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Creating velocity-sensitive instruments

SampleRobot Export Options

SampleRobot is designed to capture instrumental sounds in fine detail. You can use it to create sample-based instruments with up to 128 levels of velocity. Even if you don't use up all the layers velocity-sensitivity adds liveliness to every sound. Here is how to do.

The main hierarchy in SampleRobot is:

Project (color coding: yellow)
> Multisamples (color coding: orange)
   > Samples (color coding: green)

If you would like to sample an instrument with e.g. 4 velocity layers you need to create 4 multisample layers within your project. The easiest way is using the included Project Wizard that opens after app start. But if you need to do a "custom" velocity mapping with unequal distances between the velocities you can manually create multisamples in a project by clicking on the + (Add) symbol in the upper section of the multisamples window.

Multisamples Window

It is important to understand that SampleRobot uses the Midi Attack Velocity as a mapping reference for the export. It can be adjusted in the Multisample Info and Settings area on the right side under the I/O tab.

Multisample Into and Settings

When adding new multisamples to your project you can also duplicate an existing multisample layer with the = symbol right next to + and -. It makes sense to adjust all your settings on the I/O tab for your "master" multisample and then just duplicate it and modify the attack velocity for the different layers accordingly.

When you have your multisamples ready you can start the recording by clicking on the red microphone button in the project or multisample window. When it is a non-Midi instrument please uncheck the Auto box next to the recording button. Then SampleRobot will record the instrument in semi-automatic mode which gives you a countdown for each key and some other options like a tuning oscillator. Even if in semi-automatic recording mode SampleRobot will use the Midi velocity from your multisample layer as a mapping reference.

Export Options

If you would like to change the velocity mapping for the export (which you should want normally) just click on the Export tab from the Multisample Info and Settings section on the right. If desired you can manually alter the velocity mapping for each multisample layer by changing the Low and High boundaries. It would be pretty annoying to adjust the mapping for all the different velocity layers in a  say 20-layers project. Therefore SampleRobot comes with another automatic function called Auto Range. If you click on All the diligent robot will analyze all the multisample layers in respect to the Midi attack velocity and will automatically set the velocity range with low and high boundaries in every layer. Now you can export your project and you can play a dynamic and vivid new sample instrument.