Remember when hammersound.net was still being updated? What a great site: soundfonts were organized by type of instrument, users could post reviews, and soundfonts got ratings (which certainly helps to separate the wheat from the chaff).
But, in the immortal words of Scotty, "It's dead, Jim."
Another promising site is sf2midi.com, but it's horribly organized and doesn't permit anything but .sf2 files -- so we can't post compressed formats. (Frankly, it would be best to allow any sampler format so folks can convert if they want.) Also, multi-instrument collections like GM banks are jumbled together with single-instrument soundfonts, so if you're looking for a high quality single instrument like piano or acoustic guitar, you have to wade through tons of GM bank soundfonts that happen to have these instruments.
I'd REALLY like to see some site host a well-organized soundfont database. The net needs one! Ads would be fine, as long as they're not popups.
Anyone interested? I'm not a php or database guy, but I am a programmer and I'm willing to learn and help.
BTW, the sample site list at the top of this forum is a very extensive list of loop-oriented samples, but doesn't have much in the way of sample-based instruments. Furthermore, that list doesn't have any of the organization features I liked about Hammersound.net. So, please don't just point me there.
We need a GOOD new soundfont database site
-
- KVRian
- 500 posts since 13 Oct, 2004 from Durham, NC USA
-
- KVRist
- 52 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from Florida, USA
That's a great idea. Just last week I was at Hammersound trying to get a decent acoustic guitar soundfont, and had to settle on one I thought was close because I gave up trying to wade thru the site. Also, some of the reviews are less than accurate, most of the guitars were without much "oomph", rather dull and lifeless. Any takers?
I'm sofa king
we tah did.
we tah did.
-
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 500 posts since 13 Oct, 2004 from Durham, NC USA
More importantly, are folks interested? If there's a lot of enthusiasm we may be able to find a host. But without a lot of grass-roots support for the concept, it won't go anywhere.
-
- Banned
- 1842 posts since 4 Aug, 2004 from just right here
Most of those sites are old and so are their soundfonts?
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 26 Nov, 2000 from Gallifrey, The Capitol.
Who can afford to host one????? The bandwidth drain on what exists already is immense.
Spratman
Spratman
-
- Banned
- 1842 posts since 4 Aug, 2004 from just right here
True?....Spratman wrote:Who can afford to host one????? The bandwidth drain on what exists already is immense.
Spratman
Whith any soundfont or sample site you do need a lot of grassroot support. Like, if you had a lot supporters, and they had the time for sampling things, they would only need to contribute by concentrating just on one sampled item each?.......
-
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 500 posts since 13 Oct, 2004 from Durham, NC USA
Spratman, your point is valid for a site that actually hosts the files (like sf2midi). And while that's the ideal, it may not be practical as you say. But the drain on a site like hammersound.net is relatively low: lots of hits but not much bandwidth because the files are hosted elsewhere. (Leading to bad links, unfortunately.)
There's more than one way to skin the cat, as usual. The first question is do folks really care? If we find lots of support for the concept, I bet we can find a solution.
There's more than one way to skin the cat, as usual. The first question is do folks really care? If we find lots of support for the concept, I bet we can find a solution.
-
- KVRian
- 672 posts since 28 Jul, 2004
I would support this effort. I am a soundfontaholic.... Only fair to pay back ...
G.
G.
There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres. Pythagoras
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 26 Nov, 2000 from Gallifrey, The Capitol.
I used to host a site with about 20 megs or so of SF2's. It was never easy keeping the place up - particularly as I was using free providers. On just twenty megs during some periods I'd be generating gigs of traffic quite easily.
Hammersound's mirror system only works when the mirrors are solid and they maintain the links. Finding people who want to take the burden is another thing. There's all the leeching, people hammering servers, statically linking etc. A forum setup that people need to join that had weekly credits is probably a better idea.
Spratman
Hammersound's mirror system only works when the mirrors are solid and they maintain the links. Finding people who want to take the burden is another thing. There's all the leeching, people hammering servers, statically linking etc. A forum setup that people need to join that had weekly credits is probably a better idea.
Spratman
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 26 Nov, 2000 from Gallifrey, The Capitol.
oO(If you want people to contribute readily you're going to probably need somewhere for them to "congregate". )
Spratman
Spratman
-
- Banned
- 1842 posts since 4 Aug, 2004 from just right here
Must be a lot poeple out there after good samples. When you think about all those who have spent time and made available their free software to download, making samples is a good way to give something back. I think that is the only way you are going to get good high quality samples? - think about it?
Could also be a place where you could share sampling techniques as well. Iv noticed some of those older soundfonts arn't done that well, and a bit of info could have helped. I myself prefer samples because you can have them higher quality - 32bit?
Could also be a place where you could share sampling techniques as well. Iv noticed some of those older soundfonts arn't done that well, and a bit of info could have helped. I myself prefer samples because you can have them higher quality - 32bit?
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 26 Nov, 2000 from Gallifrey, The Capitol.
In concept "giving back" is good - but often I've felt that sampling and giving stuff away leeds to pain eventually. You'd certainly need more than one or two people giving stuff away - as eventually they're likely to get very disillusioned - they certainly couldn't be expected to run the whole thing either really.
The Freesound project is one source of samples right now that seems to be getting somewhere.
Opportunities to give constructive feedback are often good. As is the ability for donaters to provide a license and other details - more people are likely to give if samples aren't supposed to be used commercially [the idea of giving a lot for free and having people profiting and deciding they can package and resell your stuff usually isn't attractive to most creative people].
Spratman;)
The Freesound project is one source of samples right now that seems to be getting somewhere.
Opportunities to give constructive feedback are often good. As is the ability for donaters to provide a license and other details - more people are likely to give if samples aren't supposed to be used commercially [the idea of giving a lot for free and having people profiting and deciding they can package and resell your stuff usually isn't attractive to most creative people].
Spratman;)
-
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 500 posts since 13 Oct, 2004 from Durham, NC USA
Right, Spratman -- if the site hosts the files, it would need sign-up to post them, probably involving manual interaction to keep folks from using it as a site to post porn etc. (Amazing how clever those guys are!) sf2midi avoids this by allowing only sf2 files.
To get started, I think that a hammersound-like model would be best, since it doesn't require the commitment of lots of bandwidth and the higher security requirements for file hosting. If it takes off it might be possible to get a suitable host to save the files in return for posting ads or something.
To get started, I think that a hammersound-like model would be best, since it doesn't require the commitment of lots of bandwidth and the higher security requirements for file hosting. If it takes off it might be possible to get a suitable host to save the files in return for posting ads or something.
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 26 Nov, 2000 from Gallifrey, The Capitol.
Yeah, but even sf2midi's site can't entirely stop porn from being posted [not going to detail how].
Manual approval of files is about the only way really. The copyright issue is an issue to - knowing what has been sampled for real and what some twit has pirated off a decade old sample disc is never easy to figure out. SF2Midi has a lot of suspect files on it.
Spratman
Manual approval of files is about the only way really. The copyright issue is an issue to - knowing what has been sampled for real and what some twit has pirated off a decade old sample disc is never easy to figure out. SF2Midi has a lot of suspect files on it.
Spratman