GarageBand and Logic Software Instrument Compatibility

Hi, I'd like to pick up some additional software instruments, (specifically a high quality piano with way too many samples) and it's very unclear to me what formats GarageBand is compatible with. Ideally I'd like to get Logic eventually (once I'm out of college and can actually justify it), so I'd like to be able to use any instruments that I buy with logic also. I've seen instruments available in GIGA, Kontakt, Halion, EXS, Soundfont (SF2), Pulsar (.p), and Akai (.akp) formats. Which, if any of these formats can GB and Logic both use?

Thanks much

MBP15CoreDuo, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Jan 27, 2007 5:40 PM

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10 replies

Jan 28, 2007 9:16 AM in response to HangTime

SoundFonts work in all versions of GB without any
other software.


I have to say that even following the instructions in your FAQ I couldn't access the SoundFonts I have when I removed SoundFontSynth - DLSMusicDevice simply showed QT Instruments (and only the piano at that, where SoundFontSynth enables easy access to all the QT Instruments), though I note that you said that some SoundFonts don't work this way. This is in GB2.

Jan 28, 2007 9:29 AM in response to HangTime

Where I had saved an instrument it still showed but wouldn't work, bringing up a dialog box. Trying to access the actual SoundFonts in DLSMusicDevice, as I said, got me nowhere - so I don't know what is going on (This is on a G4 machine running 10.3.9 - don't know if that's relevant - I wouldn't have thought so). However SoundFontSynth is worth it for being able to access the banks in a multiple instrument SF, and also the QT instruments (despite their limitations).

Feb 4, 2007 4:49 PM in response to TraxusIV

Thanks all. That's the info I was looking for. Looks like EXS files have to be converted before they can be used, but are still more or less compatible. I've tried a bunch of .sf2 files, and the majority of them work with no trouble. The ones that don't probably weren't worth it anyway. 😀 Looks like I can use VST plugins too, though i haven't tried yet.

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GarageBand and Logic Software Instrument Compatibility

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