jRhodes3d finally released

[JeffLearman]

I have (finally!) released jRhodes3d:

https://github.com/sfzinstruments/jlearman.jRhodes3d

This is the same sample set that went into jRhodes3c, but those samples were chopped short and looped to save space. Later when I went to release the full-length samples, I ran into some technical issues trying to reproduce the stereo effect that's baked into the samples. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. So, this is essentially the same as jRhodes3c, except:

• full-length samples

• stereo depth control via CC1 (Mod wheel)

• mono, stereo, and stereo vibrato versions, each in separable folder

• With or without velocity crossfade

For those who aren't familiar: here are the details:

This is a sample set from a 1977 Rhodes Mk I electric piano.

• 67 full-length, unlooped samples

• Up to 5 velocity layers

• 44.1Khz, 16-bit FLAC format

The samples were recorded around 2006, from a Rhodes I had bought new in 1978. The samples were recorded directly from the harp connector, with EQ applied to give the tone I usually used, enhancing the bell-like quality and scooping out low mids. The samples have a stereo image added to by applying a 2 cent pitch shift using mid-side technique (so the effect cancels completely when summed to mono). Noise was removed from the samples using CoolEdit 96.

This is not intended to be the authentic original unprocessed Rhodes; it's intended to be what I wanted my Rhodes to sound like most of the time.

The stereo vibrato version has stereo vibrato baked into the samples. It is NOT the classic vintage Rhodes stereo vibrato, because the note location starts out near the middle and moves, and each note does this independently (rather than all notes moving side to side together.) The latter is best done with a plugin. The former is strange, but my MR76 had that on its Rhodes and I liked it, so I copied the idea. As with the stereo version, the mod wheel (CC1) controls stereo depth, where 50% (cc=63) is 100% stereo; going past that is a bit odd.

Regarding the naming convention: the 3 is because this was my third sampling attempt. (The first was a single-velocity sampling for dev test purposes only. The second was aborted for technical reasons I don't recall.) The "d" identifies this as the 4th attempt at processing the samples or mapping the keyboard.

I lost the original sample recordings in one of the big California fires, but fortunately I did have distribution copies of the original looped and unlooped soundfont files, and these sample sets are recreated from them. Also fortunately, I had sold the Rhodes just before the fire, so it's still out there somewhere!

Please let me know if you find any issues. Ideally, create a GitHub account and open an issue. Alternatively, let me know here on KVRAudio.

License for samples: CC BY-NC
License for everything else: CC0
License for musicians using it to make music: CC0

[slangbein]

thank you very much. One of my most used/ favoured soundfont

[BoogyWhat]

thx!!

[Philou11]

Hello Jeff,
Will there be an sf2 version of it ?
Thanks !

[enroe]

This is simply great! A fantastic addition to any sound library!

What I particularly like: You use the non-proprietary format sfz.
You compressed the wavs to FLAC. And with the Creative Commons
conditions you have stated very transparently how your multisamples
may be used! That's just awesome!

Thank you so much!

[Jonathan Shepherd]

Thanks very much mate.

[JeffLearman]

Hello Jeff,
Will there be an sf2 version of it ?
Thanks !

I'm not planning on making an sf2 version. Programs like Extreme Sample Converter do a good job. One issue is that Github is clumsy at handling large binary files.

Just out of curiosity, why do you prefer SF2?

[Philou11]

Because for me it's more simple, for instance your new Rhodes doesn't work for me in the free "Rgc audio sfz" player.
Also because all my soundfonts are in sf2.
For the previous versions you made them in sf2, that's why i thought you might do the same with this jRhodes3d.

[JeffLearman]

The problem is that sfz.exe doesn't support FLAC format.

BTW, Sforzando is free, and is a very capable player. Sforzando converts .sf2 files to .sfz.

sfizz is free too, and also very good, but I think it doesn't support .sf2 files.

For the history: originally I built jRhodes3 using only sf2. I wrote my own tools to build it from a set of "layer" files, where a layer file was all the recorded notes for a single velocity. It was a set of three scripts. The first chopped the layer files into note files. The second looked at all the note files and built a keyboard map, which it output as text controls for the third script, which built the sf2 file. That was around 2006.

Then I discovered sfz. With simple changes to the map file, it could output the sfz format file, so I could play and test the mapping before pulling the lever for the 3rd script to build the sf2 file (which was a bit time-consuming.)

Eventually I realized, why even bother with the 3rd step? The SFZ format is better in so many ways.

Since then, I've added features to the mapping script (like adjusting release time based on note, velocity crossfades, stereo depth control using mod wheel.) I haven't run the sf2 script since about 2008 and have no desire to try to keep it up-to-date (and some features may not even be supported in sf2.)

I posted a wav version: https://github.com/jlearman/jRhodes3d-wav

Enjoy!