EQ Magazine - May 2008 - (Page 25)

Fig. 1: Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player is used by many companies as a playback engine for sample libraries (in this case HF Productions’ “Drums Overkill,” a collection of vintage electronic drum kits). Fig. 2: TASCAM’s GigaStudio 4 can load sound libraries, as well as other VST instruments, for creating entire arrangements. Fig. 3: An audio file has been sliced into different segments, as shown in Reason’s Dr. Rex player; the MIDI notes that trigger these slices are visible in the sequencer section. may work only with certain samplers or require translation to other formats (and sometimes nuances get lost in the translation), there are no format issues other than whether the plug-in will work with your DAW. One instance where these types of libraries have really taken over is in providing orchestral backgrounds. These range from high-end libraries with extensive articulations like the VSL products, down to more budget-oriented options like IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik and Gary Garritan’s outstanding GPO (Garritan Personal Orchestra). SOUND LIBRARIES FOR SAMPLERS If you can play keyboards, then samplers and keyboard workstations can provide the sounds needed to flesh out arrangements. These won’t be “canned” loops, but rather, parts you play yourself. The benefit is originality; the drawback is that if you’re not a keyboard player, you’re out of luck and also, it can take longer to come up with a part than just lifting one from a loop library. Software examples include Native Instruments Kontakt, MOTU MachFive, Steinberg HALion, E-mu X2, Apple EXS24, Reason NN-XT, TASCAM GigaStudio, and the like (Figure 2). There’s also “workstation” software, such as IK Multimedia SampleTank, Sonivox Muse, Korg Legacy M1, and several others, that are pretty much plug-and-play—load the sounds, then go. And of course, there are hardware alternatives, like the Korg M3, Yamaha Motif series, and Roland’s Fantom keyboards. These often have arpeggiations or other sounds that can kick start the creative process, as well as sequencers that can capture ideas before they float off into the ether. SORTING OUT FORMATS Samples and loops are available in several formats, which may or may not be compatible with your favorite software. Here are some of the most common options. • Audio. In this case, each loop or sample is like a track on a Red Book CD. One advantage is that auditioning is easy— just plop the CD into a standard CD player. Also, prices tend to be lower than for files that had to be prepped for a particular program or sampler. However, to use a sample in a tune, you’re going to have to “rip” it and convert it into a file format your program can understand. • AIFF. This is the standard Macintosh digital audio file format. All Mac programs read AIFF files, and many Windows ones do as well. However, it is slightly less common than . . . • WAV. The Windows standard file format is extremely commonplace. Most Mac programs can read or translate WAV files. • “Acidized” WAV (also called RIFF WAV). This loop format takes its name from the Sony program Acid, which originally popularized on-the-fly digital audio time-stretching so loops of varying tempos (and keys) could be used together without any offline processing. These files contain data for programs that can interpret Acid-style time-stretching, like Sonar and Digital Performer. • Apple Loops. These are becoming hugely popular as a loop format, as they snap right into Logic Pro as well as Apple’s ever-popular GarageBand. They include timing and key information to facilitate stretching. • REX2. This file format, invented by Propellerhead Software, “slices” a stereo rhythmic file into several pieces, which are triggered by MIDI for playback (Figure 3). Moving triggers further apart slows down the tempo, while moving them closer together speeds up the tempo. • Groove Control. This process is used with many of Ilio’s loop CDs. It works similarly to the REX process in that MIDI data can trigger slices of a digital audio file, and speed up or slow down within a reasonable tempo range. • Stylus RMX. This is another slicebased format, optimized for Spectrasonics’ Stylus RMX. WHICH FORMAT IS FOR YOU? Before loading up on sounds, find out which file formats are supported by your main recording or sequencing program. Importable file formats will usually be listed as one of the main specs; if possible, choose samples that are “native” formats or translate well. With REX and Acidized WAV files, carefully edited files can cover a wide tempo range—for example, 80–160 BPM is doable with percussive material. (However, this assumes the sample was recorded at a relatively slow tempo, as all time-stretched files work more efficiently when speeding up tempo rather than slowing down.) Therefore, you don’t have to be too concerned about the original file tempo, as it can likely match the song tempo anyway. If your program doesn’t support timestretchable formats, then the availability of files in different tempos is important. This is because you’ll need to use offline time-stretching DSP, usually available within the program, to tweak the loop to the right tempo (e.g., time-compressing makes it faster, time-expanding slows things down). Unfortunately, the harder these algorithms have to work, the worse they sound—ideally you don’t want to have to stretch more than 5% or so. Some CDs offer the same loops at multiple tempos (and sometimes www.eqmag.com MAY 2008 EQ 25 http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - May 2008

EQ Magazine - May 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Jamie Lidell, What the New Model of Record Deal Means to You, Part II, Andrew W.K. Tool Box Aerosmith Fast Tracks Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet DigiDesign Pro Tools LE 7.4 Cakewalk Sonar 7 Line 6 UX8 Studio Projects CS5 Art Tubefire 8 Jazzmutant Dexter MCDSP Emerald Pack Overloud Breverb KRK Exposé E8B Mackie MR5 Blue Sky Exo Monitor System Big Fish Audio Around the World in 80 Raves East West Fab Four Virtual Instrument Sony Matt Fink- Starvu Session Keys Room With A VU

EQ Magazine - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.