Sampling and Midi

[BigYinUK]

Hi all

 

This may not be the right place to ask this but the BR has always helped out in the past so here goes.

 

We are putting together a show where I will need to run some sound effects during the gig. As I'm also playing in the band I will need the simplest way to fire them off at the correct time(s).

 

Some of the mp3s (intros and outros to songs) could just be run on a media player on the laptop but some fx are time critical (ie have got to be played in time with the music).

 

I was wondering whether we could digitise the mp3 clips and trigger them off using a midi command sent from either my foot controller or a key on my keyboard (v.basic Yamaha YP55). We have a Roland Fantom XR (no longer used by the keys player) which I'm told should be able to be used for this purpose.

 

Being a guitar player I know virtually nothing about this technology. I just use an old midi-controller to change effects in my rack and change channels on my amp.

 

If anyone has any more detailed info on how this might be done, I'd be very grateful.

 

Regards

[CharlieH]

Not sure if this is the best way to do it, but if you have a laptop running a DAW with a sampler plug-in (Logic running the EXS24 Sampler is how I have done it in the past), you can assign audio files to various keys on your MIDI keyboard by dragging them into the sampler window. You can then adjust the settings to latching, so one push of a key will play the entire of the associated sound effect - you haven't got to hold the key down for the duration. A cheap audio interface running into your mixer and you're sorted!

 

Might be hassle to setup, but it works really reliably for me!

Hope this helps,

Charlie http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

[lightsource]

We have a Roland Fantom XR (no longer used by the keys player) which I'm told should be able to be used for this purpose.

 

Just looked at the specs for the Fantom XR, and they state:

Full-blown user sampling is also supported, along with .WAV/AIFF compatibility for loading samples via USB.

[/Quote]

 

That would be what I'd be looking at, the only problem is that the Factory shipped version only comes with 16Mb of RAM, which is not much when using WAV files. The XR can be upgraded to 512Mb fairly cheaply though with 168 pin DIMM Memory modules (3.3v).

 

An other issue, is that it appears to have no on-board sequencer, so it'll probably need to be fed by a laptop running some form of Audio software, issuing program changes via MIDI to the synth.

[neilalexrose]

 

Some of the mp3s (intros and outros to songs) could just be run on a media player on the laptop but some fx are time critical (ie have got to be played in time with the music).

 

 

 

If you're thinking of using a laptop have a look at sound plant, you can assign your SFX to keys and hit the right one when required. If you're mac based then Qcart would do a similar thing to soundplant, but supports midi triggers. I've just had a look, and I thought you could rent Qcart, like Qlab, but it seems it's purchase only.

I personally would use Qlab (but that's because I'm mac based and have used qlab alot), I don't know if mutli-play would support midi trigger in a sampler style format if you're PC based?

 

Neil

[BigYinUK]

Hi there.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've had a look at QCart and it seems just the ticket. I might even be able to use it in freeware mode as what we need is so simple.

 

Thanks for putting me on to it Neilalexrose.

 

Regards

[BigYinUK]

BTW Just though you'd like to know that this is now how we are doing the FX and it works just great.

 

Thanks to all for the help & advice.

 

Regards