How to install soundfonts 2008-05-20 10:24 pm Having read many posts on the subject of installing soundfonts, I realize that it is a sound card function, not a NWC function. However, I cannot find instruction anywhere regarding how to add a font to the card. Can you direct me to any such documentation. I use a Windows XP system with a Realtek AC'97 Audio card. Thanks. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #1 – 2008-05-21 01:58 am Realtek soundcard does not support soundfonts. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #2 – 2008-05-21 05:43 am Further to Barry's replyFWIWYou could of course buy a sound card that does support sound fonts. There are two main types. Those that plug into the spare slots at the back of your machine. (Be careful what slots you have available - half size or full size).Alternatively you can buy sound cards that will plug into your USB port. Not as permanant perhaps, and you may need to have external speakers / earphones to get the sound out of these. The biggest advantage here is that they work with a laptop and they do not require you to open your machine. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #3 – 2008-05-22 12:21 am It seems that the question remains. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #4 – 2008-05-22 05:30 am It would depend on your card. For mine, you would load the software called "Soundfont bank manager"Click on BankOn the left hand panel will be the banks that you can load a font into. Select one.Click on load.You will then be presented with a navigation dialog box. Navigate and select the sound font you want.Click open.It will be then loaded into the bank you selected.None of which will be of use to you unless you have the same card range as I do. The thing is when you buy a card, the instructions to load a sound font will come with it. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #5 – 2008-05-22 01:00 pm Just thought I'd share a few things. If you purchase a Creative Card (such as the X-Fi), be aware the certain models don't support soundfonts, and some of them support them under XP, but not under Vista.I have the X-Fi XTremeGamer which supports soundfont under both XP and Vista. However, the X-Fi XTreme Audio does not support soundfonts (at least under Vista, but possibly under XP).Also, if you happen to get a late model laptop that uses Express Cards (many of the new Dells have them) and get the X-Fi XTreme Audio Notebook Express card, it does not support soundfonts under Vista (nor does it support "what-you-hear" or stereo-mix, or even input monitoring). This is all from first hand experience and many hours on the phone with support only to find out hours later that they didn't support what I wanted to do, but they didn't seem to know that, even after multiple call backs.Anyway, I am very happy with my X-Fi XTreme Gamer (which is running under both XP and Vista on my dual boot system). It installs in either Gamer, Music Creation, or a third mode I can't remember right now. It costs about $100 and fully support soundfonts.Note that while some of the other older Creative cards (because if you natively want to use Soundfonts, you need to go with a Creative card) might work under Vista, you probably won't get full driver support, and you probably won't get soundfont support. Most of the older cards work fine under XP, though.An alternative solution, of course, is to find a VST host that supports soundfonts (such as Kenneth Rundt's SynthFont) and then possibly use something like MIDIYoke to "virtually" cable NWC to the Synthfont engine. Basically that allows you to send your MIDI data out the MidiYoke port, which is then received by Synthfont, and played based on the soundfont you have loaded in Synthfont. There are other similar solutions, but Synthfont is free, as is MIDIYoke, which is why I mention it.If you have a true Creative Card, loading soundfonts is as easy as running the Creative Soundfont Manager applet. Also, you can download the Soundfont Librarian software (which I believe is still out there, and is free), which allows you to make custom soundfont. Also, if you have a Creative Card, you can use Creative Vienna to modify soundfonts or even create your own. And if you don't have a Creative card, Kenneth Rundt also has a program called Viena (only one "n") that does essentially the same thing.Soundfonts seem to have fallen out of favor these days and most people just accept the lower quality of the Microsoft WaveTable MIDI sound; but you can do so much better. A lot of people are also starting to purchase external MIDI modules (such as the Ketron SD2 or the Roland Sonic Cell), which these days seem to have much more realistic sounds.Anyway, hope that helped a little. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #6 – 2008-05-22 02:53 pm As sort of an aside here, John (or anyone), do you know how Garritan Personal Orchestra and similar products fit into this? Do they require a card that accepts soundfonts, or can the output go to any old sound card? Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #7 – 2008-05-22 03:45 pm Hi, William -I believe that GPO is a VSTi library and would therefore require a VST host of some sort. If you have Sonar, for example, you could use it as the host. I think it also might come with the Kontakt player that can accept MIDIYoke type input, but I'm not sure. Kontakt supports VSTi and DXi and can serve as a standalone player. Maybe someone else could answer regarding that.But, since it is VSTi or DXi, it would only require a full-duplex sound card to work, but getting it to work with NWC would be the tricky part.I think it also requires ASIO drivers to work properly with no latency, but you could always use ASIO4ALL on just about any sound card, if you don't have them.The other things about GPO (and other Garritan products) is that to get the great sounds, you have to be able to send MIDI controller messages to it to tell it how to do things musically. I do know that it has taken some unused controller commands and used them for their own purposes, and I believe they also redefined the use of the pitch bend to do different things (or something like that).Don't know if that helps any and hopefully someone more knowledgeable will also chime in. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #8 – 2008-05-22 04:08 pm Quote from: John Ford – 2008-05-22 01:00 pmNote that while some of the other older Creative cards (because if you natively want to use Soundfonts, you need to go with a Creative card) might work under Vista, you probably won't get full driver support, and you probably won't get soundfont support. Most of the older cards work fine under XP, though.There are AWE32 soundfont drivers for Win9x, but not XP or Vista. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #9 – 2008-05-22 07:59 pm Thanks John and Richard for your detailed responses. I have been stuck with a Creative X-fi Xtreme-Audio vista and haven't found the X-tra cash floating around yet to get the gamer, but one of these days it will happen and your info will I'm sure be of help to others. I really hate to use NWC with the sub-standard sounds. Quote Selected
Re: How to install soundfonts Reply #10 – 2008-05-22 10:15 pm Fitzclan,A Creative Audigy 7 or similar sound card is available at a very reasonable price from a number of suppliers (for example, in UK, Ebuyer quote £23.63 including delivery) and has a Sound Font library capability. It is easy to install sound fonts. Used with a reasonable set of speakers -- I use a Trust set with a single woofer and two tweeters -- the sound quality is quite acceptable but if linked to a good Hi-Fi sytem is more than adequate for NoteworthyTony Quote Selected
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