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<h2>Loading and Using Soundfonts</h2>

Before you can obtain any sound from SqueekySynth, you must first load at least one Soundfont or wave file.<p>

Soundfont and wave file management takes place on the "Soundfonts" page; click the "Soundfonts" tab to display it, as depicted below:<p>

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<img src="Images/Soundfonts">
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The above image shows four Soundfont files already loaded. When you start SqueekySynth for the first time, no Soundfonts will be listed here initially.<p>

<h3>Loading Soundfonts</h3>

Soundfont files can be loaded into SqueekySynth by clicking the "Add Soundfont or wave file..." button in the top left corner. A file selector will appear for you to select the file you wish to load. Alternatively, you can drag+drop a Soundfont directly onto the SqueekySynth window.<p>

After the Soundfont has been loaded, it appears at the top of the list, pushing any other Soundfonts (if loaded) downwards. Up to 128 Soundfont files can be loaded simultaneously, or up to the RAM capacity of your system; whichever limit comes first.<p>

Likewise you can remove a Soundfont from SqueekySynth by clicking the "Remove" button.<p>

<h3>Loading Wave Files</h3>

Wave files are treated in exactly the same way as Soundfont files. Follow the above instructions to load a wave file.<p>

SqueekySynth can load standard PCM wave files, 8 or 16 bits, at any sample rate between 5 and 96KHz. At the time of writing, it cannot load 24 bit wave files, or wave files encoded in non-PCM formats (e.g., ADPCM, mp3, etc.). If the file is incompatible, you will be informed via a dialogue box.<p>

Once loaded, a wave file functions in the same manner as a Soundfont with a single preset. Preset #0 is assigned to the wave file, and it is mapped across the entire keyboard range. At the time of writing, wave file loop points are currently ignored, and the sample plays from start to finish unless you release the key.<p>


<h3>Handling Multiple Files</h3>

In some cases, you may wish to load multiple Soundfont or wave files, and have access to all presets simultaneously. The recommended way of approaching this is to use the "MIDI Bank #" control on each Soundfont entry to give it a unique MIDI bank number. Then, by selecting the appropriate bank and preset in your sequencer, you can access the desired preset. This is shown in the image above, where each of the Soundfonts (except the "Steinway Grand") has its own bank number.<p>

Some Soundfont files contain multiple banks of presets. For these files, the "MIDI Bank #" setting selects the starting bank number for this Soundfont.
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Example: A given Soundfont file contains two banks. The "MIDI Bank #" setting is set to 4. The banks in this Soundfont will therefore be accessible via banks 4 and 5.<p>

<h3>Overlapping Soundfont Files (Advanced)</h3>

Deliberately overlapping Soundfont files can be used to great effect. When a particular bank and preset number is requested, the list is scanned from the top down until a match is found. In the image above, the "Steinway Grand" Soundfont has a single bank, with a single preset (number 0). It shares bank numbers with the "General MIDI 16MB" Soundfont, which contains a single bank of 128 presets.<br>
If preset 1 is requested, the "Bright Piano" sound from the General MIDI Soundfont will be heard, as no match was found for preset 1 in the Steinway Grand Soundfont. However, if preset 0 is requested, a match is found in the Steinway Grand bank, and this is used instead of the piano preset in the General MIDI Soundfont.

<h3>Copyright Caution</h3>

Since Soundfont files contain digital audio recordings of instruments (which are copyrightable audio recordings in most countries), please use all Soundfont files in accordance with their license agreements, which are usually supplied with the Soundfont files. For free Soundfonts, this sometimes requires that the Soundfonts are not played in music for commercial gain. For commercial Soundfonts, this often requires that you do not redistribute the Soundfont files you purchased. Please consult the license agreements supplied with your Soundfont files for specifics.


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