Pad Sounds (request)

Link to good samples/soundfonts at http://wiki.linuxaudio.org/wiki/free_audio_data

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GMaq
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Pad Sounds (request)

Post by GMaq »

Hi,

I'm looking for some very simple basic pad sounds just for 'space filler' I have a large amount of Soundfonts and I find most of the Pads are either some sort of quasi sawtooth or squarewave pads, string pads that are very stringy or pads with too much twinkly fairy dust effects going on. I suppose a General MIDI 'Warm Pad' is the closest thing to what I'm looking for.

Any suggestions anyone, or Jeff do you have anything like that in your exhaustive collection?

Either Soundfonts or SFZ's would do nicely.

Thanks in advance...
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by AnthonyCFox »

You could get the Zampler libraries http://www.zampler.de/ they are sfz synth samples.

The MiniNova is the most likely, IMO. Don't bother with the ones that say "Bassstation II" as they don't contain sfz's and the one that says "Commodore 64" is just what it says. Actually, if the MiniNova doesn't have anything like what you are looking for, probably none of the others will either.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by Joermungand »

I’m not sure I got this right, but have you considered the PADsynth oscillator mode in WhySynth? You can get virtually anything you want padwise with just a little tweaking.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by ssj71 »

Consider also some simple synthesis. A triangle wave with slow attack and decay might fill in nicely and reinforce your chords better than a very broad pad sound. This can be done quickly with amsynth, xsynth, or any subtractive synth really. The PADsynth in zyn is very good. I don't understand it but I was quickly able to rig up a few patches. Haven't tried Whysynth's though I suspect its related.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by Joermungand »

ssj71 wrote:Haven't tried Whysynth's though I suspect its related.
Same algorithm behind the scenes. Explanation here: http://zynaddsubfx.sourceforge.net/doc/ ... Dsynth.htm. I’ve toyed around with a SuperCollider implementation, which allows for customizing the algorithm and the results are quite impressive. And you can generate samples, to boot.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by GMaq »

Hi,

Sincere thanks everyone for the suggestions, I probably should have mentioned I want to use this for Live performance and use Ardour3 as a Live instrument host, actually sadly it looks like I'll be using ArdourVST3 because it will host the rgc SFZ Windows VST which by far the simplest way I've found to just open and use SFZ files on a MIDI track in Ardour, yes yes I know about the linuxsampler LV2 but in my opinion that is going to ridiculous lengths to host an SFZ instrument for a Live host. DSSI stuff like Whysynth won't be possible with Ardour and I find the ZynAddSubFX LV2 currently to be very unstable (if used as an instrument anyway). Unfortunately the 'zampler.de' MiniNova banks don't work in the rgc plugin however they do work in Qsampler/Linuxsampler standalone. Looks like I may need to take a crash course in Synthesis on AmSynth LV2...

So far all of Jeff G's SFZ's will work in rgc so please keep formatting them that way Jeff!

<Warning...Impending Rant>

Please Linux Audio developers can we not just simply have a native Linux LV2 plugin like 'Calf Fluidsynth' (ie Calf Linuxsampler)to play SFZ's, as has been lamented in other threads this is a huge hole in Linux Audio, SFZ is an open format for heaven's sake! Linux should have owned this format already years ago! People like to gripe about closed formats like Soundfont2 but a Soundfont is a Soundfont is a Soundfont on ANY platform and pretty much any SF2 supporting host you throw it at. Already some SFZ's play here and not there, if that's what being an 'Open' format is going to provide... no thanks.

Don't even get me started on why I have to resort to a full DAW to simply host a handful of MIDI instruments.... :roll:
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by AnthonyCFox »

GMaq wrote: Unfortunately the 'zampler.de' MiniNova banks don't work in the rgc plugin however they do work in Qsampler/Linuxsampler standalone.
They work well in Sforzando http://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando/ and I use that regularly in wine. I never had much luck with the rgc sampler, though it would install, and that's why I use Sforzando.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by j_e_f_f_g »

GMaq,

What specific sounds/features are you looking for in a live sample player? I'm working on a simple "rompler" app to replace my roland fantom XR rackmount rompler live. It's going to host these sfz's I've been making. If that's what you're after, this may be a lot easier for you. (Well, it's also a sort of an "arranger app". It follows the chord changes I play with my left hand, and plays drums, bass, and rhythm guitar in the "style" I choose).

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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by GMaq »

Hi falkTX!

Well that will be a happy day then, especially for getting those missing formats into Ardour! Nice!

In the meantime, until we can enjoy Carla-LV2... the sforzando VST actually works pretty good in ArdourVST3, Thanks for the heads-up AnthonyCFox, still can't get that Mininova to load even in Sforzando Standalone though, maybe I got a bad download..

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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

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GMaq wrote:Thanks for the heads-up AnthonyCFox, still can't get that Mininova to load even in Sforzando Standalone though, maybe I got a bad download..
I would guess so. Don't be offended, but you are clicking on the .sfz files, correct? There are other program files in those libraries that only work in the Zampler sampler, which also works in Wine, but has a lot of synth capabilities and so creates more of a system load.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

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j_e_f_f_g wrote:GMaq,

What specific sounds/features are you looking for in a live sample player? I'm working on a simple "rompler" app to replace my roland fantom XR rackmount rompler live. It's going to host these sfz's I've been making. If that's what you're after, this may be a lot easier for you. (Well, it's also a sort of an "arranger app". It follows the chord changes I play with my left hand, and plays drums, bass, and rhythm guitar in the "style" I choose).
Well actually I don't even play keyboards... but as the geek in the weekend band I play in I have been setting up sounds for our keyboard player for years, actually we've been using QSynth with a handful of really good Soundfonts for a few years now but I don't like not being able to pre-mix the relative volume of the instrument banks ( you know.. the Wurlitzer is quiet and the Farfisa saws your head off kind of thing) and I also wanted to get some DSP (mostly channel dynamics and a touch of reverb) involved too. Now that some really cool LV2 instruments like the SetBfree Hammond B3 emulation have come along I also wanted the flexibility of hosting Sound Libraries (SF2/SFZ) and VST and LV2 instruments. Actually Carla and Qtractor came very close to fulfilling this but neither one seems to like SetBfree much right now and Ardour3 does so that's what I went with. I have to say that a touch of Reverb, compression and stuff like using the Calf Saturator LV2 on a tremolo Wurlitzer bank can take mediocre Sound Libs and make them sound amazing!

So essentially I want a host for sound libs and VST/LV2 instruments with the ability to switch instrument channels from the MIDI Controller Keyboard and throw in a minimum of effects and dynamics and the ability to pre-mix. I also want to show up at the gig boot the computer, plug in the controller and go. One thing I will say about using Ardour3, you save the session and everything is ready to go next time.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by GMaq »

AnthonyCFox wrote:
GMaq wrote:Thanks for the heads-up AnthonyCFox, still can't get that Mininova to load even in Sforzando Standalone though, maybe I got a bad download..
I would guess so. Don't be offended, but you are clicking on the .sfz files, correct? There are other program files in those libraries that only work in the Zampler sampler, which also works in Wine, but has a lot of synth capabilities and so creates more of a system load.
Hehe,

No offense taken, turns out it actually was a bad download! :roll: I re-downloaded and voila it works..
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

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:wink:
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by ssj71 »

GMaq wrote:So essentially I want a host for sound libs and VST/LV2 instruments with the ability to switch instrument channels from the MIDI Controller Keyboard and throw in a minimum of effects and dynamics and the ability to pre-mix. I also want to show up at the gig boot the computer, plug in the controller and go. One thing I will say about using Ardour3, you save the session and everything is ready to go next time.
Sounds like Carla to me. Just save the carla project in your home directory and drag and drop it from the file explorer in the RHS column. I've had really good results using it with sfzs. Haven't tried the setBfree plugin on it, but I haven't had great luck in any host with setBfree lv2. Never dug into it.
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Re: Pad Sounds (request)

Post by GMaq »

ssj71 wrote:
GMaq wrote:So essentially I want a host for sound libs and VST/LV2 instruments with the ability to switch instrument channels from the MIDI Controller Keyboard and throw in a minimum of effects and dynamics and the ability to pre-mix. I also want to show up at the gig boot the computer, plug in the controller and go. One thing I will say about using Ardour3, you save the session and everything is ready to go next time.
Sounds like Carla to me. Just save the carla project in your home directory and drag and drop it from the file explorer in the RHS column. I've had really good results using it with sfzs. Haven't tried the setBfree plugin on it, but I haven't had great luck in any host with setBfree lv2. Never dug into it.
I thought so too,

Carla is SO close and when falkTX added that awesome MIDIsplit plugin I was over the moon, however it doesn't recognize SetBfree and IIRC it has LV2 UI extensions that Carla doesn't support yet. The reason I'm so adamant about SetBfree is it's leslie sounds so much more realistic than most other hardware (Yamaha, Korg) Synths I've heard and I am admittedly a bit of a 'sound snob' and very picky, the Leslie on SetBfree works in a very on/off realistic way and has that magical 'Chorale' sound nailed, many hardware Synths just have a very lame modulation effect on the mod wheel that just sounds Cheesy.

Something not so great about Carla when you separate it from the rest of falkTX's amazing session tools is that it is a bit awkward to manage using JACK1 without going to NSM or using a scripted combination of Carla's project files and aj-snapshot, not an insurmountable problem I realize but just an extra layer of complexity and an added learning curve since so far I've lived happily without session management due to being an Ardour fanboy for years now. I have high hopes for Carla still though and I'm sure in time it will support SetBfree, if the LV2 version comes to fruition it will be a win-win for sure!
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