Sampling Inquiries

[CherryFive]

This was posted in the kotkas forum, but I was instructed to place this in the general sampling forum. This post went like this;

Author Topic: Can paax pro 2 do this?
CherryFive
KVRer- profile


I posted this on another forum, so i am copying and pasting it, bt the same questions apply to paax pro 2. Keep in mind i am pretty dumb with digital..!

In a few months, my friend is coming down with a 1978 Feder j-bass and a 1974 EB-3 bass. I would like to "sample " these basses so that when he leaves, i can play them on my 88-key keyboard (yamaha p 120). What i would like to do is sample every note (excepet doubles) - for every key. I dont want to pitch stretch any of the notes, i want the sounds to be totally authentic (like how a mellotron works). Can I do this with a coputer based sampler? Is this practicle?
There are some free samplers that are posted here, but im not sure if they would allow me to sample an individual note for every key. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

john
regards


knockman
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:54 pm reply with quote

paax pro 2 will let you map and layer samples to be played as an instrument. but it sounds like you want to know if you can do the actual sampling/recording using paax, well the answer is no, though it is a very well featured sample player and fantastic value for money.

i'd suggest you get an audio editor to record and 'prime' the samples prior to importing into paax which will then allow you to set key and velocity zones aswell as envelopes to replicate the original instrument's response.

there are several free editors around if you're on a budget, but i think it's worth spending a litle extra on such a tool. i'd recommend posting your query in the samples forum to get expert advice on digital sampling. then when you've got your actual recordings done, give paax a spin and see how it feels.

hope that helps

regards
----


kotkas

In addition to what knockman has brilliantly explained, you can take advantage of the special offer: buy Paax 2 Pro before june and upgrade to Paax 3 Pro for free; discount = $15!
^ Joined: 04 Oct 2004 Posts: 44 Location: Mexico


CherryFive


so what you are saying is that i need to just have the wav files - like 88 seperate wav files, and then load them up into the paax 2 program? Because i have N track and mackie tracktion...which is what i use to record with (along with a 1978 8-track!). All i need are the wav files...am I gettingth is right?
^ Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 2


knockman

basically yes. but you'd probably want to prepare the files for optimum level and consistency across the keyboard. also you'd probaly want multi samples to capture the sound of the strings being fingered/picked at different force - say three per note or so. the audio editor would help you level everything for consistency, trim the sample neatly and so on. once they are all loaded into paax you can set the velocity limits to allow triggering the appropriate sample with variable force on the keyboard, and set velocity curves for each to enable a smooth transition. you could of course do it with one sample per note, but you may find it sounds less authentic, as multiple samples will capture the range of harmonics, fret buzz, attack etc resulting from striking the strings softer/harder.

quite time and labour intensive for sure, but once done the entire instrument is saved and you have the satisfaction of creating our own thing.

i don't use n-track or tracktion, so i don't know how convenient they are for this kind of ground work, but check out this thread for some audio editor options:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=135816

regards

[CherryFive]

I thought this would be a great post for ultimate newbies such as myself. I've never so much as used a sampler besides a mellotron, and the idea of making my own samples is just amazing. On other forums no one would come out and say it- yes, I can make a separate sample for EACH key on an 88 key-keyboard! From what I gather, Paax 2 and the freeware version are VST, so audacity wouldn't be able to load this sampler, but something more sophisticated...like Trackction or any VST supported program.

Thanks again for all of the great help. Definitely the most "alive" sampler forum I've found.


Regards
John

[C00kie]

Can do that with any set of tools, not just Paax and Audacity.

You can sample each and every note, but this would be overkill imho. Just 3 or 4 notes per octave should capture it ok. With 4 per octave you only transpose one half note up or down at most.

Warning: the sampled 1978 Feder j-bass (I think that should be Fender Jazz Bass, but you were in a hurry) and 1974 EB-3 bass are not going to be like exactly playing the original. Even when sampling all 24 notes on all 4 strings in 16 velocities, you'll never be able to completely capture what it's like to play a bass by replicating it on a keyboard. But have fun anyway...