Hi

OK so I hear a bit about soundfonts. I guess they are supposed to be better in sound than a VST. Also more expensive it sounds.

What do I need to try soundfonts. It seems to me I heard there are some good free soundfounds on the internet. Where might I find those and what might the good ones be.

I use a studio quality Mia 24/96 sound card. What do I need to put these soundfonts in? Do I need an Audigy soundcard, or is there something else, hopefully free, that will work with my sound card?

Thanks for the help from someone who hasn't a clue how this all works yet.

Scott

Hi Scott

I had an Audigy, but it quit after a year. There are other solutions like:

SFZ to host the soundfonts http://www.rgcaudio.com/sfz.htm
and SGM180, a good GM sampleset> http://www.geocities.jp/shansoundfont/soundfont.html

Both are free. You download SFZ, and click on the blank space on upper right. You then go to unzipped SGM 180 and import the icon with the v1.5 40 MG fonts.

Synthfont is more elaborate, and also free, but a donation is requested. http://www.synthfont.com/

Many individual sites are also available for free fonts: http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/008711.html

Bernie

Here is another site of free soundfonts: http://www.hammersound.net/

The best way to use OMB or Live - Styler is to use VST Host software as indicated in above noted posts:

Install and Load OMB or LS
Install & Load Host software (forte, console, etc.)
Load VST (sfz, synthfont, etc.)
Load soundfonts within the VST.
Connect OMB or LS to host via Midi Yoke or Maple virtual cables).
Setup the midi ports & channels for Style and lead voices.
Connect your controller keyboard via soundcard to Host.
Load style in OMB & LS and play

As always thanx for all the info from everybody.

Bernie9: I am trying to get SFZ and SGM180 to work but am getting these messages:

"Current sample rate is unsupported by selected ASIO hardware. Sample rate changed to 48000 Hz"

I am using my studio quality Mia 24/96 sound card by Echo Audio. I also have ASIO4all, I believe it's called, but it seemed when trying Hypercanvas with Live Styler that it sounded better with the Mia. I wonder if I need to change some setting on the Mia. If so, I am not sure which one or to what.

"There's no enough memory to load the selected SoundFont."

I see the SGM180 is 78.9MB. And while I just discovered my 80GB HD has become about filled in a year and a half it shows Free Space: 2.26GB, Total Size: 74.5GB.

Any ideas why I am getting not enough memory to load message while it's only 78.9MB and I've got 2.26GB Free Space?

Since I discovered the HD is so full I am planning on emptying it out onto CD-R's, but currently I see my old CD burner went kaput.

Thanx
Scott

I have also tried ASIO4all thinking this might make some kind of difference but get an error message saying that things have to close.

Hi Scott,
I use the following 2 options
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum43/HTML/000003.html

If you just want to hear how a midifile sounds using soundfonts, try synthfont midifile player. From memory, all you need is synthfont, a gm soundfont and a gm midifile to try it with.
http://www.synthfont.com/

best wishes
Rikki

Thanx for the info Rikki. I want to try all this kind of stuff out to see what it's all about and see what it's like. I have a suspision that this could be the real future of arrangers.

Actually, I wouldn't even mind buying a set up that someone has done on a laptop, but I don't see that happening anywhere and I actually wonder why. It's probably better for me though in the long run to have complete control over my SL version soft arranger.

Best
Scott


[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 07-28-2006).]

You probably already know this but for those that don't http://www.synthzone.com has a list of Soundfont resources at http://www.synthzone.com/soundfont.htm

Hi Scott
It appears you are confusing hard drive capacity with RAM memory. A average PC might have an 80GB HD, and 128 or 256 MB of RAM (memory).

It is the latter, that is the problem. To run samples, you need a minimum of 512MB of RAM . You could get by with 256 with sounfonts that are not too large. Memory is cheap these days. Get as much as your machine will hold if you want to get into sampled instruments eg.

Your hard drive is nearing capacity, but won't interfere with you loading soundfonts.

Go into control panel\system and see how much memory of RAM you have. I can't run SGM180 on my PC with 352MB RAM. I have to go to my Receptor with more RAM.

Bernie

Nigel, you sure are on the ball. What a great site you have here!

Interesting, I tried the synthfont midifile player. I used the SYTHGMS and the SGM180. They both sounded about the same, although I had to watch the volume as it was about 4 AM

Am now wondering why the SGM180 would work with this program and not the other.

My motto always was, computers are great, as long as they're working. 'Course there's this possibility of user error (with some people)haha.