SoundFont Overview

Core concepts for working with SoundFonts in Maestro MPTK.

A SoundFont is a structured audio resource used by the synthesizer to render MIDI events. It contains sample data together with banks and presets that define how instruments and drum kits are organized.

In Maestro MPTK, a SoundFont can come from:

• the internal MPTK SoundFont database,
• a local file,
• a remote file downloaded at runtime.

A MidiSynth uses one active SoundFont at a time. That SoundFont defines the bank and preset data available to the synthesizer.

Main Concepts

• A bank groups presets.
• A preset defines an instrument or drum kit entry.
• A SoundFont contains the sample data used for playback.
• Loading a SoundFont makes its content available to the synthesizer.
• Changing the active MIDI instrument on a channel is a separate operation.

Internal and External SoundFonts

Internal SoundFonts are provided with MPTK resources. External SoundFonts are loaded from the file system or from a web resource.

External SoundFonts are useful when:

• reducing build size,
• delivering optional downloadable content,
• assigning different SoundFonts to different players,
• testing or switching SoundFonts dynamically at runtime.

Important Note

Loading or selecting a SoundFont does not directly change the active program currently used by a MIDI channel during playback. To change the channel instrument, use the MIDI channel API, such as MidiPlayerTK.MidiSynth.MPTK_ChannelPresetChange.

See also

SoundFont Management

Runtime SoundFont Loading

Working with Banks and Presets