Re: Soundfont Full Alesis D4 Download
Gema Shisila
I'm really dissatisfied with the soundfont-based software synths freely available to use as MIDI devices, and I want something that actually sounds like a Roland Sound Canvas and not a cheap imitation. So I hit upon the idea of buying an actual bona fide SC-55mkII. Currently I have as my audio setup a Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC, a Schiit Valhalla headphone amp (the name in the diagram below was a mistake, that's a different model), and a pair of Sennheiser HD 650 headphones, all lined up in a straight shot from my computer's USB port sending raw digital PCM, through the DAC, to my amp spitting out a nicely amplified analog audio signal to my cans.
Blzut3 told me that Windows will immediately recognize an SC-55 as a general midi device if I use a USB to MIDI cable. After that, I can just get a hardware mixer to merge the audio from the SC-55 with the audio from the DAC for a complete line signal to feed to my amp. The complete setup would look like this:
Does anyone have any experience hooking up a Sound Canvas or similar device to a PC so I can get confirmation that this will or will not work? This would cost me close to $200, so I really don't want to fuck it up.
I use a Roland JV-1010 like that, and in the past have used an old Casio keyboard, an Alesis sound module, and some others in the same way. Just get any USB->MIDI interface, and hook the MIDI cables up between that and the SoundCanvas. Windows could care less what kind of thing is hooked up to it - it'll just know it's MIDI and can send MIDI data to it. Then run the audio out from the SoundCanvas into your mixer.
The way I had mine setup was I used an M-Audio FireWire Solo hooked into two channels on a mixing board, one for the left channel and one for the right. To make sure they actually sounded that way, I just hard-panned each channel to the correct side. I then did the same thing with my Roland JV-1010. I then had headphones hooked into the headphone jack of the mixing board, and my studio monitors hooked into the main output jacks. The only difference was I mainly used 1/4" jacks instead of RCA, but that's just because most of my equipment used such jacks. I also had a second output pair coming out of the mixer and going back into my M-Audio box so that I could record my hardware synths.
Does this mean, just sampling sounds, and NOT to edit ? (like compressor, equalizer, limiter, normalization via Audacity)
Unprocessed raw samples are rather quiet, and is it ok to not to make them louder?
In my experience: Ideal sample recording level around -3 or -6 dB may be good as it is necessary to leave a free-room above. (and It prevents square-wave formation and dropouts in any momentary peak situations.)
But still, if the recording level is too low and there is no way to prevent it, you will also need to perform a noise removal process. Because the level of unwanted noise (eg: "hiss" sound) will also increase. And every subsequent operation/process on the samples will reduce the timbre/clarity of the sound.
Is it possible to see a raw sample (or several samples) that has not been normalized (and no other process)? Because in some samples, there is some kind of a bad digital frequency fall-off in the middle. It is not easy to hear, but a familiar ear detects it.
Please don't normalize it to 0 dB. There is an input box in the normalization window. it might be nice to leave a space at the top by entering a lower value of at least 0.9 or 0.85.
But while doing this, make sure that there is not a huge level difference between the raw samples. Therefore, it is important to keep the volume at a certain level while recording.
I used yellow cloth to muse this time.
I put the cloth (haven't cut yet) beneath the fretboard so that the cloth is less slippy.
But still I feel some difficulty to mute especially recording middle strings, 3rd, 4th.
Especially in thick strings (E and A), a harmonic tone is heard after the middle of the sample.
Play (pick) the string over (or near) the sound hole.
If you are playing (picking) from the exactly half (or quarter) point of the length of the string (the fret you press also reduces the length of the string), then an artificial harmonic is inevitable.
Complete the recording of samples and give a link to the beta version of the soundfont.
After that (and if you have permission): By working on this material, I can design many useful sounds from just one set of samples. And it's a nice gift to the users.
If we define it like this, at least the subBank may comply with the GS standard and the Main Preset (000) can comply with the GM standard. (And when another soundfont is used in the score where this bank is not available, it will return (fallback) to the main patch..)
cite (from Complete MIDI 1996-1-3 MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification page:18)
The ability to reassign programs to a given program change number should be part of an instrument's capabilities. Some instruments number their internal patches in octal numerics. This should have no effect on the numbers used for patch change. Numbering should begin with 00H and increment sequentially. For example, octal 11 would be 00H, 12 would be 01H, etc.
Open guitar strings do not have the same sound/timbre as fretted string sounds.
Since only one place is reserved for the same note number in a soundfont, it would be better to use notes in closed-position here. // for sound/timbre continuity.
additional note: Normally, movable scales and movable chords are played in a closed position. The only exception to this is the bass E string. Whatever we do, this note will always be played in the open position in the standard tuning: e b g d a E.
//It's also necessary to define this sub-channel in a instruments.xml. Currently, only "normal" and "mute" channel options are available for the "Classical Guitar" instrument. We can easily add "harmonic" and "open-string" to it.
I think it should be placed on the guitar fret (position), on which it is formed on a harmonic.
However, this will create another problem: Harmonics will only be able to sound at certain points. And unfortunately, they are not applicable in other frets.
Hi Kazuma,
Thank you very much for this remarkable work. I followed this thread from day to day (and thanks to Ziya for the essential help) and I was very impatient to discover this soundfont!
I've just tried it: all in all, it's a big step forward. On the other hand, I don't like sounds to be deprived of any resonance, not really like staccatos, but that's the idea, just so you understand (try this soundfont too, you'll see/hear much better what I mean: -977494)
The sound is muffled, like put under a cloth, something like that, or it's kind of like playing with a mute. In a word, it lacks "breath". Now, this resonance is really an essential aspect of the sound of a guitar. So it's a criticism, but I want it to be constructive, I hope you'll understand it :)
Anyway, after very concentrated weeks, I think I need some rest :)
Ziya, you are my best mentor ever, your advises are all what I really want to know for a long time.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I am so sorry.
I thought "I should copy and paste your name from sf3 so I don't make a mistake" and wherever I copied it (maybe I copied the wrong place from the place I wrote wrong) and I made a mistake.
I hope it doesn't mean a bad thing when it ends with the letter "o".
Sympathetic-resonance: It occurs when something affects something else.
For example: when the sound of the guitar string vibrates the guitar body, or another string, or ashtray on the table, or something.
Another interesting information: if the frequency of the strings converge at a higher point, a slight resonance may still occur.
example: if the first string's frequency is 4Hz and the second one's is 5Hz, the first common frequency point of these two is 5 * 4 = 20Hz
In other words, the string vibrating at 4Hz will have a small effect at the 5Hz point, the other string vibrating at 20Hz (on its own 3rd harmonic).
answer is 1. ( white vertical line) // or somewhere just before (from the full zero point)
Otherwise, we need to (artificially) soften the starting point by increasing the attack parameter so that there is no click at the beginning of the sample.
These are also good.
But the samples on strings "d", "g" and "b" are a little muffled as if they were played without fingernails.
You better sample these by playing with your fingernail again. Because when these are combined, the difference becomes clear.
Otherwise we will have to soften it all, and this time it will all be muffled.
Also, I added two 12-string Classical Guitar instruments that I created from same samples.
I think it can be useful for playing chords. Each of them has two versions: in default: additional strings are from the upper octave; and in the other (*1): additional strings from the lower octave. It's not a real 12 string guitar. But it has a pleasant timbre. It can be used as a baritone guitar with the lower-octave version.
I will check the harmonics separately.
I simply reduced harmonics, but a more careful reduction is needed.
I want to admit that I didn't care much about harmonics because I gave my concentrate to new sampling sounds.
I have enough sample voices that you have gave. I'll work on those sounds.
Well, the current question is:
I had adjusted the sound range lower than normal (up to C) so that it can be used on guitars with different tuning(s).
Will all the notes under this E-string sound open-stringed?
For example, how will someone using this low guitar-string in D tuning get the closed(fretted) E sound?
What does the open E sound mean for someone using the D, a, d, g, b, e; or C, e, g c, e, g; or D, a, d, f#, a d; or D, g, d, g,b, e tuning?
I use sf3 only in the released version and next to sf2. Because there are software that use sf2 soundfonts and cannot use the sf3 format (If you want this soundfont to be available with other software).
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