Pro Sequencing Software and the Soundfont Bank Mana

Question

Good-day. I'm hoping some one can help me with a some-what Iratating problem.
No matter what sequencing program that I use, I have found it impossible to arrange/compose without the use of the best multi-velocity sample format available today; Soundfonts.
Not too long ago, only very top-end sequencing programs could load and save SF2's along with your 'project' or 'arrangment'. Today -fortunately- recent versions of most programs have been improved to include specifically dedicated Soundfont compatibility.
With digitally automated hard dri've recorders, mixers, and effect racks, the obvious advantage of this feature is the ability to clear and reload those SF2's automatically with every song. The only flaw with this time-saving upgrade is the INability to unload the default SF2 loaded automatically with windows. It is possible to unload both A and B defaults through the frustrating 'Soundfont Bank Manager', but in order for the previously mentioned feature to be fully funtional, there must be a way to stop the loading of the default SF2's.
If anyone knows of a way, or has already found a solution to this problem, please respond or contact me. Thanks in advance, Mike.
Message Edited by PowerChair on 0-23-2005 02:43 AM

Answer 1

PowerChair,
I am using Cakewalk SONAR 4, and since the Cakewalk version that came with my old SB Awe 64 Gold, it wasn?t unable to manage the bank 0.
I suspect this have to do with a commitment made by the drivers programmers (both CL and kX drivers doesn?t let you leave the bank 0 empty -at least the kX driver i tested more than a year ago, but?I am about to test the later version). This ensures there is allways a sample to play when you send a note, even if you send it to an empty bank and/or patch. If you do so, you?ll hear the samples from the same patch in the first lower non empty bank, defaulting to the one at bank 0. I believe that by having allways something loaded at bank 0, the programmers avoided the processing overload of having to check if there is a sample to be played every time the driver receive a note, or risking addressing memory with garbage, wich, treated as a sample, could damage your audio devices (btw, I am a programmer :-).
It seems that Cakewalk programmers (I don?t know of other software) decided to honor this commitment by forbiding you to attach or deattach a SF into bank 0 (not even taking the risk of leting you load a corrupted SF file there wich could lead the the "memory garbage problem", or could leave the driver in a unstable state).
The most serious problem (for me) this approach comes from the SF having instruments defined both at bank 0 and bank 27 (i.e., GM/GS sets). When you load a SF in memory, then defined banks are offseted from the bank you choose to load it. As example, if the SF have instruments at bank 0, , and 4, and you load it into bank 0, then you?ll find the instruments in the banks 0, , and 4. So, when you load a SF at bank , you cannot reach the instruments that were defined into the bank 27 because it's offseted to 28 (an invalid bank number). As a result, the only way I have to use those instruments is by loading the SF at bank 0 with the Bank Manager, or editting the SF file to change the instruments into a lower bank.
The other problem I have with SONAR is that it cannot manage the B device banks. You can choose the B device and reach the instruments, but you have to load them with the Bank Manager (btw, the kX device version I tested wasn?t able to reach the B device either, altough it seems the current version can).
If someone knows how to deal with these problems, please drop a tip.
Thanks.