Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Wyndham #19455 05/17/10 09:31 AM
RealBand
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Before you get too excited and too deep into this you need to know that "soundfonts" are old proprietary Creative Samples. When samplers were hitting the market Creative wanted in on it so devised there own format. There are some decent ones out there but not many and they're not free. There are definitely better options these days.
A 1957 Chevy is nice and fun to have and play with but can't come close to today cars performance and reliability wise.

Last edited by silvertones; 05/17/10 09:32 AM.

John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
silvertones #19456 05/17/10 10:29 AM
RealBand
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,495
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,495
As a side note, the Creative soundfonts are suspiciously like the old S series Roland samples.

Back when I was building my soundfonts I found I could plug the data from the Roland samples in to create my own fonts using the exact loop point numbers and other data and it worked remarkably well inside the Creative font building software (Vienna).

Just in case someone else is holding a whole pile of Roland samples and wants to use them.
I had the full S-series sample library and found it handy to use a soundfonts rather than load up the sampler over and over.

That said, the fonts are as good as the original samples, and how they were written as far as looping and velocity crossovers, etc.

Todays synths, as Silvertones said, outperform them easily for the most part.


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
rharv #19457 05/17/10 02:28 PM
RealBand
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
SoniVox, which used to be Sonic Implants, has some interesting soundfonts. You can do guitar up and down strums in several different chords, and chord variations. There is scat and vocalist stuff, as well, all velocity switched. Jennifer Hruska is the programmer and President of the company, and she's done some pretty amazing stuff over the years. She did a lot of the programming for the famous Kurzweil K-series synths, and then went on to found Sonic Implants/SoniVox.

Although SoundFonts are mostly passe these days, SoniVox still sells them.

I wouldn't put any of them up against a new synth out in the last three or four years, but they sound far better than the Roland VSC, or similiar.

As said, there are several SoundFont players, most of which are VSTis, and should work pretty well in Band In A Box, or other PGMusic products.

Gary


I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
Rachael #19458 05/17/10 04:23 PM
RealBand
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Quote:

The Coyote Forte uses soundfonts. The largest soundfont in that library is the grand piano at around 35 mb. Less complex sounds are much smaller.

Rachael




The Coyote Forte DXi uses Gigasamples not soundfonts. Mac was posting detailed instructions on how to replace the stock sounds with much better Giga sounds if you happened to already have them which he does. He gave it up after he got his Ketron SD2 a year or two ago. It's pretty complex but it can be done but not worth it if you don't already have a Giga library because it can cost thousands.
My own opinion about soundfonts is if you don't already know exactly how to work with them, why bother learning now? They're tricky, complex and it's an antique format, nothing new is coming out and virtually any modern synth either hardware or software blows them out of the water. Like Rharv says, virtually all of the sounds seem based on 20 year old Roland samples. Decent but nothing to get excited about.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
jazzmammal #19459 05/18/10 07:59 AM
RealBand
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,709
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,709
Actually there are some great sound fonts out there. it is true that many are old. But there is software that allow one to make sound fonts. The sound font is a typical layered sample, that was in the format for the synth built in the creative cards. Sonic implants has some very good ones. The point is that there are many options, and few are perfect, i try to gleen from each what i can to get the sounds i like. I use fonts, sampless and synths regularly. Take a look at all of them.


HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!

PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.

The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.

The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.

Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!

Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.

Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!

Order now!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.

Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!

Season's Greetings!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!

The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.

Team PG

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window

In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe

This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,880
Posts797,282
Members39,975
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
JMDESILE, holger6810, zxkarass, SteveCanada, Marcel29
39,975 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 180
Noel96 150
DC Ron 118
rsdean 112
Today's Birthdays
Biglad
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5