SoundFont

[1] Starting in the late 2010s, the derived term soundfont has gradually gained online colloquial status to refer to chiptune – specifically the soundscape of a console's sound chip.

This file format generalized the data representation using perceptually additive real world units, redefined some of the instrument layering features within the format, added true stereo sample support and removed some obscure features of the first version whose behavior was difficult to specify.

This version was fully disclosed as a public specification, with the goal of making the SoundFont format an industry standard.

This version added features allowing sound designers to configure the way MIDI controllers influence synthesizer parameters.

A SoundFont bank also contains other music synthesis parameters such as loops, vibrato effect, and velocity-sensitive volume changing.

SoundFont banks can conform to standard sound sets such as General MIDI, or use other wholly custom sound-set definitions like Roland GS and Yamaha XG.