Hey guys,
 
I thought you would all appreciate this article from the June 2014 copy of Keyboard Magazine.
 
http://www.keyboardmag.co...s-with-sfz-files/31010
 
The article and tutorial also includes a free bass instrument sfz by Craig. 
 
Enjoy!
Chad
 
 

Great one.  Maybe you or Craig should do some tutorials hosted by Cakewalk somewhere on site (there I go, making more work for others!).  But Cake ought to do something w/ SFZ - drive some Alchemy etc. people to the site.
 
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AT
Great one.  Maybe you or Craig should do some tutorials hosted by Cakewalk somewhere on site (there I go, making more work for others!).  But Cake ought to do something w/ SFZ - drive some Alchemy etc. people to the site.
 
@

Hey AT,
 
I may have some time to tackle an SFZ tutorial in the future.  Would you be interested in any particular content? 
 
 

chad

Would you be interested in any particular content? 
 

Yeah some basic tutorial to help us create simple sfz files to get us going. Maybe there is some place that I don't know about.

But it seems to me that sfz files is a great concept that hasn't gotten much support to help users get into it.

Hey Grem,
 
Thanks, what type of instruments would you be interested in learning to create?  Acoustic/Orchestral/Synths/Percussion?

That's a hard one Chad.  All the above?  ;-)
 
Since it is SFZ, something acoustic I would think.  A piano would be great, but a bit hard.  Maybe a string - cello?  Basic mapping and layering that could be a model to use.  And maybe some sfz enveloping.  Does sfz support portamento control?  Some Ligeti-style stuff would be an interest of mine.  Some of the Dimpro presets seem to do that, though I haven't looked at the sfz files.
 
@

Just read Craig's article. It gives good info. And great examples. Good tutorial that I plan on working on in the next few days.

But where is he getting the parameters that are available to the sfz engine? Are the parameters different for each sfz engine?

These type of questions answered for a non-programing person would be helpful to me. Or even point me in the right direction.

I would like to learn to do my own samples in the sfz file to make something I never heard of.

The best source I have found for sfz info is Simon Cann's "Cakewalk Synthesizers". Cakewalk use to have a page listing sfz v1.0 opcodes, fortunately, Wayback still has the page. Search Wayback for www.cakewalk.com/DevXchange/article.aspx?aid=108. Vendors have extended the sfz opcodes for their synths.

Grem

But where is he getting the parameters that are available to the sfz engine? Are the parameters different for each sfz engine?
 

Good question !
 
I can no longer find the sfz specification document on cakewalk.com.  But it was only version 1.02, from jan. 2010.
 
Simon Cann's book Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User is the only reference I know of for version 2.0.
 
Looks like Cakewalk has abandoned it (and synths built on it ?).  Other companies use it but have added proprietary codes.  I'm not optimistic for its future, but I'd like to be.
 
 PS.  I'll send anyone the 1.02 version in a Word doc if they PM me.
 
 

 
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine can be very useful for unearthing lost info relating to Cakewalk and
rgcaudio :

http://web.archive.org/web/20071011015934/http://www.rgcaudio.com

 
For instance, the sfz format spec, version 1.0 :

http://web.archive.org/web/20071011041531/http://rgcaudio.com/sfzformat.htm

 
and a directory of some sfz sample files : 

http://web.archive.org/web/20071020025349/http://www.rgcaudio.com/sfzsamples

 
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