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9. Warping in Simpler

1

Simpler is Live’s basic sampler, used for triggering audio samples via MIDI from a keyboard or other controller, and it has Live’s warping algorithms built into it. Simpler is a MIDI instrument, so start by choosing an instance of Simpler in the library’s Instruments category and dragging and dropping it onto an empty MIDI track.

2

Find a sample to work with from the browser’s Samples category. For illustration purposes, we’ve gone with a drum loop – Dubstep Claps 70bpm. Drag the sample from the library into Simpler in the Device View, where it says Drop Samples Here. The waveform will be displayed once the sample has loaded.

3

Hold a key on your MIDI keyboard to play the loop back. By default, it will be played at its original pitch and speed on the key C3, but lower notes will play the sample slower and at a lower pitch, and higher notes will play it faster and at a higher pitch. This is because the sample hasn’t been warped yet.

4

Click the Warp button to engage warp mode. In the default RePitch mode, the loop will sync to the tempo of the session and play at its original pitch. If you alter the session tempo, the speed of the loop will change to match, but the pitch will also follow the tempo change – slower speeds will lower the pitch, higher speeds will raise the pitch, like a tape machine.

5

Switch to Beats mode. Now, not only does the loop tempo match the session tempo, but if you change the tempo, the loop follows without the pitch being affected. You can play the loop back at different pitches from different keys on the keyboard, but it will always be in sync with the session tempo.

6

Let’s try a sample of a monophonic rhythmic synth sequence. Drop the file Sequence.wav (in Tutorial Files) into a new instance of Simpler and play a single note to hear the sequence played back. Play a chord, however, and each note in the chord triggers the sample at a different pitch and playback speed, resulting in chaos.

7

Enable warp mode and play the same chord again. Now all three versions of the sample are in sync, playing at the same speed but at different pitches, resulting in a clean, polyphonic sequence. Warping is enabling us to play the rhythmic sequence at the same length and tempo regardless of pitch, so the notes in any chord will now play in sync.

8

You can also use this technique to get audio that you’ve recorded yourself in sync with the tempo of your Live project. Here’s a blank set at 108bpm. Drag the audio file Coffee Tin.wav – a percussion clip that we recorded without a click – onto a new audio track. Enable the metronome and hit Play to hear how out of time it is against the current grid.

9

Drag the Coffee Tin clip into a Simpler and move the grey triangular markers to set the start and end points of the section of audio that you want to warp. Then click the 4 Bars button to warp the clip as a four-bar loop. Play a key on your MIDI keyboard and the tempo will match the set tempo, with the playback pitch determined by whatever key you play.