SAMPLIFIER

User Manual

13 July 1996

Contents

  1. Introduction
    1. About Samplifier
    2. About Sonosphere
    3. Feedback and technical support
    4. Acknowledgements
  2. License and Registration
  3. Installation and Configuration
    1. MIDI cabling
    2. Setting up OMS
    3. Select the OMS device to work with
    4. OMS MIDI Setup dialog
    5. SCSI
  4. Transferring Sound Files
    1. Sample Numbers
    2. MIDI Channel?
    3. Memory
    4. Loading a sound file from your sampler
    5. Sending sound files to your sampler
  5. Additional Roland S-760/DJ-70MkII Features
    1. Auto-create Partials for Samples option
    2. Creating partials from samples
    3. Creating patches from partials

Introduction

About Samplifier

Samplifier is a simple tool to transfer sound files between a Macintosh and a MIDI sampler which supports the MIDI Sample Dump standard. With a Roland S-760 sampler, Samplifier can also transfer sound files over SCSI, and provides some utilities to automate common tasks.

Samplifier runs on any Macintosh with a 68020 or better processor (this includes just about all Macintoshes except the Plus, SE, Classic, and original Portable). It requires Macintosh System 7, and Open Music System, available from Opcode Systems, Inc., for MIDI communication.

This manual is distributed in HTML form with the software, but it's also online at the Sonosphere web site. If you're reading a local copy of this file, you may wish to check the web pages to see if it's been revised.

About Sonosphere

Sonosphere is based on the ideas of Internet-based commerce and the shareware principle. We intend to distribute small music software tools, other various utilities, as well as recorded music. We hope you find Samplifier useful, and encourage you to send us feedback about it, using any of the addresses below.

WWW: http://www.sonosphere.com/sonosphere/
Email: support@sonosphere.com
Postal: Sonosphere
P.O. Box 4053
Ithaca, NY 14852-4053
USA

Feedback and technical support

One thing we'd like to know is what kind of sampler you're using. Samplifier has only been tested with a Roland S-760 so far, so we'd love to hear about your experiences with different samplers. If you're having problems, it may be important to know what version of the sampler's operating system you're running.

Acknowledgements

Samplifier was written by Doug Wyatt. Thanks to Aron Nelson, Jim Norman, Chris Halaby and Opcode Systems.

License and Registration

Samplifier is shareware. It may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes, or by online services, as long as the originally distributed files are all redistributed without alteration. You may evaluate Samplifier for 30 days, but after that period of time, you must either register it, or delete all copies of it.

Unregistered versions put up messages reminding you to register, and are restricted to two sample transfers each time you start the program. This is to encourage you to register. Please support the further development of shareware by registering.

A single-user license is US$ 20. A site license (any number of users working for a single organization within a 100 mile radius of each other) is $399.

The details of payment and registration are discussed in a separate HTML document.

Installation and Configuration

MIDI cabling

All of Samplifier's operations require that the computer can send to the sampler. Most operations require a cable from the sampler's MIDI Out back to the computer, all except sending to the sampler via MIDI Sample Dump, and even then, it's slower without that cable. If at all possible, connect the sampler's MIDI In and Out to the computer via a MIDI interface.

Setting up OMS

If you don't already have OMS, you can get it from Opcode Systems's web site or by calling (+1) 415-856-3333. Samplifier requires OMS version 2.0 or higher.

Configuring OMS is fairly self-explanatory, but here's a brief summary.

  1. Run the OMS installer and reboot when installation is complete.
  2. Find the OMS Setup application in an "Open Music System" folder at the top level of the disk on which you installed, and open the application.
  3. You'll be guided through selecting serial ports, verifying the detection of your MIDI interface(s), and automatically identifying your MIDI devices.
  4. Name and save a studio setup document when prompted.
  5. Double-click on the device icons in the studio setup document to enter more specific information about each device.
  6. Use the balloon help if you have difficulty.
If your sampler is a Roland S-760 and you wish to use the S-760-specific features of Samplifier, it's important that you enter "Roland S-760" as the device's manufacturer and model, in the Device Info dialog which opens when you double-click on a device in OMS Setup.

The Roland DJ-70MkII's MIDI and SCSI implementation is identical to the S-760. If you have a DJ-70MkII, tell OMS that it's an S-760.

Select the OMS device to work with

The first thing you need to do after opening Samplifier is to select your sampler in the Sampler menu. This menu contains a list of all the MIDI devices defined in your current OMS studio setup.

OMS MIDI Setup dialog

From this dialog you have access to a button to launch OMS Setup if you wish to modify your studio setup. If MIDI communication isn't working, open this dialog to make sure your interface's serial port is checked. Also, opening and closing this dialog is sometimes enough to reset a communication problem with an interface.

SCSI

SCSI sample exchange is currently supported for the Roland S-760 only. Once you have selected a Roland S-760 from the Sampler menu, you may choose the sampler's SCSI ID from the SCSI menu. This will enable SCSI sample transfer. If you choose Off from the SCSI menu, sample transfers will be done over MIDI, which is far slower than SCSI.

If the SCSI menu items are disabled, then the selected sampler is not defined as a Roland S-760 in OMS. Run OMS Setup and double-click on the device icon to open a dialog where you may select the manufacturer and model.

Be sure that your sampler's SCSI ID is not 7 (which is the computer's ID) and is not the same as any of your other SCSI peripherals, such as a hard disk or CD ROM drive. Macintosh internal hard disks usually have a SCSI ID of 0. An internal CD ROM's SCSI ID is usually 3. Be sure to use high-quality SCSI cables.

CAUTION: In our experience SCSI is rather robust and tolerant of mistakes. But remember that your precious data files reside on your SCSI storage media and that corruption is always a possibility. Please carefully read the manuals for your computer, sampler, and other SCSI peripherals for instructions and cautionary notes about connecting SCSI devices.

Transferring Sound Files

The process of transferring sound files between your computer and sampler is straightforward once your connections are made and a few things are clarified.

Sample Numbers

The MIDI Sample Dump standard uses sample numbers starting with 0. Your sampler may number its samples starting with 1. The S-760 starts with 1. Samplifier's user interface always shows 1-based sample numbers. If your sampler uses 0-based sample numbers, you'll need to remember that the user interface is off by 1.

MIDI Channel?

The MIDI Sample Dump standard uses a MIDI channel identifier in the messages. Currently Samplifier always uses channel 1, though this could be changed if it's a limitation for anyone. The S-760 appears to ignore the channel number.

Memory

Samplifier is currently completely RAM-based. This means that sound files need to be able to fit entirely in memory. Samplifier uses MacOS "temporary memory", so there's no reason to make Samplifier's memory partition larger to work with large sound files. If you need more memory, quit other applications.

Loading a sound file from your sampler

To do this, choose Load... from the File menu, and the dialog at the right opens.

Enter the number of the sample you wish to load.

A dialog will open and illustrate the progress of the transfer. When it's complete, you'll be asked to save the file.

The sound file is saved in AIFF format, mono, at the same sample rate and size (e.g. 16 bit) as the sampler used.

If you're doing MIDI Sample Dump with an S-760 (why aren't you using SCSI?), you may notice that there's a System parameter to control which sample is transmitted in response to a sample dump request from a computer. As of S-760 software version 2.23, this parameter appears to be obsolete; the S-760 returns the sample number you enter in the dialog.

Sending sound files to your sampler

To send a single file, choose Open and Send... from the File menu, and a standard Open dialog appears. You may choose AIFF files and Macintosh system sound files ('snd' resources).

Or you may send all of the files in a folder by choosing Send All Files in Folder... from the File menu. In this case a standard Open dialog also appears, and you need to choose any sound file in the folder to be sent.

In either case, this dialog opens.

The "Send to empty slots" option is for the S-760 only and will be hidden when working with a different sampler. If you check it, Samplifier will interrogate the S-760 to locate empty sample slots. This conveniently guards against inadvertent overwriting of samples.

One thing to note about sending samples via MIDI Sample Dump is that to save transfer time, 16-bit sound files can be truncated to 14-bit format. This will make transfer of 16-bit files 50% faster with only a minor loss of sound quality. This is an option, accessible via the Preferences dialog in the Edit menu.

Additional Roland S-760/DJ-70MkII Features

This section describes features only available when working with a Roland S-760 or DJ-70MkII.

Auto-create Partials for Samples option

When this option in the S-760 menu is checked, then Samplifier will automatically create an S-760 Partial for every sample it sends. The partial will be named identically to the sample, and be set up to play that sample.

Creating partials from samples

This command opens the dialog at the right.

This allows you to easily create a series of Partials, named identically and set up to play a series of samples you specify.


Creating patches from partials

This command opens the dialog at the right.

What this does is allow you to take a series of partials and assign them to a series of keys within a single newly-created patch. You enter the range of partial numbers to be assigned to the patch, and the MIDI note number which will play the first partial. You can have the partials assigned to only the white keys of a keyboard controller, or to all MIDI notes.

This will alter the transpositions of all of the partials so that every sample will play at its base pitch ("original key") in the new patch.

Copyright ©1996 Sonosphere / Doug Wyatt.
MacOS is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
S-760 and DJ-70MkII are trademarks of Roland Corporation.
Samplifier is a trademark of Sonosphere / Doug Wyatt.