The future of SSC -ideas for a monster sampler

[Henrik]

Digi; You led the way back in 1991 with the SC card, showing how a sample player really should be made. I have not yet come across any better, faster or simpler GUI, a more stable operation or a more logical file administration in ANY other sampler so far. And this is for OVER 10 years!!! just imagine folks, 10 years in dotcom times like this, with a software that's been looking pretty much the same the whole time, talk about solid original concept.

Don't throw that away!! Make it available to people who don't necessarily use any PT hardware. Spread it!! Please don't let the SCII inst/bank file format die with MacOS 9!!

This is definitely A weak point in your product line, especially since the TDM2 architecture beeing incompatible with the SCII daughter cards (only 16 MIDI channels is by far not enough and it's too expensive to waste HD interfaces on SCII inputs) so it wouldn't surprise me if you would drop a sampler bomb anytime soon, like a SSC with:

-sample accurate timing.
-eight instances of 16 MIDI channels each and voices limited only by hardware.
-VST, MAS and/or ReWire compatibility.
-An arrey of powerfull filters with Moog/TB/OB/ARP-emulation etc.
-External MIDI clock as modulation source
-4 band EQ available for EVERY individual sample and each individual instrument (using DSP power only when in use).
-implemented ability to read different file-formats such as AKAI, Giga, SF and REX files, with prefs. for what to do in cases of mismatch.
-Disk streaming capability (selectable for each instrument)
-Multi selections of samples and instruments i.e. multi manipulation; such as delete/remove/cut/copy/paste or any parameter change.
-Ability to open multiples of the same type of window for comparison and moving/copying samples
-Full drag-and-drop functionality of instruments and samples between banks and sample map windows and the "file" window (see below) or any other app.
-Smarter possibilities for automatically setting root notes/organizing key groups for an entire instrument.
-Zoomable loop editor and sampleMap windows
-Upgrade the loop editor into a full blown wave editor with Audio-Suite and Premiere plug-in compatibility etc. Here you should be able to change the sample frequency Manually as in good ol' SoundDesigner, but also equipped with a simple little calculator showing how the sample frequency affects the pitch and tempo in regards to a given pitch and tempo.

And the best:

-A Brand new "File" window with three "tags" where you can Always Immediately Prelisten to any selected sample.
*Tag 1 reflecting all the samples used in the current session. Samples should be automatically selected when the corresponding instrument is selected in the editor, opening for batch manipulation of all samples in an instrument.
*Tag 2 reflecting the file hirarchy on your disk. Here is where you normaly surf for new sounds. It should be divided into three frames, where the left frame is showing the file hirerchy, the center; every instrument in a selected bank and the right; every sample in a selected instrument. There should be a "Global Audition Mode", "Channel Audition Mode" and a "Sample Audition Mode". In "Global Audition Mode"; any selected instrument or sample immediately loads into a RAM buffer (samples streamed from disk) and responds to all incoming MIDI messages on all channels and at the same time turns off all other previously loaded instruments. In "Channel Audition Mode" (which should be the default setting) the same RAM buffer feature applies, except that the previously loaded instruments are not turned off, and you can set a specific SSC-instance and channel from which you can play the auditioned instrument or sample. This way you can audition full instruments while your sequencer is running, just like any outboard MIDI synth. In "Sample Audition Mode" the raw sample plays back from disk just like it does today. You should be able to leave it in "play" while quickly wading through a lot of samples so you don't have to turn it on and off for each sample like now. It should simply always play the currently selected sample.
*Tag 3 This is the Search pool. This Tag should be equipped with advanced search functions and the ability to BATCH manipulate files such as copying, converting between different file formats for export to other samplers, advanced renaming such as replacing individual letters and numbers in hundreds of samples at once, normalize/gain change/invert/revert/L-R swap/strip silence/crop etc. And built-in capability of resolving broken paths between samples and instruments and between instruments and banks. There should be a possibility to organize samples in "virtual" sub-folders or under sub-tags. Pretty much like Sample-Search from Gallery (never considered aquiring the code from Mr Gilbert?).

In this new "file" window you should be able to filter/specify what you can view, such as only SCII instruments or only AKAI samples etc. also things like disk location, fily-type/creator, bit depth/Sample frequency etc. should be information you should be able to choose to see or not.

OK, if this monster ever comes to life I can assure you it will make some pretty serious damage [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]