Sampler Track: slicing loops, repurposing and sampler sounds

1

There are many ways to get audio into a sampler track (including drag and drop), but here we’ll create a new track from an existing audio event by selecting it and then choosing ‘Create Sampler Track’ from main Audio menu (via Ctrl/Cmd+Right-Click).

2

The loop can be played back by pressing Middle-C (C3/60), with other notes playing the loop slower or faster, and at a different pitch. AudioWarp mode can be used to keep the playback speed the same whatever the note/pitch.

3

For drum and percussion loops, the new Slice mode uses transient detection to separate each hit and then maps the results chromatically across the keyboard. The Threshold may need adjusting depending on the material, though hitpoints can also be adjusted, deleted or added with the mouse.

4

Clicking on the MIDI icon and dragging to the Sampler Track in the Project window creates a MIDI part that will playback each of the new hits in a similar pattern to the original audio loop. This can then be edited in the same way as any other MIDI pattern.

5

The main difference between sliced audio and full audio loops is that each of the new slices triggers the Amp and Filter Envelopes. This means we can alter the shape of the hits by dragging the Amp Envelope handles.

6

Things get even more interesting in the Filter section, where it is possible to dial up a wide range of shaping options via the multiple filter shapes (and types) and pushing up the Drive knob for some extra dirt.

7

Some interesting movement is possible by engaging one of the LFOs to control Filter Cutoff and setting its rate to synchronise with the project tempo. There are multiple LFO waveshapes that can be tweaked further with the Waveform Shape control.

8

If you’re looking for a sound and approach more akin to that employed by older sequencing sampler boxes like SP-1200 and MPC-60, then you should dive into the Vintage playback mode in the Quality drop-down, and lower the Bit Red and Rate Red values.