[linux-audio-dev] Terminology / sampler architecture

[Thorsten Wilms]

On Tue, Jun 15, 2004 at 05:22:38PM +0200, Frank Barknecht wrote:
> 
> Puh, that will be a hard one, as audio applications tend to be very
> different, not only in terminology. Pd doesn't know "sessions" or
> "bank", Ardour doesn't now "messages" or "bang"s, AMS doesn't know
> about "tracks", all because those things aren't used by them. One
> could try to make the naming in similar apps the same, like in Ardour
> and MuSE, but they already are most of the time.

OK, but looking at softsynths (at least non-modular ones) it 
would be to bad to have program, patch, preset used for 
the same thing.
If the naming between Ardour and MuSe is partly the same, 
that could well be the base for a guideline.
 
> > Of special interest to me is naming and structure of 
> > the different organizational levels of samplers.
> 
> I have to ask: what is a sampler to you?

Well, sure it's not always possible to draw a line. 
For me a true sampler follows the tradition of fairlight and akai, 
with a mostly fixed sound architecture and the sole use of 
samples as first step of sound generation. 

But even with systems that go beyond that, there are still 
comparable organizational matters. Assigning samples to 
note and velocity ranges, combining that with the setup 
of the following synthesis structure ...

> > And a specific questions: what is thought to be the 
> > best approach to allow both having multiple samples 
> > with greatly varying setups of filters/amps/etc 
> > (drumkits) and multiple samples for chromatic 
> > instruments with smooth changes of filter/amp/etc 
> > settings?
> 
> I sincerly don't understand what you are talking about here. ;(
> Maybe you could explain with an example? But maybe we just think
> different when thinking of samplers...

For a drumkit I need different setups of amp and filter 
settings/envelopes for each drumsound.
But having to adjust amp and filter settings/envelopes 
for each range of a multisampled piano in isolation would 
be bad.
So for an app or device that is specialized in sampling, 
there should be a structure that supports both, with 
out resulting in the complexities of a truly modular 
system.

So far I think of the following:
- Sample: just the naked sample
- Multisamples: a selection of samples, each assigned to 
velocity and/or note ranges.
- Patch: a Sample or Multisample and the setup of the  
sound architecture (filter, amp ...).
- Multipatch: a selection of Patches, each assigned to 
velocity and/or note ranges.

So a Multipatch would be the way to go for a drumkit.
But there's overlapping in having ranges for both 
Multisamples and Multipatches.

Besides clumsy naming I guess Akai and others must 
have come up with their own solutions. But I couldn't 
find information about that. Guess I have to search 
for userguides, if people here don't know about 
examples.


---
Thorsten Wilms