I am looking to add some sounds to a drumset and would like to know what is the least CPU/memory intensive instrument that will load single or multiple sfz file sample groups? I am looking to not have to add another SD3 guessing that may be more CPU intensive than another choice. I am trying to add more crashes to a SD3 kit but the sfz limits you from doing that. I don't want to edit them necessarily -too much work.

It is not a limit of sfz, it is the way SD3 was written. Editing an sfz file is pretty easy and a handy skill. Many synths by CW and others use the format.

A second copy of SD3 should not that big a load. I use to run two instances on my old P4 machine.

If you want to try other options, you could try loading the sfz into DimPro. If the samples referenced in the sfz are wav or ogg you could try the sfz player. The sfz player does not handle flac files.

I wonder which is lower cpu sd3 or dim pro?

Don't know. If you wish I will modify a copy of the crash sfz to work on the ride pad for you.

Thank you so much for the offer. I'll give it a shot. I looked at it and it doesn't look too hard. (I hope)

Ok I changed "key" and "group" numbers from 49 to 51 and 57 to 59 in the more wet sizzle kit crashes. Funny but they won't work unless they are saved in the same location as the rest of the sfz's with the samples in the same directory.(folders nearby) At first the sfz loaded and worked but the SD3 panel read 0 mb. I opened it again and it said 88mb. Strange. Is that correct what I did as far as changing key and group numbers? Key I understand but not "group" what does that change? Now that I have done it, I want to learn what all the definitions mean in SFZ relating to sd use. I thought I saw it somewhere.....

The sample paths in the sfz are probably relative (i.e. partial path names). That is why the location of the sfz matters. If you use fully qualified file names for the samples the sfz file can go anywhere.

I don't think the group number really matters. Some factory files have the group value equal to the key value, some have it set to 0.

Here is the knowledge base article on sfz http://www.cakewalk.com/D...e/article.aspx?aid=108 For additional reading material you could check out http://noisesculpture.com/cakewalk-synthesizers

sfz.exe is probably as low cpu and as powerful as you'll ever need. I wish they'd update it to 64bit.

DimPro and SD3 are overkill in my opinion.

I believe the sfz.exe installed with 64bit SONAR is a 64bit VST. At least it is shown in the plugin manager as a VSTi and it does not load inside the bitbridge. The problem with sfz.exe is the inability to process flac files. CW has converted most of their sfz from wav to flac. I guess you could convert them back and alter the sfzs.

loading the sfz into dim pro should be fine then saving out the "prog"

the cpu hit shouldn't be that high, my new synth "lush-101" really batters the cpu.. the obvious other thing being change your asio buffers.