What Is A SoundFont?
The easiest answer is that it’s like a typestyle – but it defines sounds rather than shapes. I know that’s not the answer you want to hear. So let’s start our exploration into the magical world of SoundFonts. You all have heard MIDI files – and they can sound anything from bearable to ethereal depending on your sound card or speaker setup. WAV files are more predictable – they run more or less the same in a given sound setup. There’s a reason behind all this – WAV files contain actual digital recordings whereas MIDI files are basically music notations, which your sound card interprets and plays. Not all sound cards are created equal – and that’s why MIDI files sound so spectacular on some machines, rather than other less privileged ones. All the notes are interpreted using a table of recorded sounds sampled in a special area of your sound card. There was a time when you could not change these sampled sounds. SoundFont is a technology which enables you to change these samples, giving mo
