Korg Forums

[mwode]

Hello,
this is my first post, and im hoping that i have just got something wrong about the microsampler...
I have had it a week and tonight first properly sat down to use it.
It is fun, but im not sure I understand the point of the 'keyboard function'


some real limitations im comin gup against :
Q:am i right in thinking it puts everything onto c4?
So what if the sample want to use is pitched at g etc? Do i have to have it split from c and work out what im actually playing?

Q: Am I right in thinking that i cant have a few sounds split over the keys to multi sample and play some sounds sampled from soft synths ? That is basically why i got this, to recreate songs done on the computer live.. after the initial split in keyboard mode the sounds are pretty useless an octave away...it has a keyboard so id think this was the point of it..but it may as well just be a pad sampler as the keys arent exactly set up to be musical.

i hope ive got this wrong, so thanks for taking time to reply..
happy holidays

[floccipocci]

Hi,

The key will always be mapped to C4 as root.

What you can do is to change the pitch [HOLD "EDIT" then B4 key] and adjust.

So if your sample is originally pitched G4, you need to pitch shift it down to C4, i.e. by (-7). Then your G4 sample will have its corresponding pitch mapped to G4 key as root.

I think this workaround should work. I think of it as a "alternative" root key setting.

[MarsHottentot]

Ahhhh, okay, that makes sense! Thank you!
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[mwode]

thanks ill try that, see how it works...

the multisample thing has somewhat put me off the microsampler though....a real missed opportunity.

thanks for the suggestion!

[smidge]

In sample mode, the microsampler does extend samples on lower keys if they are free of samples.
This is a way to use one shot samples (on the extreme left of the sampler for example) and chromatic instruments (on the rest of the keyboard).
There will be less pitching artefact considering that you can put 2 or 3 notes (or more) for the chromatic instrument. The extension will be done by the microsampler by pitching lower however you can't choose to extend your sample on the other side.
You could also put a sample on every key but this will limit the polyphony.

[beatifictatter]

yeah, i thought the automatic pitching down on empty keys thing was cool at first, like a multi-sampling workaround....but then i thought if im going to do that i might as well just sample EVERY note on to each key, as im not saving any space/keys etc....

the 'keyboard' mode is a real let down, there should be some kind of multi-sampling option for it, or more options in general (i HATE having to turn the dial to select which sample to use as keyboard..surely logical thing would be hold down 'keyboard' button and press the key to select it?!?)....
the 'automatic' pitching that the keyboard function does is useless for anything other than synth stuff/percussion. no way you could consider using it to spread authentic sounding strings or piano or anything like that....a bit shoddy in this day and age.

im not bashing the machine overall (though i do have a lot of problems with it) , but keyboard mode is one of my main gripes with it, i will rarely use it and that was one of the main reasons i bought the MS.

[jbl]

[smidge]

I think the keyboard function was at first intended as a tribute to the casio skx serie. The radical pitching effect can be somewhat fun depending on the sample used.

[shabby]

i love the i note pitch keyboard channel.. i sample every old synth i run into.. get long not too modulated notes. try out in different root notes sample them in the MS.. where i run out are mostly chords i hold (for pads) but hell ho.. where would u keep your synthies for then... put one of the fx over the keyboard functions..

it rocks!!!

[floccipocci]

[beatifictatter]

I don't think I really understand the workaround? So you're saying you can set the root octave of the keyboard sample? I'll have to try it tomorrow.....might make piano etc a little but better......any chance of a quick video?

[floccipocci]

Unfortunately I don't have time to do in video...

Let me type it out in steps:

1) First sample a note of a known pitch. In this example, I sample A4. I use A4 because I want my notes around that key (say D4 to D5) to pitch better.

2) Next find out how many semitones A4 is away from C4. In this case, minus nine (-9). Because we go down to G#4, G4, F#4, F4, E4, D#4, D4, C#4, finally C4. (9 steps in all)

3) Apply transposition to the note in the number of semitones. Shortcut is HOLD Edit + Key B4 ("PITCH"). And we apply a value of -9. To verify correct, now if you play the sample, it will be pitched shifted to C4.

4) Play in keyboard mode. Now you'll find that the A4 sample is mapped to the correct root key (which will be the A4 key on the keyboard)! (And those notes around it will pitch shift better.) And now your higher octave melodies sound better. Hopefully!

Basically we're working on the principle that the closer a key is to the root key/sample, the... "better" the pitch shifting, and the better the ADSR is "preserved". And the other limitation that the MS defaults to C4 as root, so we need to 'fool' it.



EXTRA THOUGHTS!
=============
Using the above methods, you can sample regions of an instrument. For example, sample a high note and then you have good high pitches. Then for the same instrument, sample a lower pitch and then you can play good low pitches. Just by selecting the samples using the knob.

Very useful if you're going to record some performance to the sequencer in keyboard mode: For example,
Record the melody, then switch samples (with sample select knob) to overdub the bass parts. (Of the same instrument. For example, right hand then left hand parts of piano track.)

What I'm thinking here is just because the keyboard mode only allows mapping of one sample only, at any one time, to one default root key, does not mean that I am stuck with horrible pitch shifting when I play too far from the root key. Just sample various roots and when you are going to play in the vicinity, just switch samples! But it might be tricky when doing it live though...

This is also my solution/workaround to thinking that just because the root key is C4 by default, I must sample C4 or sample the same root notes for all instrument sounds being sampled, in order play keyboard mode in the correct scale for all instruments. I felt this way at first.


MORE EXTRA THOUGHTS!
=================
Using the above idea, you can enable octave changes, using the sample change knob as an octave switch! (But not for MIDI though). (useful if you have surgical precision in switching samples with the sample select knob, especially when playing live perhaps.)

[MarsHottentot]

Awesome tips! Thank you!
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[beatifictatter]

I haven't tried this yet, going to give it a go tomorrow. Is this still the best workaround that's been found to make keyboard mode less chipmunky? I hate how the high notes sound in keyboard mode, and I need the whole 36 keys to be as true sounding as possible cos I'm playing some orchestral string sections that cover a few octaves....still can't understand why no multisamplibg in keyboard mode if they knew it sounded this bad on many sources, though admittedly fun on others....you can do it in sample mode easily enough but I don't want to use a bank per instrument....I dig it as a sampler but still feel ripped off with the keyboard mode and no autoloop type function...