Daniel García Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Hi there, I am looking for a free plug-in that will let me use good old soundfonts in CbB (under Windows 10, 64-bit). Most VST samplers compatible with soundfonts that I've tried so far are 32-bit (sfz, Soundtypo, Jeskola XS1...) and won't work in my system. But even those that are 64-bit are not working either, like VST SynthFont64, Grace or BassMidi VSTi. I can insert them in my project but they won't make any sound. So far the only way I've been able to use my soundfonts with CbB is by using Coolsoft's VirtualMidiSynth (which is an external piece of software, not a plug-in) as an output device. But this, besides lagging issues, is certainly not an optimal solution. Any ideas? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Have you looked at Plogue Sforzando? https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scook Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Have not used sf2 format for some time. sforzando is a free sfz player that has a built-in sf2 converter tx16wx claims to read sf2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjoens Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Any of those should work but maybe your routing needs adjustment? http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=217 Used to be included in Sonar, but no more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacab Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) sfz is 32-bit, the OP said he had already tried that one. Edited March 28, 2019 by abacab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Have you tried JBridge rather than Cakewalk's BitBridge for 32 bit plugins? I use SampleLord as a SF2 player (it'll also play GIG, FXP, NKI, EXB, WAV, AIFF files too). It's not free (€40) but it is 32 bit. For something like my own sampled piano, I find using SampleLord via JBridge is a lot more CPU friendly (and perfectly stable) than something like Kontakt in native 64 bit. There's far more options in JBridge for dealing with any compatibility issues than BitBridge, which has no options at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjoens Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) I use VSTSynthFont64 and it works. Maybe something's wrong with your set up? 11 hours ago, abacab said: sfz is 32-bit, the OP said he had already tried that one. Yeah, I forgot it only works in 32 bit Sonar. Edited March 29, 2019 by sjoens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel García Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 Thank you guys for trying to help me. But the problem seems to be worse now, I think something has gone wrong with my Cakewalk after installing all those plug-ins, because right now I can't make any newly inserted plug-in work. (However, those that were already inserted in my projects still work). I believe one of those plug-ins (some of them rather old) made a mess and now I can't find a way to fix it (not even reinstalling Cakewalk). This is a different issue than the one I opened this thread for, so to keep things neat and tidy I'm opening a new one (here). Thanks again. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjoens Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Some rgc:audio sfz FYIs Version 2.0.0.1 SCAN OPEN LOAD SF2 files CbB 64bit yes yes no Sonar 32bit yes yes yes Version 2.0.0.0 (2004) CbB 64bit no no no Sonar 32bit yes yes no SFZ Standalone - yes yes Edited March 30, 2019 by sjoens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Argo Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 (edited) Soundfonts is one of the big reason why I still keep my PC dual boot to Win XP. I had so many good useful SF2 in my collection since earlier days of Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, and I still love many many of them, specially grand piano and drums (remember the Sonic Implants BlueJay drums?) . Whenever I need to use them, I switch to Win XP side and do the sequencing as needed with Sonar 8.5. Render, then go back to CbB in Win 7. I still have Creative Sound Blaster Live! in 2 of my PC! I also still have many SF2 player from the old days (Vsampler, SFZ, tx16wx, LinuxSampler, etc) however IMHO, nothing beats the original E-MU hardware on playing soundfonts. The rendered sounds are a lot better. The closest to the real thing is VSampler which was discontinued. Edited April 1, 2019 by James Argo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Sorrels Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 I'd really love to hear a recording of the Sound Blaster's output and the same MIDI/SF2 file rendered with VSTSynthFont64. Pinning down exactly what makes hardware sound better in this case would be very interesting, since there isn't a lot of analog to a Sound Blaster. Sadly I don't have any Sound Blasters or machines with ISA slots left alive . I do wish VSampler was still being developed. I wonder if it's worth trying to find my copy of it? I have my serial codes for it but I'm not sure that's enough to be able to use it. I should have a backup on DVD somewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacab Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 I'm not sure why anybody would go out of their way to use sound fonts today for new projects, when much better options exist. Unless it's just for nostalgia or retro purposes to load an old project or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mánibranðr Studios Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 On 4/2/2019 at 6:30 AM, abacab said: I'm not sure why anybody would go out of their way to use sound fonts today for new projects, when much better options exist. Unless it's just for nostalgia or retro purposes to load an old project or something. It's mostly nostalgia, and the appreciation for people who put countless hours into making them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user 905133 Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 On 4/1/2019 at 4:24 PM, Matthew Sorrels said: I do wish VSampler was still being developed. I wonder if it's worth trying to find my copy of it? I have my serial codes for it but I'm not sure that's enough to be able to use it. I should have a backup on DVD somewhere. I came to this thread after testing VSampler In Cakewalk today ; so, thanks for various comments here (from you and others), in another thread, and at the previous site. After running it in Demo mode and finding I could easily load a number of banks (including E-Mu EIII and Formula 4000 ISOs and some others, SF2s, etc.), I decided to pull out my Sonar 3 disk set and try to register it to unlock the full potential of VSampler. Unfortunately, I only have the original Serial Number--no registration number. I know I played around with it minimally back then; not sure though if I went to the site and registered it back then. Currently, the registration utility goes to a dead-end. So, I am wondering if you (or anyone else) has been able to solve the "No Registration Number" problem. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Bone Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Using Kontakt to load and convert SF2 sounds to Kontakt NKI instruments. https://itstillworks.com/convert-sf2-nki-8653870.html Might be worth a try. Bob Bone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhow Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Now in 2020 ? I am upset with the unstability of Sforzando in cakewalk pro by bandlab, it crashed so oooooooo many times, and it causes my projects to load very slowly. I have just bought sf2 sounds by DSK which I am not using at all because I am not finding a suitable plugin. I just unstalled this Sforzando and all is loaded quicker and stable , and I no more receive this message " Sonar have to close because of unknown reasons " Gerard How Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feral State Sound Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 I recommend you the free version of TX16Wx, is a SF2/SFZ player and much more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 There are several freeware ones listed in The Freeware Instruments Thread, which is overdue for a good bump anyway. Big news being Sampletank 4 CS. Like Sampletank 3 CS, but doesn't crash its hosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balloonhead Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Still a big topic with SF2 not working for many people. Luckily the support gave me access to the original rgc:audio sfz+ pro because i own the Sonar X2 version. This plugin is very unstable and only works in pr32 and not sf32 mode but hey at least it loads up any SF2 with full control. So still searching for a USEFUL Plug to load up SF2 not SFZ with all its parameters inside. So hard to convert all old songs from Cakewalk to Reason because of stability is far better there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Mackay Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 @GerhowIn C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Utilities\BitBridge.exe, in Properties -> Compatibility make sure it is set to Compatibility Mode Windows XP SP3 (probably is) and clear Run this program as administrator. That worked for me. Somehow, Run as admin crept in. Support are checking with BitBridge developers. Maybe this will help with other soundfont problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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