[linux-audio-user] giga files and large soundfonts

[Rick Henry]

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 14:59:52 +0100, James Stone wrote
> ...
> I was thinking that it would be nice to build these samples into properly
> layered instruments like the Garritan set for Akai and Giga. Since I 
> have not the faintest clue how to build one of these sampler formats,
>  I thought I would post here for some info. Alternatively, I was 
> thinking that soundfonts could be another way to do it though there 
> is a size limit on these AFAIK. I know that there is the freepat 
> project which is trying to do similar things (but as far as I can 
> see at the moment they are just building a general midi patchset.. 
> perhaps this sort of thing is planned by them for the future..?)
> ...

Soundfonts are OK, but they don't handle everything, say, a GIG file does,
such as key-switching.  That said, I have a Windows program that I use to
regularly translate GIG files to SF2 format  - Chicken Systems' Translator. 
What it does when it comes across a key-switch is create a new patch or voice.
 So you still have everything, it's just programmed a bit differently.  I've
successfully gotten Voices of the Apocalyse translated to SF2 format - the
files are huge.  File sizes range from 400 meg to aounrd 600 meg.

I'm currently trying you get Translator running under Wine (crossover office).
 It installs fine, but when I go to start up the pgm for the first time, it
needs to read a hidden file on the CD.  I haven't figured out a way around
that one yet.

R.
==