17 Bit Software 4: Phase Four

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Simple Sampling Part 3 "All good things must come to an end" For our final look at sampling for beginners, I have decided to give you some improved docs cum tutorial for SuperSound 3, the superb sample editor now available as Freeware. Before you all begin to scream "Where, oh where can I find this mystical and enchanting program, which will undoubtedly help me threefold with my sampling productivity, O Sage?" I will tell you. The program, along with the effects program TREG (see last issue) is available in "No Sampler? Utilities Volume 3" (Plug, plug, plug). You can get a copy from most good PD libraries, including Seasoft Computing, 17 Bit Software and NBS. You can't get a copy from your local chip shop, Debenhams or Asda. Not only does NSU3 contain these marvellous programs, it also contains other things. There will probably be a short piece of text in the mag about NSU3, so I won't go on. (for the first time) Before lunging irresponsibly onward into the main text of this article, I would like to dampen your enthusiasm slightly with a few words of caution. If you are new to sampling (or indeed if not), make sure that your sampler is plugged into the parallel port (assumong that is where it is intended to go) BEFORE switching on your computer. NEVER unplug or plug in peripherals when the power is on. If you get confused while reading this article (I am sure you will, I am confused writing it 8^) then I suggest you read "Simple Sampling" part 1 (in TI5). Please tread cautiously onward... Basic Bits The first thing you must learn about SuperSound are the major operating principles. I will assume a marginal degree of friendliness with OctaMED's Sample Editor, which, although handy, is not exactly the best Sample Editor the world has ever seen (sorry, Teijo). If you have OctaMED v5, you will be glad to know that SuperSound, like OctaMED, expects you to highlight the range by drgging the mouse (moving it left or right while holding down the left mouse button). OctaMED v4 and below used the right mouse button so you may have to get used to a new way of doing things. While playing a sample (essentially a long sample), you can press the right mouse button to stop playing. With short samples, you could always just wait until the sample stops. When I mention menus (full name - Pull Down Menus), I mean the things you get while holding down the right mouse button. In SuperSound, because the right mouse button is sometimes used for other things, you have to move the mouse pointer all the way up to the very top of the screen before holding down the right mouse button to access them. Apart from being unable to make multiple selections, they function in exactly the same way as the standard Workbench menus. You normally click on the gadgets (or buttons, as I tend to incorrectly call them) with the left mouse button (LMB). Some gadgets have an alternative function accessed with the right mouse button (RMB), like those in Deluxe Paint. In the following text I will point out where there is a difference betwwen left and right mouse clicks. Note that when you click on a gadget you cannot cancel the action by moving away the mouse as you would under an Intuition environment so be careful not to click on gadgets you don't intend to click on. The SuperSound Screen The SuperSound screen is split up into several sections, the contents of which are outlined below. The Title Bar This is the thin bar at the top of the screen with "SuperSound 3.0" written in it. This also displays the length of the sample being edited (in bytes). The button (oops, gadget) on the left is called the "close gadget". It acts in the usual way. Click on it and a requester comes up saying "Are you absolutely, truly and utterly certain that you actually intended to press this button, hence leave the program?" (or words to that effect). The Sample Waveform Display This is the big, blue box towards the top of the screen. it displays all or part of the sample you are currently editing as a waveform. Just like OctaMED. And all other modern sample editors. The Gadget Array A large number of gadgets are available on the right hand side of the screen, the functions of which I will explain in due course. The Bottom Panel This is full of information such as the offsets of the start and end of the range, the volume the sample is to be played at and many other useful things. The Gadget Array I will now describe each of the buttons on the right hand side of the screen, working left to right, top to bottom. Play Display Play the part of the sample that is currently being displayed in the main waveform editing window. This may or may not be the full sample. Use the right mouse button to stop playing. Play Sample This plays the entire sample. If all of the sample is not shown, SuperSound will redraw the sample then play it, then redraw the part you had showing before. I think 8^) Use the RMB to stop playing. Play Range Play the part of the sample you have highlighted with the LMB. Display Sample Shows the whole sample Display Range Zooms into the highlighted range. Range --> Display This makes the range all of the displayed area. Use it to select the whole sample as the range or after zooming in. Zoom In/Zoom out Click this icon with the left mouse button to zoom in. Thr right button zooms out. Cut Range This handy tool cuts the selected range out of the sample. The bit you removed is stored in the copy buffer ready to be pasted back on again if required. Paste Range This sticks the bit you have just cut out back into the sample at a point determined by the start of the range, or the START or END of the current sample (choose from a handy little requester) Copy Range A bit like Cut Range except the bit is kept in the sample - a copy of it is held in the buffer. Copy Sample To Buffer As Cut Range but puts the entire sample in. Copy Buffer To Sample Erases the current sample and rams the copy buffer in there instead. Erase Buffer Deletes the contents of the buffer (frees some RAM) Octave Up Puts the sample up one octave (doubles its playing speed) LED Filter Toggles filter On and Off. When the power light is bright, the filter is on (This is supposed to remove hissing buts ends up cutting off the high frequency in your sound). I recommend leaving it off (the default) Octave Down Puts the sample down an Octave (halves its playing speed) Mix Mixes the contents of the buffer with the sample (at the start of the range) Reverse Reverses the range. Good for finding hidden Satanic messages in heavy metal records. Apparently... Set Sample Rate Set the sample's playback speed (in Hertz [Hz]) Sample Rate (Finetune) A button split vertically in two. Increase Increases the sample rate. Left mouse for slow increase, right mouse for faster increase. Decrease Ditto, but decreases the rate. Zero Erases the entire range. Use it to remove crackles from supposedly silent parts of the sound. Swap Sample and Buffer If you are editing the sample then you can now edit the buffer. And vice-versa. Double Volume Doubles the volume of the range Halve Volume Halves the volume of the range. Undo If the Undo buffer is activated (in the settings menu), you can undo the last change (like in DPaint) Play Repeated Section Play the part of the sample that is repeated. Main Buffer Select the main sample buffer Spare Buffer Errr.... Not too sure about this one. The Bottom Panel As well as showing the current date and time (if you have a battery backed clock), and the amount of free chip and fast memory (unlike SSound 4, this version cannot access fast RAM for sample storage), this panel has some useful buttons. Range Start Click on the main button to set an offset for the range start (in bytes). Use the + and - buttons to finetune the value. Range End As Range Start, but different. Rep Start/End As Range Start/End. This sets the repeat markers (you can also drag them using the left mouse button). To enable repeating you must first click on Rep On/Off (assuming Repeat is off). Volume This sets the playback volume. drag the slider to change it. Finally there are a few more pieces of information. Period is the sample's period value and Note is its equivalent note. These act in the same way as their OctaMED equivalents. Play Time is the amount of time the current sample has been playing, as opposed to what ypu have at 11.00 every morning at school. The Pull Down Menus The first word is the title of the menu feature, the second is its keyboard shortcut. Then a description of what it does. The Project Menu New (Shift N) Delete allsample data, copy buffer data etc. Just like reloading the program (but quicker). Load (Shift L) Load a sample. The load requester is very easy to use. The tick (or check mark) means OK, the cross means cancel, and the other functions are self explanatory. The Show info button is best left un-highlighted (its default position is highlighted), unless you want to load in icons as samples. Maybe you do. Save -> Save Sample (Shift S) Saves the entire sample as an IFF or RAW sample file. RAW samples are shorter, but do not include repeat data. I normally just use IFF for better compatibility. Save Range (Shift R) Just saves the highlighted range data. About -> Information on the program. Move the mouse across the words (while still holding the RMB) for more information on that part. Quit (Shift Q) Quits SuperSound. Why anybody would want to do that I don't know. maybe it is for testing (like the one in MED) ;-) Iconify (I) Lets you see the Workbench screen. Close the little window SuperSound opens to return to Workbench. Print -> Print Sample (Shift P) Prints the whole sample. Remember that you must have your printer plugged in. NEVER unplug your sampler or printer while your computer is turned off. Turn off first, then reload SuperSound. Print Display (Shift D) Prints the part of the sample shown in the Waveform display. Print Range (Shift O) Prints the highlighted range. Load Printer Preferences (Shift W) Loads in the printer prefs from disk. Open NewCLI Opens a CLI window and lets you see it. Use EndCLI to get back to SuperSound Open NewShell Same as a CLI window (under Workbench 2 or 3). It is only different in Workbench 1.3. You can't open one under Workbench 1.3 unless you load from Workbench. Please upgrade to Kickstart 2. Effects 1 All of these effects affect only the highlighted range. Bass Boost ([Right] Amiga B) Boosts the bass. Treble Boost (Amiga C) Boosts the treble. Brighten Sound (Amiga D) Brightens the sound. (I am getting good at this!!) Smooth Wave (Amiga E) Smoothens the wave (oh dear, he's at it again). This gets rid of those tiny crackles. Tremolo (Amiga F) A sort of vibrato with volume (according the the OctaMED docs). Echo (Amiga G) Yes, the famous one. The range is echoed along the sample. Lowpass Filter (Amiga H) Gets rid of crackles in the sound, in a lowpassy kind of way. Highpass Filter (Amiga I) Same as lowpass but leaves more of the sound's high frequencies. Change Volume (Amiga K) Errrmmm.... Metallic (Amiga L) Lovely - a sort of metally effect, like a badly tuned radio. Effects 2 Treble Waah (Amiga M) A sort of Waah on the treble (there goes my job!). hard to explain, but the onomatopoeic (phew) title says it all. Honest. It seems to be a glorified treble boost, but variable. Fade In (Amiga N) Fades the range in, from 0% at the start to 100% volume at the end. Fade Out (Amiga O) Fades it out. Waah In (Amiga P) It's that word again. From 0% Waah at the start of the range to 100% Waah at the end. Oh, just go and try it out for yourself. You should get a slow graduation of boost so the sound is muffled at the start of the range and normal at the end. Mix (Amiga Q) Mix the buffer with the range. Reverse (Amiga R) Reverses the range. Octave Up (Amiga S) The same as the button on the right-hand panel but just for the range, not the whole sample. Octave Down (Amiga T) Do I really need to tell you what this does? Waah Out (Amiga U) Oh, great. Another Waah effect, but graduates from 100% to 0%. Phaser (Amiga V) I like phasers. It mixes the sample with a background noise that changes pitch, giving a kind of rocket effect. You will hear it a lot on records, usually with the drum beat. Some groups use it on the vocals (it happens on one of Queen's tracks but I can't remember offhand which one it is. Maybe it is Breakthru). Also, there is a truly lovely phased drum during the intro to Living in the Love of the Common People by Paul Young. Now you can do it on your Amiga. Distort (Amiga W) Yes, at last you can make Kylie Minogue records sound good. Sample Menu Sample (Alt S) Brings up the sample window. Use the sliders to set the smaple size and rate. Click on Sample to Sample, then use the right mouse button to kick off sampling once you have cued up your sound source. The Vox option lets you autotrigger sampling when a certain volume is inputted. The docs recommend about 10 to start with. I usually find it easier to do it by hand. Monitor (Alt M) Displays a monitor to set the right input level. See Simple Sampling Part 1 (in TI5) to find out how to set the level in more detail. The idea is to make sure all the waveform fits in the box without "clipping" (distortion on the load parts). Display -> Select the monitor display from Flash (Alt 1) The classic C64 fast loader screen. No use at all for setting the input level but is useful to see if there is any sound coming into the sampler. Oscilloscope (Alt 2) Ah, a useful one. I'd leave it here if I were you. Don't use the others. Nothing (Alt 3) Saves processor time. Input -> Where is the sound to be taken from? Left Channel (Alt 5) Only the left channel (in mono) Right Channel (Alt 6) Only the right channel (in mono) Stereo (Alt 7) OctaMED cannot use Stereo Samples so I would recommend just using the left or right channel. Mono (Alt 8) In mono, but using both channels. Not worth it, really. Real Time -> A few real time effects. Note that ypou can't sample a sound while using these effects. TREG is on the NSU3 disk, too, so I recommend using that instead. it has more, better, effects. Graph -> There are two ways to display the sample. Outline (Ctrl 4) The default. Fast, but not perfectly accurate. Filled (Ctrl 5) Accurate, but slow to redraw. The Misc/Prefs Menu Workbench If it has a * next to it Workbench is enabled. Select it to toggle Workbench on and off. Filter (Shift F) Same as the button in the Gadget Array Icon (Shift I) If it is *ed then icons are saved with samples. Otherwise they aren't. Swap Banks (Shift J) Same as the Main and Spare buffer gadgets in the Gadget Array. Use -> Mono (Shift M) Monophonic playback. Stereo (Shift S) Stereophonic playback. Undo Buffer Disabled/Enabled Enable or disable the undo buffer. I can't enable it with 2 Megs of Chip RAM, so I have no idea of how to do it. Config Editor A self-explanatory config editor. Clock Mode -> Set the clock mode to 12 Hour (British) or 24 Hour (European) you can also set the Alarm The Alarm beeps and the screen flahes at the appointed time. Bleep On/Off Normally, when SuperSound has finished doing something, it makes a loud bleep to wake you up. You can turn it off if you feel so inclined. Use Range/Waveform (Amiga Y) Normally the effects in the Effects 1 and Effects 2 menus affect the highlighted (or should that be highlit?) range. If this menu option is selected then these effects will affect the whole displayed waveform. Shut Down Config Ed Free some valuable memory. Note that once you have shut it you have to reload SuperSound to edit your configuration. The Repeat Setup Menu Repeat On/Off (Shift R) Same as the button in the Bottom Panel. Seek Zero Finds the next zero point to the left or right of the currently selected repeat marker. Find Loop Finds a possible loop in the sample by finding two 0 levels at either end then putting the repeat markers there. OctaMED has a similar feature. Graph Repeat Show the repeated area. Play Repeat Play the repeated area (RMB to stop). Same as the button in the Bottom Panel. The Edit Menu Cut (Ctrl X) As in the Gadget Array. Copy (Ctrl C) Ditto. Paste (Ctrl P) It should be Ctrl V, but who's complaining. Del (Ctrl D) Removes the range, like Cut, but does not put it in the copy buffer. Chop (Ctrl K) Removes the bits of the sample to the left and right of the sample. So it makes the range into the whole sample. Clear Zeros the range Swap Swaps the sample and the buffer. Same as the button in the Gadget Array. I hope that this text has been of some use to you when using SuperSound. Don't forget that the latest version is available from CLR licenseware dealers. It is really very good (certainly better than the program you got with your sampler, unless you bough MegaLoSound, which contained the SuperSound program). If you have any queries, problems or ideas for future tutorials, why don't you let me know, contact me at... 86, Station Road, Hessle, North Humberside, HU13 OBG. ******************************************************************** * Next month : I have taken a break from Tutorials for an issue. * * Next issue sees the start of my new two part * * series all about the history of computer music. * * Expect loads of mentions of Rob Hubbard, Martin * * Galway, C64s and Synthsounds. Maybe even a couple * * of jokes. * ******************************************************************** Mike Richmond ***************************************************************************** Super Sound V3.0 ©1992 K.B.E Software ----- ----- ---- ----- ----- -------- NOTE: All care has been put in to make sure this program reaches you in a bug free form. We can't say that it is 100% bug free and we can't be held responsible for any damages or loss caused by use of Super Sound. Please also note that this version of Super Sound is totally free and provided that no part is changed it may be sold for a reasonable fee and copied at will. Thanks ... Dave Contact KBE Software at... 12 ,Salters Close, Werrington, Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, ST9 ODB.