[iiwusynth-devel] Re: [Swami-devel] Not so quiet list anymore [was RE: Hi - Very quiet list - my first post]

[Mark Knecht]

On Wed, 2003-01-22 at 19:04, Peter L Jones wrote:
> From: "Peter Hanappe" <address@hidden>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 11:22 PM
<SNIP>
> 
> >From this, I think Mark saw FluidSynth as such a tool - a single instrument
> synthesiser.
> 
> Of course, FluidSynth is designed for full GM/GS/XG Soundfont files, not
> single instrument soundfonts.  This means it uses MIDI channel number and
> MIDI program change messages to decide how to respond to each NoteOn
> message.  (The point being to be able to play any Standard MIDI File
> correctly given a GM/GS/XG soundfont.)
> 
> So...
> 
> To support single instrument or non-GM soundfonts, it would be nice to be
> able to assign the desired bank and program numbers, overriding those in the
> soundfont.  SWAMI or FluidSynth?

This was very close to what I was thinking, but I ended in a slightly
different spot, partially because I'm not used to soundfonts, which is
my job to learn, and partly because I'm used to the GigaStudio model,
which is where this whole thread started! Please remember that right or
wrong, there are no banks and no program changes on GigaSampler.

I was originally thinking that soundfont files were a single 'patch' or
sound, like a bass, or a violin, and was not considering that they could
hold a complete GM device. I see now that I was wrong about that.
However, my needs have really not changed.

I have purchased soundfonts for single instruments before. What I think
I want in fluid-synth is something like: (parens for clarity only)

iiwusynth (-midic#:0 -font bass.sf2) (-midic#:1 -font violin.sf2)

which would allow me to take a couple of sound fonts and load them in
the synth at a MIDI channel that works for me, and not where someone
else placed it. (Which is the GM model)

Personally I'm not really excited by 'banks' and 'program changes'. I
typically make a MIDI track for each and every instrument I write a part
for, so I don't need program changes. The violin track is always a
violin track, and it only talks to the synth that plays violin sounds.

I am way more excited by great sounds. In my experience just today, I
might find an interesting synth in one soundfont file, and then a good
drum in another file. I want to use those two sounds, but not any of the
others.

In fact, weren't program changes invented so that a hardware synth that
could only produce a certain, limited number of voices had a way to
change voices? In this computer/memory driven environment, why can't I
just load many copies of iiwusynth, each playing a different soundfont? 

I guess I just don't understand the purpose of program changes or banks
in this environment.

> 
> Support for multiple GM/GS/XG soundfonts would be improved by allowing a
> "base bank" or "bank offset" to be supplied.  SWAMI or FluidSynth?

Or a way to say "Please use the instrument at program 51 from GM.sf2 on
MIDI channel 11", and only that specific part of the General MIDI
soundfont file would be used in memory.
> 
> I'd like to be able to load multiple soundfonts and pick instruments from
> each and call that a bank -- this is definitely into SWAMI territory...

Yes, but I don't want to build new sound font files. I just want to use
soundfonts. If being a Swami user means that I'm spending time making my
own multi instrument soundfonts, then that is time I'm not spending
making music. That's not to say Swami isn't necessary, but it might be
of more interest to people making soundfonts on Linux DAWs, and less
interesting to composers. Or it might be used to add special effects to
a soundfont I like. I do not know.