Dear all,

[szm0]

I also looking for a low profile (half height) PCI sound card, on my motherboard I have integrated soundcard, wit MIDI connection. Because I would like using soundfounts, my question is:

Can I use Audigy SE card with redirected MIDI input with soundfonts?

 

Thanks in advance

[Plastic Nev]

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help szmO

I have moved your post as a new topic to help you get better attention, as it is a different problem to the thread you first posted in.

As far as your question, I will have to have a look at the card, but so long as there is room for it to physically fit there should be no problem and should do as you want. Regarding sound fonts, most sound card fonts are pretty basic. What do you want to do with them and I can advise a bit more.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Plastic Nev

[szm0]

Thank you for your fast reaction.

 

I am sure, the Audigy SE card I can fit into my PC, but I am not sure about the MIDI music. Up to now I used also an Audigy (old) card, with my soundfonts. and with my classical organ console. One bank about 64 MB, I made them. The limit of the soundfont memory was only the system RAM. I used the card like a syntheser, just for real-time playing.

In my "new" PC there is no room for the old card, that is why I must buy a new card.

There are not too much low profile cards are exists with downloadble sondfonts capability, Audigy has this feature, but has no MIDI input.

Edited November 23, 2008 by szm0

[Plastic Nev]

Yes, the new card should do all that the old card did, and perhaps a little better if only because it is newer. I personally use a MIDI controller keyboard, so it is dependant on whatever sound font there is available. As well as the original Roland based font on the card, I also have the give away bit of the GPO or Gariton Personal Orchestra, that came bundled with the notation program, Finale.

I have to have Finale open though to use it.

[szm0]

Sorry, but I think, I was not clear.

The Audigy SE specification mentiones only "2 and 4MB soundfonts" included, it means the card has soundfont compatibility, but I do not know yet, what is the maximal size of the soundfonts downloaded into the card?

This card has no physical MIDI input, I thougt I use the motherboards sound card (which has MIDI) with the Audigy SE, and I redirect the MIDI stream between the two cards.

 

Thanks!

[Plastic Nev]

Ah my apologies, in my first answer I hadn't then looked at the card in question. Now I have. No game port for the midi input is a problem, and as you say a max of 4 MB sound font. Can you tell us what your previous sound card was and model type?

 

I assume you need the low profile of the board to fit your machine? I am reluctant to suggest that the existing MIDI input on your mother board could be OK as it may introduce too much latency in the system due to being redirected round the new card.

I have looked at other Audigy products and they all have the full board size.

There may well be other sound cards out there by other manufacturers, but I am now a bit short of time to go looking. M Audio may be worth a look as they have some sound cards, but no time to look myself at the moment. If you don't mind hanging on till tomorrow, I will then have chance of a better look round, plus also one of our other helpers on here may have some more idea's for you.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Plastic Nev

[szm0]

My old config:

An early series Audigy card, with phisycal MIDI interface, and with soundfont option, for soundfonts the card can address almost the whole PC system RAM.

 

Please do not spend too much time with my problem, I can myself search on the net, I would not like to pass my work to you.

 

My requirements again: a half size, soundfont compatible (at least 64 MB) card, with MIDI input.

 

Thank you in advance, if you or your friends have an idea by heart, otherwise we have the same chance! :)

 

Good night!

[Plastic Nev]

The big problem is size I am afraid, a card that can do what you need does have to be full size in order for all the different chips and other bits and pieces needed.

However, considering the low price of the Audigy SE, it is worth a try. I have had a word with someone more into this technology and he assures me that any latency problem should be low, a few milli seconds perhaps if you already have a midi port on the mother board.

As I understand it, the sound font that comes with the card, whatever the size, can be expanded in most cases by the right type of font installation. This extra font is installed to your hard drive and when called for is then moved to RAM for instant use via the card. The only limitation is the size of RAM memory you have.

Sorry if this isn't enough as I am now at the limit of my knowledge. Even though I am a musician and use MIDI, I still have only a vague idea of how it all works. It seems a very complex issue in its own right.

[szm0]

Thank you for your help, since the card in question, not too expensive, I encouraged myself to buy one, and to try it. I am not sure yet, just now I received a message, an EMU 0202 USB sound card also can be useful for me, but I still do not know how? I must get more information. It seems, my problem too special (I do not think so). Anyway, when I have a solution, I will inform you.

 

Brgds :)

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again, just out of curiosity and to try to add a bit to my own knowledge, I found this on good old Wikipedia. Makes interesting reading, and once I have had a look at some if not all the links, I feel sure I may have a better understanding. I hope you too find it useful.

 

SoundFont - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[szm0]

Hi!

 

Thank you very much for for the trouble you have taken to help. The soundfont technology itself not unknownn to me, as I wrote, I made my soundfonts. My problem is the usage of the soundfonts in a new environment.

 

Brgds :)

[szm0]

Thank you for alll the troubles you have taken to help me! The link you have sent me about soundfonts, thank you, but I am familiar about the standards, as I mentioned, I made my own sounfonts already. My only problem is, how can I use them in a new and unknown environment?

 

Brgds :)

[szm0]

Sorry I send twice my answer, you can select, and it is your choice, which is better. :) (Otherwise I am sorry very much, my english is poor, but please try to understand, in Hungary we do not typically speak in english, rather in hungarian, which is our mother language :) )

 

Brgds :)

[Plastic Nev]

No problem at all with the language my friend. In fact it shows my poor lack of a second language of any sort, and your English is easy to understand.

If you are using the Creative Vienna soundfont Studio to make your own font then a read of their literature suggest that it supports your intended card. I like the look of Vienna so downloaded it for myself. A new venture for me, so wish me luck as I wish it to you.

You can find the Vienna from here -

Sound Blaster SoundFont

Nev.

[szm0]

Thank you for you good wishigns!

The Vienna is a useful tool to create your own soundfont, and not oversophisticated, I am sure, you can use it with success, that is why I do not think that it is necessary to wish you luck, but if you need it, I do. :)

 

My only difficulties with Vienna was the looping. I could not set good loop points in my complex samples (pipe organ registers). I had to use "Sound Forge" which has "cross fade loop" option.

 

Good luck again! :)

[Plastic Nev]

First, I am glad everything now seems to be sorted, and thanks also for the encouragement in creating my own fonts.

As you can see by my avatar I am a cornet player in a brass band, so it is brass instruments I wish to create fonts of. There is nothing much of any good in the way of decent brass instrument sounds available anywhere, so I am hoping to get samples from all the other players in the band to create a hopefully good font for brass band.

[szm0]

(something wrong, I wrote an answer few minutes before, but I lost... like yesterday)

Again:

As far as I understand, are you going to record yourself your samples?

My experience:

I thougt the samle CD with *.wav files expensive, that is why I visited two churches and recorded the pipe sounds note by note, register by register.

I listened the result and the sample CD has become cheap! :)

So, I bought it.

Especially, in your case, your instrument, the cornet has much more modulation possibility, than a pipe organ, even if you have a studio, with experienced and disciplined musiciens, you will spend a lot of time with the recording, and I do not speak yet about the value of the studio equipment, the microphone... etc.

 

 

Brgds

[szm0]

On the site, Sound fonts sf2 Free download you can find several brass soundfonts. I think, you should study them first.

 

To tell you the truth, on this free site I could hardly found a really good fonts.

[Plastic Nev]

Thanks for the advice, However I like a good challenge, so I will certainly see what results I can get. However I will also have a look at sound fonts sf2 site as well.

As far as recording quality goes, along with the good musicians, I have the band, and one of them is a reasonable recording technician,;) So I may just have a reasonable start there.

For now though, the main thing is learning what Vienna can do, and how to use it first.

nev.