Exporting SF2 to oldschool hardware sampler

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PabstBlueRibbon
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Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2017 9:56 pm

Exporting SF2 to oldschool hardware sampler

Post by PabstBlueRibbon »

Dear,

If you can help my with the following issue I would be very gratefull!!! 8-)

I have an E-MU ESI 2000 hardware sampler,. My question in a nuttshell is how to export sound libraries like SF2-files from a PC into the sampler.

Presently most musicians work with software only for their sound libraries, because software can show a much more detailed graphic display, have more possibilities for editing (more layers etc) and are more flexible to work with than old school hardware sampler. However software lacks that authentic raw character which hardware samplers do. And that's why I want to use the hardware sampler.

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I found some very cool sounding sample libraries which I really want to use: http://forum.vintagesynth.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=67623 It contains some very famous samples like ARR1 from the Fairlight CMI and the shakuhachi from the E-MU Emulator II. The best part I like about these sounds is the authentic character. You really should check this out!

These sound libraries are not SF2-files. Each preset is stored into a separate map containing WAV-files with loop points and an AKP-file. The AKP-file contains the information to which keys the WAV-files are assigned to.

Converting these kind of sound libraries is quite easy if you know which tools to use. The demo version of CDXtract is sufficient to do the job, even including the limitations compared to the registered version.

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However back to my problem. First of all the E-MU ESI 2000 can read WAV-files with a samplerate of 22050 or 44100 only. The WAV-files have a samplerate of 30000.

I had an idea to fix this. Of course it's possible and easy to convert the samplerate from 30000 to 44100 or 22050. But by such an operation the data of WAV-files changes and that will give a subtle change to the sound as well. I don't want that, because then the characteristics will change as well. I was hoping to change the samplerate only without processing to 44100. That speeds up the pitch and shortens the lenght, but the data remains intact. Speed can easily be corrected with a soundfont editor by transposing down the preset down with 5 semitones and 34 cents. (That's the difference between 44100 and 30000.)

However after changing the samplerate of the WAV-files first and convert the whole preset (WAV-files + AKP-file) into an SF2-file something went wrong. I expected the preset to sound 7 semitones pitched up, however they sound very weird and unusable. That means my idea of first changing the samplerate to 44100 of the WAV-files and second correct the pitch by using the transpose-option in a SF2-editor doesn't seem to work.

The next problem is as follows:

I understood it's possible to export sound libraries like this from a computer into my sampler. However that ain't easy. I found software which should do the job: http://www.emxp.net However this software doesn't have a graphic user interface and the manual is 600 pages. It will take my years to figure out how it works.

I would be very gratefull if you can tell me how to do what I want to do!

Regards,

Michael
Admin
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Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:22 am

Re: Exporting SF2 to oldschool hardware sampler

Post by Admin »

Hi Michael,
What a project you have in front of you! After reading your post a few times I am sorry to say that I can't see how I can be of much help. My only advice is to convert to samples to 44100 Hz and try to live with that. My experience is that, using a good quality converter like anyone found in most audio editors of quality,the result cannot be that bad. Naturally you would need to change the looping points - if any - correspondingly, but apart from that there shouldn't be any major issues.

Can't be of much more help, sorry!
Kenneth
JT64
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:15 am

Re: Exporting SF2 to oldschool hardware sampler

Post by JT64 »

Probably Translator will do it from start to end from SF2 to EMU
http://chickensys.com/products/translat ... ndfont.php

Awave studio could probably help you get correct format, in a simple way.
https://www.fmjsoft.com/awavestudio.html#main

Not sure it can save in EMU format though.
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