Now that I know how to properly use Polyphone (more or less), I've decided to start sampling my most oft-used instrument patches from my Fantom X6. Most of the stuff from there is pretty easy: one-shot samples with no significant velocity-based changes, drums, single-sample synth basses, that kind of thing. But, some of it is more complex; like my customised string ensembles. I decided to make it easy on myself and only sample whole-steps at 2 different velocities. That still comes out to about 64 samples per patch (128 if you count the stereo channels), but it'll be way less time-consuming and, hopefully, less of a point of failure when I ultimately export the soundfont to Sforzando. Anyone familiar with Sforzando has been annoyed by its frequent refusal to convert SF2 files to ARIA properly, disregarding velocities and occasionally offsetting the loop points to somewhere stupid. I've had to delete more GM sets because Sforzando wouldn't convert them properly than I care to mention, and it's always in the same places: acoustic pianos, solo instruments, and drums. Hopefully, the fact I only have 2 velocity settings per key instead of 4 will make it more compatible than a soundfont designed to work with a particular audio card or DAW.
Another thing I discovered (or rediscovered) lately is that, when it comes to stereo sampling, velocity switched instruments, and aftertouch, the only ones who really care about that stuff are the people who are shopping for synthesisers. Even pro audio producers are willing to kick aftertouch to the kerb, despite the fact they paid extra for that feature on their main MIDI controller. Depending on the project, a stereo sample might be too wide, so it gets flattened to mono; especially in videogames and commercial music. And, is the average schmoe really going to care if a piano, buried in a song with 5 other instruments and a drum kit, was sampled at whole steps with only 2 velocities? The fact of the Fantom X line's stereo-sampled piano with 4 velocity settings sold me on it, but when it comes down to it, no one who isn't a concert pianist with their own personal Bösendorfer is going to be releasing a lot of piano solos. And those people think electronics are below them in the first place, so, I'm not going to care too much about any of that. Does that make me lazy? Possibly. But, I have more important things to do than sit around staring at Audacity all day.
Also, I was in the middle of copying DVDs yesterday and thought about how my Sony IC voice recorder is, surprisingly, a really good sampler. It's small, so are the line-out adapter and patch cable I've been using to sample from my Fantom X6. The next time I go to the music supply store, I should take that stuff with me and steal some samples from their arrangers. It would have to be interesting synth stuff that other libraries don't have, or drums or something; because I really don't need 47 different kinds of orchestras, especially since I'm up to my bicuspids in instrument libraries as it is. But, I mean, it was just a fun thought to have. Rather than other shoplifters coming in to nick batteries and candy and shit, I come in and shoplift audio samples like some kind of spy. Or, I could be like the guy who forged his credentials and got a job with an insurance company just so he could delete his debt records, then leave the building during a restroom break and disappear into the night; getting a job at the music shop and taking high-quality samples of all the synth equipment as it comes in. Place gets a new Roland in on Monday, it's an SF2 on the Internet Archive by Thursday.
--22 March 2024--