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Has anyone got any thoughts or experiences to pass on about using sf2 files on the Kronos?

I have just finished refreshing my PCG, getting rid of deadwood and sounds that I know I will never use. Now I have seven free program banks to play with. I do have some KSCs, samples and other programs to check out, some of which I will add to my new PCG, but I also have a lot of soundfonts knocking around - some bought, some freebies from online - and I am keen to check them out.

I have only briefly tried loading soundfonts on the Kronos, and that was a couple of years back. My recollection of the sf2s that I tried was that they sounded quite flat and underpowered. Maybe I was just unlucky with that particular soundfont. Are soundfonts just the poor man's sampler, or is there much more to them than that?

it's been a number of years, but I bought some OB-X soundfonts a bit back and ended up using the raw samples to build new programs inside the Kronos. They actually sounded pretty good, a lot more "Oberheimy" than I could get with using either AL-1 or the built-in HD1 samples. I also had some really old ones that I tried that honestly sounded like garbage compared to anything on the Kronos. So yea, I think it depends on your source material.

My experience with sf2 in Kronos is that it sounds similar to sf2 played on a computer. So if you just want to find out what sf2 s you have sound like , use software "sforzando". Link below. It's free, Mac, pc, standalone, vst, audio units.

https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html

I'm grateful for your helpful comments.

The 'bought' sf2s I will be using have, I understand, already been mapped for the Kronos, and include a number of vintage synths. There is no Oberheim in there, however, and I would be happy to build new programs from soundfont samples if need be, so thanks for the advice Jeebustrain.

Thanks, Seapea. I hadn't come across that software before, and it sounds perfect for checking out new sf2 files before I start getting stuck into them with the Kronos. I shall definitely download it, and check it out.