how to sample an instrument from a MIDI connected synth...?!

eisblau · Post by **eisblau** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:13 pm

Hey microsampler users,

basically I love the sound of the sampler. But I am troubled with the sampling procedure. How do I trigger a sample from a soundmodule/synth with the microsampler keyboard and sample it right that way into the microsampler?

The manual keeps totally quiet about that. They tell you step by step MPC methods like sampling drumbeats from a drum machine or a handclap, but HOW TO USE THIS MIDI KEYBOAD to SAMPLE INSTRUMENTS is not explained! I just get it randomly right, but I am confused with the local mode of the microsampler. If local is off, you can play the sound from the connected synthesizer via MIDI. I can hear it in the sample input, nice. But when you switch to sampling, the local off won't play the sound of the module any more and so it does not trigger the sampling, meaning you can't sample it that way using the keyboard... how useless is this?

There is not a single video (out of hundreds) in the whole www showing the microsampler capabilities as a keyboard sampler. They only do whistles and coughs in the micro or mpc stuff... I can't believe this! Or is it a mpc 300 in wrong facing? The missing wheels and benders make me guess...

The other thing is that I can't get the instrument place right. I select a sample to overwrite with the "sample select" rotary knob and want to record a new sample in its place. But... in the endeffect, all new samples get step by step a higher keynote, regardless which sound you have selected before. You can't select the sample place/note to overwrite? Also, I just can't select the sample place by hitting the sample to be replaced with the keyboard key and then switching from "Sample" to "keyboard mode" - why? Or am I doing something wrong?

3sleeves · Post by **3sleeves** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:40 pm

I think I can help you with sampling a synth module...sort of. I just posted a video of this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r4OtYS1O-M

Let me know if this helps. Thanks.

eisblau · Post by **eisblau** » Thu Jul 15, 2010 5:32 am

thanks for the reply! but this is not the way I want to sample an instrument. you play a sequence and press the sample button. its like you record a drum beat or something. but I want to the microsampler to exactly sample my monophonic analog sounds that I can play them polyphonic on the microsampler. the microsampler keyboard has to trigger only 1 tone of the sound module as long as you press the key on the microsampler, both connected via midi, and end the sampling as you release the key.

this is the most basic thing of a keyboard sampler I think, but it won't work on the microsampler because of the local off bug. when local is off, the microsampler plays my sound module, but when I push the sample button and wait for a trigger, the microsampler stops its midi triggering.

3sleeves · Post by **3sleeves** » Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:08 am

I see...maybe...that may be workable yet. I'll try another way when I get a chance and let you know what I can come up with. Just to understand, you are wanting to make a bank of 36 monophonic synth sounds and sample each sound as in Key Gate mode, correct? That should be possible.

eisblau · Post by **eisblau** » Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:26 pm

Yes, somehow that way. In detail I want to overwrite the microsampler presets with sounds from my (monophonic) analog synthesizers. So I bought the microsampler in first place to play all my own programmed sounds from my studio electronics and vermona synthesizer modules in 48khz polyphony and have them stored "digital" and ready to be selected on the fly from my microsampler.

I have much experience on older samplers like akai s1000 or s3200 and I have an mpc 5000. As the 5000 is a perfect companion for the beats, I thought the microsampler keyboard would be ideal partner for synth sounds.

Well, I mainly get confused with the local on/off function. Because if its on, I hear 2 sounds at the same time: the internal one from the microsampler, the external one from the input. If I turn local off, the sound doesn't get triggered anymore from the microsampler keyboard after pressing the sample button. Where I hang too is the irritating selection of the preset sample that I want to replace with my own sound. I always end up having another preset replaced but not the originally selected one.

I can't find a step by step in the manual or somewhere else to get this procedure right, maybe I'm missing some point, so thank you very much for the study!

3sleeves · Post by **3sleeves** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:47 am

Got it...I'll put a video together later, but here's what I did:
In an empty sample bank with the same setup shown in my previous video (MS-1 and DR-670) I had the GLOBAL.CH set to 01, KB.MIDI.CH set to 01, LOCAL set to ON. The DR-670 bass sounds are monophonic and the bass part is set to MIDI channel 01 also. I set the SAMPLING TYPE dial to KEY GATE mode. Then press the SAMPLING button until it turns yellow, and press and hold each key (excluding the 37th) for the desired amount of time. That will give you a bank of monophonic samples that can be played with the MS-1's max of 14 note polyphony. You cannot overwrite the preloaded samples though, so you must be in one of the other banks (A-H). I'll post a link to the video when I get it done.

Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/user/3sleeves#p/u/5/-Z9FAxCWWas

eisblau · Post by **eisblau** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:37 pm

thank you very much! I get the idea...!

3sleeves · Post by **3sleeves** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:34 pm

No problem, glad to be helpful.
You can do the same with VST instruments using the USB MIDI out from the MS-1 and running the computer speaker line into the sampler line in. For some synth sounds I've noticed that even 12kHz doesn't sound too bad...good enough for a crunchy lo-fi jam if nothing else.
I'm taking requests for future tutorial videos too if there's anything else you'd like to see done with the MS-1.