megafont

description

F A Q

Description

Megafont is a program created for dynamically managing, loading and unloading SoundFont files on Creative SBLive! cards. I.e. it's a dynamic cache manager for SBLive!.

Look at "

AudioHQ/SoundFont/Options/SoundFont 
  cache

". There is only one choice here: . Now there exists an alternative way.

The main feature of megafont is an ability to simultaneously use large collections of SoundFonts without (again and again) making any changes in the SoundFont section of the AudioHQ. And it's especially useful when the size of collection and/or separate files (but not presets!) is far above the half of total system memory (which is the maximal configurable size of static cache with Creative drivers).

The second most usable feature of megafont is that it allows to qickly create SoundFont files from existing SoundFont and .wav files. Everything written here concerns not only SBLive! but the EMU APS cards too.

Why do you need it?

Example One

So, you have SBLive!, 40Mb GM/GS SoundFont and 64Mb of RAM. Naturally, you can't use this bank with "Static caching" ( 64/2=32, 32<40 :). But you can if you are using megafont.

Example Two

Well, you get some money and upgrade to 96Mb of RAM. But still, you have 700Mb of your favorite SoundFonts on your hard disk. You want to run your favorite sequencer and try 'em all in your new song. With "Static caching" you should load/unload them thru the control panel. Like a some sort of "SoundFont DJ" :). It's like working on a PC without a HDD. Such a mess. But you can instantly choose any of your SFonts in your sequencer and hear any of them without switching between applications if you are using megafont.

Example Three

Suppose you have a Pentium II-300 and 64Mb of RAM with 30Mb GM/GS SoundFont loaded. Thus your PII will has only ~30Mb free and sometimes it feels like on 486. Therefore you forced to use a slightly imperfect 8Mb GM bank when you work with some memory consuming programs. But there is a way to store in memory only the currently used presets, i.e. if some of MIDI channels are currently using them. And don't store anything when you are not listening to anything. Automatically. Only if you are using megafont.

Example Four

So, you don't have SBLive! or you have no need for dynamic fonts caching but you would like to create SoundFont file from several sources, including .wav files. Or otherwise you want to quickly split existing SoundFont into separate presets. Thought of making it thru Vienna makes you sick since one have to make a thousand of mouse moves to finish such kind of task. With megafont you can handle those problems much faster and simplier.

Et cetera...

Features

•	Dynamic preset caching, i.e. "on demand" preset loading and automatic unloading of oldest unused presets when they remains unused too long, or it's necessary to free memory for another preset;

•	Presets can be mapped to bank number, program number and name which are different from such parameters in the SoundFont file;

•	128 * 128 simultaneously loaded melodic presets + 128 drum presets (if they fit in memory together), if they don't fit they're still avaliable for instant loading when needed;

•	Overriding of a maximal memory size stated with AudioHQ (1/2 of RAM maximum) up to the whole RAM size;

•	SoundFont files v2.0, v2.1 and .wav files support;

•	When using with sequencer latency after the first one Bank Select/Program change for average size preset - aprox. 0.1 .. 1 sec (if SoundFont is on the hard drive); subsequent calls are faster, simultaneous calls may be slower.

•	Winamp support for playing MIDI files with pre-caching of needed presets for every song played;

•	SoundFont Device interface support for exporting preset names;

•

Sequencer integration (patch list export):

Cubase ( Studio Module drivers (.DEV), tested with Cubase Audio VST 3.553, compiled with DMaker v1.00; SoundFont Device interface in Cubase v3.7 and higher, works in real-time )

Cakewalk ( instrument definition files (.INS) and SoundFont Device interface, tested with Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.0 )

Logic ( copying all names in bank thru clipboard, tested with Logic Audio Platinum v4.0 )

Massiva (.mxp files), tested with Massiva x0.58

Evolution (.pls files), tested with Evolution Sound Studio Pro v1.02

Encore (.ini files), tested with Passport Designs Encore v4.2.1

Quartz (.set files), tested with Quartz Audio Master Professional v4.6 Eval

System requirements

•	Windows'98, Windows 2000/NT;

•	SFEDT32.DLL for creating SoundFont files. This is not necessary for other megafont features;

•	SBLive!/LiveWare for stable work or SBLive!/APSLive drivers or true EMU APS card for not so stable work;

•	You need some MIDI loopback to redirect sequencer's MIDI OUTs to megafont. This can be Hubi's LoopBack device (Windows 95/98) or MIDI Yoke Junction (Windows'95/98 and NT/2000) or whatever you like. You can find them at the MAZ Sound Tools page in section `Tools/Misc`.

The latter two of requirements are not necessary if the only thing you need is to create SoundFont or patch list for sequencer.

feedback: lastnight@mtu-net.ru