Sfront is a command-line translator that converts MPEG 4 Structured Audio (MP4-SA) files into efficient C programs that generate audio.

MP4-SA is an MPEG standard that codes music not as sample data, but as a computer program. Useful for music synthesis and many other audio applications.

MP4-SA is different from standards like the MIDI File Format, because it includes not only the notes to play, but the method for turning notes into sound. As a result, MP4-SA is normative (sounds identical when played by any compliant decoder).

If the instrument models use algorithmic synthesis instead of wavetables, an MP4-SA file can describe realistic musical performances without using any audio data (just score data, mixdown cues, and DSP algorithms). In this case, the MP4-SA file is about the same size as a MIDI File, but is a lossless encoding of the audio heard at mixdown. Just like a WAV file, only substantially smaller.

Sfront supports sound generation for interactive, streaming, and rendering applications and also works well as a scripting tool for audio signal processing, in both batch and interactive applications.

Requirements

• DOS, Windows 98/NT
• C++ compiler (MS Visual C++, Borland C++ or gcc 2.9 or later)

Source code for linux and other operating systems is available from the Product Download Page.