SFF2 Tools

Command line tools for editing Yamaha SFF2 style files (for Tyros and PSR workstations).

The key trick is conversion to/from YAML files. This allows using a text editor to edit the style file. The textual representation separates style sections and channels. This makes it easy to assemble a style from other styles just by converting them to YAML and then copy-pasting the respective sections/channels in a text editor. The resulting YAML file can be then converted back to a SFF2 style file.

Tested on Windows 10. However, there is nothing I'm aware of that prevents it from working on Linux too.

Prerequisities

Install Python 3 from https://www.python.org/. Make sure to use the executable installer to get also pip.

Install the following packages using pip: PyYAML, construct, python-rtmidi

pip install PyYAML
pip install construct
pip install python-rtmidi

Using sty2yml

The command sty2yml converts an SFF1/SFF2 style file to a textual representation in YAML.

python sty2yml.py XXXXX.sty XXXXX.yml

Using sty2yml

The command yml2sty converts a textual representation of a style in YAML to an SFF2 style file.

python yml2sty.py XXXXX.yml XXXXX.sty

Using ymlplay

The command ymlplay can be used to play a selected part and selected channels of the style in YML formal. Run without parameters to get help.

Example is below. It plays source channel 15 (counted from 0) of the 2nd section (counted from 0) in the style file (this corresponds to Main A). The output goes to MIDI port 1. A list of available MIDI ports can be obtained by ymlplay -l.

python ymlplay.py XXXXX.sty -c 15 -p 1 -s 2 -t 100

Limitations

• MH section of the style file is not supported. If needed the tools can be easily updated such that the section is at least preserved in a binary format. However, I'm don't have any styles that contain this section to test it.

• CASM section is ignored by ymlplay. This in particular concerns the channel mapping and note/chord transpositions. Here the problem is a lack of information how exactly the transposition is performed under different settings in CASM. Any guidance here is more than welcome. If there is an exact spec (at least of some transposition rules), I'll be happy to implement them.

Acknowledgements

My big thanks to Peter Wierzba and Michael P. Bedesem for creating a documentation of SFF2 style files. Available from http://www.wierzba.homepage.t-online.de/stylefiles.htm.