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behavior was difficult to specify. This version was fully disclosed as a public specification, with the goal of making the SoundFont format an industry standard. All SoundFont 1.0 compatible devices were updated to support the SoundFont 2.0 format shortly after it was released to the public, and consequently the 1.0 version became obsolete. Files in this and all other 2.x formats (see below) conventionally have the file extension of .SF2.
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Version 2.01 (or 2.1) of the SoundFont file format was introduced in 1998, with an E-mu sound card product called the Audio
Production Studio. This version added features allowing sound designers to configure the way MIDI controllers influence synthesizer parameters. It is bidirectionally compatible
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SoundFont 2.0 was developed in 1996. This file format generalized the data representation using perceptually additive real world units, redefined some of the instrument layering features within the format, added true stereo sample support and removed some obscure features of the first version whose
431:. The 2.04 format added support for 24-bit samples. The 2.04 format is bidirectionally compatible with the 2.01 format, so synthesizers that are only capable of rendering 2.0 or 2.01 format would automatically render instruments using 24-bit samples at 16-bit precision.
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with 2.0, which means that synthesizers capable of rendering 2.01 format will also by definition render 2.0 format, and synthesizers that are only capable of rendering 2.0 format will also read and render the new format, but just not apply the new features.
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MIDI files do not contain any sounds, only instructions to play them. To play such files, sample-based MIDI synthesizers use recordings of instruments and sounds stored in a file or
372:– specifically the soundscape of a console's sound chip. Any video game console that utilizes sequenced audio is often referred as having "the soundfont", similar to the usage of
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408:. A specification for this version was never released to the public. The first and only major device to utilize this version was Creative's
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containers) mapped to sections on a musical keyboard. A SoundFont bank also contains other music synthesis parameters such as loops,
311:*Marked soundfonts fall back to play "Muted Guitar" at Bank 0. whereas the MIDI file addresses "Muted Distortion Guitar" at Bank 1 (
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Swami is a collection of free software for editing and managing musical instruments for MIDI music composition, used mainly under
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chip. SoundFont-compatible synthesizers allow users to use SoundFont banks with custom samples to play their music.
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to refer to any soft drink. Additionally, it can also refer to a video game's audio data that specifically uses
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357:, and the exclusive license for re-formatting and managing historical SoundFont content has been acquired by
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Playing a single MIDI file while switching between several SoundFont files available on the
Internet.
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The newest version of the SoundFont file format is 2.04 (or 2.4). It is based on the
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Vienna from
Creative Labs, requiring a particular sound card (such as Sound Blaster)
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Example of what can be achieved with SoundFonts available in the public domain
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The original SoundFont file format was developed in the early 1990s by
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File format containing audio samples for use in sequenced music
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SoundFont banks can conform to standard sound sets such as
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Polyphone, free sf2 editor for
Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
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has gradually gained online colloquial status to refer to
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465:, or use other wholly custom sound-set definitions like
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Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
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in 1994. Files in this format conventionally have the
296:• SONiVOX EAS GM Wavetable (Legacy Android Soundset)*
522: – file format usually associated with MIDI data
594:"Digital Sound Factory releases SoundFont libraries"
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Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
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format (the audio data format most commonly used in
537: – Standard for MIDI-based music synthesizers
293:SoundFont files used in the chronological order:
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458:effect, and velocity-sensitive volume changing.
427:SoundFont 2.04 was introduced in 2005 with the
740:
563: – Computer program that generates audio
364:Starting in the late 2010s, the derived term
298:• RLNDGM.sf2 (Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth)*
60:Learn how and when to remove these messages
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488:Viena (with a single "n"), created in 2002
446:A SoundFont bank contains base samples in
616:"SoundFont® Technical Specification 2006"
543: – Sound card for IBM PC compatibles
477:SoundFont creation software (.sf2 format)
264:1:15 song, MIDI played through SoundFonts
222:Learn how and when to remove this message
204:Learn how and when to remove this message
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633:"SoundFont Technical Specification 1998"
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97:of all important aspects of the article.
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692:Swami, free soundfonts editor for Linux
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140:Please improve this article by adding
93:Please consider expanding the lead to
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481:Several .sf2 editors are available:
330:and associated technology that uses
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25:
13:
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14:
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720:SoundFont 2.04 specification 2006
713:
41:This article has multiple issues.
657:"SoundFont 2.1 Application Note"
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338:files. It was first used on the
272:Problems playing this file? See
254:
118:
71:
30:
308:• ColomboGMGS2 SoundFont v14.5
85:may be too short to adequately
49:or discuss these issues on the
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673:
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326:that collectively refers to a
95:provide an accessible overview
1:
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306:• ChoriumRevA.sf2 (Modified)
142:secondary or tertiary sources
575: – Software synthesizer
569: – Software synthesizer
531: – Software synthesizer
7:
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497:Polyphone, free editor for
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355:Creative Technology, Ltd.
378:reusable digital samples
19:Not to be confused with
680:Viena, free sf2 editor
550:List of music software
332:sample-based synthesis
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243:
129:relies excessively on
1051:Software synthesizers
359:Digital Sound Factory
304:• Orpheus_1.047.sf2*
289:
242:
961:Cambridge SoundWorks
944:Divisions and brands
800:Ensoniq ES-5506 OTTO
561:Software synthesizer
351:registered trademark
756:Creative Technology
410:Sound Blaster AWE32
342:sound card for its
340:Sound Blaster AWE32
429:Sound Blaster X-Fi
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876:Soundscape S-2000
555:SFZ (file format)
541:Gravis Ultrasound
300:• FluidR3 GM.sf2
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21:SFZ (file format)
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302:• SGM-V2.01.sf2
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891:Soundscape OPUS
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509:created in 2013
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135:primary sources
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80:This article's
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714:External links
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89:the key points
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815:Sound Blaster
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435:Functionality
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406:Creative Labs
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384:Specification
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194:December 2022
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155: –
154:
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149:Find sources:
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127:This article
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103:December 2022
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1041:Audio codecs
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1002:Creative Zen
881:SoundscapeDB
699:
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663:. Retrieved
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639:. Retrieved
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598:. Retrieved
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535:General MIDI
480:
463:General MIDI
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402:E-mu Systems
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344:General MIDI
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82:lead section
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43:Please help
40:
790:Yamaha OPL2
665:10 November
390:RIFF format
328:file format
153:"SoundFont"
1035:Categories
580:References
567:TiMidity++
529:FluidSynth
520:DLS format
324:brand name
274:media help
164:newspapers
131:references
46:improve it
1012:SoundFont
954:Divisions
600:30 August
471:Yamaha XG
467:Roland GS
416:of .SBK.
366:soundfont
346:support.
320:SoundFont
87:summarize
52:talk page
971:Sensaura
905:Software
896:AudioPCI
843:AudioPCI
805:E-mu 20K
573:WildMIDI
514:See also
503:Mac OS X
370:chiptune
334:to play
976:ZiiLABS
966:Ensoniq
868:Ensoniq
641:5 April
499:Windows
456:vibrato
396:History
178:scholar
985:Brands
917:OpenAL
853:Audigy
771:-brand
596:. 2007
180:
173:
166:
159:
151:
848:Live!
838:AWE64
833:AWE32
660:(PDF)
636:(PDF)
619:(PDF)
507:Linux
493:Linux
322:is a
313:SC-88
185:JSTOR
171:books
858:X-Fi
782:DSPs
667:2014
643:2024
602:2007
505:and
469:and
404:and
374:Coke
336:MIDI
157:news
922:A3D
912:EAX
823:Pro
452:WAV
448:PCM
441:ROM
353:of
133:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
