I may or may not put a tutorial on how to use SFBM and the helper program SoundFont Librarian (SFLib), but if Creative Labs changes those programs my tutorial will make no sense. If you don't, refer to Creative Labs's documentation on how to use SFBM.
If you DID install SFBM, chances are good you know how to use it. If you didn't install SFBM, I don't know what to tell you.
Chances are good that if you have a SoundBlaster series card that's SBLive or later, you installed the Creative SoundFont Bank Manager (SFBM). If you have an SF2 capable sound card, you can use SF2 format soundfonts. Many people say the default Windows soundfont sucks (and I'm one of them) and wonder not only how to change it, but also where CAN we find alternate DLS format soundfonts? What I CAN say is it's actually much easier to change it than to find it. If you do NOT have an SF2 enabled sound card or you use a Mac, you'll have to settle for using only DLS format soundfonts. You're also able to use either SF2 or DLS format soundfonts if you so choose. If you have an SF2 enabled sound card (such as a recent one from the SoundBlaster series) it's rather easy and you're only limited by the amount of memory available to your sound device. Many people want to know how to change their system soundfont. Whichever program you choose, please refer to the appropriate documentation if you are unsure of how to use it.
The download available on the website is a 30 day trial (crippleware, really you can only do one instrument at a time), after which you'll have to pay about $130 USD for the full version.Įditor's note - if you have the money and Windows, I GUARANTEE that Awave Studio is worth it. If you happen to have an SF2 format soundfont and you'd really like to use it as a DLS format soundfont, simply open it in Awave Studio and save as a DLS file (though, for compatibility purposes I'd recommend saving as a DLS level 2 format soundfont, as level 1 has a few limitations that prevent a one to one conversion, such as no support for layered regions). It is known for being able to open almost any sound file under the sun, including some of the more obscure ones, and has the distinction of being the only program currently available that can read AND write SF2 AND DLS format soundfonts. The other program is FMJSoft Awave Studio, at the time of this writing version 10. If this is the case, look for a non-MS site that has it. There are two main things you must know about DMusProd: one, you must download the version that is specific to your currently installed version of DirectX (as in download DMusProd 8 if you have DX8 installed, DMusProd 9 if you have DX9 installed I'm unsure about DX10) two, if you choose to download it from Microsoft, you are required to use the Windows Genuine Advantage validator tool, and therefore if you have a pirated version of Windows installed, you will not be able to download it from Microsoft's website.
One is Microsoft DirectMusic Producer (DMusProd), which is available free for download from Microsoft's site. If you decide to create a DLS soundfont instead of downloading one, there are two programs of which I know can help you. Since then, every version of Windows now not only installs DirectX 6 or higher, it also installs a default soundfont created by Roland. When Microsoft updated their DirectX framework to version 6, they introduced the ability to use a new format of soundfont, DownLoadable Soundbank, or DLS, format soundfonts (with files containing the extension. Originally there wasn't much memory into which to load a soundfont, but now there's much more memory and even the ability to use non-sound card resources to allow for larger soundfonts. SF2, and has been expanded to better take advantage of the power of the sound card. With soundfont capabilities inherent in pretty much every Creative Labs sound card now, the original E-Mu specification has been updated to version 2, denoted by the extension.
SBK) and has since been updated, standardized, and popularized by Creative Labs. The original soundfont format was introduced by E-Mu years ago (with files containing the extension. Where typesetting has typefaces (better known as "fonts"), audio has soundbanks (better known as "soundfonts").