Using A Pc As A Sampler/effects Source

[Pete Alcock]

Dear Blue-Room,

 

I'm assisting a local school with a production of the schools version of Les Mis, and am thinking about the best way of playing in various sound effects as easily as precisely as possible.

 

What I'd like is a PC-based program that I could load up a whole bunch of sound effects (gunshots and so-on) and assign each to a key, so when you hit "1" you get a gunshot, "2" you get a runaway cart etc.

 

I suppose I really need a sampler or one of those digital jingle machines from 360 Systems, but budget is limited. I could get by with Cool Edit, but it'd be a bit cumbersome really and not much better than a MD or CD

 

Anybody got any ideas? Show is in November.

 

Cheers,

 

Pete.

[peter]

I think what you want is something like Sound Cue System - I've only used it for trial purposes on my PC, but it seems to run efficiently and allows you to build up a cue stack as well as assign sound effects to keyboard keys.

 

You can put stop cues, fade times, crossfades etc in - it takes a bit of getting used to,but seems pretty good.

 

Hope This Helps

[Stu]

Pete,

 

The Horizon software that allows you to control lighting from your PC can also fire off sound fx's by number button etc etc, but I don't know how much it costs - something to look into?! (I have a feeling it might be too much, but it's worth suggesting!)

 

EDIT: Actually when I think about it, to fire off the SFX's you just use the normal Out on your soundcard, so in fact the only thing you need is the download, which is of course free!

 

Stu

PS. Hope all is well with you BTW

[peter]

I should add that Sound Cue System costs £32, but thats a darn site cheaper than a sampler

[David]

SFX from Stage Research will do just what you want, and a lot more.

 

http://www.stageresearch.com/

[James]

Or if you want something that does it for free - It isn't SFX by any strech of the imagination but it should more than fit your needs then look at Soundplant

[Peter Russell]

SCS and SFX are very good pieces of software, however for what you want to achieve have a look at Sound Plant. Basically it lets you assign a .wav, .aif or .au file to every key on your keyboard and best of all it is free!!!. (register and it lets you assign mp3 files to your keyboard). I haven't used it myself but heard about it from Tony Waldron at Cadac who uses it for demos and as they say the man knows his pop. HTH Peter

 

Sound... Does exactly what it says on the tin - Ron Seal

 

 

Or if you want something that does it for free - It isn't SFX by any strech of the imagination but it should more than fit your needs then look at Soundplant

Damn those people who can type faster than me

[Paul J Need]

Call me old fashion.. but what is wrong with a couple of Denon Dn635 CD players?? Not only are the auto-cue, ( they cue to the start of the "noise" rather than the start of the track), so instant start.

[James]

Paul,

 

CD players need to be fed with CD's

 

CD players can only play one track at a time

 

CD players cann't play multiple instances of the same file.

 

CD's need editing burning and can't be edited on the fly.

 

CD's can scip, jump, or otherwise loudly fail.

 

James

[TeeJay]

Resurrecting yet another long-dead thread,

I just wanted to bring to peoples attention that Mackie are currently offering their Tracktion software for free until the end of the month.

 

You have to register your details but you don't have to fill in all the boxes. You also have to register the software. With a 512kbps link it took under 20 mins to download, install, and unlock. Now all I have to do is learn how to use the thing ... :)

 

Click here: http://my.mackie.com/profile/member.asp?t=tnfra

 

I have no connection to this offer other than I'm always up for supporting free software

[Bobbsy]

Missed this thread earlier, but I'll jump in with a "me too" for Sound Plant if you want to have individual effects, each on their own keys.

 

SFX and Sound Cue System are excellent in situations where you want a preset running order and give you some limited "hot key" functions, but Sound Plant is: A) free, B) entirely arranged around the idea of manual ad hoc triggers from individual keys. It also runs perfectly happily on a low spec machine....I'm doing panto this year on a geriatric P166 (but with the OS and just Soundplant and the Cooledit 2K installed).

 

If you do go with soundplant, spend a bit of time working with the various options in the bottom half of the screen. Basically you can decide:

 

-to loop or not

-whether the next push of the same key stops the cue, restarts it, or pauses it

-whether the next other key pushed overlaps with a current one or stops it

-setting levels and pan settings for each cue

 

Using these to the max, it's a pretty powerful bit of software for freeware.

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[Bobbsy]

Call me old fashion.. but what is wrong with a couple of Denon Dn635  CD players?? Not only are the auto-cue, ( they cue to the start of the "noise" rather than the start of the track), so instant start.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I fully agree with a previous reply from James about the limitations of CD (which apply equally to minidisk, btw).

 

I did my first show off a computer a couple of years back, and would now hate to go back to CD or MD (though I keep one on standby as backup...luckily never used so far).

 

The flexibility of true random access to files, combined with the ability to edit cues right there in the theatre is great. Of course, now I just try to do more elaborate things, but.....

 

Bob