What is sfz?

SFZ is a format for audio samples that is specifically designed for use in software synthesizers and samplers. It is an open standard format, meaning that it can be used by any software developer without any licensing restrictions.

SFZ files typically contain musical instrument samples, such as individual notes played on a piano or a guitar, along with information about how the samples should be played back. This includes mappings that define which key or velocity triggers which sample, as well as information about envelopes, filters, and other processing effects that should be applied to the sample.

The SFZ format was created by Cakewalk, a software company that is now owned by BandLab Technologies. It has since been adopted by a number of other software developers and is widely used in digital audio workstations (DAWs) and other music production software.