Creating new instruments from soundfonts:

Question

Hi all,
I'm still pretty much a newbie with GarageBand and have been working with it recently by using midi files imported into the program and selecting different instruments to get a more pleasing arrangement, with the aim of making my own custom backing tracks. I have followed Hangtime's excellent tutorial and made some custom instruments from Sf2s downloaded from Hammersound and Fox-gieg. Now, the problem I have is this ... some of those custom instruments (annoyingly, the best ones usually) will not play when I reset to the start of the midi track but strangely, if I change to an instrument that will play (such as JamPack instrument) and play a short section and then change back to the custom instrument it will play (that's how I know it's a good sound by the way) ... but when I go back to the start of the track (midi file track, not audio recorded) then the pesky instrument will not play!! If I scroll back to just near the beginning of the track the instrument will play but if I go right back to the beginning of the track ,it won't play. I need the instrument to play right from the start in order for it to play all the way through when I then go to 'Share' and 'Export to Disc' to convert the file to m4a.
Hangtime, if you can throw some light on the problem I would be most grateful mate ... or anyone else on the forum for that matter. I would appreciate the help.
I have resolved a lot of my initial problems like the bass sounds being an octave lower when playing midi files (solution: use the pitch adjust in the edit section) and so on by referring to earlier posts in this excellent forum ... but I haven't come across this.
Best regards ... Rainbow32

Answer 1

Hi SoulRed12,
No worries, I'm glad to get follow up replies to resolve this one and I apologise to yoodler for not getting back but at the time ... I did not fully understand his reply as I did not (at the time) pick up on the reference to Dent du midi which is a freely available program which may be the solution to the problem. If you refer back a few pages to my earlier post re: tonewheel organ sounds not playing you will see this was resolved by using that program ... it was brought to my notice via Gary Sumak's reply and I am so grateful as this little program sorts the problem for those tonewheel organs but should also work with instruments created from soundfonts. It converts the midi track to aif and you then assign the software instrument of your choice from your menu (in this case the instrument you have created from your soundfont) and it should then play through each time correctly. It will only cure those soundfont instruments that are playing 'hit and miss' if you like ... it will not help those soundfont created instruments that yoodler mentions that 'do not take' and which may be caused by using GS files ... I don't know.
I spent a day a while back before posting this thread and downloaded lots of likely soundfonts and converted them ... gave myself repetitive strain injury to my wrist in my enthusiasm and then found that nearly all of those instruments did not actually 'take' or played intermittently and eventually gave up on the whole idea and removed them all. I have found that the Ben Boldt and AMG series of instrument expansion packs and the Jam Packs from Apple pretty much cater to my needs ... but for the odd instrument not available in those collections then it may well be worth downloading several soundfonts of that one instrument and using the Dent du midi program for any of those 'tricksters' that play 'hit and miss'.
Best regards ... Rainbow32:)