diff --git a/fluidsynth/include/fluidsynth/audio.h b/fluidsynth/include/fluidsynth/audio.h
index dbdea721..a0df4dff 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/include/fluidsynth/audio.h
+++ b/fluidsynth/include/fluidsynth/audio.h
@@ -67,10 +67,7 @@ FLUIDSYNTH_API void delete_fluid_audio_driver(fluid_audio_driver_t* driver);
 
 FLUIDSYNTH_API void fluid_audio_driver_get_names(char* buf, size_t buflen, const char* separator);
 
-FLUIDSYNTH_API fluid_file_renderer_t *new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth,
-                                                              char* filename, char* type,
-                                                              char* format, char* endian,
-                                                              int period_size);
+FLUIDSYNTH_API fluid_file_renderer_t *new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth);
 FLUIDSYNTH_API int fluid_file_renderer_process_block(fluid_file_renderer_t* dev);
 FLUIDSYNTH_API void delete_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_file_renderer_t* dev);
 FLUIDSYNTH_API const char **fluid_file_renderer_get_type_names (void);
diff --git a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_aufile.c b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_aufile.c
index ea67c0c4..e99f3fab 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_aufile.c
+++ b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_aufile.c
@@ -102,7 +102,6 @@ new_fluid_file_audio_driver(fluid_settings_t* settings,
 {
 	fluid_file_audio_driver_t* dev;
 	int err;
-	char* filename = NULL, *type = NULL, *format = NULL, *endian = NULL;
 	int msec;
 
 	dev = FLUID_NEW(fluid_file_audio_driver_t);
@@ -119,25 +118,10 @@ new_fluid_file_audio_driver(fluid_settings_t* settings,
 	dev->callback = (fluid_audio_func_t) fluid_synth_process;
 	dev->samples = 0;
 
-	if (fluid_settings_dupstr(settings, "audio.file.name", &filename) == 0) {       /* ++ alloc filename */
-		FLUID_LOG(FLUID_ERR, "No file name specified");
+	dev->renderer = new_fluid_file_renderer(synth);
+
+	if (dev->renderer == NULL)
 		goto error_recovery;
-	}
-
-	fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.type", &type);     /* ++ alloc file type */
-	fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.format", &format); /* ++ alloc file format */
-	fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.endian", &endian); /* ++ alloc file endian */
-
-	dev->renderer = new_fluid_file_renderer(synth, filename, type, format, endian,
-                                                dev->period_size);
-	if (filename) FLUID_FREE (filename);    /* -- free filename */
-	if (type) FLUID_FREE (type);            /* -- free type */
-	if (format) FLUID_FREE (format);        /* -- free format */
-	if (endian) FLUID_FREE (endian);        /* -- free endian */
-
-	if (dev->renderer == NULL) {
-		goto error_recovery;
-	}
 
 	msec = (int) (0.5 + dev->period_size / dev->sample_rate * 1000.0);
 	dev->timer = new_fluid_timer(msec, fluid_file_audio_run_s16, (void*) dev, TRUE, FALSE, TRUE);
diff --git a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_filerenderer.c b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_filerenderer.c
index e943a0ae..503acbe7 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_filerenderer.c
+++ b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_filerenderer.c
@@ -128,26 +128,31 @@ const char *endian_names[] = {
 /**
  * Create a new file renderer and open the file.
  * @param synth The synth that creates audio data.
- * @param filename Output filename 
- * @param type File type string or NULL for default "auto", which tries to
- *   determine format from filename extension or uses "wav".
- * @param format Audio format string (can be empty or NULL for default format "s16")
- * @param endian Endian specification or NULL for default "auto", which uses
- *   the file type's usual byte order.
- * @param period_size Sample count, amount of samples to write to the file at 
- * every call to fluid_file_renderer_process_block().
  * @return the new object, or NULL on failure
  * @since: 1.1.0
+ *
+ * NOTE: Uses the following settings from the synth object:
+ * audio.file.name: Output filename
+ * audio.file.type: File type, "auto" tries to determine type from filename
+ *   extension with fallback to "wav".
+ * audio.file.format: Audio format
+ * audio.file.endian: Endian byte order, "auto" for file type's default byte order
+ * audio.period-size: Size of audio blocks to process
+ * synth.sample-rate: Sample rate to use
  */
 fluid_file_renderer_t *
-new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth, char* filename, char* type,
-                        char* format, char* endian, int period_size)
+new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth)
 {
-	fluid_file_renderer_t* dev;
 #if LIBSNDFILE_SUPPORT
+	char *filename, *type, *format, *endian;
 	SF_INFO info;
 	double samplerate;
+	int retval;
 #endif
+	fluid_file_renderer_t* dev;
+
+	fluid_return_val_if_fail (synth != NULL, NULL);
+	fluid_return_val_if_fail (synth->settings != NULL, NULL);
 
 	dev = FLUID_NEW(fluid_file_renderer_t);
 	if (dev == NULL) {
@@ -157,7 +162,7 @@ new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth, char* filename, char* type,
 	FLUID_MEMSET(dev, 0, sizeof(fluid_file_renderer_t));
 
 	dev->synth = synth;
-	dev->period_size = period_size;
+	fluid_settings_getint (synth->settings, "audio.period-size", &dev->period_size);
 
 #if LIBSNDFILE_SUPPORT
 	dev->buf_size = 2 * dev->period_size * sizeof (float);
@@ -182,8 +187,19 @@ new_fluid_file_renderer(fluid_synth_t* synth, char* filename, char* type,
 
         info.format = FLUID_FILE_RENDERER_DEFAULT_FILE_TYPE | SF_FORMAT_PCM_16;
 
-	if (!fluid_file_renderer_parse_options (type, format, endian, filename, &info))
-		goto error_recovery;
+	fluid_settings_dupstr (synth->settings, "audio.file.name", &filename);
+	fluid_settings_dupstr (synth->settings, "audio.file.type", &type);
+	fluid_settings_dupstr (synth->settings, "audio.file.format", &format);
+	fluid_settings_dupstr (synth->settings, "audio.file.endian", &endian);
+
+	retval = fluid_file_renderer_parse_options (type, format, endian, filename, &info);
+
+	if (filename) FLUID_FREE (filename);
+	if (type) FLUID_FREE (type);
+	if (format) FLUID_FREE (format);
+	if (endian) FLUID_FREE (endian);
+
+	if (!retval) goto error_recovery;
 
 	fluid_settings_getnum (synth->settings, "synth.sample-rate", &samplerate);
 	info.samplerate = samplerate + 0.5;
diff --git a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_settings.c b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_settings.c
index c3b7aed3..163abf97 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_settings.c
+++ b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_settings.c
@@ -1324,6 +1324,7 @@ fluid_settings_foreach_option_alpha (fluid_settings_t* settings, char* name, voi
  * @param name Name of setting
  * @return Count of options for this string setting (0 if none, -1 if not found
  *   or not a string setting)
+ * @since 1.1.0
  */
 int
 fluid_settings_option_count (fluid_settings_t *settings, char *name)
diff --git a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_synth.c b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_synth.c
index c679d0ae..8c23ce1b 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/src/fluid_synth.c
+++ b/fluidsynth/src/fluid_synth.c
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ void fluid_synth_settings(fluid_settings_t* settings)
 			      44100.0f, 22050.0f, 96000.0f,
 			      0, NULL, NULL);
   fluid_settings_register_int(settings, "synth.device-id",
-			      0, 126, 0, 0, NULL, NULL);
+			      0, 0, 126, 0, NULL, NULL);
   fluid_settings_register_int(settings, "synth.cpu-cores", 1, 1, 256, 0, NULL, NULL);
 }
 
diff --git a/fluidsynth/src/fluidsynth.c b/fluidsynth/src/fluidsynth.c
index bbc5b032..0185154b 100644
--- a/fluidsynth/src/fluidsynth.c
+++ b/fluidsynth/src/fluidsynth.c
@@ -201,31 +201,9 @@ static void
 fast_render_loop(fluid_settings_t* settings, fluid_synth_t* synth, fluid_player_t* player)
 {
   fluid_file_renderer_t* renderer;
-  char* filename = NULL, *type = NULL, *format = NULL, *endian = NULL;
-  int period_size = 0;
 
-  fluid_settings_getint(settings, "audio.period-size", &period_size);
-  fluid_settings_dupstr(settings, "audio.file.name", &filename);        /* ++ alloc file name */
-  fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.type", &type);           /* ++ alloc file type */
-  fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.format", &format);       /* ++ alloc file format */
-  fluid_settings_dupstr (settings, "audio.file.endian", &endian);       /* ++ alloc file endian */
-
-  if (filename == NULL || type == NULL || format == NULL || endian == NULL || period_size <= 0) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Failed to fetch parameters for file renderer\n");
-    if (filename) FLUID_FREE (filename);        /* -- free file name */
-    return;
-  }
-
-  renderer = new_fluid_file_renderer (synth, filename, type, format, endian, period_size);
-
-  FLUID_FREE (filename);        /* -- free file name */
-  FLUID_FREE (type);            /* -- free file type */
-  FLUID_FREE (format);          /* -- free format */
-  FLUID_FREE (endian);          /* -- free endian */
-
-  if (!renderer) {
-    return;
-  }
+  renderer = new_fluid_file_renderer (synth);
+  if (!renderer) return;
 
   while (fluid_player_get_status(player) == FLUID_PLAYER_PLAYING) {
     if (fluid_file_renderer_process_block(renderer) != FLUID_OK) {