Sforzando

Sforzando is a free and highly SFZ 2.0 compatible sample player. Advanced sample enthusiasts now have a powerful tool to experiment and share instruments without relying on proprietary formats.

Sforzando has only one instrument slot; there is no fancy user interface, effects or mixers. All settings must be made at the SFZ file level.

The SFZ format is widely accepted as the open standard for defining the behavior of a musical instrument from a set of sound recordings. Being a royalty-free format, any developer can create, use and distribute SFZ files and players for free or commercial purposes.

So when looking for flexibility and portability, SFZ is the obvious choice. That is why it is the default instrument file format used in the ARIA engine.