Although these automated processes are rarely perfect, they are fast and give you a good place to start in creating a custom instrument. For instance, using the “Convert to Sampler Instrument” command in Logic will instantly create an EXS24 instrument from an existing audio file and either map the entire file on a specified key range or slice it up across the keyboard. To this point, I’ve been referring mainly to existing sample libraries and instruments, but custom instruments can be created with extreme ease in applications like Logic Pro. I use separate drives for samples, working sessions and applications. These are definitely recommended if you plan on using large sample libraries in your work. SSD Drives: One of the best investments I’ve made recently was in an External SSD Drive ( Glyph), which has drastically reduced load times for larger instruments. The Group change trigger or CC data would be recorded in the same track, similar to a patch change in a synth. This allows you to use the same instrument and MIDI track to switch between two or more articulations. Then a Key Trigger (set somewhere below or above the actual range of the instrument) or a MIDI controller like a Mod Wheel can be set to activate a certain group of samples. In more advanced string libraries, zone groupings based on articulations can be superimposed over the same range on the keyboard. Legato bowing, spiccato, pizzicato, up/down bowing, sul tasto, sul ponticello, or as a harmonic to name a few. There are numerous ways to play a note on a violin. An obvious application of grouping would be string articulations. The ability to group zones with common attributes expands the functionality of an instrument tremendously. Groups are one of the most powerful components of a sampler instrument. Some sampling engines like Kontakt, allow for crossfading between velocity layers to make transitions smoother and less noticeable. These zones can then be triggered by a certain range of MIDI note velocities accordingly. Library developers take this into account and record each note at a variety of dynamics from pianissimo to fortissimo. The speed at which a piano key is hit or the loudness of a trumpet note or a snare hit will have ramifications for the spectrum of the sounds as well as the amplitude. Global ControlsĪs with any synthesizer, samplers will usually have controls for pitch bend range, polyphony, transposition and MIDI settings. Sometimes the entire sample is looped, but more often than not, loop points are set somewhere internally and a crossfade function is used to eliminate any clicks or discontinuities that may occur. An example would be the sound of an acoustic piano key or Rhodes key that is heard as the key released. In more complex sampler instruments there are often Release Samples specific to the type of sound and usually intended to create a better sense of realism. The effect of the Release stage on Loop playback can be to continue the repeat during the release or may cause a jump to a release portion of the sample. Likewise, you may want to keep pitch fixed in certain circumstances. For instance, if the sample has a rhythmic component that is synced to tempo, you would want to keep rhythmic part of the sound fixed while playing other keys for pitch changes. Some samplers allow you to keep pitch or time/speed components independent for a specific zone. Typically, playing other keys in the mapped range for a particular zone, will either speed up or slow down the sample resulting in a change in pitch associated with the key.ĭepending on the library, zones may occupy just one or two keys, with a separate sample for each pitch. There will be a Root key associated with each sample which, if triggered, will playback the sample at the same speed and pitch at which is was recorded. A sample can be mapped across a range of notes on a keyboard. ZonesĪ zone is a location where a single sample is loaded. Samples are normally triggered by some sort of MIDI input such as a note on a keyboard. Samplers differ from synthesizers in that the fundamental method of sound production begins with a sample or recording, which could be of an acoustic sound or instrument, electronic sound or instrument, ambient field recording, or virtually anything else.
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