EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

On 14.03.2007, at 23:22, Donovan R. wrote:

> I realize it's a very good thing to keep samples assoiciated to the
> correct instrument, which EXS manager seems to excel at,

The information about the samples is in the .exs insrument file. That  
association is a must, otherwise the instrument won't find its  
samples. You don't have to set any of those assignments yourself (and  
you can't anyway).


> but I'm
> mainly interested at this time in being able to see instruments
> nicely filed away in a (to me) cogent filing system so I can find
> them easily.

You can have your own instruments in any hierarchie you want by  
simply creating folders in the Mac's finder as you are used t. Then  
tell the EXS Manager the paths. The more different paths you have,  
the more runs you need in the Manager because you have to tell it  
each target path.

Note: if it is not absolutely necessary rather do not reorganize the  
factory samples installed by Logic itself. Although that does no  
harm, that folder might get messed up during an update.

It is a good idea to organize your own stuff as you need it by  
creating folders and subfolders right in the "Sampler Instruments"  
folder beside the factory settings folder.


> I've done a read through of the manual, and I guess I
> could do some experiments to see which EXS Manager option of moving
> the samples and their instruments will best suit my needs.

That is the perfect start. Try small chunks first to get familiar  
with the program. If you are afraid to ruin something duplicate some  
of your instruments and samples, move them to a safe place and try  
the different options within that playground.

The program is transparent. It moves, creates and deletes files  
according to your wishes, always keeping the links between  
instruments and samples intact. It even repairs weak links. The  
result is always clearly visible. Of course, you have to respect the  
rules of the EXS and Logic. So always keep the instrument folder  
named "Sampler Instruments".


> However,
> I thought I would ask here first how others have moved around their
> EXS24 libraries using the Redmatica program.  Which settings did you
> use to accomplish this?

I personally prefer to have my instruments in a menu tree I like and  
don´t care where the samples are. I just let the EXS Manager move the  
instruments to my "Sampler Instruments" folder and the samples to the  
"Samples" folder, the latter organized in a generic hierarchie  
offered by the EXS Manager. You may prefer another system. Just  
create folders, set paths you think will fit for you and hit the  
process button. Then look if the result (the copied or moved files)  
are how you like them. You can reorganize them at any time with the  
EXS manager.

To start, look at the numerous organization examples in the manual  
and try some of them. They just look complicated but are just  
examples of file hierarchies you will generate yourself by setting  
some parameters and hitting the process button.


> I'm a little leery of pulling the trigger on
> moving stuff, because there doesn't seem to be a way to restore
> things to the original locations.  Is there?

There is. The EXS manager maintains it's own database of snapshots  
where your actions are stored. If you mess something up you can go  
back to a previous state.

If the EXS manager is concerned about your current choice it shows  
series of warnings and explananations you may override od not. There  
are so many, after a while you will decide to turn those off you do  
not need.

If your settings include file deletion, activate the checkbox "Also  
references to trash". In case you did something wrong EXS Manager can  
recover your deleted files. I guess it is self-evident that you  
should not empty the trash while you are working. That would break  
the Manager's smartness ;-)

More security: Processing instruments and files is a 2-stage process.  
After you've set the parameters you can only hit the Analyze button.  
Make it to your habit to check the analysis along the right side of  
the main window. You will quickly learn to interpret most of the  
fields and they show you the organizational quality of your chosen  
instruments and samples. If you see missing samples or such stuff,  
investigate. The instruments might not be in a good condition. Or you  
just provided a wrong path, then correct that and run the analysis  
again.

But honestly, there is not a great chance for serious damage. EXS  
Manager maintains the links between instruments and samples and if  
you tell it the paths it will always collect the stuff in the  
location you want. I did a lot of nonsense but even I did not manage  
to ruin my setup. And you have the originals of your libraries  
anyway, so if it isn't something like the VSL it is not a great  
action to reinstall a couple of them.

The program is great and counts as "essential" for EXS users. I am  
pretty sure that once you got used to you cannot imagine that people  
organize their stuff without it.

__
Peter Ostry