Using fluidsynth~ on a mac.
So I'm building something and having a 'low impact' instrument solution would be pretty handy. I plan on using a full blown sampler elsewhere in the patch, but I just need a couple of instruments, and a couple of notes for this other part.
In doing some searching, fluidsynth~ looks like a good option as it does soundfonts, and there's plenty of free ones of those out there.
Now a couple of questions about that.
The external (found here: http://imtr.ircam.fr/imtr/FluidSynth_for_Max/MSP ) was last updated in 2007, where as fluidsynth itself (found here : http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/fluidsynth/ ) is still kicking.
Is the IRCAM one the most recent external version of it? The fluidsynth page mentions fluid~ as being the current pd/max external, but the link on the fluidsynth page leads nowhere....
The download page on the fluidsynth page seems like you have to compile it to make it work? (to download it). Blech.
So yeah, what's the proper version of the external to use.
Second, in terms of loading sf2 files. Every single soundfont I've found online comes as a sfArk file, which I found out is a compressed soundfont. No biggie right? Except the only app (for mac) that seems to uncompress them (sfArkXT) has disappeared from the internet. (I challenge you to find a live link to download it!).
So part two of the question. How do you get an sf2 going on a mac?
yes the last updt i found was 07. the soundforge project is related, but not the max-object.
i have that app but it is limited. better you do the converson on pc-side.
what do you mean get going? in fluid you can load an sf2 and trigger it e.g. with midi.
best jul
I meant the decompression actually. I'm sitting on a couple of sfarks, but no sf2's yet. Would you be able to send me the app? I don't have bootcamp or any windows stuff setup at all.
rodrigo (dot) constanzo (at) gmail (dot) com
get it here: http://uea-io.de/div/sfArkXT_OSX_101_beta.zip (for 1day)
but as i said it is limited. as far as i remember it only opens sf2 vers1 or so...
for the rest you have to use pc software.
Thanks a ton!
Argh, it doesn't work on Lion. Now to find a PPC mac somewhere...
again, find a pc. this program is not much of a help. also, search the net, there are sf2s to be found that are not compressed in this way. good luck. jul
btw. you dont need a ppc. its running on 10.6.8.
I'm on Lion, which removes the rosetta layer.
I've tried and found a couple, but the main ones I'm looking for (piano and rhodes) are all sfark-ed.
Polyphone is a great editor for sound fonts on the mac.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/polyphone/