Currently I’m using some other samplers in my setup, and coming from the Octatrack audio editor in which I’m very familiar, none of them come close to the functionality and ease of use for editing audio.
I’d say the only exception is the OP-1, even though it lacks a lot of the Octatrack functionality at least is fairly direct and simple to use.
On other gear things like setting start and end points are nowhere near as precise or efficient, and viewing and zooming often isn’t satisfactorily implemented.
None handle slices as well as the Octatrack, and don’t have all the other things like fades, cut/paste sections, silence section, rotate start position and so on. I think I’d have to say that outside of a computer, the audio editor in the Octatrack is unsurpassed, at least on the other samplers I have used, which is quite a few.
The Toraiz SP16 slice mode is a total pain to use compared to the OT, it has a very nice screen and decent zoom level on both horizontal and vertical axis, but trying to get non clicking slices on a 4 bar bass loop has taken me probably 20 minutes, which on the Octatrack would take less than a minute or two.
I’d be interested to hear how things like the MPC live and MC-707 are in this regard, not that I’m considering getting either of them, but they are both samplers that I’d expect to be fairly comprehensive at editing audio (as I expected the SP16 to be), is this the case or not?
Yep, really efficient. Limited to Flex machines, and theorically with 8m28s max (max 16 bits recording time, corresponding to max RAM I guess). Theorically twice longer for imported mono files.
I miss a quantized selection function, like snapping end to bars, half / double / shift selection…
You need to calculate the exact number of samples to be really precise.
Useful fonctions like Trim (select start / end) > apply Slice Grid to that selection.
Mix Channels > Substract can be used as center canceller, karaoke heaven!
1010 Blackbox editing features are pretty nice.
I prefer it to the OT in that regard. Auto slice, easy ReSlice, granular, and so on. Some touch screen pinching and scrolling using your fingers if you like, but very intuitive.
Tweaking volumes of individual slices while they’re in use in context and then being able to save the whole chain under a new name is great. Wish for smaller dB increments on the gain though.
I didn’t find it.
You can use MIX CHANNELS > ADD CH L+R to make a sample mono, but I didn’t find a simple way to keep L or R only. (Possible with Spacializer FX)
Btw I tried differently : copy the selection, set PASTE mode to MIX 0db, invert channel R, paste to cancel R.
Didn’t work.
Surprising they didn’t implemented that…
So @darenager was right, it’s possible with the AED but I couldn’t find a simpler way than that :
Load your sample in 2 slots
Slot 1 > - 3db
Slot 1 > - 3db again
Slot 1 > Fn + Copy
Slot 2 > - 3db
Slot 2 > - 3db again
Slot 2 > Invert Channel R*
Slot2 > Change Paste Mode > MIX 0db
Slot 2 > Fn + Paste
Slot 2 > Mix Channel > Add CH L+R**
Basically you paste a sample to itself with an *inverted channel, cancelled by phase opposition. You keep only left channel, and **make it mono. Add - 3db twice for each slot to avoid clipping after pasting.
It didn’t work properly with MIX - 6db, nor with only 1 slot. Apparently the copied selection is also affected if you do an action after in the same slot…
If someone can find a simpler way, I’m interested in!