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Topic: ----Sound Fonts?---- (Read 16368 times) previous topic - next topic

----Sound Fonts?----

I found this program (nwc) about 3 years ago and i find it very useful and simple to use, it's just that there's not enough good instruments. I didn't even bother to look for new instruments thinking that there would not be any. But today I found this thing called "sound fonts" i immediately thought 'awesome!' and downloaded a brass instrument to try out...

uh... All i see is this file with 'sf2' extention

I found some Messages on sound fonts but they all lead to AWE64 and other stuff that are gibberish to me...

I'm not a professional musician(not even close). I'm just a middle-schooler doing this as a habit, so please... no fancy music-related words.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #1 –
sf2 files are soundfont files and need to be loaded into a soundfont compatible soundcard. If you have a Creative Live! or Audigy, got to control panel and find Audio HQ. Double click on that and select soundfont. You can then either load the new sf2 file by itself - replacing whatever is there, or load the new file into another bank, or go to configure instrument and find the instrument you want to replace and load an individual instrumnet from the sf2 file you want.
If you have any other soundcard, I cannot help.

Tina

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #2 –
I run Soundblaster Live! and I didn't realize I could load individual instruments.  Thank you for that, Tina.

I'd love to hear suggestions of where to find the best soundfonts for the following instruments -

alto sax - playing mellow, playing raunchy
tenor sax - ditto
bari sax - ditto
clarinet - ditto (symphonic sound versus New Orleans style)
bass clarinet
muted trumpet
muted trombone

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #3 –
Some sf2 sound fonts can also be used in software such as Timidity. I don't know the details... it's over my head. But I'm told that the software can read the sf2 even if your sound card won't load sf2.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #5 –
So does that mean I can't do anything without those cards?
( i dont get what timidity does)

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #6 –
Essentially, I think your computer comes equipped with a "mother board" and various other "cards" or boards.  The mother board contains the main chip and various other features including a basic sound chip.

Many computer vendors include a special board called a sound card.  Designed only for sound, with various input and output connections, they produce a better sound than the basic sound chip on the m/board.

Soundblaster happens to be one of them, but there are many other brands.  You can usually add a soundcard if you don't have one, they aren't terribly expensive, and they simply plug into the slots inside your computer.  Before you lay out the cash, though, I'd check with the vendor to see if the card  supports additional soundfonts, and I'd search the web for information about good and bad ones.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #7 –
damn...

Ive got a laptop so putting a sound card is impossible.

Isn't there any other way around? i mean, with the technology we have now, it shouldn't be hard to make easily compatible sound font related softwares...

and if timidity works on any of your computers without a card can u explain how it works?

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #8 –
oh yeah...

seems like i got a sound card called
"Intel(r) 82801 CA/CAM AC'97 Audio Controller"
(I'm not even sure if this is a sound card at all-.-)

If this is not a sound card, that means i got no sound cards at all...

Plz help if u no any way to get to soundfonts with my settings...

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #9 –
I have a hunch you are describing the sound chip on the motherboard, since it has the Intel name.

Laptops are compromises between usefulness and portability.  I think you're stuck.    Sigh.

Maybe there's some external gizmo that can hooked up.  Why don't you search for "laptop accessories" on Google.com?

Good luck.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #10 –
I may have spoken too soon - some laptops do have slots to insert cards.  Maybe there's a soundcard that can be added to your machine that way?

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #11 –
There is a software synth that uses soundfonts called SynthFont.  Can't remember the web site address but a search should bring it up without trouble.  You will also need a program called WinRar to decompress most sound fonts you download.  Again, search on WinRar to find that site.  WinRar is shareware and SynthFont was a free beta last I worked with it.  HOWEVER, I could not get SynthFont to show up in MIDI devices.  The only way I could use it was to save the NWC file in question as a MIDI file (preferably Type 1) and open the MIDI file in SynthFont. If anyone can get SynthFont to show up as an available MIDI device, please post that info here!

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #12 –
See the link for synthfont above.  It works with any sound card. :D

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #13 –
Oh and that includes the soundchip on your laptop. It is software that runs the soundfont in place of the card.  I guess my first post got missed in the discussion but that's what you're looking for.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #14 –
I also have a laptop, so I cannot change the sound card. Instead, I use software that does more-or-less the same thing.

A sound card has built-in soundfonts, which are synth databases for instruments. Some brands of sound card allow the user to load additional sound fonts for use by the sound card.

But if you have a basic sound card, you can still use software (not associated with the sound card) to construct the waveform, then simply have the sound card play the waveform. In other words, the sound card does not construct the sound itself.

As was mentioned above, there are a variety of free or not-free programs that can construct sound from sound font databases. Some of them can use sf2 sound fonts. So, even if you have a laptop, it can be done.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #15 –
Hmm...

thx for the SynthFont thing...

I was kinda hoping that the whole soundfont thing would be as simple as download the sf2 files into a Font folder like the way MS word is, and it would be added in the list in nwc, but i see it apperently isn't as simple.
I don't really like the way nwc files go into midi because it slightly changes the way it really is supposed to find...

Thx though... if u find anything new, let me know.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #16 –
oops... i said "the way it finds" instead of "the way it sounds" --;

lol

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #17 –
Brian.E - that sounded freakin awesome!

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #18 –
Durr... what was awesome?

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #19 –
See reply 4.

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #20 –
Good thing!! It's years since I can't use SF2 fonts though I wanted to, and I really wanted to find a way without changing my sound card (an old SB16 on my old PC). SynthFont does what I expected so long :)
In the meanwhile, I used to use Yamaha Synth software, to have a decent sound.

=> Andzono, AFAIK, the only differences between an NWC file and its MIDI version are the Fermata & breath marks. But you can turn them into tempo changes to avoid that behaviour.

HTH!

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #21 –
I guess Chrono Trigger sounds pretty good...
but it doesnt sound much like its real original version

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #22 –
I don't think its intended to, its supposed to sound "real"

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #23 –
Hello,

I have just downloaded the Synthfont program as suggested above, as I downgraded to a laptop and found that I cannot use soundfonts on my current card. I use Cubase SX to create music, does anyone know how or if I can use soundfonts in Cubase using Synthfont? I have many SF2 files I need to use. Also, is there a way of upgrading the sounds already on the soundcard?

Thanks

Re: ----Sound Fonts?----

Reply #24 –
For those with Laptops that want to use Soundfonts, you can now buy a PCMCIA Card (see http://www.creative.com )
for Notebooks that supports .SF2 just like the SB LIVE card.