Patch Editor

The Patch Editor allows you to modify existing Sampler patches or create new patches.


Patch Editor window

A patch consists of one or more samples. A sample is an audio file containing a single note of the instrument the patch is for (a single piano key hit for instance).

Samples

Samples can be triggered by three trigger sources: "Note On", "Note On with Sustain" and "Note Off". Most patches use "Note On" samples only.

The main grid lists the samples and their properties. The highlighted row can be edited. You can highlight a row by clicking it. You can click the button in the bottom left corner to play the highlighted sample.

For every sample the following properties must be defined:

The following properties are optional:

You can add multiple samples having the same note and velocity. They will be used in Round Robin fashion. All samples involved are supposed to have identical Lowest Note and Highest Note values.

Sustain, release and pedal noise samples

"Note On with Sustain" and "Note Off" samples are typically used for large piano patches.
"Note On with Sustain" samples are used instead of "Note On" samples if the Sustain controller is 64 or higher at the time the note is played.
"Note Off" samples are fired when a note ends. The Match Note-Off Levels button can be used to automatically match the level of the "Note Off" sample with the current level of the playing note. The sample's Gain property determines the highest allowed level in this situation.

The highest note (G10) samples of the "Note On with Sustain" and "Note Off" type are used for a special purpose. They are triggered by sustain pedal down and up movements respectively. They can be used to play samples of the sound a piano pedal makes.

General Controls

These controls provide the default values for their counterparts in the Sampler itself:

Tip: When a libary is opened in the Sampler the patch with the latest file time stamp will be loaded. So you can open the patch editor and click Save to make the current patch the default one.

Tools

The Tools menu offers several options:

Loop Editor

The Loop Editor, available from the Tools menu, can help you set the LoopStart, LoopEnd and LoopGain properties for the highlighted sample.


Loop Editor window

The left hand side of the display shows the part before the LoopEnd point. The right hand side shows the part start at the LoopStart point. In addition the left hand side shows a dimmed version of the part before the LoopStart point, and the right hand side shows a dimmed version of the part starting at the Loop End point. The loop will sound good if the bright curves cover the dimmed curves. This will make the left and right hand parts connect nicely in the middle of the display.

The LoopStart, LoopEnd and LoopGain boxes contain the values for the corresponding values in the Patch Editor.

The most important feature is the optimize buttons: Optimize Loop Points moves LoopEnd to a zero crossing and finds the best LoopStart to go with it. Optimize Gain finds the best loop gain.

The button in the bottom-left corner plays the sample, so you can hear how the current settings sound.