Programming Tutorials

SF2/DLS and Other Digital Music things

SF2 stands for "Soundfont2", and a DLS is the exact same thing, just a different file extension and it stands for "Downloadable Sounds". These files tell a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) program what sounds to use and to modify in order for playback on MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files. There is also another variation of a MIDI file that has on-screen lyrics for its audio/video player, and these files are called a ".kar" file extenstion, AKA a Karaoke file.
What the hell is a MIDI?
A MIDI is a file that can contain up to 16 tracks of assignable events and effects and instruments, all grouped together to make a digital song in your device. My best suggestions for free DAWs, where you can actually create MIDIs, varies widely across devices. For Android users, an app that is very good for creating MIDIs that you can export (unfortunately with no effects) is "MidSequer2". It has a simple interface, great setup, and is pretty good. However, a few weaknesses are as follows:
• The Selection tool is great, but does not expand over all tracks
• There are no effects (like Velocity or Pitch Bend. They could have at least had Pitch Bend!)
• No support for Soundfonts. :(
• Few glitches where sound may play constantly until you play the note again.

An app for mobile iOS users is Music Studio by Alexander Gross. (For Mac it may be something like Logic Pro X or something.) It's... Okay. I guess. But the composition of MIDIs isn't as simple as MidSequer2. But at least you can create your own Soundfont with it. Literally. You can record some audio, then, saving it as WAV, you can assign the sound to certain keys on the keyboard. Also, USB Midi keyboard support? Check. Pitch Bend? Check. Effects (Distortion, Limiter, Reverb, etc)? Check. Soundfont support? Not really, but audio recording + playing, check. Here's the disadvantages of Music Studio:
• The interface looks like a total rip-off of some old version of FL Studio Mobile.
• MIDI export and import is unavailable in the free version. As well as almost a hundred more instruments. And a lot of effects.
• No grid lines for guidance like MidSequer2. This really complicates things, as you may not know if you are making the correct note length.
• Most of the instruments doesn't sound right. Just... weird.
• No Velocity change. But there's Volume change, on the ENTIRETY of a note, you can't edit the Volume of PARTS of the note, nooo.

Luckily, the world's best, and highest-ranked DAW, exists for Windows systems. It is called...
*drumroll*
"Fruity Loops Studio" (AKA "FL Studio").
This DAW is filled to the frickin brim with features- P A C K E D . It has SO many effects, Generators, Plugins, Directories, and files that the thing takes like a whole hour to download, even on super-high speed internet! It's approximately 750 Megabytes, which is HUGE. It even has another type of Soundfont file which is widely used in the greatest DAWs called a VST, which stands for "Virtual Studio Technology". It's more like an interface for editing audio data. But anyways- There are so many features in FL Studio, I WILL NOT be able to list all the disadvantages. So here are the ones I can think of:
• Pitch Bending can be a little difficult to change. It's simple to put it down, but it's a struggle to get it back to normal.
• Absolutely no other problems (that i have experienced)

Introduction to Soundfont Usage
A soundfont takes the original General Midi (GM) Sounds of your device, and makes the tracks of the MIDI play a different sound. For example, the "Acoustic Grand Piano" GM Sound on Android sounds like fubking sh!t, while the SGM V2.01 SF2's "Piano 3" sounds extremely realistic~ like a REAL piano. And... it basically does something like this (Please note that computers are NEVER like this, and never will be):

SF2: Oh hey OSGM
OSGM: What are you doing?
SF2: I will give some Audio to MIDI, and tell him to play it
MIDI: Okay SF2, What sounds do I need?
SF2: Here, you got a high quality piano, an organ, and some high quality distortion guitars...
OSGM: No fair! My sounds are better!
SF2: Really? Show us your Grand Piano.
OSGM: BONK
SF2: Youre fubking trash! listen to my Grand Piano
SF2: Ding... (or insert high quality piano sound here)
MIDI: Okay... Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding ZZZHHSHSSSHHHHZHHEEEERRRRHHHRHHVVVVVVHHVVVVVV.... (That was the Distortion Guitar)
OSGM: Sh!t.

Yeah. Thats definetely accurate. Just kidding~ SF2 is the high quality Soundfont, OSGM is the Operating System General Midi sounds, and MIDI is the guy doing all the audio playing. Just~ Midi and Soundfonts in a nutshell.

Hope you enjoyed!!