Need to play MIDI files with SoundFonts? Looking for a software version of an old SoundBlaster card?

If your workflow involves MIDI files but you need them to play back with specific instrument sounds from SoundFonts or other libraries, SynthFont handles that bridge. It’s a free download that mimics the behavior of older SoundFont-compatible hardware like the SoundBlaster Live! or Audigy, but entirely in software. You can use it to play your sequences or render them to audio using the sound libraries you choose, not just your system's default sounds.

What SynthFont Does

At its core, this is a sequencer built for playing and rendering MIDI files. Its main job is to replace generic MIDI playback with audio from your own sound libraries. You load your MIDI file, pair it with a SoundFont (or other supported format), and it plays or exports the result.

Supported Sound Sources

You aren't locked into just one format. It loads SF2 (SoundFont), DLS, Giga, sfz, and even plain WAV files as sound sources. This means you can use a wide range of free and commercial sound libraries you might already have.

Editing and Viewing

Beyond playback, you get basic editing capabilities. You can view and edit notes in a piano roll display or see all the data in an event list. There’s also a simple playlist feature for managing multiple songs or sections.

Effects and Routing

You can host VST effects and instruments within SynthFont. It provides a total of 17 busses for routing: one master bus and 16 channel busses, giving you room to apply effects to specific instrument channels. A notable technical point is that it’s almost modulator aware, which is a capability the original SoundBlaster Live! hardware lacked.

Who Should Use SynthFont

This fits a few specific scenarios. It’s useful if you work with game audio or older MIDI compositions and need to render them with authentic SoundFont sounds for a project. It also works for musicians who want to audition or create quick demos using MIDI files with high-quality sound libraries instead of basic synth tones. If you’ve been holding onto old SoundBlaster hardware just for this purpose, this software aims to replicate that behavior on a modern computer.

Final Verdict

Grab the SynthFont free download if your primary need is playing or rendering MIDI files using SoundFonts and similar libraries like DLS or Giga. It gives you the software equivalent of an old-school soundcard with the added benefit of VST support and basic editing. Since the first version is free, it’s a straightforward tool for this specific task without any cost. Just know that for more advanced sequencing or live performance, you’d be better served with a full DAW. But for straightforward MIDI-to-audio conversion with specific sound sets, this does the job.