Sound Pool = Track Sound

Just trying to confirm. That they changed the name of the sound pool list to track sound.

9.1.1 ADDING SOUNDS TO THE SOUND POOL
You must rst add Sounds to the Sound pool to be able to perform Sound locks.

  1. Press [FUNC] + [PATTERN MENU] to open the IMPORT/EXPORT menu.
  2. Select MANAGE SOUNDS, and then press [YES] to open the SOUND MANAGER.
  3. Select the Sounds you want to add to the Sound pool by highlighting them and pressing [YES].

to access those Sound Pool List

10.10.2 SOUND LOCKS
You can change a tracks Sound to another Sound from the Sound pool on any individual sequencer step. These Sound locks are an immensely useful feature for adding variations to a track. Press and hold a note trig and turn the TRACK LEVEL knob to open the Sound pool list. {TRACK SOUND list} Use the TRACK LEVEL knob to scroll through the list. Select the Sound you want to assign to the note trig and then release the [TRIG] key. The [TRIG] key starts to ash to indicate that it contains a Sound lock. Press and hold the [TRIG] key of the note trig to show the assigned Sound. For more information, please see “9.1.1 ADDING SOUNDS TO THE SOUND POOL” on page 23.

3 Likes

The sound pool is limited to 128 sounds per project, you load sounds from the sound banks to the sound pool so they can be inserted as sound locks.

1 Like

how you load samples to the sound pool list? my soundpool list is still empty but i have tons of samples on my +drive. Loading the Samples to my Project is no problem :wink:

Sound pool is for ‘Sounds’ not samples.
‘Sound’ as defined by elektron is a preset with sample+filter+FX+AMP+LFO

6 Likes

Thank you so much - that is a super helpful comment!

1 Like

I’m very new to Elektron and electronic music but now have a DIgitakt and Digitone (love them both already). I’m a bit confused about how to get samples on the Digitakt into the sound pool. I know I can do this individually via export but it seems confusing to me. Any thoughts most welcome?

This might be useful

2 Likes

Thanks it is!!

Extremely helpful comment, many many thanks :pray:t3:

Couldn’t resist editing this one more time!

A Project contains 128 Patterns (besides its general settings and states) stored across 8 Banks: A B C D E F G H (16 Patterns in each).

A Pattern (besides its sequencer data i.e. trigs and parameter locks) contains up to 8 TRACK SOUNDS, one per each Audio Track.
Each TRACK SOUND is comprised of its current Sound Parameters settings:

  • SRC settings (including a sample selection from the 128 available slots in the Project Sample Pool),
  • FLTR settings,
  • AMP settings, and;
  • LFO settings.

EXPORTING (SAVING) TRACK SOUNDS
Whilst you don’t need to save a TRACK SOUND as it is persistently defined in situ within the Audio Track per its current Sound Parameters settings, you can choose to export (save) its settings to

  • one of the 2048 +Drive Sound slots (256 per each +Drive Bank A-H) or
  • one of the 128 Project Sound Pool slots,

you might do so in order to make the Sound available for use elsewhere:

  • +Drive Sounds can be imported (loaded) to other Projects
  • Project Sound Pool Sounds are available to all Audio Tracks within any Pattern within the same Project

EXPORTING (SAVING) a TRACK SOUND to the +Drive:

  • press [FUNC] + [PATTERN] (opens the IMPORT/EXPORT menu), then
  • select EXPORT SOUND, then
  • use the A-H trigs to select the Bank to store the Sound in, then
  • scroll to a slot to save the Sound to using the LEVEL/DATA knob or ^ and v arrows, then
  • press [YES], then
  • name your Sound, then
  • assign Tags, then
  • select SAVE

Once exported, the +Drive Sound is now independent of the TRACK SOUND it was sourced from and remains stored on the +Drive as saved (unaffected by further changes you might subsequently make to the TRACK SOUND from which it was copied).

EXPORTING (SAVING) a TRACK SOUND to the Project Sound Pool:

  • press [FUNC] + [PATTERN] (opens the IMPORT/EXPORT menu), then -
  • select MANAGE SOUNDS, then
  • press [YES] (opens the SOUND MANAGER)
  • press [<] (opens the SORTING menu) then
  • select VIEW POOL
  • scroll to a slot to save the Sound to using the LEVEL/DATA knob or ^ and v arrows, then
  • press [>] (opens the SOUND OPERATIONS menu) then
  • select EXPORT TO HERE then
  • press [YES]

IMPORTING (LOADING) a +Drive Sound as a TRACK SOUND

When a +Drive Sound is imported to a TRACK SOUND, it is an independent copy of the +Drive Sound and is not linked to the original +Drive Sound. Subsequent edits to the TRACK SOUND Sound Parameters will not affect the source +Drive Sound.
You can export the TRACK SOUND to the +Drive Sound slot to overwrite the +Drive Sound if you wish.

Use the IMPORT SOUND method:

  • press [FUNC] + [PATTERN] (opens the IMPORT/EXPORT menu), then
  • select IMPORT SOUND, then
  • use the A-H trigs to select a Bank, then
  • scroll to a slot using the LEVEL/DATA knob or ^ and v arrows, then
  • press [YES], then
  • on prompt, assign the Sound to a particular Audio Track (or [NO] to abort)

If the Sample of the +Drive Sound being imported from the +Drive is not already in the Project Sample Pool it will be automatically added to the next available free slot in the Project Sample Pool.

IMPORTING (LOADING) a TRACK SOUND with a +Drive or Sound Pool Sound
Use the SOUND BROWSER method:

  • press and hold [FUNC] and turn the LEVEL/DATA knob (opens the SOUND BROWSER), then
  • press [<] (opens the SORTING menu) then
  • select VIEW POOL or VIEW +DRIVE
  • continue scrolling to a Sound using the LEVEL/DATA knob or ^ and v arrows, then
  • press [YES]

Using the SOUND MANAGER Method
The SOUND MANAGER is used to manage Sounds, for example import, export, rename, and tag Sounds.

SOUND LOCKS
A key advantage of using Sounds from the Project Sound Pool is that within a track you can p-lock selection of Project Sound Pool Sounds per-trig using the Sound Browser.

  • press and hold a [TRIG], then
  • turn the LEVEL/DATA knob to open the Sound Pool List, then
  • use the LEVEL/DATA knob to scroll through the list, then
  • stop at the Sound you want to assign to the [TRIG], then
  • release the [TRIG]
  • press and hold the [TRIG] key to show the assigned Sound.

P-LOCK SAMPLE
Alternatively each step’s SRC-SAMP selection is also P-lockable, allowing selection of any sample loaded to the Project Sample Pool

Project Sample Pool
Each Project has one Sample Pool which can contain up to 127 references to Samples stored in the +Drive - in aggregate up to 64 MB (about 11 minutes) per Project.

Project Sound Pool
Each Project also has a Project Sound Pool; each Sound present within it being a configuration of Sound Parameters.
All such Project Sounds (up to 128) within the Project Sound Pool require their selected Sample to be present in the Project Sample Pool, though multiple Project Sounds could use the same Sample.

Note: elektron’s Digitakt Factory tone samples are tuned to C; a convention worth continuing with for your own imported tone samples (as distinct from drum or percussion samples) to enable easier swap-ability of samples (being of the same pitch) into a created pattern; you may also want to include several different samples of the same source instrument pitched to C but of different C octaves for use in melodies of predominantly low, mid or high notes and named accordingly (e.g. pianonoteC1.wav, pianonoteC3.wav and pianonoteC5.wav etc).

11 Likes

It does clarify a lot.
Thanks a lot @mokomo

True but I don’t really see the usage of the sound pool,as you have to have these sounds already loaded on your RAM so you don’t really have more “sounds” to play with.
Just differently modified.

Perhaps it’s good for loading straight “ready” stuff when you are starting something new?Still haven’t found a good usage for it.

It’s very dependent how much programming/tweaking you have on your sounds. If you’re just playing back samples the entire concept of sounds (or presets as they are called in other gear) has not that much value.

Well, sound pool allows you to quickly recall a whole “sound” on any step as a p-lock, which is neat.

Breakbeat slicing. Do it once and recall the correct slices on the fly as sounds from the pool. Saves time to get the right start points without clicks.

3 Likes

@mokomo your diagram and instructions are very useful. Thank u!.
I gotta say this “sound” management concept and workflow is very confusing. Not in a “once you get it it’s clear way” but objectively confusing.
I’ve seen a trillion videos and tutorials on YouTube and there’s very few references to the sound pool. I think people don’t use it much and it’s understandable because not only it’s confusing but the process is pretty tedious and a vibe killer.
Few comments:

  • The process (outlined above) to export a sound to the project sound pool, for sound locks and stuff, is just overkill. Plus the process should be the same for “global sound pool” and “project sound pool”. You can “export sound” to the global sound pool but you need to “manage sounds” to export to the project sound pool. Doesn’t make sense.
  • you should be able to export a sample from the sample browser to the sound pool (global AND project) directly. Without having to out the sample in a track, export, rename, etc… From sample browser to sound pool, retaining the sample name and clean page Params. That way you could build a sound lib fast. Now you have to select a sample, put it in a track, export, rename…
  • there could be an option to add all current (ram) sample slots to the Project sound pool for easy sound lock access.
  • I’d be great to be able to preview the +drive sound slots in context with a playing track, like you can with the samples in the src page.

I’m setting up the +Drive Sound Slots as a sort of “favorites” for easy access to sounds. A bank for kicks, a bank for snares, a bank for weird noises, etc… So no actual sound manipulation, just straight samples. I know it’s not the intended use and if you could tag samples as “favorites” it wouldn’t be necessary.

3 Likes

…keep in mind…to fill up that soundpool, u pick from the sound manager, not the banks directly…

Hi!. Sorry, I don’t understand.
Way I do it is I add a sample to a track via the src page and then go to “export sound”. That’s for the +drive sound pool.

…yep, sure…that’s the way to drop one by one in the pool…

On my Analog Four, I’ve created a Project (which I use as a template) called “Drum Sounds” that has about 60 of my favorite percussive sounds, organized by their number in the sound pool into groups of kicks, snares, toms, hats, cymbals and miscellaneous. This way, I can more easily create a percussive track (or two) by laying down a kick pattern, and then using the other steps by p-locking other sounds from the sound pool for other percussive sounds to avoid needing to use a whole other track for those sounds (e.g. snares), which you aren’t usually going to hear under the kick anyway. Also, by limiting the number of sounds to 60, with most of them within the first 20-30, it is much faster than trying to scroll through a couple thousand sounds in all of the normal sound banks.