Plogue proudly presents a free cross-platform sfz sample player for 2012. Presenting sforzando!

About sfz

sforzando is also a name given for a sudden change in music dynamics which, in musical notation has the “sfz” symbol. The SFZ Format is widely accepted as the open standard to define the behavior of a musical instrument from a bare set of sound recordings. It was created by René Ceballos founder of RGC Audio™ and is now maintained by Cakewalk™. Being a royalty-free format, any developer can create, use and distribute SFZ files and players for either free or commercial purposes.

The goal behind the sfz format is to provide a free, simple, minimalistic and expandable format to arrange, distribute and use audio samples with the highest possible quality and the highest possible performance flexibility.

sforzando Overview

The things I really like about the Plogue sforzando is that it's a free sfz player built for 2012.

  • It's cross-platform & 64-bit
  • Complete support for sfz 2.0 opcodes, not just a few keymapping opcodes, this is the real deal
  • Stable, minimal, and powerful. Embodiments of the sfz goals
  • Modular Controls Tab, allowing for unique customization of your sampled instruments

Bonus Round! - Converters

You can also drag and drop SoundFonts (SF2), DLS, and ACID wav files directly onto sforzando to load. They will be converted to a new sfz instrument which you can then tweak, edit, and re-save.

Aria Engine Free Sounds Volume 1

With the help of partners and friends, Plogue also released the first ARIA Engine Free Sounds Pack! This is a great place to start with Plogue sforzando for a basic soundset.

http://ariaengine.com/forums/index.php?p=/discussion/5783/free-sounds-for-aria-engine

Contents:

  • 11 Instruments from Garritan
  • 14 Instruments from Digital Sound Factory
  • CR-909 Electronic Drum Machine, thanks to Analog Industries
  • Various Instruments from PatchArena, Plogue and More!

sforzando!

Featured free sfz instruments from PatchArena

Don't have enough sfz instruments? Here are a few more free sfz instruments to try out:

Sampling & Beyond

This release could not have come at a better time. Musicians looking for a platform to share and play custom sampled instruments have a clear and easy solution.

Plogue has deployed a forum dedicated to the SFZ format to help users support each other. All technical support for this product will community driven at ARIAEngine.com.

http://www.ariaengine.com/forums/

See you there.