[freepats] SF-Tools: create and convert sound banks

[Roberto]

On Sat, Dec 10, 2016 at 06:03:38AM -0800, ml at distasis.com wrote:
> That sounds useful.  Hope the source is up at the FreePats site soon.  I'm
> seeing more and more SFZ soundfonts files.  However, the programs I use
> still only work with SF2 format.

This is the repository:

 https://github.com/zenvoid/SF-Tools

Those tools can be used to create and convert sound banks. There are
some instructions in the README file, it's not deeply documented but I
hope all the basics are there.


On Sat, Dec 10, 2016 at 01:05:36PM -0500, John Lewis wrote:
> I think rolling everything to the newest soundfront format is the way
> forward and it lets the world know that we are in a new era. We will
> still have to have at least one way converters from what ever is laying
> around to the new format, and we will need a wave to midi converter to
> support it. Unfortunately, I don't think timidity++ supports SFZ and it
> is the best free software midi to wave converter available to date.

Of course. It would be ideal if software is updated to add direct
support for SFZ (or at least SF2). Currently there are not many free &
open source programs that correctly support the SFZ format, and some of
them will never be updated. Automatic format conversions can fill the
gap in those cases.

I'm working in XI and PAT support for the conversion tool. This will
allow to easily import FreePats instruments in classic trackers
(MilkyTracker, Schism Tracker...). Old formats have limited features and
not all sound banks can be converted to them, but many of them can.
Support for XI should be ready in a few days.