nn-xt multi-sampling tips for beginners. part one

the subject line defines me, so I thought I'd share what I'm learning as I go. I'm going to spread this out across a few posts to zone in on certain key aspects.

For multi-sampling soft synths, I use a product called Chainer, which I've discussed before. Chainer's basically a mini-vst host, that uses a lot less resources than say a program like Cubase (perfect for those of us still stuck on ancient laptops).

It not only comes in useful for multi-sampling, but also multi-sampling layers of synths, as you could for example draw up instances of 5 different VSTs, custom design your own sound patch, and then export multi-samples for use at a later time, thus saving yourself CPU load. The program also lends itself to freeform play - there have been times when all I wanted to do was jam out, without running Cubase or the entire set up; Chainer allows me to just play with my pro 88 controller.

For multi-sampling, it couldnt get any easier. Once you've set up your VST synth (or synths), you drop down the file menu and click export. You set up the sample length and release times in milliseconds, select your export audio options (16,24 or 32-float), and which key's you want to sample. Depending on what sound you're sampling, you can get away with one key per octave, one every 3 steps, or even chromatic scales (although this would lend to large data sizes).

You also want to make sure the sounds you are sampling don't have tempo-tied LFO or filter movements, as these will become skewed and off-tempo once you drop them into your sampler. More advanced sample gurus will re-create these inside NN-XT or your sampler of choice using LFO's inside the sampler device. As I haven't figured that part out yet, I won't be discussing it now.

next: prepping the samples for import into the NN-XT