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Garritan libraries use the ARIA Player, which loads instruments based on audio samples and SFZ files. While the audio samples are proprietary, the SFZ file format is a free format that can be edited. Each instrument in a Garritan library has an associated SFZ file that tells the ARIA Player how to use the audio samples.

 

SFZ files are similar to XML files in their organization of data. You can edit the SFZ file in a simple text editor such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Macintosh). You'll want to be sure that your text editor supports saving files in standard 7-bit ASCII or UTF-8 format.

 

To begin, locate the SFZ file for the instrument whose range you want to edit. The files are organized by instrument into folders in the following locations:

  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Garritan\[library name]\Instruments\
  • macOS:
    • Instruments for Finale (GIFF): /Applications/Garritan Instruments for Finale 
    • All other libraries: /Library/Application Support/Garritan/[Library Name]/Instruments/

Before making changes, it's a good idea to make a copy of the existing SFZ file in case you make any mistakes. If you do encounter an error, you can also reinstall your Garritan library. MakeMusic is not able to provide support for customized SFZ configurations.

 

To adjust the range of a Garritan sample:

  1. Open the SFZ in your text editor.
  2. Locate one of the <region> tags. These will be located near the beginning of the file and control how each audio sample is used.
  3. Locate the lokey and hikey parameters. These correspond to the MIDI note numbers of each pitch (For example: Middle C or C4 = MIDI note 60).
  4. You can edit these values to extend (or shorten) the range of each sample.
  5. There may be several sections of <region> tags within the SFZ file. Find all instances of the regions that you want to edit and change the lokey and hikey values.
  6. Save the SFZ file, being sure that your text editor hasn't appended .txt to the filename.
    • NOTE: Windows security settings will not allow you to overwrite the original file; you'll need to follow these steps:
      1. Copy the edited text into a new Notepad doc and save it outside of the SFZ folder under the same name as the file you're replacing. Make sure to select the All Files (.)" option in the "Save as type" dropdown.
      2. Delete the original SFZ file, granting Admin privileges when prompted.
      3. Move the newly-edited SFZ file into the folder, granting Admin privileges when prompted.
  7. Now you can load the instrument from the Garritan library in the ARIA Player, and the extended range should appear.

Please note: For instruments with keyswitches, make sure not to overlap the instrument range with the MIDI note location of these keyswitches.

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