ISFIZZ SFZ PLAYER AUv3. From Kira Q Tech

jebni

@RyoutaKira said:
although I think most of people just use given sfz files

I'm just used to having attack and release parameters exposed by many Decent Sampler patches, and of course being able to tweak those values for sampled instuments in AudioLayer.

Which brings me to my next point. @HotStrange, @Gavinski, @tahiche and others who've wished that Decent Sampler could store its material on external drives: you might be interested in using Isfizz as an alternative to AudioLayer in this context. I find AudioLayer extremely finnicky with imports and managing files in general, so an app like Isfizz is a far better for dealing with truckloads of third party material from various sources, because it simply loads patches from the user-maintainable filesystem.

Tonight I used ConvertWithMoss to convert hundreds of sampled instruments from Pianobook and Samples from Mars to SFZ, with Kontakt and Decent Sampler files as sources. (I actually converted many SFM packs from SFZ to SFZ, simply to rationalise the convoluted file structure they shipped with.) ConvertWithMoss can handle a bunch of different input and output formats, and it's quite intuitive to use.

Obviously, the more complex the instrument, the more you lose in translation. I don't know much about multisampled instruments in general (I just like the sounds I find), so a lot might be going over my head that some of you would consider essential! ConvertWithMoss doesn't understand the SFZ spec's LFO opcodes, for example. And conversion will lose the custom IRs that people bundle into their Decent Sampler instruments.

There are fundamental things that auto-conversion would be ill suited for: Decent Sampler patches that involve tweaking various parameters as a fundamental part of the instrument (I've seen some crazy organs wih oodles of drawbars on Pianobook) would probably need manual reconstruction in AudioLayer, and it goes without saying that Kontakt instruments that do anything beyond simple sample playing won't work at all.

(Edit: and obviously, commercial sample packs that are locked down will get you nowhere.)

But getting @RyoutaKira's walkthrough above on how to manually create CC mapped knobs for attack and release was enough for me to take the plunge — being able to tweak the envelopes of Pianobook's plucked instruments was important to me. Seeing Visual Studio Code's notification of "3125 instances changed" when I did the search and replace across every file was… interesting.

I'll keep you updated on how I truck along with this.

jebni

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EdZAB

Very interesting! @jebni you're way past me on working with SFZ files, but I may try doing some modifications at some point. I also have tried importing various SFZ's into AudioLayer and run into numerous problems, and just gave up after a while, and found that isfizz works with those same SFZ files perfectly and does what I need, and without a lot of fuss. I've never used Decent Sampler, although I have heard many good things about it. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experimentations.

HotStrange

@jebni thanks for the experiments and testing. I’m iOS only at the moment so not sure if I can use that website or not but definitely something to keep an eye on

bargale

Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

Sfizz allows big things that no other iOS sampler allows and I can’t wait to bring desktop drum kits into it.
It’s also cross platform on pretty much any OS so that’s another advantage.

filo01

@bargale said:
Sfizz allows big things that no other iOS sampler allows and I can’t wait to bring desktop drum kits into it.
It’s also cross platform on pretty much any OS so that’s another advantage.

What? Desktop drum kits for Sfizz? Where? )

EdZAB

@bargale said:
Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

Sfizz allows big things that no other iOS sampler allows and I can’t wait to bring desktop drum kits into it.
It’s also cross platform on pretty much any OS so that’s another advantage.

Neat. I tried it out in AUM with a test SFZ file and it works fine. I imagine this could be helpful if you had several instruments to play at once in a session, and the wav files were very large, and it would reduce memory consumption, if I'm understanding correctly.

The one limitation that I see is that it will trigger the same note across all of the instances, although there's certainly a use case for that, for example if you're layering up sounds. I could see it working quite well for a piano sound, with multiple samples loaded up for more depth, and you could even adjust the release time on each, although I'm just guessing - I haven't edited an SFZ file, but I probably will soon since that option is available in the app. I'd be interested to see the multi-out in action if anyone has examples.

bargale

@EdZAB said:

@bargale said:
Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

Sfizz allows big things that no other iOS sampler allows and I can’t wait to bring desktop drum kits into it.
It’s also cross platform on pretty much any OS so that’s another advantage.

Neat. I tried it out in AUM with a test SFZ file and it works fine. I imagine this could be helpful if you had several instruments to play at once in a session, and the wav files were very large, and it would reduce memory consumption, if I'm understanding correctly.

The one limitation that I see is that it will trigger the same note across all of the instances, although there's certainly a use case for that, for example if you're layering up sounds. I could see it working quite well for a piano sound, with multiple samples loaded up for more depth, and you could even adjust the release time on each, although I'm just guessing - I haven't edited an SFZ file, but I probably will soon since that option is available in the app. I'd be interested to see the multi-out in action if anyone has examples.

I’m more into using it to create and load drum kits…
sfz is very deep and allows everything needed for a good acoustic drum kit and having the ability to send each drum or a group of drums to a seperate output makes isfizz above the competition on iOS right now

jebni

@HotStrange said:
@jebni thanks for the experiments and testing. I’m iOS only at the moment so not sure if I can use that website or not but definitely something to keep an eye on

Yeah, it's a desktop app, and even if there was an online tool this flexible, it'd only work with the text files that define the instruments, which is "fine", but it'd mean moving hundreds of WAVs around in different folders. And as we all know, Files.app is a pile of poo. I was iPad-only for two years and did design and some light web development on it, but until that stuff gets an overhaul, I'd never want to go back there again.

@bargale said:
Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

@EdZAB and @bargale, I'm confused — how do you enable multi-out? I've created an SFZ that has different outputs per region, but don't know were you'd manage those outputs in the app or host. I'm not even sure if we're all talking about the same thing! In my court, I'm talking about AUM loading multiple channels from one instance of IsFizz, i.e. recognising it as a multi-out instrument when you hit the Add channel button. (What @bargale describes seems like the opposite of what you're describing, @EdZAB: rather than having the same notes appear in all channels, the output opcode should allow you to send one particular note — a kick drum, say — to one particular stereo out, which you'd then be able to add different effects to.)

@RyoutaKira, I've noticed that as per the MIDI spec, you're accepting CC123, which many apps and devices block in order to work around the old workaround for hung notes: sending CC123 (“All notes off”) after you release a lone key, which unfortunately kills release at the tail of an envelope. I've got StreamByter filtering it out, but would love an option to block that CC, as so many old keyboards like mine send it like a bad habit.

Edit: I’m fine with filtering in AUM, it’s just the other hosts I’m trying to manage.

HotStrange

@jebni if Apple would massively improve the files system and add a real web based browser, it would be HUGE. Not sure they’ll ever do that but you could more easily go all in on iOS if they did. For music using an iPad and some hardware is the most inspiring for me and I can generally find workarounds to issues, but Apple needs to put in more work to make the iPad Pro actually “Pro”.

bargale

@jebni said:

@HotStrange said:
@jebni thanks for the experiments and testing. I’m iOS only at the moment so not sure if I can use that website or not but definitely something to keep an eye on

Yeah, it's a desktop app, and even if there was an online tool this flexible, it'd only work with the text files that define the instruments, which is "fine", but it'd mean moving hundreds of WAVs around in different folders. And as we all know, Files.app is a pile of poo. I was iPad-only for two years and did design and some light web development on it, but until that stuff gets an overhaul, I'd never want to go back there again.

@bargale said:
Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

@EdZAB and @bargale, I'm confused — how do you enable multi-out? I've created an SFZ that has different outputs per region, but don't know were you'd manage those outputs in the app or host. I'm not even sure if we're all talking about the same thing! In my court, I'm talking about AUM loading multiple channels from one instance of IsFizz, i.e. recognising it as a multi-out instrument when you hit the Add channel button. (What @bargale describes seems like the opposite of what you're describing, @EdZAB: rather than having the same notes appear in all channels, the output opcode should allow you to send one particular note — a kick drum, say — to one particular stereo out, which you'd then be able to add different effects to.)

@RyoutaKira, I've noticed that as per the MIDI spec, you're accepting CC123, which many apps and devices block in order to work around the old workaround for hung notes: sending CC123 (“All notes off”) after you release a lone key, which unfortunately kills release at the tail of an envelope. I've got StreamByter filtering it out, but would love an option to block that CC, as so many old keyboards like mine send it like a bad habit.

Edit: I’m fine with filtering in AUM, it’s just the other hosts I’m trying to manage.

There are 2 types of isfizz, a stereo out version and a new one which has 16 outs
Just use the opcode in the sfz, that’s enough.

jebni

@bargale said:

@jebni said:

@HotStrange said:
@jebni thanks for the experiments and testing. I’m iOS only at the moment so not sure if I can use that website or not but definitely something to keep an eye on

Yeah, it's a desktop app, and even if there was an online tool this flexible, it'd only work with the text files that define the instruments, which is "fine", but it'd mean moving hundreds of WAVs around in different folders. And as we all know, Files.app is a pile of poo. I was iPad-only for two years and did design and some light web development on it, but until that stuff gets an overhaul, I'd never want to go back there again.

@bargale said:
Just letting others know - for separate outputs use opcode output=1-16
It outputs stereo as stereo and mono as double mono.
Each output is a stereo pair

@EdZAB and @bargale, I'm confused — how do you enable multi-out? I've created an SFZ that has different outputs per region, but don't know were you'd manage those outputs in the app or host. I'm not even sure if we're all talking about the same thing! In my court, I'm talking about AUM loading multiple channels from one instance of IsFizz, i.e. recognising it as a multi-out instrument when you hit the Add channel button. (What @bargale describes seems like the opposite of what you're describing, @EdZAB: rather than having the same notes appear in all channels, the output opcode should allow you to send one particular note — a kick drum, say — to one particular stereo out, which you'd then be able to add different effects to.)

@RyoutaKira, I've noticed that as per the MIDI spec, you're accepting CC123, which many apps and devices block in order to work around the old workaround for hung notes: sending CC123 (“All notes off”) after you release a lone key, which unfortunately kills release at the tail of an envelope. I've got StreamByter filtering it out, but would love an option to block that CC, as so many old keyboards like mine send it like a bad habit.

Edit: I’m fine with filtering in AUM, it’s just the other hosts I’m trying to manage.

There are 2 types of isfizz, a stereo out version and a new one which has 16 outs
Just use the opcode in the sfz, that’s enough.

DOOOHHHHHHHH, thank you. 🤩