EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

Hi Folks,

I've noticed that the EXS's ability to merge programs when importing AKAI programs/samples 
is sometimes inaccurate, especially when some programs in the akai volume contain different 
tunings... this information doesn't get transferred.

Can anyone shed some light on the accuracy of Chickensys translator or CDXtract in this 
regard? Do they do it right, or miss these fine details also?

Many Thanks!

Dave.

At 09:33 PM 9/24/2007, you wrote:

>I've noticed that the EXS's ability to merge programs when importing 
>AKAI programs/samples
>is sometimes inaccurate, especially when some programs in the akai 
>volume contain different
>tunings... this information doesn't get transferred.
>
>Can anyone shed some light on the accuracy of Chickensys translator 
>or CDXtract in this
>regard? Do they do it right, or miss these fine details also?

AFAIK, Translator (the company I'm associated with) takes all factors 
into account.

In an Akai, when you load a Volume at one time, every program has a 
MIDI Channel number and a Program Number. Think of them as a matrix - 
you have 16 MIDI Channels and 128 Program Numbers. If Programs share 
a MIDI Channel and the same Program Number, they'll play "stacked" - 
layered on top of each other.

Sometimes these things are programmed on purpose, for example drum 
kits. The programmer will program the toms as one Program, cymbals as 
another, etc. Then he'll put them all on the same MIDI/Program number 
and layer them.

(In certain cases, the programmer DIDN'T intend to stack them, so 
Translator gives you the ability to turn the stacking feature off.)

Mostly the reason for this is organization, but also for expanding 
the amount of modulation control you can have. (One wishes you could 
do this with EXS!)

Anyway, the least I can say for Translator is that for every sample 
reference (a Zone), Translator calculates the full amount of tuning 
that can be applied to the sample, and then applies it to the EXS 
Zone (generally) that is manufactured. This can be MANY offsets. 
There are a few - Zone, Keygroup, Sample, Program, Global chromatic, 
and I think a couple more. Throw in Transpose and there's more.

So really it doesn't mattered if things are layered or not - any 
Sample (Zone) is affected in a constant manner with tuning. it's just 
that there's A LOT of tuning parameters.

So, when Programs are layered like this, all Translator does is "keep 
the meter running" - it keeps calculating more sample references and 
doesn't write the EXS until it's through going through the whole Volume.

(It also takes into account if the MIDI Channel is OMNI.)

There are some real gotchas regarding the way Akai stores tuning 
values, so I'm not surprised that EMagic didn't get it right in the 
short time they must have spent programming their version.

Garth Hjelte
Sampler User

Thanks for that Garth.

The "gotchas" I'm experiencing are intentionally layered volumes from Quantum Leap Guitars 
and Bass. Some of the Acoustic patches have 5 "layered" programs in the one akai volume. 
But one of those layers is detuned by -3 semitones (it's a guitar bend). If I import the 
individual programs into EXS you can see that particular program has it's Tune parameter set 
to -3 in the EXS main panel. But when the Akai importer merges the programs together that 
information is (understandably) lost because it was applied to the program, not the zone. 
Thus, when I press the key at full velocity to squeeze out that nice bend it plays 3 semitones 
too high!

So, if programs like Translator can calculate that and apply it to the samples in that zone... 
fantastic!

Thankfully I still have an Akai S2000 so I can dig into the parameters to find out when things 
don't sound right, but it's obviously much better to just get the conversion right in the first 
place.

Cheers!

Dave.