What is a .sfArk file?
SFARK is a compressed SoundFont - an SF2 instrument bank squeezed by the sfArk algorithm, which is tuned specifically for audio sample data.
- Did you know
- sfArk beat ordinary ZIP on SoundFonts because it predicted each audio sample from the previous ones rather than treating the bank as generic data.
- sfArk was made by Melody Machine and was for years the standard way to distribute large SoundFonts because of how tightly it packed them.
- After the original tool was discontinued, open-source code to decompress .sfark files was released, so the banks inside remain accessible.
- What Analyser reads
- Identify many more audio formats: lossless/hi-res codecs (Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, TAK, True Audio, DSD/SACD, Musepack), pro containers (Core Audio, RF64/BW64, Wave64, Sun AU, Broadcast Wave with timecode), speech/mobile (Speex, AMR-WB, QCP, 3GA, M4R, GSM), MPEG Layer I/II, instrument banks (SoundFont, SFZ, DLS, RIFF MIDI, GigaStudio), ringtones (RTTTL, iMelody, SAP), tracker modules (MOD, XM, IT, S3M, OctaMED, 669, Oktalyzer), chiptunes (NES NSF, SNES SPC, VGM, Game Boy GBS, AY, YM) and Audacity projects. DJI waveform peak sidecars (PKF - the overview a DJI recorder writes beside its audio) are drawn as a waveform; Adobe Audition peak caches (also PKF) are identified.
- Depth of analysis
- .sfArk is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .sfArk file
- Drag a .sfArk file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.