Hi everyone!
I’m really disappointed by how M:S manages sample locks. First of all, there is no direct way to preview the samples that you want to use for sample locks. You can only do that by hitting the track button while browsing the samples and then when you find a possible sample you have to remember or write down the name of that sample and go to the steps you want to assign it to and do the sample lock thing. As far as I know there is no way you can temporarily preview these samples in the sequence without the M:S writing these samples into the sample lock pool of your pattern! This often leads to the sample lock pool being filled with samples you actually don’t use. Of course you can erase them by going into the sample lock folder and erase one by one! But you have to remember which samples are actually the ones that are not used! This is a real pain and workflow killer!
Is there a workaround for that? Why the M:S can’t just automatically erase the samples that the project or pattern doesn’t use from the sample lock pool?
Any help would be really appreciated!
Thanks and best regards to all!
Forgive my ignorance, but what is the deal with the sample lock pool and why is it an issue if unused samples appear there? Will it drastically limit the number of sample locks you can use in a track/pattern?
@Phurniture, M:S lets you to use up to 26 samples per pattern. 6 of them are the ones that are “tied” to the tracks, ones that you play using the pads. You can think of them as main samples. Then you can assign different samples to the steps of any track you like and this is called sample locks. You lock a sample to a step like you lock any other parameter such as decay, filter cutoff, etc.
Sample lock pool is a folder in the M:S that stores all the samples that are used (or not used, that’s where the problem begins) by the pattern including the 6 main samples and samples used for sample locks. The issue is that sample lock pool actually stores even those samples that you first assigned to certain steps but then decided not to use. When the sample lock pool gets full (after storing a total of 26 samples), M:S won’t let you assign sample locks anymore.
Hope I answered your question.
Yes, it certainly did. I’m familiar with the sample lock functionality, and use it all of the time, but I must never have used so many locks as to fill up the pool. Good to know.
@Phurniture you’re lucky! Hehe. It would be interesting to know how do you know which sample to use for a sample lock or how do you preview them.
I’ll test things out in the morning, but I am a bit confused when you say you need to write down the names of the samples you want to use. Tell me if this is how you generally do it.
- Program the initial sounds into your pattern.
- Press the Wave button and browse for the sample you want to use. Preview them using the Track’s trigger button, or even one of the 16 step buttons to play chromatically.
- When you find the sample you like hold down a trig and press the data knob to assign.
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Ok I see where probably is my mistake. I didn’t know you can assign a sample lock that way. I mean, by pressing the desired step button and then the sample (wave) button. I’ll try that definitely! Now my question is, is there any way you can preview a sample lock while the sequence is playing? I mean, in the steps you would like to assign it to?
I’m not sure what you mean by “preview a sample lock”. You can preview the sound with the Track pad while your pattern is playing.
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What I mean is listening to the samples in the sequence, not with pads. But I tried what you told and it works pretty well actually! At least now it is not trial and error. I think I was not doing it correctly! Thanks a lot!
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