A Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is a software interface that integrates software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware in software. Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is a software interface that integrates software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware in software.

Whereas a VST is generally an effect (think reverb, sound compression, echo, pitch tuning, equalizing, sound shaping, etc), there is also a Virtual Studio Technology Instrument (VSTi) which uses digital signal processing to simulate a traditional hardware sound source (such as what you get from a dedicated sound module or arranger keyboard). The VSTi then would have a library of sound files that it can play back.

A soundfont is a relatively old technology now that were originally used to play sounds on a Creative Soundblaster sound card. Soundfonts can be played from within numerous VSTi's. Soundfonts are the just another library of sound files that you can play back that adhere to the soundfont file format specification.

So a Soundfont VST(i) would be the player and the soundfont would be the sounds that are played.

The Sofrzando VSTi that ships with BIAB 2017 is capable of playing soundfont files, however, I've found that it doesn't handle long sustains very well. So you my want to look a something like Kenneth Rundt's Synthfont VSTi to playback soundfonts. You can download a lot of soundfonts from the web; however, they are getting more difficult to find these days. I've got about 20GB of soundfonts on my hard drive that I've obtained over the past 20 years or so. Some are good, most are really bad.

Hope that helps.

John

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