Syntheogen Guide
Add-on Samples
Updated September 22, 2015
Managing samples
Though Syntheogen includes dozens of built-in samples, it also allows the use of add-on samples, which are samples you have created yourself or installed with a sample pack. To manage add-on samples, go to the MAIN dialog and tap ADD SAMPS to display the ALL ADD-ON SAMPLES dialog:
ALL ADD-ON SAMPLES dialog
This dialog shows only the add-on samples on your device; built-in samples are not displayed. Beside the list, four buttons are visible:
| REF |
This button changes as samples are selected in the list. If the selected sample is referenced by a track, the number of references is shown in the button text. If no track references the sample, the button reads NO REFS, and is disabled. Pressing the button opens the REFERENCING TRACKS dialog, which lists all the tracks that use the sample. |
| NEW | Opens the NEW SAMPLE dialog, allowing you to create an add-on sample. |
| DELETE |
Deletes the selected sample. Before deleting, check the REF button to be sure no track uses the sample. If the sample is deleted, any tracks that reference it will be set to use the default sample instead. |
| EDIT | Displays the sample in the ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog. |
Creating samples
To create a sample, copy one or more WAVE files to the Syntheogen/Samples folder on your device's internal storage. You may place the files within subdirectories of this folder, and if you do, the relative path will be displayed in parentheses after the sample name. Sample files must be:
- Uncompressed PCM WAVE files (the most common type);
- Mono or stereo;
- 44.1KHz or 48kHz samples per second;
- 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits per sample;
- Ten seconds or less in length.
After placing the files, return to ALL ADD-ON SAMPLES and press NEW to open the NEW SAMPLE dialog:
NEW SAMPLE dialog
This dialog contains the following controls:
| PATH | Specifies the folder containing all the WAVE files for the new sample. The path is displayed relative to the Syntheogen folder on your device's internal storage. |
| NAME | Sets the name for the new sample. |
After entering the path and name, press CREATE to open the new sample in the ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog.
Editing samples
The ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog is used to edit a single sample. To display this dialog, select a sample on the ALL ADD-ON SAMPLES dialog and press EDIT:
ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog
At the top, the following controls are shown:
| DESC | Specifies a short description, to be displayed as you browse for samples. If the description is not set, the file name will be shown instead. |
| TAGS | Sets one or more comma-delimited keywords describing the sample. These can be used to filter the list when browsing for samples. |
| VOL | Controls the master output level for the application. |
Below and to the left, a list of clips is displayed. Each clip references one of the WAVE files that define this sample's sound. Every sample should contain at least one clip, and simple ones, like percussion samples, might contain only one clip.
To the right are various controls displaying properties of the selected clip:
| TONE |
Specifies the pitch of the sound as recorded in the clip's WAVE file. When this sample is used to play a note, the clip that is closest in pitch to that note will be selected and played back. If TONE does not match the note exactly, the clip will be played faster or slower to produce the required pitch. |
| CENTS | Sets the clip's intonation, in cents. A cent is one percent of a semitone. |
| LEVEL | Sets the clip's playback level. |
| MODE |
Sets the clip's loop mode, which determines whether and how it is stretched when used to play a long note. There are four loop modes: None, Repeat, Fade, and Bounce. When the mode is None, the clip plays straight through, from START to END, and is not stretched. This mode is often used for percussion samples. When the mode is Repeat, the clip plays from START to LOOP, then the loop region from LOOP to REL is repeated as necessary to fill longer notes. The clip then plays from REL to END. Because playback jumps from REL to LOOP, these points must be selected carefully to produce a smooth transition. This is best done with the TRIM CLIP dialog. When the mode is Fade, the clip loops as it does when Repeat is used, but each time the loop repeats, the span from FADE to REL is crossfaded with the next iteration to produce a smooth transition. When this mode is used, the FADE point must be closer to REL than it is to the LOOP point. When the mode is Bounce, the range from LOOP to REL is played once in the forward direction, and once in reverse during every iteration. |
| START | Sets the position within the WAVE file from which clip playback starts. It most cases, it is easier to set this and the END, LOOP, FADE, and REL points with the TRIM CLIP dialog. |
| END | Sets the position within the WAVE file at which clip playback ends. |
| LOOP | Sets the position within the WAVE file at which the loop begins, if the clip is set to loop. |
| FADE | Sets the position within the WAVE file at which each loop iteration begins to be crossfaded with the next, if the loop mode is set to Fade. |
| REL | Sets the position within the WAVE file at which the loop ends, if the clip is set to loop. |
Below are the following buttons:
| NEW CLIP | Displays the NEW CLIP dialog, allowing you to add a clip to this sample. |
| DELETE CLIP | Deletes the selected clip. The WAVE file referenced by the clip is not deleted. |
| TRIM CLIP | Opens the clip for editing in the TRIM CLIP dialog, where the START, END, LOOP, FADE, and REL points can be set with a graphical editor. |
Creating clips
After opening the ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog, press NEW CLIP to display the NEW CLIP dialog:
NEW CLIP dialog
The dialog contains the following controls:
| WAVE FILE | Displays the CLIP WAVE FILE dialog, allowing you to select the WAVE file for the new clip. All WAVE files for a given sample are expected to reside in the same folder, so you will not be able to navigate to a different one. |
| TONE |
Specifies the pitch of the sound as recorded in the clip's WAVE file. If the file contains unpitched sound, set TONE to C4. When the sample is used to play a note, the clip that is closest in pitch to that note will be selected and played back. If TONE does not match the note exactly, the clip will be played faster or slower to produce the required pitch. |
After selecting the WAVE file and tone, press CREATE to add the clip to the list.
Trimming clips
The TRIM CLIP dialog provides an easy way to set the START, END, LOOP, FADE, and REL points for a single clip. It is displayed by selecting a clip in the ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog and pressing TRIM CLIP:
TRIM CLIP dialog
The dialog displays one or two large views, depending on the loop mode of the clip:
| FULL SAMPLE view |
This view is always visible; it shows the entire clip, and it also displays markers that indicate the START and END points, along with the LOOP, FADE, and REL points, if those are in use. To move a marker, tap its flag and drag to the desired position. Zoom into or out from the waveform with pinch gestures. Note that the FADE point, if displayed, must remain in the second half of the loop region. To reposition a Fade loop, it may be necessary to widen the loop first by moving LOOP far to the left. |
| REPEAT JOIN view |
This view is visible when LOOP MODE is set to Repeat. On the left, it shows the end of the loop region, where it meets the REL point; on the right, it shows the beginning of the loop, just after the LOOP point. Together, the two halves show the transition that occurs when one loop iteration ends and another begins. Dragging on the left moves the REL point by small increments; dragging on the right moves the LOOP point. To produce a loop without pops or other artifacts, zoom in or out with pinch gestures to show the transition point clearly. Place LOOP and REL so the waveforms on each side are similar in shape, then adjust the sides to produce a smooth transition from left to right. If the sound is not acceptable, try a shorter loop region, or a wider one, or try looping in a different part of the clip. Be warned, however, that some samples can be difficult or impossible to loop cleanly. |
| FADE JOIN view |
This view is visible when LOOP MODE is set to Fade. On the left, it shows the loop region where it meets the FADE point; on the right, it shows the beginning of the loop, just after the LOOP point. Together, the two halves show the transition that occurs when one iteration meets another. The crossfading applied to Fade loops is not represented here. Dragging on the left fine-tunes the FADE point; dragging on the right adjusts the LOOP point. To produce a steady loop, place LOOP and FADE so the waveforms are similar on each side, then adjust the sides to produce a smooth transition. Clicks are seldom a problem when the Fade mode is used, but it is still necessary to place the loop points carefully, or destructive interference in the crossfade region will result. |
| BOUNCE JOIN view |
This view is visible when LOOP MODE is set to Bounce. On the left, it shows the end of the loop region as it approaches REL in the forward direction; on the right, it shows the same signal as playback moves away from that point in reverse. Dragging on either side moves the REL point. To produce a clean loop, adjust the sides to produce a smooth peak or trough at the transition point. This mode occasionally helps when looping difficult samples, but the Repeat and Fade modes are generally more useful. |
Near the bottom are two more controls:
| MODE | Sets the loop mode, just like the MODE control on the ADD-ON SAMPLE dialog. |
| ROUGH EDITING | Normally, dragging a marker or waveform causes the clip to be updated continuously in real time. A few devices may perform poorly when this is done, however. Checking this box enables the rough editing mode, which improves performance by deferring clip updates to the end of the drag gesture, when the finger is lifted. |
