File Management Tips for Model:Samples

Elektron Gear Model:Samples
#1

I was encountering a series of interrelated problems while trying to keep my uploaded samples organized and accessible on my M:S. I’ll just list out a few of the main issues I’m having, and see if anyone come up with workarounds they can suggest…

(1) Both the PC Transfer software and new iOS “Transfer” app are unstable, and frequently crash during uploads.

I like the PC software, and it generally works pretty quickly, but it crashes frequently during transfer. When that happens, the program freezes and the M:S locks up until you pull power from the device. This hasn’t caused any data corruption or other negative consequences yet, but is a nuisance.

The iOS app is new and mostly works for one transfer at a time, but also crashes quite a bit. The developer is still working on improving it, and it’s better than not having an app at all, for sure.

Do other people encounter these lock-ups and crashes, or do things to avoid them? Try moving fewer files at a time?

(2) Within the PC Transfer app, I cannot find anyway to move samples into other folders, or bump them out to a parent folder.

I’m just not seeing where this functionality exists. It isn’t in the right click menu, and you can’t drag samples into folders. What that means is that you have to put the sample exactly where you want it, since it can’t be moved afterwards. (Renaming folders and files works fine).

(3) iOS Sample Transfers are difficult to organize.
This is related to items (1) and (2). If I try to move a sample from the M:S to my desktop, it usually crashes the program. Otherwise, I could just move it out from M:S and then back into the location where I want it. That would be an easy-enough workaround, but it just doesn’t work in practice.

You can move entire folders from iOS, and then they become new folders in the “Pool” directory on M:S. But, again, moving more than one file at a time usually causes the iOS app to crash.

So, because I can’t do that, I have to dump all iOS transfers into the default “uploads” folder. I might have to take to just renaming them more carefully so i can actually find them in that one folder. However…

(4) The M:S Display only shows about 7 or 8 characters of the sample name, making on-device navigation a bit of a nightmare.

This is a pretty big one. I might not need things neatly sorted into folders if it was easier to find what I’m looking for. But if your folder or sample name relies on more than 7 or 8 characters, they all look the same on the M:S.

To demonstrate that, let’s say I have samples of 3 different JUNO-60 Brass sounds. “JUNO Brass 1”, would display as “JUNO BRA” or something like that. You’d have to name it “JUNOBS1” or something to that effect, which is ambiguous. This is part of the reason why I wish it was easier to move things in and out of subfolders - it would just be easier to use a file path (Synths -> JUNO -> Brass -> 1), as opposed to trying to fit all of that information in an abbreviated name.

Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions on all of this? Thanks!

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How do you organize samples in your machine?
#2

When I bulk dumped my samples, I used a folder called SAMPLES on my desktop (Mac user here FYI) with sub folders like BD, SD, SY, etc etc inside. Then just dragged the the whole SAMPLES folder over to Transfer. Worked perfectly.

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#3

I never had Transfer crash on me. Only problem I have with Transfer is that when loading samples it sometimes makes my samples play by itself lol.

#4

Right. In your example, the organization was done on your computer, so you just dragged the parent folder over and it imports all of the subfolders along with it. That does work.

Actually, I think you probably could even add new samples to the BD , SD, and SY folders on your M:S. What you can’t do is move things around on folders within the M:S.

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#5

What you could do is move everything onto your computer, like this:

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Then organise them as I described before, and once done, drop them back on the M:S.

Looking at the Transfer manual, it seems you cannot move things around in the software.

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How do you organize samples?
Sample management and playback on M:S
#6

Thanks @craig. I agree that would be the best way to manage samples. The software just hasn’t been stable enough for me to do that. It will maybe send a few samples off of the M:S to my computer, then it hangs up and freezes. This is on a new Dell computer purchased this year with decent specs.

But it sounds like other people are not having the stability issues that I am, so I will keep trying. Maybe use a different USB port or something.

How do you name the actual sample files within those subfolders? 01, 02, 03, etc? I would’ve preferred smaller font with more characters versus the big bubble font.

#7

I usually take them from the original Digitone preset names (before I mangled them) or what I called them on my DT, but I take out vowels or whatever so they’re all 4 letter long. Something that was called Seven has become SEVN, for example. I like calling them random things so I’m forced to trial them before adding them to a track. In that way, I pick something appropriate to the track.

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#8

Is there a way to erase all the samples on the M:S. Just start from a blank slate?

#9

Of course!

#10

Hmmm, the manual says the factory samples always come back with factory reset. Okay.

#11

Ah, sorry, I thought you meant the ones you add yourself. Maybe it’s possible to remove the factory ones too :thinking:

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#12

Nope

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#13

If it’s like the dt the factory samples shouldn’t take up any of the available user space on the +drive.

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#14

Yeah, I get it. Not a problem really. Just bloatware. No biggy. I don’t need the room at all, I just don’t want something on my machine that I don’t use. Don’t want to end up in a folder I don’t want to be in, then have to find my own samples, by hitting the back button…then I hit it too many times and I have to do it over. A bit janky, but what do you want for 300 bucks?

#15

Yeah, I haven’t tried, but I don’t think you can delete the factory samples. You’ll notice in the desktop software that you are seeing the “Pool” directory, except the Factory folder (and RAM, etc.) do not appear as they do on the device. I actually like the factory ones and would use them more, but as with any factory content, if the name doesn’t give me details about the sound, I’m unlikely to go looking for it or ever find it.

#16

@craig Ultra late reply but after using my samples for quite some time there are now a lot of folders in the thing and i want to rearrange all the samples to new folders without breaking my existing patterns and projects!

So do i understand right that if i transfer all my samples via “Transfer” to my PC to a Folder … I can rearrange them as much as I like …create new folders for example Snare / Kick / Ambient etc. and if i reupload my samples back to model samples it will still connect them to their respective projects even though they are now in different folders?

#17

Hey, welcome to the forum! I’m probably not the best person to answer this as it’s been a while since I last had a Model:Samples. So I wouldn’t want to guess and end up screwing your projects. But, you could do a test. Start a new project with new/unused samples, then try moving them around as you suggest and see if it works. That’s what I would do anyway :slight_smile:

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#18

That’s definitely the way to go. I’m pretty sure I could do what @Batou intends, but if I tried to make a step by step list I could easily miss a step out. Try it first, and make notes.

Bear in mind. If you copy your file from M:S to computer with transfer, then rename or move it to another folder, then move the file back again using transfer, M:S should see it as the same file.

If you do anything else (like, let some funky software add metadata to the file, change the sample rate, or use something other than transfer) then you could get messed up … definitely in the case of metadata/sample rate.

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#19

Besides what @craig said, another way to tackle it is to back up every single project first (with the latest version transfer and firmware), before re-arranging samples. Then, when you’re done with sample folders, restore the projects, and if you did miss out a sample or a folder, transfer will figure that out and let you put back the missing sample.

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#20

@bibenu, @craig
Thank you both for the fast reply! Since that last update of Transfer I back up my whole projects regularly so if anything goes wrong I have the project files plus samples.

I will try it in small steps as you both suggested. I will keep you posted about the results.

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