HELP! Need to convert Flamestudios instruments to SFZ or EXS format!

[MarcN58T]

Yeah. Anyways, there's really a good reason why these Flamestudio instruments need to be in SFZ format. It's for everybody who rely on free SFZ players (no expensive Kontakt or Logic EXS24, etc.), plus, people use SFZ formats because it's cheap and versatile, so I wonder why there's no FS SFZ versions which has the same features as the Gigasampler versions.

I'll be putting up the complete converted SFZ instruments on my website when it's done. I need to have some free stuff up, and yeah, Gigasample players and converters are too expensive. Even Linuxsampler, the free Giga player, still have some problems on Mac and need a lot of work to set up. I just want more flexibility in the sound for those FS guitars, and maybe someone will find it useful, without getting the out-of-reach Giga or the limited sf2 format.

[kinwie]

I'll be putting up the complete converted SFZ instruments on my website when it's done. I need to have some free stuff up, and yeah, Gigasample players and converters are too expensive. Even Linuxsampler, the free Giga player, still have some problems on Mac and need a lot of work to set up. I just want more flexibility in the sound for those FS guitars, and maybe someone will find it useful, without getting the out-of-reach Giga or the limited sf2 format.

Okay, I'll finish first this ibanez Ac. Gtr in these one or two days, and give the SFZ files to you.

Before I continue to other FS giga instruments, I would like to hear other's opinions about putting up the complete SFZ version on your website, which I presume it will be including the audio samples.
Just to make sure that is okay and I do nothing wrong...

And if I can not finish all of them, you still can use/follow my template to create other instruments, or possibly other contributors want to giving help...

Anyone want to comment? PTV? BigCat?
Hey Peter! (@pljones) I need your opinion please...

[PTV]

Before I continue to other FS giga instruments, I would like to hear other's opinions about putting up the complete SFZ version on your website, which I presume it will be including the audio samples.
Just to make sure that is okay and I do nothing wrong...

First, about the copyright, I found this in the included license file :
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version

According to the license it looks okay to redistribute so I guess it's fine

[MarcN58T]

According to the license it looks okay to redistribute so I guess it's fine

It is, if not why would the Flamestudios website give a link to the converted-to-other-formats instruments done by the community, even BigCat's?

[kinwie]

According to the license it looks okay to redistribute so I guess it's fine

Maybe i've misunderstood that redistribute and modify, is for the gigasamples format.
But I'll take a safer way, I'll just put the converted sfz only without the samples on my dropbox and let OP made/packaged the complete instruments.
Thanks PTV!

[kinwie]

According to the license it looks okay to redistribute so I guess it's fine

It is, if not why would the Flamestudios website give a link to the converted-to-other-formats instruments done by the community, even BigCat's?

Well, at the first place I chime in because i thought you need it for your personal use in a song or something.

[kinwie]

To finalize the final version of the first conversion of Flamestudios instruments (Ibanez acoustic gtr) to ARIA SFZ, I will be just follow the original giga programming without adding any extra/custom features, but will add some CC controls when needed for convenient of usage.

As the aria sfz format is very flexible that can be structured in many ways, some technical questions pop-up to my brain, but I'll leave it to you Marc, to decide :

1. I will shorten the preset/instrument names for more compact, easier to read instrument name.

2. It can be made into 2 types of sfz instruments, which one you prefer :
a. One sfz preset with program/bank change message to select the presets like the giga or sf2 format
b. Or the usual, each independent sfz for each preset.

3. I will put the program number as prefix to the 2b choice, for sorting convenient, which one you prefer :
a. Start from 0 to 24 > this is follow the MIDI prog. number
b. Or start from 1 to 25

[MarcN58T]

To finalize the final version of the first conversion of Flamestudios instruments (Ibanez acoustic gtr) to ARIA SFZ, I will be just follow the original giga programming without adding any extra/custom features, but will add some CC controls when needed for convenient of usage.

As the aria sfz format is very flexible that can be structured in many ways, some technical questions pop-up to my brain, but I'll leave it to you Marc, to decide :

1. I will shorten the preset/instrument names for more compact, easier to read instrument name.

2. It can be made into 2 types of sfz instruments, which one you prefer :
a. One sfz preset with program/bank change message to select the presets like the giga or sf2 format
b. Or the usual, each independent sfz for each preset.

3. I will put the program number as prefix to the 2b choice, for sorting convenient, which one you prefer :
a. Start from 0 to 24 > this is follow the MIDI prog. number
b. Or start from 1 to 25

1. I think it's good the way it is, but maybe change the "mw" naming, and include the original name in the readme.
2. If this is feasible, go with the one sfz preset.
3. Start from 0 to 24. Should be standard.

[kinwie]

I've done the final version of the FS Ibanez Steel Ac.gtr SFZ, here it is :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/piyn9ltqz2hno ... z.zip?dl=0

Cheers!

[MarcN58T]

Just tested out after loading and renaming the extracted samples, it's great!

We might probably look at how the programming works for all the FS instruments, maybe some settings are likely the same for others. But in either case, we hope to complete the instruments soon. Next is the Seagull Acoustic Guitar, perhaps?

[kinwie]

Just tested out after loading and renaming the extracted samples, it's great!

It's a known issue, upper/lower case sensitive in Mac, while it will be load fine in Windows. So yeah, the best way is to rename the samples (fix the case typo) because the mapping use #define

[kinwie]

Btw, I won't be continue to create other FS Inst.
I think that my FS Ibanez sfz done quite good and can be serve as a good template to create other FS inst. Anybody are welcome to use it.

That's all I can help for you

[MarcN58T]

It's a known issue, upper/lower case sensitive in Mac, while it will be load fine in Windows. So yeah, the best way is to rename the samples (fix the case typo) because the mapping use #define

Oh. But I mean when I extracted the wav samples, it comes out a number prefix. I have to remove them before using the samples.
And for the "103_normIAMEd 53.wav", there's a typo in the "E", but it does not affect sforzando v1.916 in Mac, so case sensitivity is not an issue for me. To be clear, I needed to remove the "103_" before using it.

[MarcN58T]

By the way, did you use Polyphone or did you program it yourself via a text editor?

[kinwie]

Polyphone is originally a soundfont editor that confirm to the full sf2 specs.
However the sfz support in it is limited to sfz v1 format only with some extra "beta" opcodes.
It can not do that kind of complex sfz things.

I've done everything from scratch with Notepad, the built-in Windows' text editor.