Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Using your new instruments

When your SoundFont is loaded into your soundcard (or
RAM), it's ready to be accessed from your sequencer just as
if it were the General MIDI soundset. However, the various
different sequencers handle this process differently. Cubase,
for example, has an internal SoundFont manager, but most
still rely on the Bank Select and Program Change method.
This approach selects a sound from your sequencer by
sending two MIDI controller messages to your soundcard:
Bank Select and Program Change. The first command
defines which Bank the SoundFont you require resides in,
and the second chooses the SoundFont itself from that bank.

From your sequencer, the first step is to determine the

MIDI channel the SoundFont is to play on. It's no good
sending the MIDI commands on channel 1 and expecting
What, exactly, are SoundFonts? Well, they're simply . them to appear on channel 8 - computers are funny like
wav file samples that have been transformed by a that. Next, you need to access the List Edit (or your
SoundFont editor, such as Vienna, into MIDI- sequencer's equivalent) which will allow you to input your
controllable instruments which can be loaded onto MIDI commands. The first command is MIDI controller 0
your soundcard and triggered by your sequencer. (Bank Select) which determines the bank you wish to
They're also referred to as .sf2 files, patches or access. With some sequencers, however, it isn't as
programs, and they're generally put together in straightforward as just entering the bank number; yours
groups known as SoundFont Banks, which can contain may require you to multiply the number of the bank you
definitions of up to 128 instruments and one drum set. want by 128. So, for Bank 001 you would have to use Bank
Select 128, for Bank 002 you would use Bank Select 256,
Basically, the SoundFont-compatible soundcard is a for Bank 003 it would be Bank Select 384, and so on.
low-cost sampler within your PC. A Sound Blaster Live! However, before you all rush for your calculators, most
may not be as sexy as a rack-mounted Akai, but sequencers will do the maths behind this 'under the hood',
technology has significantly narrowed the gap between so you shouldn't have to worry about it.
the two in terms of sampling functionality and quality.
In fact, the sound quality of a well constructed .sf2 file It's also important to remember that on most soundcards,
can be just as good as any 16-bit sampler, and you the GM soundset occupies Bank 0. On the Sound Blaster

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

don't have to squint at a tiny LCD display to get it Live! this is referred to as 'Synth'. Next, you need to select
working. which program within the Bank you want to use. If, for
instance, you wanted to access 'Acid Bass', which is the
sixth patch in your bank, you would send the MIDI
To get started in the world of SoundFonts, you will
command Program Change 6. There, that was easy, wasn't
need a SoundFont-compatible soundcard. There are
it?
many cards that are able to use .sf2 files, but the way
they handle them varies from card to card. The AWE-
32 Value Edition, for example, has 512Kb RAM in Now that you've accessed the instrument you want from
which to store SoundFonts. This can't be expanded your sequencer, it can be played and edited in the same
and isn't really enough to be suitable for the desktop way that a General MIDI voice can. It will respond to
musician. The AWE-32 also comes with 512Kb RAM as Controller Changes such as Modulation, Velocity, Pitch
standard, but this can be expanded to 32Mb RAM Bend, Filter Cutoff and Filter Resonance. Besides editing and
using two 16Mb 30-pin SIMM RAM blocks. The basic applying filters to the instrument in your sequencer, it's also
512Kb on the AWE-64 can also be expanded with a possible to tweak your instrument's parameters within a
special Creative Labs memory card, bringing the SoundFont editor. The whole process of this, and
capacity up to 24Mb. constructing a .sf2 is covered in the walkthroughs over the
next few pages.
The Sound Blaster Live! handles SoundFonts in a
different manner altogether. It doesn't use RAM on the Building a good quality SoundFont takes time and patience.
card itself, but instead utilises up to 32Mb of the host Initially it may seem like a long and complicated process,
computer's RAM. However, there are those who feel, but once the basic technique has been mastered, the only
albeit slightly unfairly, that the Live! series is primarily thing limiting the sounds you create is your own
designed for gamers, so if you have a more flexible imagination. After a while you'll begin to wonder why you
budget, you might consider the E-mu APS. This is a spent so much time searching the net looking for that
more professional card, with a range of DSP effects sample, when all along you were able to create something
and up to 64Mb of SoundFonts using the host much better yourself.
computer's RAM.

The future of SoundFonts

Another must for getting the most out of your
SoundFonts in terms of expression, is a velocity- If nothing else, they'll soon be bigger!
sensitive MIDI controller keyboard. Prices range from If there's one thing certain about computer music
£50 to £2,000. As with everything, it's a question of technology, it's that it's moving forward at a frightening
what you actually feel you need. rate. To anyone who recalls the Fairlight CMI from the 80s
(a hulking machine costing a whopping £60, 000, offering
one and a half seconds of sampling time), the fact that a
When you're making a SoundFont, the quality of your £50 computer sound card now offers much more and with
original .wav file is very important. A poor quality .wav far less programming effort seems like an incredible leap
will make a poor quality SoundFont. Record it as forward. So can the SoundFont go any further? One thing
cleanly as possible and ensure that it is normalised. Be that we know for certain is being looked into is the amount
careful to avoid clipping as obviously this will transfer of SoundFonts that can actually be held in the host PC's
to the SoundFont, so keep an eye on those levels. If, RAM. This is probably because EMU's drivers for the APS
when editing the SoundFont, you find it contains soundcard are soon to be made compatible with the Live!,
popping or distortion, then it will more than likely be a and as the APS can hold 64Mb, this will probably also
problem with the original .wav. At this early stage it's become the case with the Live!. Expect that sometime in
worth going back and starting again. It's also essential the Spring. There are also rumblings on the web that
to make sure that your .wav is correctly tuned. there's soon to be a utility designed to transmit
There's no way a sample recorded in G# can be placed SoundFonts to samplers with all the edited information
at C and be expected to sound right. Always have a intact.
sample that you know is in the relevant key, or if you
have a keyboard, use it to check everything's hunky-
dory.

Most important of all is the SoundFont editor. By far

the most functional is Vienna 2.3. Vienna may seem
daunting at first, but once you understand the
principles behind it, it's a doddle. Then there's Wien
(which can be downloaded from www.mzone.dk which
is more of a 'drag and drop' application and, therefore,
more instantly appealing. It doesn't, however, support
the Sound Blaster Live! cards.

SoundFonts are simply .wav file

samples that have been transformed
by a SoundFont editor, such as
Vienna, into MIDI-controllable
instruments which can be loaded
onto your soundcard and triggered by

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

your sequencer. They're also referred

to as .sf2 files , patches or programs.

Could this soon be a thing of the past

So where can I find SoundFonts?

Aside from the various commercial Almost all of the commercial sites relevant copyright information and let
offerings out there, such as WaveIt, selling SoundFonts offer free demos. you know exactly how they can be
the net is brimming with SoundFonts. Sonic Implants (www.hruskaudio. used. After visiting all these sites you
Just type 'SoundFonts' into your com/ freesoundfonts.htm) regularly might well find that your hard drive is
search engine and see how many change their demo files and their cluttered with SoundFonts. Check out
headers it returns. The Lysator compilation CDs are reasonably sfArk (www.melodymachine.com/
Academic Computer Society of priced. Then there are all the sfark.htm) - a SoundFont
Linköping University, Sweden (ftp. privately owned sites offering free . compression utility which, unlike the
lysator.liu.se/pub/awe32) offers a sf2s. Remember to always read the lossy compression used in formats
massive selection, and all of them accompanying text files, as these such as MP3 or Real Audio, preserves
are free for download! contain all the the quality of the SoundFont. They
also offer a good selection of
SoundFonts.

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna: 1-18

Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster Live!
Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Back to the tutorial introduction

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna 2.3

* click images to enlarge...

First things first. To audition SoundFonts with your Next go to Options and then Preferences. Click on the
MIDI keyboard, you must enable the correct MIDI Ranges tab and you'll be able to select the keyboard
input. Select MIDI Keyboard, then MIDI In Devices, then range that Vienna will work with. This is a good idea if your
select the device appropriate to your set-up. For the Sound MIDI keyboard isn't full size, preventing you from
Blaster Live!, choose SB Live! MIDI In. 'misplacing' sounds an octave below your range.

Welcome to Vienna 2.3. Looks a bit complicated, The first step is to import your .wav samples into the
doesn't it? Have no fear - by the end of this tutorial program. To the left you will see a tree. Right-click the
you'll be making SoundFonts like the pros. Always User Samples Pool folder and select Import User Sample
remember though: to make a good quality SoundFont (s). If you're planning to use a lot of samples, you can
takes time and patience. 'rubber band' them and load them all together.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Our samples can now be seen in the User Samples It's a good idea to loop your samples. Your sample
Pool. Notice that the keyboard won't play your may sound great at C3, but the higher you get up the
samples, and the parameter editor at the bottom of the keyboard, the shorter the length of your sample will be.
screen is still not activated. This is because the samples Looping will take care of that. To access the Loop Editor,
need to become instruments before you can edit them. right-click on a sample and select Loop.

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna: 7-18

Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster Live!
Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Back to the tutorial introduction

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna 2.3: 7-12

* click images to enlarge...

This is where the patience mentioned earlier comes Now to make an instrument. Right-click on Instrument
in. Looping samples effectively takes a while to get and a box will appear asking you to name the
the hang of, and the best loop point varies from sample to instrument. It's a good idea to give it a name you will
sample. But once you get to grips with it, the SoundFonts remember. For simplicity's sake, we've given it the
you create will sound better than ever. inspiring and truly original name of 'Synth'.

Because each sample will form one octave of our To create a Global Zone for your instrument, right-
three-octave instrument, we need to add all the click it and select Global Zone. The Global Zone lets
samples. Hold Ctrl, click on each of the samples and press you adjust the parameters for several instruments at once,
Add. If you were building a drum kit you would tick the box such as pitch, envelopes, etc. Any adjustments made in
to assign each sample to an individual key. this zone will affect all instruments in it.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Now to split our instruments into octaves. Click on the Building a preset uses the same method as building an
keyboard range and it will turn blue to show it is instrument. The difference between a Global Zone and
selected. Move the mouse to the end of the range until you a Preset Zone is that when you edit a preset, only the
see the arrows appear, then drag the range marker to the instrument in that zone is changed. Now you can choose
desired position. the bank number and preset number/name.

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna: 13-18

Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster Live!
Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Back to the tutorial introduction

Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna 2.3: 13-18

* click images to enlarge...

This is where you can make the majority of your It's only when you get to edit the parameters of your
adjustments. There are a whole host of parameters SoundFonts that you fully realise the flexibility of the .
you can tweak to get the sound you're after. You can fine sf2 format. Double-click on an area to bring up the edit
tune your instrument with pitch and cutoff, or you can screen. If your MIDI keyboard is connected, you can
create strange effects with the LFO and modulation. audition the changes as you work.

To enter information about your SoundFont, and any When a stereo sample is imported into Vienna it is
copyright information you feel is necessary, go to File split into two separate samples - one for the left
then Information. Congratulations: you have created a .sf2 channel and one for the right. So when you come to
file. But what if you want to use a stereo sample to create construct your instrument, remember to select both
a SoundFont? Read on... channels. Or, for an easy pan, just select one.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Now you now have two instruments from the same In our example we've used three samples for our
sample: one for the left channel, one for the right. preset, but you are limited only by the number of keys
Experiment with different attack times for each channel. on your keyboard and your memory. You could have your
Try loading a drum loop and starting the left channel a beat entire song broken down into bars and split across the
after the right, this creates interesting delay effects. keyboard and remix it live in your sequencer.

Back to the Start

Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster Live!
Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Back to the tutorial introduction

Loading Soundfonts into your SoundBlaster Live!

* click images to enlarge...

Moving the mouse towards the top of the main This is where you load SoundFont banks into your
screen, you should be greeted by a pop-down menu. Live! Notice there is already one bank installed. The
This is where you can adjust your soundcard's settings - default General MIDI bank occupies the Bank 0 slot, so
volume, Environmental Audio and the like. But for the your SoundFont will go into Bank 001. There are 127
moment, select Audio HQ and then SoundFonts. available Bank slots for you to use - memory permitting.

The Options tab allows you to set how much of your Click on the Select Bank tab and scroll down until you
PC's RAM will be used by your card. This PC has come to an empty bank. This system has the 8Mb GM
128Mb, so a setting of 32Mb (the maximum) is fine. bank installed, but if RAM isn't a luxury, you can install a
Systems with less RAM should be careful, as allocating too smaller GM bank or delete it. It's not destructive: Clear just
much RAM might cause glitches in performance. removes the file from memory.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

You won't be able to audition the files, so when you The SoundFont bank is now loaded into your
create your SoundFonts it's a good idea to give them soundcard. Notice how the memory allocation has
unique names. Later, when you're happy with your song, shifted from 7.05 Mb to 7.62. At this stage you needn't
make copies of the SoundFonts you used and put them in a worry about it, but as you get closer to your limit you
separate folder along with your composition. should start to think about what sounds you need.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

You aren't limited to just loading whole .sf2 banks. Loading a .wav is more or less the same as loading a
The Configure Instrument panel lets you import .wavs bank, except that the .wavs are loaded as instruments
directly to memory. To delete individual instruments from a rather than banks. This is great if you're completely
bank, though, you will need a dedicated SoundFont editor. satisfied with your samples, but the resulting bank cannot
be saved as a .sf2 or edited in any way.

Once the sounds are loaded, you can audition them Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna: 1-18
with the Creative Keyboard, using the mouse or your
MIDI keyboard. To open the keyboard, go to Audio HQ and
Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster
select Keyboard. Now your SoundFonts are loaded, you're Live!
ready to create your masterpiece! Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

Back to the tutorial introduction

Getting to your SoundFonts in Cubase VST 3.7

* click images to enlarge...

When an industry standard like VST has an internal On the left, in the Track Info area, you will notice a
SoundFont manager, you know SoundFonts are section called Bank. Click where it reads 'Off' and a
serious business. First, select the correct MIDI output for menu will appear. From this menu you can now select from
your sounds. This will allow you to access the Manager. If the SoundFonts that are loaded into your card. To get to
you hold Ctrl when selecting, all MIDI channels change. individual instruments, click on 'Patch'.

Alternatively, there's the option for you to manage To load SoundFonts into your soundcard from VST,
your SoundFonts and even load them into your simply select Load Bank, locate your .sf2 and away
soundcard (or RAM) from within VST itself. Just follow the you go. The Manager also allows you to tidy up your
same procedure as you did to open a bank, but this time patches, so if only one patch in a bank of 20 is used, you
select 'Manage'. It can't really be that easy, can it..? can delete the rest and free valuable memory.

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

The Manager also allows you to save your banks as a If you're using an earlier version of VST, the Manager
set. This saves you from having to try to decipher won't be available to you. In that case, you must use
cryptic notes you scribbled six months ago saying what the Bank Select and Program Change commands in List
went where. It's best to give the set the same name as edit. To access List edit, press Ctrl+G. Ensure you have a
your song and save it in the same folder. part selected or List edit won't open.

Click on Insert Note and select Control Change. Then, Follow the procedure in step 7, but select Program
with the pencil tool, click on the grid to the right Change instead. Value 1 refers to the instruments in
where you want the command to occur. On the left you will your bank. Ensure that the Bank Select and Program
see the text of your command displayed. Right-click on Change are about 200ms apart or the sequencer can skip
Value 2 to change the bank number. over commands if they're too close together.

It is advisable to make Bank Selects and Program Constructing a Soundfont with Vienna: 1-18
Changes before the start of the song, aspecially if
there are alot of them, for your computers sake. But of
Loading SoundFonts into your SoundBlaster
cource you can always eneter them anywhere withing the Live!
song to create instrument switches. Have fun! Getting to your Soundfonts in Cubase

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Tutorial - The Computer Music Guide to Soundfonts

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