March 16

Today, I made this log-website, and hopefully it will help me keep track of everything I’ve done regarding sonification. I’m still not sure if it’s the best for what I’m doing (and apparently I don’t really know what I’m doing), but we’ll see!

Today’s goal is to explore how to remix midi files - I want to play with the file Dr. Graham sent me yesterday from the G. B. Greene image. I also want to take a look at jsynth too, and figure out how he sonified it.

TwoTone

TwoTone was suggested to me a while ago, but I explored it and it seems to no longer be working. They have a GitHub page, but the code didn’t work either, so I’m scratching it off my list.

SynthFont

SynthFont is something I found on a Google search, from this website, which comes with instructions for using SynthFont and downloading sound fonts for it.

There’s both a paid and free version, and you can guess which one I’m choosing. The free version is v1.754, so I’m going to check that out. You can also try the paid versions for 30 days as a free trial, which I may test later.

The websites that the instructions provide for finding soundfonts don’t work, so this may be tricky.

  • downloaded virtual playing orchestra from http://virtualplaying.com/virtual-playing-orchestra/ onedrive link - need both wave files and sfz files, then unzip them in the same place, where DAW can find them; considered best free playing orchestra. Needs sforzando (by Plogue) to open files within the DAW. Except, currently I am having an issue as sfz files are not supported in SynthFont.

Maybe time to try a different track.

SoundFonts

Found soundfonts here: https://musical-artifacts.com/ https://cymatics.fm/blogs/production/soundfonts

Struggling to load them into SynthFont. Not sure if they’re compatible.

MuseScore

MuseScore is more for creating scores, BUT! When I put the GB Greene midi file into it, it gave me a perfect piano notation of it! Very cool - see it here. It doesn’t allow you to remix the sounds though, so not the software for me.

Freesound

Also, Meranda mentioned Freesound as a place for royalty-free sounds (I think you just have to give proper attribution or w/e).

Kanto Sound Editor

Tried it out, but very dated and everything still sounded like a piano. this.

Getting a bit tired of failures, so going to go and mess with Jython and hope I can remix within the software.

Jython

My first issue is that I cannot download it from the link. I figured out eventually how to get it, by opening the link address in a new tab, but it took a while. I’ve got it downloaded now, but I’m not sure where to go next with it since it’s an environment and not an app. I’ll have to read the website more closely, but I’m giving up for now.

Other Sound Editors

LMMS - tried, but has no instruments and no idea how to add them. FL Studio Kontakt - expensiiiiiive Reaper tried to follow a tutorial; no idea how to make the plug-in work as they say it should. Yay (boo) for updates that change things.

A Return to SynthFont

So far SynthFont has been the best in terms of doing anything, so I returned there. Figured out how to change instruments among their pre-sets, (Plug and Play –> MIDI Program –> choose from presets), but I still don’t know how to upload different sounds or remix them.

Time to give up for the day, and do all my other work (joy).