SoundFont Importer by Nora Korra

Convert .sf2 SoundFonts into native Ableton Live Sampler presets and restore functionality removed from Ableton Live 11.

SoundFont Importer extracts samples, preserves instrument mappings and creates a browsable preset collection inside Ableton Live.

Ableton Live supported SoundFont import in older versions, but this functionality was removed in Live 11. SoundFont Importer brings native .sf2 import back through Ableton’s Extensions system.

This project uses Ableton’s Extensions SDK, which may still change while the SDK itself remains in beta.

Download

Download the ready-to-install .ablx file from the latest GitHub release.

You do not need to download or build the source code to install the extension.

Requirements

• Ableton Live with Extensions support
• Ableton Sampler installed and licensed, normally included with Live Suite
• A legally obtained .sf2 SoundFont

Installation

1. Download SoundFont-Importer-v1.0.0.ablx from the latest release.
2. Open Ableton Live.
3. Open Settings > Extensions.
4. Drag the .ablx file onto Drag & Drop to Install, or use Choose File.
5. Restart Ableton Live after installation.

Using the importer

1. Right-click a supported track, clip, device, scene, or browser context in Live.
2. Select Import SoundFont (.sf2).
3. Drop an .sf2 file into the importer window.
4. Click Import and wait for conversion to finish.
5. Add the generated SoundFont Imports folder to Places in Live's Browser when prompted.

Each usable SoundFont patch becomes an Ableton Sampler .adv preset. Extracted AIFF samples are kept alongside the generated collection so the presets can find their source audio.

Why this exists

Ableton Live supported direct SoundFont import in earlier versions of Sampler, but this feature disappeared in Live 11. SoundFont Importer restores that workflow by converting .sf2 files into native Sampler presets that can be browsed directly inside Ableton Live.

What is preserved

• Patch, bank, and program structure
• Key and velocity zones
• Root-key mapping
• Original sample rate
• Loop points and loop-enabled state
• Multiple samples and zones per patch

Important notes

• The extension does not include any SoundFonts.
• Importing a large SoundFont can take time and use significant disk space.
• SoundFont compatibility can vary because .sf2 files differ in how they use generators and modulators.
• Keep the generated samples with their presets. Moving or deleting them can make presets lose their audio references.
• You are responsible for the licence terms of every SoundFont you convert.

Version

Current extension version: 1.0.0

See CHANGELOG.md for release details.

SoundFont Importer follows semantic versioning:

• 1.0.1 for bug fixes
• 1.1.0 for new backwards-compatible features
• 2.0.0 for major or breaking changes

Building from source

Package the extension with Python 3:

python3 package_ablx.py extension-package SoundFont-Importer-v1.0.0.ablx

The standalone converter can also extract a SoundFont to WAV files plus a normalized bank.json manifest:

PYTHONPATH=prototype python3 -m sf2_to_simpler_bank /path/to/file.sf2 /path/to/output-folder --pretty

Repository structure:

• extension-package: Ableton Extensions SDK package source
• prototype/sf2_to_simpler_bank: standalone Python converter
• package_ablx.py: .ablx packaging tool
• smoke_convert.js: JavaScript conversion smoke test
• ablx-format-notes.md: format and SDK research notes

Generated .ablx files and converted sample banks are intentionally excluded from version control.

License

This project is released under the MIT License.

You are free to use, modify and distribute the code, provided that the original copyright notice and licence are included.

Copyright (c) 2026 Aaron Werinussa