Re: [EXS] Re:Synth Sampling
2007-09-05 by Sascha Franck
Nick Batzdorf wrote: > I'd recommend AutoSampler from www.Redmatica.com. It does this > automatically. Defenitely a good idea. And in case it's a lot of sampling, I'd also consider their Keymap, which is nothing short but excellent for finetuning whatever patches. A few things though, in case the OP likes or prefers to do it manually: - Make sure to have long enough samples for a start. I'd say something like 4-5 seconds (of course depending on the sound). Of course, this would mean you'd have to loop them. In case you don't want to go into that, the samples need to be even longer. For synth-ish patches, I'd go for looping as they could entirely be loaded into your RAM, which is quite better for the performance. - Sample everything for a start, especially on patches that have any sort of movement in them. So, yes, if you are really getting rid of the synths, without an easy way to possibly repeat the process, sample them chromatically. You can still throw the unused files away later on. But as storage space is incredibly cheap these days, it's a good idea to have the full shebang to start with. Also, make sure to cover the broadest range possible (say, from C0 to C6). - Cut and name your samples properly. The note name should be included. I'd go for something like "Patchname_C1.aif" or so. The EXS can do some automapping by notenames contained in the filename (unfortunately it's completely broken in LogicPro 7, but maybe it's fixed in the next version). Don't use flats (b) but sharps (#) only. So a Bb becomes A#. Otherwise the EXS (and other samplers) won't automap things. - Obvious but still: It's a good idea to have some sort of a template in Logic. I would name the audio object of the track you record on as the patch and check the "use object names for recordings" box in the audio file path preferences. That way the basic file name would be right from the start. Also, of course, a MIDI track with all the notes you're going to sample is a good idea. - Once you're done with recording, cutting and what not, check out the free Loop Editor: http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/loop_editor.php It might do the looping job better than the EXS, plus it's working destructively, which means the EXS has less work to do. - As far as the actual EXS patches go: On simple sounds, you may get away fine with sample intervals of tritones, on more complexed sounds minor thirds might be a better idea and on really complexed sounds you may either go for all the white keys or chromatic. Less notes are easier to handle when doing the patch but they may degrade the sound too much. Finally, yes, if you have the money and want to support an excellent developer, the Redmatica tools are your best bet to make everything a lot easier. Regards Sascha