MIDI pitch bend range

[koenr]

I'm using Reaper to create MP3 files to play along to my drum practice sessions. Here's my workflow:

1. Find a Guitar Pro file (there are tons of them, I usually use the Ultimate Guitar website).
2. Load the file in TuxGuitar (see remarks at the bottom).
3. Export the file to MIDI.
4. Import the MIDI file into Reaper. Always use the "Multichannel item on a single track" option.
5. Add "instruments" to each track, I prefer the excellent SFZ SoundFont player. I usually delete any Program Change MIDI events, so I can freely choose instruments myself.
6. Muck about with effects and faders until you have something that sounds reasonably well.
7. Mute the drums track. Of course, if you're practicing playing the guitar or piano, mute the relevant track.
8. Export the whole thing as an MP3 file (or whichever format you prefer).

My main problem is that Guitar Pro files seem to assume a pitch bind range of 12 semitones, whereas SFZ uses a (fixed?) pitch bend range of 2 semitones. I still haven't found a way to get around this, so for every track that uses pitch bends, I use the Phenome SoundFont player. It lacks the same sound quality as the SFZ player, but has an easily adjustable pitch bend range. If anyone knows how to set the pitch bend range in SFZ, I'd be much obliged. I secretly hope one day Reaper will include a high quality built-in SoundFont player, much like LMMS does (and probably most other DAW's).

P.S. I originally purchased Guitar Pro 6, but recently discovered the (free!) TuxGuitar software, and find its MIDI export function magnitudes better than GP6. The latter doesn't seem to export pitch bends and vibratos (or I'm too stupid to figure out how).

[EvilDragon]

Phenome has several Quality modes, try to change them. To me it's better than SFZ by far.

[Zblogny]

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

Phenome has several Quality modes, try to change them. To me it's better than SFZ by far.

As a simple SF player, I prefer Sfz (especially the special Reaper version of Sfz).
I tried Phenome and came back to Sfz.
You can see what I mean if you make this test :
Load any Vibraphone SF2 in both Phenome and Sfz.
In Sfz I ear a vibra. If I let down the key the sound stops normally at the end of the resonance.
In Phenome I get the attack of a vibra but without vibrato.
And if I let down the key the sound continues as if it were an organ.

[gofer]

I believe the PitchBend range is a setting in the soundfont file. If that's so, you can change that aspect using a soundfont editor.

I am not at all into Soundfonts, but there's a good chance there are "players" which can change the pitch range from their own GUI (can phenome do that maybe?).

[JHA]

Originally Posted by gofer

I believe the PitchBend range is a setting in the soundfont file. If that's so, you can change that aspect using a soundfont editor.

I am not at all into Soundfonts, but there's a good chance there are "players" which can change the pitch range from their own GUI (can phenome do that maybe?).

Pitch bend range is defined in the GM standard and not in the SoundFont file. You can set it with both CC#100&101 (RPN LSB&MSB) first to 0 and then adjust the range with CC#6 (Data Entry MSB) in semitones. As you can see, it can get moderately complicated so most all softsynths these days go the easy way don't support these commands at all (even advanced ones like Kontakt imo).

I've not seen a softsynth/sampler that does 24 or 36 range pitch bends... ...other than the very basic Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth (if you're in Windows). You can easily test this, it plays those files right from the box.

[ivansc]

pitchbend range is usually a function specific to the sound module (soft or hardware) that you are using, so it needs to be changed in the sound module for the most part. Kinda tough when you either dont know how or it is not supported...

Roland modules and software synths suport this very well so if push comes to shove the roland virtual sound canvas is cheap nad has decent sounds.

[schwa]

Originally Posted by JHA

Pitch bend range is defined in the GM standard and not in the SoundFont file. You can set it with both CC#100&101 (RPN LSB&MSB) first to 0 and then adjust the range with CC#6 (Data Entry MSB) in semitones. As you can see, it can get moderately complicated so most all softsynths these days go the easy way don't support these commands at all (even advanced ones like Kontakt imo).

If we wanted to add this to ReaSynth, to set the pitch bend range to one octave, we'd have it listen for:
B0 65 00
B0 64 00 (simultaneously)
B0 06 0C (not necessarily simultaneously)

Is that right? Is this meant to leave the active parameter "open" so that any subsequent CC6 message will set the range again, until B0 65 7B B0 64 7B is received?

Also, is this intended to set pitch bend range per channel (B0 vs B1, etc)?

[Sibben]

Originally Posted by Zblogny

As a simple SF player, I prefer Sfz (especially the special Reaper version of Sfz).

The what? Where could I find that?

[Zblogny]

http://chambily.com/sfz_reaper.dll

And you can improve Sfz's efficiency with Sfz Buddy :

http://www.asseca.com/nicfit/sfz_buddy.html

which adds access to some hidden parameters (adsr enveloppe, reverb, chorus, etc)
(Load it before Sfz)

[Sibben]

Originally Posted by Zblogny

http://chambily.com/sfz_reaper.dll

And you can improve Sfz's efficiency with Sfz Buddy :

http://www.asseca.com/nicfit/sfz_buddy.html

which adds access to some hidden parameters (adsr enveloppe, reverb, chorus, etc)
(Load it before Sfz)

Sweet. This is really a slick little player.