Re: [linux-audio-user] Linux Sampler Akai support

I was seriously thinking of getting a cheap hardware sampler, given prices they are showing up on eBay currently. I only owned an Akai S2000 for a couple of hours in the past (seriously!) and obviously never got used to working with one of them. Of a hardware sampler I like the ability of tweaking programs while making them sound. It's the way to create bizarre sounds which is the utility that fancies me most from this instrument. On the opposite, software samplers usually requires you to load a separate application to create the programs from samples available as .wav files, something good for programming a realistic cello sound but not for using these shits as synthesizers.

Anyway I am thinking of giving a try to Linux Sampler. I've always found strange that Linux Sampler focus on Giga support. There are lots of commercial Akai CD-ROMs and lots of soundfonts available on the net. I was simply wondering on how is the Akai support implemented in Linux Sampler. Does it read Akai CD-ROMs or some intermediate step converting samples is required?

More widely, how are you open sourced people managing transfers of samples between formats (Akai and Giga to SF2 or DLS and such)? Few applications I remember in the past for Windows were not only closed source but also commercial and pretty expensive. Any answer very welcome.