as the sf2cmp10.zip file? And SFEDT32.DLL is somewhere Windows can find it (I keep it in the same folder as sf2comp)?

Code: Select all

07/12/2000  19:29            38,912 sf2comp.exe
10/03/1998  00:00           141,824 SFEDT32.DLL

learjeff · Post by **learjeff** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:46 pm

Since my old Prophet 2002 went kaput, I haven't had a hardware sampler. Nor do I really want or need one; it's a job that's really better done in software. And as I said, I have Gigastudio but can't use it for now -- just installing it kills my computer.

My samples are already prepped, using various tools. Awave studio looks promising, although it's above my price point at the moment. But I can try the demo, and if it works well enough I can put it on my Christmas list. Thanks for the pointer!

Vsampler looks pretty good too, but also not cheap. (Gee, aren't we lucky these days? I remember when $1000 was cheap for a (hardware) sampler!)

I've used EXSC. IIRC, that one has the best loop editor I've seen, showing how the ends of the loop match up as you audition and adjust. Makes quick work of the hardest part -- though I'm using full-length samples.

Pljones, thanks for the tip but yes, I do have the DLL, and sf2comp even registered it.

Thanks, guys!

useruseruser · Post by **useruseruser** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:26 pm

I personally prefer Microsoft ! (yes, you read right) DirectX Music Producer.

It is able to compile DLS soundfonts (which can be easiely converted to any other format after compiling). And it's free.

The DLS soubndfonts can be played back while editing in realtime with the system software synthesizer over MIDI (like on on the good old Soundblaster Vienna Soundfont Editor with SB cards).

After compiling, I use AWave Studio to convert to the destination format. Althought AWave Studio has its own possibilities to map and create soundfonts internally (even with VST plugin batch processing support), but it's cumbersome in my opinion.

If you own a SB card, you should be able to run Vienna (produces sf2 format only), which is also free available. But I don't know, whether it is supported by XP.

.

scamme · Post by **scamme** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:54 pm

jackle&hyde wrote:I personally prefer Microsoft ! (yes, you read right) DirectX Music Producer.

It is able to compile DLS soundfonts (which can be easiely converted to any other format after compiling). And it's free.

The DLS soubndfonts can be played back while editing in realtime with the system software synthesizer over MIDI (like on on the good old Soundblaster Vienna Soundfont Editor with SB cards).

After compiling, I use AWave Studio to convert to the destination format. Althought AWave Studio has its own possibilities to map and create soundfonts internally (even with VST plugin batch processing support), but it's cumbersome in my opinion.

If you own a SB card, you should be able to run Vienna (produces sf2 format only), which is also free available. But I don't know, whether it is supported by XP.

.

learjeff wrote: I can't use Vienna because I don't have a Soundblaster. I use sfz for soundfonts.

Thanks!

He don't have sb card man, thats the problem!

best soundfont creator programs?