106 107Using Sampled Instruments
Sequential Prophet X User’s Guide
Using Sampled Instruments
Changing Sample Start and End Points and Adding a Loop
Another way to change the sound of a sample is to change its start and
end points.
To change a sample’s start or end point:
1. Recall the Basic Program and turn Oscillator 1 level down to 0.
2. In the Sample Playback section, use the type knob to select ethnic.
3. Use the instrument knob to select mandolin heavenly.
4. Play some notes and listen to the sample. It has a very strong attack.
5. Next, press the instr 1 button to show the sampled instrument param-
eters in the main display.
6. Press Soft Button 4 (inst1 edit). The sample editing window appears.
7. Turn Soft Knob 1 clockwise to adjust the sample start as you repeat-
edly strike a note on the keyboard.
Notice how the sound changes as sample playback begins farther away
from its original start point. The beginning of a sound is often the most
recognizable part of its character — particularly on acoustic instruments.
Changing the start point of a sample can dramatically change its sound.
Adding a Loop
To manipulate the sample even more, add a loop:
To enable a loop in the sample:
1. Set the sample start to 479.
2. Use Soft Knob 4 to set the sample end to 525.
3. Press the loop button.
4. Play a chord. The mandolin sample now sounds like a wobbly electric
organ.
The “wobble” is caused by the loop repeating itself. Because begin-
ning and end points of the loop contain different harmonics and volume
levels, there’s a noticeable bump in the transition between the two. You
can smooth this transition by adjusting the loop crossfade rate. For more
details, see “Creating Longer Loops” on page 104.
Making a Loop into a Single-Cycle Waveform
Now lets manipulate the loop and turn it into a waveform similar to the
Prophet VS waveforms we worked with earlier.
When you are creating loops, there are three different loop modes: Regu-
lar, Pitched, and Sync. Pitched mode is most appropriate for creating
single-cycle-type loops because the smallest loop setting in this mode
is 32 samples and the loop size is always a multiple of the root pitch of
the sample. This ensures that the single-cycle-type loop is accurately
pitched, making it function almost like an oscillator.
In contrast, Regular loop mode does not always allow you to make a
loop small enough to reliably create a single cycle waveform. Sync loop
mode loops the sample content at the chosen beat-synced rate (as set by
the front-panel BPM knob).
To create a single cycle-type loop:
1. Press Soft Button 3 (inst1 loop) then turn Soft Knob 2 (loop mode) to
set loop mode to pitched. (In pitched mode, the loop becomes a pitch
period calculated based on the assigned note of the sample.)
2. Press Soft Button 4 (inst1 edit) then turn Soft Knob 2 (loop size) to set
the loop size to 1. The loop is now a single pitch period — in essence a
single-cycle waveform.
3. Play a chord. The wobble is gone and the instrument sounds much
more like a traditional oscillator. Add a bit of rotating speaker effect
and this would make a perfectly acceptable organ.
4. To hear what the instrument sounds like when loop mode is not set to
pitched, press Soft Button 3 (inst1 loop) then turn Soft Knob 2 (loop
mode) and set loop mode to regular. It’s very different because the
loop is so short that the speed of its repetition creates harmonic arti-
facts.
As you can see, it’s easy to create a single cycle waveform. Creating
longer loops, however, requires some practice. You usually have to nd
an area in a sample where the volume and harmonic content remains
relatively consistent. See the next section for more details on this.
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