7.11 Sampling into a Synth Instrument

Audio can be sampled directly or loaded into a synth as an oscillator source waveform thus enabling creation of melodic instruments. The recorder is accessible from within the sound editor or using grid shortcuts.

Loading an audio sample into a synth

1. Shift + Synth to create a new synth clip in Clip view. Default is square wave, single oscillator with no filters or effects.
2. Audition + Load.
3. The load options for note range will be offered:
   • BOTTOM-TO-TOP. Audio will be mapped across all notes. This is the default setting and used where a single sample can authentically be mapped over a wide note range.
4. Press Select to confirm selection.
5. The file browser will open. The most recent recording will be offered or file options. Navigate to the selected audio file. turn Select to navigate across folders and files and Back/Undo to back up, press Select to drill down into menus.
6. Select a single sample file to load.
7. Press Select when audio sample is in-focus to load.
8. The audio file replaces the synth oscillator waveform and will be mapped based on the range set. Pressing Audition pads or keyboard will play automatically tuned to the correct notes.

Loading multisamples into a synth

1. Shift + Synth to create a new synth clip in Clip view. Default is square wave, single oscillator with no filters or effects.
2. Audition + Load.
3. The load options for note range will be offered:
   • BOTTOM-TO-TOP. Audio will be mapped across all notes. This is the default setting and used where a single sample can authentically be mapped over a wide note range.
4. Press Select to confirm selection.
5. The file browser will open. The most recent recording will be offered or file options. Navigate to the selected audio file. turn Select to navigate across folders and files and Back/Undo to back up, press Select to drill down into menu’s.
6. Select the folder containing the multiple samples to load.
7. Press & hold Select when the folder is in-focus until the context sub-menu appears.
8. turn Select to choose MULTISAMPLES in-focus. Then press Select.
9. The samples will be loaded and pitch automatically detected. They will be mapped across the note range, even filling in gaps if the sample set for the range isn’t complete. Pressing Audition pads will play matched to the correct notes.
10. Range is displayed.

Recording an audio sample into a synth

1. Input will be line-in or mic (external or Internal). The mic gain can be changed on the input switch.
2. Press Shift + Synth from clip view to create a blank synth.
3. Press Select to open synth settings.
4. turn Select and with oscillator 1 or 2 selected, press Select.
5. turn Select to choose ‘RECORD AUDIO’ and press Select.
6. The recording options for note range will be offered:
   • BOTTOM-TO-TOP. Audio will be mapped across all notes. This is the default setting and used where a single sample can authentically be mapped over a wide note range.
7. Press Select to confirm selection and start recording. Record button illuminates flashing red and the display indicates ‘RECORDING’ to indicate that recording has started.
8. Press Record to end recording. Recording ends and is normalised.
9. The recording is assigned to the oscillator.
10. Press Audition pads to play back the sample range.

Adjusting multisample note ranges

1. Select Synth in Clip View where a multi-sampled range of samples have been loaded to the synth.
2. Press Shift + Browse shortcut to open browser.
3. The range will be displayed in the format “A2-D2”, meaning that the range covers the notes A2 to D2, inclusive of those notes. “BOT” and “TOP” are used to inform that the range applies all the way to the bottom or the top.
4. turn Horizontal to select the upper or lower note of the band. The selected note will flash.
5. turn Select to adjust the note upper / lower band in focus. Neighbouring boundaries will change as needed to accommodate the change.
6. Shift + turn Select clockwise to insert a new range above the currently selected one. Shift + turn Select anti-clockwise to create a new range below the currently selected one. Band in-focus will indicate flashing.
7. Shift + Save to delete the currently selected range.

About sample pitch detection

The Deluge automatically detects the pitch of all samples loaded into “synth” instruments, using this information to set up multi-sample note-ranges and adjust transpose so that the correct pitches are played.

The Deluge’s pitch detection algorithm gets good results on its own, but will then also compare its results to the sample files’ names. If it realises that its pitch detection has got the samples in the wrong order, it will re-evaluate the pitches. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have your samples named alphabetically from low notes to high notes. Numbers and note names are taken into account when looking at the order - e.g. the Deluge knows that “B#2” comes before “A3”, and that “Eb comes before “E”. Only the ordering of the files is important though - the Deluge does not read the actual note names - just looks at the files’ ordering and then uses its pitch detection for the rest.

Some .wav and .aiff files contain tags explicitly stating what note the file contains a sample of. Where these tags are present, they will override the Deluge’s own pitch detection.