The difference here is that the tones derived from Sample Editor cycle selections will generally prove to be more exotic-sounding than classic oscillator wave shapes, such as sine, square or saw.īear in mind that we can also experiment with longer cycles that perhaps do carry with them some of the characteristics of the source material they derived from.ĮXS24 is a fully fledged virtual sampler that allows you to not only load and play extensive libraries of sounds, but to also edit them and use them as starting points for further sonic manipulation. The process can be repeated several times in consecutive Zones or completely new sampler instruments, resulting in a rich palette of varying tones, just as one would have on a multi-oscillator synth. Layering Zones will emulate the effect of operating a multi-oscillator synth, where any slight detuning between oscillators (or, in our case, Zones) will produce richer timbres. Bear in mind that the length of the cycle will have a direct effect on pitch too, so you can use the EXS24's transpose, tune and fine controls to match the tuning of a correctly pitched instrument (for example, an instance of ES1 playing a basic waveform).Īt this stage it's possible to load up another instance of the same vocal sample in a second Zone of the instrument, repeating the Sample Editor selection for a new cycle. Chances are that the timbre of the continuous tone will have little or no relation to the vocal tone we started with and, in fact, the shorter the selection, the less it will resemble the source. The selection can be looped by enabling the Zone's Loop button, creating a continuous tone. In essence, this is the equivalent of a synth's oscillator wave shape and, in most cases, the more random it looks, the more interesting it will sound. From the EXS24 Instrument Editor, launch the sample in Logic's Sample Editor (click on the 'E' to the right of the Start Frame field) then zoom in and select a single cycle of the waveform. To achieve this we have to resort to some sample-level sound selection. But just as an analogue synth depends on the shape of a cycled waveform to provide the basic character of a starting tone, so can we determine a similar cycle within EXS24, departing from the perceived characteristics of a vocal tone and arriving at something more abstract. What follows will be based fundamentally on a subtractive synthesis approach, in our case depending on a digital sample for the source rather than an analogue waveform. ![]() Once it's loaded up and the instrument saved, we can begin our sonic journey. Make sure you preview the resulting tone in the Sample Editor by enabling loop playback, so you can continue to experiment with loop lengths until the desired continuous tone is achieved.We can start by loading our sample in an EXS24 Sampler Instrument via the Instrument Editor. This is also where you can edit the sample loop points in order to create a single-cycle selection. Clicking on the small 'E' buttons at the bottom of the Zone pane - the 'E' button next to Loop will only become available if Loop is first enabled - will launch the sample in Logic's Sample Editor, allowing for finer graphical editing. Once inside the Instrument Editor, you can create a new Zone from the local Zone menu and load up a sample by clicking in the blank field beside Audio File. The Instrument Editor can be accessed from the Edit button next to EXS24's Sampler Instrument selection menu. Bear in mind that the original content of the source will be rendered almost irrelevant once the sonic manipulation is in full swing, so any interesting sample, short or long, will do. Of course, the sound-design process can just as easily start with a pure wave generated by a synth oscillator, but for this experiment, we'll use a short vocal sample: one with a couple of words and a handful of different vowels and consonants. But can we really be completely free from the tempting presets included with most of our favourite virtual instruments? The answer is yes, and in this workshop, we'll see how every element of a typical track can be built from a single source sample, using the tools built into EXS24. This is not only necessary when projects require originality, but is also advisable if one is to stand out from the preset-using crowd. The EXS24 soft sampler can manipulate a single source sample to provide every element of an electronica track, from kick drums to pads.Whether you are a sound designer working with visual media or a music producer looking for signature timbres, chances are you'll resort to some creative audio generation during your quests for sonic inspiration. Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler is a powerful tool for playing realistic instruments, but dig a little deeper and you'll also find unlimited potential for sound design.
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