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OpenMPT => Help and Questions => Topic started by: xmasboy on December 20, 2005, 12:35:19

Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: xmasboy on December 20, 2005, 12:35:19
hello,

i mostly use .wav-samples, no .xi-files.

.xi is just a sample with the included settings like volume, filter, panning etc. or not?

my problem:

Patterns -> Main instrument ... this select-box is empty, means no names
of the samples are there...

why don't are the names of the samples (!) there and not the "empty" instrument-name?
Title: Re: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: rewbs on December 20, 2005, 13:12:50
Hi,

An instrument can use multiple samples, so ideally instruments should be named separately.
However, others have pointed out that naming instruments can be tedious, and I agree. Therefore in the latest development builds, if the instrument name is empty, the name of the first sample that the instrument maps to is displayed instead.
Title: Re: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: xmasboy on December 20, 2005, 13:19:03
Quote from: "rewbs"An instrument can use multiple samples, so ideally instruments should be named separately.

What? I always used one instrument for one sample.

Sample 1 is assigned to Instrument 1, Sample 2 is assigned to Instrument 2 a.s.o.

It would be chaos for me if the Instrument has not the same number like the Sample...

I start like always in this way on a new Song:

1) New Track
2) Loading a Sample
3) Goto Instruments Tab
4) New Instrument
5) "Convert"-Msg -> Yes!

So every new Sample got his own Instrument with the same Number... but of course
in the Patterns -> Main Instrument only the numbers stand there...
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: rewbs on December 20, 2005, 13:43:12
Well everyone tracks differently. But IMHO the true beauty of instruments is:
- You can have multiple instruments pointing to the same sample - so you could play for example your same snare drum sample with and without a pitch envelope in the same pattern.
- You can have multiple samples per instrument - so you could for example record a real double-bass playing notes C-3 C#3 D-3 etc... and use each sample with the same instrument, resulting in your super high quality double-bass instrument that doesn't rely on MPT to change the pitch.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: xmasboy on December 20, 2005, 19:06:51
Your reply confusing me a little bit :-)

Quote from: "rewbs"- You can have multiple instruments pointing to the same sample - so you could play for example your same snare drum sample with and without a pitch envelope in the same pattern.

How can i point 2 different instruments to one sample???

In the past i have loaded 2 samples, point an different instrument to everyone and put the 2 samples on 2 channels.

- You can have multiple samples per instrument - so you could for example record a real double-bass playing notes C-3 C#3 D-3 etc... and use each sample with the same instrument, resulting in your super high quality double-bass instrument that doesn't rely on MPT to change the pitch.[/quote]

The same: How can i point 3 different samples to one instrument???

Maybe a .it-demotrack would be nice for this two features...
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: Waxhead on December 20, 2005, 19:52:38
You can assign a sample to each "note" C-1 = Sample 1 C#1 = Sample2 etc... just take a look at the intruments panel and I bet you will find it ;)
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: Squirrel Havoc on December 20, 2005, 20:04:26
Quote from: "xmasboy"The same: How can i point 3 different samples to one instrument???

Just to avoid confusion, instruments point to samples
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: rncekel on December 20, 2005, 21:29:51
In fact, it is very usual to have instruments that point to several samples. One of the many uses of this is to have the drum kit in just one instrument; depending on the note played by the instrument, a different sample sounds, making the bass drum, the snare, and so on. Just have a look at the instrument tab, and you will find in the right the sample map, that tell which note of the instrument point to which sample and playing really which note (if you want to see it, just open any .it file).
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: speed-goddamn-focus on December 20, 2005, 22:08:32
Quote from: "xmasboy"How can i point 2 different instruments to one sample???
The easiest way is to make an instrument, then shift-click on the "new instrument" button. This will create a clone of the current instrument, using the same sample. You can also edit the sample map (also on the inetruments tab).
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: Sam_Zen on December 20, 2005, 23:20:14
Nice thread this and helpful for newbies I think. Because this aspect of sample/instrument was quite confusing to me too, after FastTracker, I remember.

Quote from: "Rewbs"in the latest development builds, if the instrument name is empty, the name of the first sample that the instrument maps to is displayed instead.
Thanks, I didn't know that. Like xmasboy, I often make a compo with just straightforward samples as instruments.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: xmasboy on December 21, 2005, 00:17:36
ok i understand this a little bit more than before,
but it's makes no sense for me and my tracking.

the drum kit in one instrument is not good for me,
because i often play the snare/kick/tom on
different notes in the track.

i just tought it's possible to put to one sample
2 instruments (one with high pass and the
other with low pass), but this don't work.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: speed-goddamn-focus on December 21, 2005, 07:36:53
Quote from: "xmasboy"i just tought it's possible to put to one sample
2 instruments (one with high pass and the
other with low pass), but this don't work.
It works for me by cloning an instrument, setting one to "force highpass" and the other to "force lowpass".
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: rncekel on December 21, 2005, 08:46:51
Even if you play different notes with the snare (I use many times a complete octave with the toms), you can use more than 100 notes in an instruments, and you surely don't want really to use so many different notes from just one sample.
And if you try to have an instrument that sounds in a realistic way, you need to have many samples from the real instrument.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: xmasboy on December 21, 2005, 12:32:06
Quote from: "speed-goddamn-focus"
Quote from: "xmasboy"i just tought it's possible to put to one sample
2 instruments (one with high pass and the
other with low pass), but this don't work.
It works for me by cloning an instrument, setting one to "force highpass" and the other to "force lowpass".

hm okay you load only sample in, but if you want to play the sound with highpass AND lowpass
you also have to use 2 channels...

example: http://s.filecache.de/58509201

also you have to name each instrument and it's really confusing me
if an instrument have not the same number like the sample...
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: speed-goddamn-focus on December 21, 2005, 15:00:02
Quote from: "xmasboy"hm okay you load only sample in, but if you want to play the sound with highpass AND lowpass
you also have to use 2 channels...
Yes, to play two instruments at once you will always need to use 2 channels. Is that a problem?

Quote from: "xmasboy"also you have to name each instrument and it's really confusing me
if an instrument have not the same number like the sample...
I think it would be more confusing if two instruments had the same number, no? Perhaps it will be less confusing for you if you use the treeview for loading samples, you can drag and drop them directly in the instrument view. With a little luck perhaps you can suppress the memory that there are sample numbers.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: Snu on December 21, 2005, 22:47:01
Quote from: "xmasboy"
Quote from: "speed-goddamn-focus"
Quote from: "xmasboy"i just tought it's possible to put to one sample
2 instruments (one with high pass and the
other with low pass), but this don't work.
It works for me by cloning an instrument, setting one to "force highpass" and the other to "force lowpass".

hm okay you load only sample in, but if you want to play the sound with highpass AND lowpass
you also have to use 2 channels...

example: http://s.filecache.de/58509201

also you have to name each instrument and it's really confusing me
if an instrument have not the same number like the sample...
ah, so you want a bandpass/bandexclude filter?
mpt doesnt support that (yet?)
you could always use a vst, there are plenty of good free filter vsts out there.
Title: how to load an sample / instrument right?
Post by: Poser on December 21, 2005, 23:54:12
Modplug supports high- and lowpass, you can run on channel 1 a melody with lowpass
and on channel 2 the same but with highpass (2 same samples, 2 different instruments).

This is heavy used on Drum & Bass tracks for example, they often let the same
bassline run on several channels (up to 10!) and just let the filtersettings and volume
change randomly to bring more variety in those simple basslines.

http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF142524-01-03-01.mp3