Single Sound Mapping

It's a common operation to want to take single WAVE files or the like and make a combined file out of them, mapping the samples across the keyboard. This is effective for drum kits, loops, etc.

Translator makes this possible with a powerful function called Single Sound Mapping. Single Sounds are defined in Translator as the following file types:

• .wav files - officially called RIFF files, most commonly used on PC's
• .aif files - commonly called AIFF files (TRIVIA: the official Apple spec says not to call them this, for some reason!), used often on Mac's, but not always
• .ksf files - Korg Triton sample files
• .snd files - Akai MPC sample files
• .s files - Pulsar sample files (actually Akai samples)

These are all stored on DOS disk.

Single Sound Mapping works like this:

• Right-click on a folder that has your Single Sounds in it; select Convert As... - OR in cases of instruments that exist on proprietary disk, drag a folder of Sing Sounds from the right and drop it on your proprietary disk on the left.
• Select your destination format.
• Translator will then parse through the folder tree and take the Single Sounds and start mapping them, usually into a single file with the Base Name you give it. (Remember you can choose whether to translate the sub-directories within that directory as well - see Options-General Tab for more information.)

You should end up with one or more instruments that have the samples mapped out across the keyboard.

There are very powerful features associated with Single Sound Mapping, that determine how your sounds will be mapped out. Below is the Single Sound Mapping Options dialog. There are two pages to this area.

Type

• One->One: this effectively turns off the feature. It takes each file and translates it like any other file.
• All->One: this is the most common setting. This takes at most 127 files and maps them across the keyboard in the destination format you selected (unless, of course, the destination format supports this).
• Folder->One: same as All->Single Inst/File, except that it converts instruments on a folder-by-folder basis.
• Prompt: Translator will prompt you each time it attempts a translation/map. Annoying, but needed in some cases.
• Prompt for Directory: If checked, Translator will ask you what directory to put all the combined translated files into. This provides you with a way to write the results to a different directory. This is needed especially if you are converting off CD-ROM, as if you don't have this option checked, Translator will try to write the result in the directory it first starts trying to write the file to. (By the way, if you make a mistake in this regard, Translator will forgive you and ask what directory you want to put the resulting file into.)

Conditions

• LoKey-HiKey: Sets the key range to map samples to.
• Map Method: Unregulated pays attention to the options above it. White Keys maps the samples out from left to right only on White Keys, Black Keys maps the samples out from left to right on Black Keys, Chromatic maps from elft to right using all keys.
• (Unregulated) Keys Per Sample: Determines how large the keyrange for each sample will be. Max means that, for example, if you are mapping 5 samples, they each will occupy 1/5 of the Key Range you've selected above.
• (Unregulated) Spread Bias: If a sample occupies more then one key, this determines where in that range the sample will play back at unity pitch.
• Use Embedded Ranges: Sample Files can have a key range and velocity range set in them. This pays attention to these without regard to the above settings.

Splt Incoming Samples

• Translator can split incoming sample files based on criteria below. This is handy when you have a sample where there is silence between sections. There are thre methods: Silence; where Translator looks at silent space between passages to mark splits; Beat; where a tempo is taken into consideration, and Fixed; where Translator splits on predetermined times.
• (Slience) Quiet Time: This is how much "quiet time" there needs to be in between slices; in Milliseconds.
• (Slience) Threshold: This is the defnition of "quiet" in "quiet time". 0% is silence, 100% invalidates the option.
• (Beat) Tempo: This is the tempo considered when splitting.
• (Beat) Get Tempo From File Name: Tempo is derived from the File Name (the first numerical digits).
• (Fixed): Number of Milliseconds to split.
• Split Slice Files Always: When encountering a ACID file or AppleLoops file, Translator will always split this according to it's embedded split points, no matter what the above options declare.

RootKey Place

• Normally Translator maps each sample from left to right, in the order of the sample files it reads, which is essentially random (mostly it's alphabetical, but it may not be exactly.). Root Key Place allows Translator to pre-determine where this function places the sample.
• Embedded Value: Pays attention to any embedded value within the sample file.
• Name: Looks for occurrances of a "keyname" , such as C5 or A#3. Capital letters must be used, and the # sign is the only one identified.

If Conflict....

• When using Unregulated in Conditions, there may be overlaps. These parameters deal with these overlaps.

Combine Left and Right: If Translator finds two sampes with the same name but differ in the end - one has "-L' and the other has "-R", for example, it will combine those as a single stereo interleaved samle.

Prompt for Combine: Prompts you if it needs to combine sample files.

Write Trees: if you are writing the new files to a new location, it will match the tree structure of the source.

Set as "Disable Pitch": In the newly created instrument, each sample will be set to "Disable Pitch" or "Key Track Off". This way they will not pay attention to the keyboard to determine there pitch. This is handy for sound effects or drums sounds.

Combined Name: This is the name that your combined files will take on, plus a digit tacked on afterwards.