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Umm...where to start? lol

I'm completely new to soundfonts and I wanted to know if they are anything like the generators in fruity loops. Also, is there a way I could hear them first b4 buying them? I sell my work currently, and I'd like to ensure that I can use them in commercial projects...

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A generator is a software synthesizer (stupid hijack of the term, they just should've used the word "softsynth").

With soundfonts, you're off better if you use them for what they do - e.g. mimicking realistic instruments or special purpose - like providing a different sound per key. Even then, that's a job DirectWave can do, too. The main difference is that a soundfont uses a sample - a digital recording of any sound you can think of - while a synthesizer uses something like a mathematical formula. This makes it easier to smoothly change the sound over time.

For regular synth sounds, it makes more sense to just use an actual synthesizer, since you have way more control over the sound. Lots of 'm are free, too. It doesn't stop at those you get with FL - see http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=massive and http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=fm8 (two of my favorites in the payware category).

You could try something like http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/ to start with.

For soundfonts, the seller should either have a demo of sorts, demonstrating the capabilities, or a limited selection which you can download and use. If that's not available, don't bother if it's not free.

Besides soundfonts, check out the discount bin sample CDs. Often they contain a lot of usable and good material; generally of better quality than homebrewn stuff (which soundfonts generally are).

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