COMMODORE SOUND SAMPLER USER'S GUIDE SFX Computer Software C= Commodore WHAT IS THE COMMODORE SOUND SAMPLER? Sound sampling is a technique in which sound waves (e.g. from a microphone or direct input) are converted into numbers and stored in the computer's memory. It can then be converted back into sound again, or the computer can be used to alter the sound The sound sample can be replayed forwards, backwards, at a high pitch or low pitch, or with a repeating loop. The Commodore sound sampler also has software included for converting it into a drum machine. You can record any sound you want, e.g. a dog's bark, and play it back using the keyboard (or optional overlay keyboard) over a 10-octave range. Thus a tune can be played using the sampled sound. The sampler can store 1.4 seconds of sound, but endless loops can be set up using the editing software. Many of the sound effects that are heard in pop music today can be reproduced on your sound sampler. One example is 'pitch shifting' which can be used to dramatically change the sound of your voice. Whilst you speak into the microphone, the sampler will shift your voice up or down in pitch - e.g. a man's voice can be made to sound like a woman's voice or vice versa. Your sound sampler can also be used as a drum machine. Up to four sounds can be stored in the computer's memory at once, e.g. tom-tom, cymbal, bass drum and snare, either recorded by you from a microphone or loaded from pre-recorded sounds available on disk or cassette. You can then set a sequence of up to 16 drum notes and play them back at any speed. These drums are real, not synthesised, sounds! PACKAGE CONTENTS Commodore Sound Sampler Module. Microphone. Audio/video cable. Software on disk or cassette. User's guide. SETTING UP - WHAT YOU NEED For sampling and playback you will require the following: Commodore C64 or C128 Computer. TV or Monitor. 1530 Cassette Deck or 1541 Disk Drive (or similar). INPUT 1. A microphone or line input 2. The sampler software on disk or cassette. OUTPUT 1. A TV - use the cable supplied to connect the Sampler OUT socket to the computer's video socket. Turn up the volume to hear the output. 2. An amplifier and speaker - connect up the sampler OUT to the amplifier IN socket, using a suitable cable. 3. A monitor - use a suitable connector to link the Sampler OUT socket to the audio IN socket on the monitor, e.g. (a phono to phono lead). SETTING UP - WHAT YOU DO 1. BEFORE switching on slot the Sampler unit into the expansion port on the back right hand edge of the Commodore 64 or 128. 2. Check that your Commodore disk drive or cassette unit is correctly plugged in. 3. Make sure your TV or monitor unit is correctly plugged in and ready. (Cassette users should ensure that the cassette unit is as far away from the TV as possible). 4. Switch on your computer and TV or monitor. If you are using the TV or monitor as the sound output, turn up the volume on your set. 5. Plug the microphone into the IN socket on the Sampler - (see markings underneath Sampler). LOADING THE PROGRAM FROM CASSETTE 1. Check that the TV or monitor screen is displaying the "READY" signal with a flashing cursor. 2. Insert the cassette into the cassette unit. 3. Ensure the tape is fully rewound to the beginning. 4. Hold down the SHIFT key and press the RUN/STOP key. 5. Press PLAY on the cassette unit. 6. The Menu screen appears once the program has loaded. 7. Press STOP on the cassette unit. LOADING THE PROGRAM FROM DISK 1. Before switching on the computer, check that your disk drive is correctly plugged in then switch it on so that it is ready for use. Switch on computer and the TV or monitor. Check that the screen is displaying the "READY" signal with a flashing cursor. 2. Type LOAD "*", 8,1 then press RETURN. 3. The menu screen appears once the program has been loaded. OVERLAY KEYBOARD If you have the Music Maker keyboard overlay, place it on your computer so that it fits and operates correctly. If you are not using the Music Maker keyboard the QWERTY keys may be used as shown in the table on the back page. OPERATION USING THE PULL DOWN MENU Now the program has loaded you can use the function keys to move up and down the menu options by pressing F3, for cursor down, or Fl, for cursor up. The menu option is highlighted to that which is current. Select your choice by pressing F7. Most of the menu selections work in this way, so as you get further into this guide it will be assumed that you are familiar with the menu selection procedure. MAIN SCREEN MENU The main screen menu allows you to select one of five main activities or, if required, preset three *MIDI options (for which you need a MIDI interface). A MIDI interface will allow the Sampler to be played by MIDI synthesizer keyboards, (see page 5 of this guide). *MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The five activities on the main screen menu are as follows: 1. SOUND SAMPLING. a. QUATTRO SAMPLING. 3. PITCH CONVERTER. 4. ECHO. 5. DISK/UTILITIES (or TAPE LOAD/SAVE). SOUND SAMPLING Selecting this option displays a menu from which you can choose: 1. RECORD. 2. TUNING FORK. 3. DRAW WAVEFORM. 4. REPLAY. 5. LOOP. 6. SAMPLE EDITOR. 7. OCTAVE. 8. TRIGGER LEVEL. 1. RECORD To select, press F3 to move the menu bar down from EXIT, then press F7. An instruction text appears at the base of the screen: PRESS SPACE BAR TO RECORD Watch the sound level on the LEVEL METER at the left of the screen and speak into the microphone to obtain a suitable sound level for sampling. If the meter level does not appear, adjust the volume control on the Sampler. The ideal level lies between 5 and 7. If the meter shows overload (red bar appears at the top of the meter!) then it is possible to turn down the level by using the volume control on the sampler unit. Enter your sound via the microphone after you have pressed the space bar. The sound can now be replayed, using the keyboard, over two octaves. In order that the sampler can record, the sound level must be greater than the TRIGGER LEVEL. Note that the blue marker at the side of the meter is the "trig" pointer. When the Program is first loaded the trigger level is always set at zero, so all sounds input should be sampled. If you have not altered the trigger level the sample will have been recorded and will be ready to play on the keyboard over a two octave range. Do not be alarmed by the screen blanking, this is needed to allow the computer's microprocessor enough time to do the sampling. 2. USING THE TUNING FORK The tuning fork can be switched 'on' or 'off by selecting the tuning fork option using key F7. It is only necessary to use the tuning fork when a mountain plot is to be drawn, so a tidy display is obtained. (See DRAW WAVEFORM). The note from the tuning fork can be heard from your TV or monitor when you enter sound sampling RECORD mode. Remember to check you have the correct volume level by adjusting the volume control on your TV. First tune your instrument or voice so it produces a note at the same pitch as the fork (or any octave above or below). Note that the fork pitch is NOT a standard pitch so you may have to tune your instrument to match it. If you cannot tune your instrument, play a note as near in pitch as possible. Record the sound as normal. 3. DRAW WAVEFORM Once you have selected this option you may display your sample's waveform in any of three ways: 1. GENERAL MOUNTAIN PLOT. 2. SPECIFIC MOUNTAIN PLOT. 3. OSCILLOGRAM. A GENERAL MOUNTAIN PLOT is a display which shows the waveform of the sound throughout the entire 1.4 second sample time. The sample memory is divided into 112 pages (each page is a unit of memory equal to 256 bytes). The SPECIFIC MOUNTAIN PLOT enables a range of page numbers which are of most interest to be chosen and plotted for a given range of pages of memory. If you wish to plot specific ranges of waveforms for the Quattro Sampler it will be useful to note the following: Sample #l occupies pages I to 27. Sample #2 occupies pages 28 to 53. Sample #3 occupies pages 54 to 83. Sample #4 occupies pages 84 to 112. The OSCILLOGRAM will plot one selected page of sample memory at a time. You can then choose to select one page forwards or backwards and replot one at a time, using the Fl and F3 keys. 4. REPLAY When this mode is selected from the sound sampling menu the direction of replay of the sound is switched from FORWARD to REVERSE. This will cause your sample to play backwards when it is played by using the keyboard. 5. LOOP This causes the sound to repeat as long as a key is depressed. The sample editor can select the exact point to begin the repeat (see below). Using the loop feature enables sustained sample sounds to be obtained. 6. SAMPLE EDITOR This plots the sampled sound's loudness versus time information. This type of plot is also called an amplitude envelope. If you select this option you will obtain a screen display of the sound's amplitude envelope below which you will see two large arrows. The arrow on the left is the REPEAT marker and the one on the right is the TRUNCATE marker. The repeat marker sets the point from which the sample starts repeating. The TRUNCATE marker allows you to cut off the end of a sound completely. To make you more familiar with the sample editor try the following tests. Enter record mode and record the words 'one two three four five six.' Remember you have 1.4 seconds of record time. Playing the keyboard will of course play back 'one two three four five six.' Now select the sample editor and you will see a plot of 6 patterns corresponding to the words 'one two three four five six.' Use F5 (SWAP key) to select the arrow that you want to move (this arrow will change to yellow). Move the repeat arrow to a point between the third and fourth peaks and then exit the sample editor. Select LOOP ON and play back the sound. You will hear 'one two three four five six four five six four five six" etc. Now go back to the sample editor and select the right hand arrow (TRUNCATE) to be between peaks 5 and 6. Exit the sample editor and on playing the keyboard you will hear 'one two three four five four five four five four five' etc. The sample editor is useful for tidying up the sound and setting loop points for sounds that are required to play continuously. It is also useful to edit drums for special effects. 7. OCTAVE To change the octave in which the sample is played, press Fl or F3 to move the menu bar to OCTAVE. Then press F7 and you can use Fl and F3 to change the octave. The octave range of the keyboard can be extended to a 10-octave range although some of your samples may not be recognised when you replay them in an octave range far from that in which the sample was taken. The pitch at which you record will be played back at middle C (or I) on the keyboard, when octave 6 is selected. 8. TRIGGER LEVEL This is the threshold at which the sampler will commence the recording. If the microphone is sampling background noise it is possible to eliminate this by raising the trigger level. TRIGGER LEVEL is to ensure that silence is not obtained at the start of a sample. QUATTRO SAMPLING When you select this option from the main menu you are able to enter RECORD mode and store four different samples into four parts of memory labelled, #1, #2, #3 and #4. After selecting RECORD from the Quattro Sampling menu the command prompt at the base of the display reads as follows: SPACE BAR To record sample # 1 F7 to Exit. When you have rehearsed the first sample and checked that the level and trigger levels are suitable, press and release the space bar. Remember to release the space bar before the time allocated for the next sample begins otherwise you may fill #2 as well. Repeat the above process for #2 #3 and #4. If you practise a few times you should easily be able to fill all four channels with different sounds. After the last sample has been recorded you will find yourself in Quattro Play Mode. The Quattro Play screen shows the four key notes Q W E R which can be used to replay the sounds. Remember, do not be alarmed when the screen blanks during playback. If you have entered four suitable sounds into the Quattro Sampler, perhaps with drums, hand claps, or cymbals, it will not be long before you wish to use the sequencer. THE QUATTRO SEQUENCER You can use your own recorded sound or load up 'DRUMS' or 'LATIN DRUMS (Disk version only)' after selecting DISK UTILITIES (or TAPE LOAD/SAVE) from the main screen menu. If you load up the pre- recorded 'DRUMS' from the disk or tape, sound 1 is a bass drum, 2 is a snare, 3 is a cymbal and 4 is a handclap. Once all four sounds have been recorded or loaded from disk or cassette, enter QUATTRO SAMPLING then SEQUENCER, then PLAYBACK. Press F7. You can now hear the preset drum pattern. Press F7 to stop. You may now wish to try your own rhythms. Enter the PROGRAM SEQUENCER and you will see a screen with sixteen boxes from left to right across the screen. Press F5 (CLEAR) to erase the preset numbers in the sixteen data boxes. These boxes can be programmed with the new data. The small arrow shows the input position. Pressing key Q enters sound #l, pressing key W enters sound #2 and so on. Pressing the SPACE BAR enters a pause. If you wish to change a number use Fl and F3 keys to move the input arrow to the position at which the new data or pause is to be placed. Type in the new sound or pause. Press F7 to play your sequence and remember to use F7 to stop the sequencer. You may wish to change the speed. If so, move the menu bar to TEMPO and change it as required (1 is the slowest and 28 the fastest). PITCH CONVERTER Pitch shifting effects can be performed by selecting the PITCH CONVERTER option from the main menu. The sound input into the sampler is output to the loudspeaker at a higher or lower pitch depending on which EFFECT NUMBER was selected as shown in the table below Effect Number Musical interval 1 - 1 octave (low pitch) 2 - 1 fifth 3 - 1 third 4 - 1 tone 5 + 1 tone 6 + 1 third 7 + 1 fifth 8 + 1 octave (high pitch) Try changing the position of the feedback control on the Sampler when using the effects. ECHO Echo is selected directly from the main menu by moving the menu bar and using F7 in the usual way. The delay time can be altered from 20 milliseconds up to 2 seconds. In order to start the delay effect that you have chosen, select ECHO START from the echo menu then press F7. Careful use of the feedback knob can enhance the effect. Pressing F7 will exit the echo activity. DISK UTILITIES or TAPE LOAD/SAVE When you need to load a sample from disk or cassette return to the main menu and select DISK UTILITIES or TAPE LOAD/SAVE. The following options are then available. 1. LOAD SAMPLE. 2. SAVE SAMPLE. 3. SCRATCH FILE (Disk version only). 4. FORMAT DISK (Disk version only). The LOAD option allows you to load up pre- recorded sounds from disk or cassette. These may be your own samples or those supplied with your program. 'DRUMS' and 'LATIN DRUMS (Disk version only)' are used by the Quattro Sequencer, while 'FUZZ GUITAR' is played on the keyboard. The SAVE SAMPLE option allows you to save samples on a disk or cassette. First you must select the SAVE SAMPLE option from the Disk Utilities or Tape Load/Save menu. To give a name to your sample use the Fl and F3 keys to move the 'box cursor" over the required letter, then press F7. Repeat this procedure until the name for the sound is complete, then select "END" to save the sound. Use "DEL" for deletion if you make an error. If you change your mind and no longer wish to save a sound, delete the whole sound name and go to "END". You will then return to the menu. DISK VERSION ONLY If you are saving a sample to a brand new disk you will need to format it first using the FORMAT option. Take care not to format a disk which contains files that you require to keep because formatting will erase them. The SCRATCH FILE option allows you to delete any sample that has been saved on disk. When this option is selected a directory of the sound files is loaded from disk. You can then exit or select the file to be deleted, using the menu bar and F7. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) If you have a MIDI keyboard and a MIDI interface, the interface may be plugged into the cartridge point on the top of the Sampler unit BEFORE the computer is turned on. Select MIDI ON from the main menu. NB. to select MIDI ON move cursor into position then press F7 TWICE. For instruments such as the Siel MK900 Synthesizer select MIDI TYPE 1 from the main menu. For instruments such as the Casio CZ101 use MIDI TYPE 2. The MIDI CHANNEL number is used if you want your controlling instrument or sequencer to control more than one Sampler. The Sampler program is preset to channel 1. You may be able to alter the channel on your MIDI sequencer or keyboard. If so, you should set the appropriate MIDI CHANNEL number from the Sampler menu to equal the channel number used by the controlling instrument. DO NOT SELECT 'MIDI ON' IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A MIDI INTERFACE CONNECTED. DISCLAIMER Although these programs are thoroughly tested by Commodore before release, no claim is made regarding the accuracy of this software. Commodore and its distributors cannot assume liability or responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of these programs. Programs are sold only on the basis of this understanding. Individual applications should be thoroughly tested before implementation. Should you require installation, maintenance or training, please contact your Commodore dealer. The following diagram represents which musical notes correspond to the keys on your computer. COMPUTER KEY = MUSIC NOTE Q = C 2 = C# W = D 3 = Eb E = E R = F 5 = F# T = G 6 = G# Y = A 7 = Bb U = B I = C 9 = C# O = D 0 = Eb P = E @ = F - = F# * = G £ = G# UP ARROW = A HOME = Bb DEL = B < Diagram of keyboard showing above information > SFX Computer Software C= Commodore Commodore Business Machines (UK) Limited 1 Hunters Road, North Weldon Industrial Estate, Corby, Northamptonshire, England. (c) 1985 Music Sales Limited All rights reserved. No part of this literature may be duplicated, copied, transmitted or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of the Publishers. Back Of Box: Contains Sound Sampler Module, Software, Microphone, Audio Lead and User's Guide. Sound Sampler is an exciting hardware and software package which enables you to: * Record any sound, e.g. voice, guitar, a dog's bark...using the microphone or a line input. * Replay the sound using the keyboard, forwards or backwards, higher or lower in pitch. * Plot the waveform, edit the sound or make a continuous loop. Other features include: * Echo with variable delay time. * Pitch converter - raises or lowers the pitch of your voice (dependent on which effect you choose) when you speak or sing into the microphone. Sing a harmony with yourself or sound like Mickey Mouse. * Quattro Sampling enables you to record four different sounds and replay them on the keyboard or in sequence of your choice at any speed. *Using the drum samples included with the program gives you a rhythm unit with real drum sounds. < Six screenshots explained below > Easy-to-use Menu system. Reproduce the effects on many latest hit records using the sampler. Digital Drum Machine with real drum sounds using drum samples supplied. Draw Waveform - analyse and compare samples. Harmonise your voice using the Pitch Converter. Digital Echo unit with variable delay. MADE IN ENGLAND ORDER NO. CD10214 (DISKETTE)