SFZ Designer Project (0.25)

Sampler and Sampling discussion (techniques, tips and tricks, etc.)
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sforzando SFZ Designer

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Here's a simple SFZ instrument

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<region> sample=loop.wav
You can load that (if you have loop.wav in the same folder you put the sfz file) into any sfz player and play loop.wav across your entire keyboard with full velocity tracking. No "groups" at all. "<region>" just says "here's something to play". Every sample loaded into Kontakt has associated meta-data and these are visible mapped in regions on screen so the "<region>" keyword in SFZ makes a lot of sense to me - it's the same idea in text. If you don't specify otherwise, SFZ has defaults - making a playable instrument that single line.

One confusing thing is "<group>" and "group" having two different meanings.

"<group>" just lets you abstract common settings from a group of regions. If you've a velocity layer for your piano, you can put all the "<region>" sections inside a "<group>" section and put the common settings at "<group>" level and all the "<region>" sections then use those settings as defaults (but can still have their own). That's again pretty much the same as how you'd use groups in Kontakt - all the samples with the same settings in a group.

You can also set global defaults to override the player defaults. (And, of course, SFZ 2 has additional levels so is even more flexible than Kontakt.)

(The other meaning of "group" as a keyword is for mute/exclusive groups.)

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In addition to what pljones said, groupings in an actual sfz file doesn't always represent a 'zone' (like a trigger key or range of keys on a keyboard). For example, if you have a zone with many velocity layers, in the sfz file you would need to have several groups that make up that entire zone. The only way around this is to copy paste the hivel/lovel to each <region>, which could make your script very long. So the common solution is to have a one <group> for each velocity layer, and combine several groups to make one 'mega-group' that represent a zone.

Now in SFZ Designer, you don't need to worry about this, because the each virtual group already contains the velocity layers, and the velocity layers contain the samples. When you export as SFZ it does the actual separation for you.
Last edited by mildonm on Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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mdraude wrote:OOOOOOOOps. Turned out to be my browser. Sorry folks. Serves me right for going off half cocked. I am definitely old enough to know better

Martin, thanks very much for your donation! Sorry you experienced a hiccup with the website. I'm not sure if it's connected with the namecheap hosting outage yesterday.

Thanks to the others who donated as well. =)

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Just a quick update... I've uploaded a new installer that lets you choose the installation directory. The original installer didn't have this option

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This is looking better all the time. :tu:

Some possible GUI and {IMHO} brilliantly functional browser, 'drag-and-drop', velocity and other parameter settings methodology, and other insights, from the now defunct but once promising sfz making ~ iRompler (Sample Mapper) here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj5idYJBa1c

https://www.youtube.com/user/iRompler/videos
I'm not a musician, but I've designed sounds that others use to make music. http://soundcloud.com/obsidiananvil

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A bit OT, but since this thread is active now:
where could i get the most up-to-date opcode list?
Ensoniq SQ1, Korg Wavestation A/D

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Parduz wrote:A bit OT, but since this thread is active now:
where could i get the most up-to-date opcode list?
Hi, based on the info I've gathered here:

There's a book that you can get that has this list, although, as pointed out by others (and in other forums), the number of opcodes, tweaks, and other features of sfz do evolve, and the documentation on these changes are somehow scattered. Some are posted in forums, of course the 1.0 spec is still there, and player-exclusive ones are (maybe) in their respective sites.

Such a list would be very convenient of course. But I don't think there is an official one at the moment.

Maybe we can start a small website that anyone can update, maintained by sfz users?

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Shabdahbriah wrote:This is looking better all the time. :tu:

Some possible GUI and {IMHO} brilliantly functional browser, 'drag-and-drop', velocity and other parameter settings methodology, and other insights, from the now defunct but once promising sfz making ~ iRompler (Sample Mapper) here:
Hi, thanks!

I did take a look at iRompler and extreme sample converter when I was trying to decide what sort of gui structure I'd go with. It was a tough call for me to depart from the grid-style gui, because I know people are used to that. But since we have a few of those already, I thought it would be nice to experiment.

Right now I'm working on the automapper, as that's the most requested feature so far.

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mildonm wrote:In addition to what pljones said, groupings in an actual sfz file doesn't always represent a 'zone' (like a trigger key or range of keys on a keyboard).
Absolutely! Indeed, you don't have to have the sample opcode as the "lowest level" detail -- it could be you want a

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<group> sample=mid_c.wav
and then regions "below" all with slightly different tunings for b, c and c# - but more than simple key range, key center setting (maybe a shorter attack on the higher notes).

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pljones wrote:
mildonm wrote:In addition to what pljones said, groupings in an actual sfz file doesn't always represent a 'zone' (like a trigger key or range of keys on a keyboard).
Absolutely! Indeed, you don't have to have the sample opcode as the "lowest level" detail -- it could be you want a

Code: Select all

<group> sample=mid_c.wav
and then regions "below" all with slightly different tunings for b, c and c# - but more than simple key range, key center setting (maybe a shorter attack on the higher notes).
That's what I love about sfz. You can get really creative.

From the point-of-view of the user it's all abstract and the structure is imaginary (unlike say, XML, where the structure is clear). Perhaps a better gui structure would be one that reflects this 'formlessness'?

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I always mentally hold a "tree structure" of what I'm working on. But with the freedom to specify anything at any level and then be more specific at a lower level if needed. So having a UI that reflected this would suit my way of thinking (much more than a grid).

(With Sforzando's extensions, of course, you can get really dangerously creative :lol:...)

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It doesn't seem like I can open existing SFZ files to edit them...when I tried via the open button the software crashed, when I drag-n-dropped it opened the text of the SFZ full screen in the software.

I'd like to understand SFZ format better so someday I can finish my automatic SFZ generator tool:
http://www.kvraudio.com/product/sfz-ins ... ve/details

It would be great if there was a really good open-source SFZ player software...I wouldn't mind working on something like that, but I just don't understand the sparsely-documented SFZ format well enough to know how to make one.
~ good luck ~
~ re~member to do good in a spirit of love, unity, compassion, and kindness ~

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SoundGoddess wrote:It doesn't seem like I can open existing SFZ files to edit them...when I tried via the open button the software crashed, when I drag-n-dropped it opened the text of the SFZ full screen in the software.

I'd like to understand SFZ format better so someday I can finish my automatic SFZ generator tool:
http://www.kvraudio.com/product/sfz-ins ... ve/details

It would be great if there was a really good open-source SFZ player software...I wouldn't mind working on something like that, but I just don't understand the sparsely-documented SFZ format well enough to know how to make one.
Hi,

There is no import function yet. This is mentioned on the list of features as a future update. The open menu is for opening projects saved using the program (.sfp files).

I'm aware of the drag n' drop bug that you described. Instead of being loaded, the file contents are printed on the window. I'll fix this in the next update. Thanks.

+1 on the open-source sfz player.

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mildonm wrote: Right now I'm working on the automapper, as that's the most requested feature so far.
Yes please : both for velocities and round robins.

Fantastic work till now ! Thanks a lot for this !

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Will it have a Soundfont to sfz converter?
Dúnedain

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