How to Use Soundfonts in Garageband Mobile, iOS, iPad

How to Use Soundfonts in Garageband

A sample-based synthesis file format is used for playing MIDI files, known as Soundfonts.

These are made from a 3-level structure. This includes the three fundamental steps: sample preparation, instrument creation, and preset creation.

There are many tutorials available on different sites that show how to use Soundfonts in GarageBand.

In addition, some steps are included to understand its usage or method.

These are important to understand if you want proper knowledge of installing or using it.

Steps to use SoundFont files

To properly understand how to use Soundfonts in GarageBand, it’s important to know some basic steps that show how to use them. So some of these steps are given below:

•       The first step to using a SoundFont file is launching GarageBand and opening up your project.
•       After launching, go to the option of preferences in Garageband.
•       Then make a selection of audio or MIDI tabs.
•       Under the effects section, tick the enable audio units checkbox
•       After enabling the audio units, exit preferences.
•       Then open up the smart controls window if not opened.
•       Now click on the drop-down menu of plug-ins and select the stereo option in AU instruments.
•       A window will be opened known as DSLMusicDevice, which may take a while to open.
•       Click on the drop-down menu of the sound bank to select your SF2 file.
•       Close the DSLMusicDevice window once you have selected your file.
•       Lastly, go to the show musical typing option of the window.
•       Finally, you can play the sounds from the chosen sound font file.

FAQs about Using SoundFonts in Garageband

How to use SoundFonts in Garageband iOS?

Click on the sound bank menu on the left, and select the soundfont name, and your patch name, and you’re good to go.

Is garageband a DAW?

Garageband is a powerful digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio files. It has many features, easy to use and robust.

How to add more instruments to garageband?

Click on the instrument tab, then the ‘edit’ tab, and you’d see the ‘sound generator’ heading, then click on Piano and Audio unit modules and choose the sound you want from the list.

Can i move the playhead in garageband?

Yes, there’s a triangle at the top of the playhead that enables you to drag and drop the playhead to any part of the project you;re working on.

How do i use Smart controls in garageband?

Click on the show smart controls at the top of your garageband or use keyboard shortcuts B to access the smart control panel.

Can i import sounds to garageband?

Yes, of course! You can import your MIDI files and and audio from your local storage on your computer to garageband.

However, you can not import MP3 files to garageband, it’s not allowed unless you convert it to .wav files or use standard audio formats.

How to do pitch correction in garageband?

Pitch correction is also known as auto-tune. You can simply press the B shorcut on your keyboard again to get the control panel.

How to improve the sound quality in garageband?

The EQ effect can be used to optimize the quality of the sound. You can do this on individual tracks and your project.

Conclusion

Soundfonts are recordings of actual instruments in the form of files.

These can replace the default or built-in MIDI sounds to provide you with a huge range of sounds.

The sound quality in these files is vastly improved, and if you have a SoundBlaster soundcard, it would be easy to use.

However, to use it properly and effectively, make sure to know about its steps which would help in proper usage.