Overview

The Audio Sample is a RAM-based polyphonic sample player. It can load stereo or mono files in AAC (.m4a), MP3, WAV, SD2 or AIFF format, and includes all the basic controls necessary for playing samples, including a built-in AHDSR envelope, looping controls, a wide tuning range, and adjustable velocity sensitivity. This module can also be used to create and play speech synthesis files using the OS X speech synthesizer.

Additional flexibility comes from being a fully-native Numerology module: You can setup modulation for any of its parameters with just a few clicks, and you can tweak its behavior for each stack preset if you like.

When you save a Numerology project that includes an AudioSample player, you will have the option of copying audio samples into the media folder of the project. You can also export an AudioSample module and its samples as a self-contained 'archive' using the 'Module Export' item in the module action menu (which is in the module header). If you want to share your sample setups, you can do so at five12.net, in the "File Exchange : Modules" forum.

The Attack, Hold, Decay and Release parameters have a very wide range from 0.0001 to 10 seconds. Their knobs use a log-based taper so that you get finer control with smaller values. When you use param mod on these parameter, the value range will appear as -40 to 10, which represents the value as a linear range in decibels. The decibel values are converted internally to values in seconds. The minimum dB value of -40 maps to 0.0001, the maximum value of 10 maps to 10 seconds. A value of 0 decibels equals 1 second.

Although there is currently no set limit on the size of samples you can load, you should be cautious about using many long samples unless you have lots of RAM memory in your computer. As you start to fill the computer's RAM with samples, the operating system will 'page out' chunks of memory to disk, which negatively affects the performance of the computer and can cause glitches in the audio output. To help you judge how many samples you can load, use the "Activity Monitor" (in Applications/Utilities). It has a "System Memory" report that will tell you how much free memory you have (in green). Try to keep that value well above zero -- the larger the buffer you have there, the more reliable your system will be.

Actions

Use this button to load samples in any of the supported formats, either mono or stereo.

This button gives you easy access to speech synthesis: Click "speak", enter some text, pick a voice, click OK. The text you typed will be synthesized, stored in an .aiff file the in the media folder for your project, and loaded into the AudioSample module as a new sample. To play directly what was synthesized, just hit the play button on the module. Or set your start, loop start, & loop end points and play it with MIDI Notes. All voices are synthesized at 22 Khz, so the tuning on the module is automatically set to -12 semitones to accomodate that.

Of course, you can also load the generated samples into other plugins or the Drum Kit module.

Parameters

Sets where playback of the sample will begin for each note event. It is calibrated as a percentage of the total sample length. To make fine adjustments of the value, hold down the shift or option-shift keys while dragging the numeric value up or down. This parameter is constrained such that it is always less than or equal to the Loop Start parameter.

Sets the start of the playback loop of the sample. It is calibrated as a percentage of the total sample length. To make fine adjustments of the value, hold down the shift or option-shift keys while dragging the numeric value up or down. This parameter is constrained such that it is always less than or equal to the Loop End parameter.

Sets the end of the playback loop of the sample. It is calibrated as a percentage of the total sample length. To make fine adjustments of the value, hold down the shift or option-shift keys while dragging the numeric value up or down. This parameter is constrained such that it is always less than or equal to the Loop End parameter.

This parameter tunes the playback rate of the sample with a range of +/- 60 semitones (5 octaves in each direction).

Use this button to turn the sample's loop on and off.

When this is on, the sample will start playing whenever you start the transport, then stop when you stop the transport.

Sets the sensitivity of the output level of each note relative to the MIDI Note On velocity. At its lowest value, all notes are played at their maximum level. At its highest value, the output level of notes are very sensitive to the velocity value of Note On events.

Sets the cross-fade amount of the looped portion of the sample. It ranges from 0.0 (no loop) to 1.0 (fully cross-faded).

If you are using very short loops -- short enough to behave like an oscillator, use this parameter to ensure that the pitch of the loop stays constant as the amount of the X-Fade is changed. Changing the x-fade amount of a short loop like this can cause dramatic timbral changes in the sound, much like hard-sync in an analog synthesizer. This effect is dependent on the length of the loop and the sample itself.

Sets the attack time of the amplitude envelope. The range is from 0.0001 to 10 seconds, with a log-based taper so that you have finer control as the value gets smaller.

Sets the hold time of the amplitude envelope. The range is from 0.0001 to 10 seconds, with a log-based taper so that you have finer control as the value gets smaller.

Sets the decay time of the amplitude envelope. The range is from 0.0001 to 10 seconds, with a log-based taper so that you have finer control as the value gets smaller.

Sets the sustain level for the amplitude envelope. The range is 0.0 to 1.0.

Sets the release time of the amplitude envelope. The range is from 0.0001 to 10 seconds, with a log-based taper so that you have finer control as the value gets smaller.

For monophonic samples, this acts as a constant-power pan control, for stereo sources, it operates as a balance control.

Sets the output level with an progressive-log-taper volume control. The maximum gain is about 6 dB.

Ports

Send your MIDI notes here.

This is the audio output for the module.