Uploading DLS/SF2 files to Sweet MIDI Player for iOS.

You can upload your own synthesizer sound library files in a format called DLS or SF2. DLS/SF2 is a family of standardized file formats for digital musical instrument sound banks (collections of virtual musical instrument programs).

Click here to learn more about DLS files.

Click here to learn more about SF2 files.

If you own a Windows or Mac computer, then you can upload the DLS file that is available on your computer.

If you are using a Mac computer:
Locate the "System" folder, navigate into "Library", then "Components", right click on the "CoreAudio.component" and select "Show Package Contents".
Open the "Contents" folder, then "Resources". Here you find a file named "gs_instruments.dls" which you can copy and place on the Finder.
Now use iTunes to upload the file to Sweet MIDI Player for iOS.

If you are using a Windows computer:
Navigate into C:\Windows\System32\Drivers and locate the file named "win_gm.dls" or "gm.dls".
Copy this file onto your desktop, then use iTunes to upload the file to Sweet MIDI Player for iOS.

Click for Apple's explanation about uploading using iTunes.

After uploading the files, "tell" Sweet MIDI Player for iOS to use this file by taping the "Settings" button, select the "DLS/SF2 File" item and here select any of the DLS/SF2 files you have uploaded.

Various DLS/SF2 files.

Below are som DLS/SF2 files that customers have sent us. Files bigger than maybe 30-40 MBytes might not work on older iPhone/iPad devices with a small amount of RAM (in fact it may crash an app trying to load such a file if the app runs out of memory). Although some of the files have very good sound quality, the volume levels might be quite different compairing to a regular Roland General MIDI DLS file.

Some personal comments.

Many downloaded MIDI files (and even some commercial files) are programmed very badly by people that are not very good musicians. To make them sound better many users tries to find "better sounding" DLS/SF2 files but in general, MIDI files programmed and performed by "real" musicians sounds very good even (or even better) with small DLS/SF2 files such as the "FreeFont.sf2" file.

Below are a couple of examples with various DLS/SF2 files. If you listen to the drums and bass you can hear that they are performed by real musicians and in my personal opinion, the "FreeFont.sf2" version sounds a lot better than the other two.

FreeFont.sf2 mp3 example

GeneralUser GS SoftSynth.sf2 mp3 example

FluidR3 GM.sf2 mp3 example