Is there a way to load a bunch of samples at once to RAM? Rather than one kit at a time.
Also, any tips for quickly managing, browsing, previewing samples would be greatly appreciated.
I’m kind of obsessed with the M:S right now. It’s super fun and immediate. But I’m struggling with dealing with the actual management of samples.
Thanks!
Adonis
The beauty of Model:Samples is you no longer have to worry about managing what is and is not in RAM.
Instead of what we’ve grown accustomed to, the MIDI based 128 sample slot list, M:S gives you space in RAM for every pattern to have 6 unique samples.
In other words, you can have 576 unique samples in the 64MB RAM.
So keep them well organized in your folders on the +Drive with the Transfer app, for easy access.
This is what about 160MB of samples on my +Drive looks like:
No more filling up the slot list, seeing what’s unused, moving it out, making room for more, and all that blah blah…
Organization via Transfer, and the folder hierarchy on your MS are key here.
If you want to reuse a sample that’s already in RAM, there is a RAM folder in the root directory, when navigating on the M:S itself. This shows all the samples currently in RAM, again up to 576.
That is cool👍
@AdamJay Do you design your own one-shot bass, synth and drum sounds or use sample packs? As I’ve said many times on this forum, I’m trying to get away from the computer (clearly failing right now) so I’m not sure I’d enjoy making my own one-shots but perhaps I should try it! If I can select the good stuff from samples I already have (freebies and genre-based packs) then this might be quicker.
Both.
Sometimes I spend an afternoon noodling on the A4 while recording, and I’ll get 30 or 40 2 second shots out of that. 
It sounds like what you’re saying is “buy an A4” but that could just be me.
Or reaktor!
Anything really that you may already have will do the job.
Another workflow…
If you have Live, there are loads of M4L sequencers that you can set with the scale plugin to create random patterns with any synth plugin. Rozzer is An M4L sequencer I like a lot.
Add a few slow moving LFOs. Hit record. Make a meal. Come back and find the good bits, copy/paste them out and isolate them. Use the consolidate function on them to quickly render unique individual wavs.
Rinse, repeat.
The key here is multi-tasking and automation. Set it and forget it so that you can focus on other things while it records. Then give your focus to the latter part of the process, as choosing quality sample phrases here is more beneficial than weeding through junk imported into the M:S. Keep the junk off the M:S! It will make using it more enjoyable.
@AdamJay
is there any possibility to render the one shots to mono in ableton.
i have spent some time in making kits for the model: sample. i also like to render this one shots because i want to normalize them. but ableton renders always the one shots to stereo. then i have considered to go to audacity in render them back to mono. but i think it is a little bit complicated.
or can i throw the stereo-rendered one shots into transfer and let do transfer the converting.
You can record from an external audio interface’s mono input. And any “consolidate” function you use (my favorite as it is just so quick and easy to render, avoiding the export menu) will render it to a mono file.
Otherwise, no, internally with plug-ins, Ableton keeps things stereo.
I use an older software that is sadly no longer available, called Myriad, by Audiofile Engineering. It’s a batch processor that I use to convert whole folders of new samples prior to import with the M:S
The company was bought by another company and EOL’d the project.
Maybe you can find something else similar. It’s been a real workflow boost for me these past years.
Always an option. I personally prefer knowing the exact size of things I am importing into my machines, though, so I convert them first.
thanks for advice and feedback
Regarding one shots - it was a very good day when I stopped thinking I need to make my own samples for everything. I like doing it no doubt. But I think I was combining my love of sound with my desire to make music. I get a lot more done (of the same quality) when I don’t spend quite so much time worrying about the provenance of every sound.
I was going to start a new thread, sort of about this, but I figured this one was suitably related.
I just ordered the M:S and as I’m waiting for it to arrive my brain is already pre-loading various bits of old packs I already own, trying to get ahead of the game and plan out my sample management and usage…I looked at my sample library with a slightly furrowed brow and thought, “there has to be another way”.
I’ve got more than carried away searching for the perfect collection and then overwhelming myself by having too much to choose from.
So I had a fun little idea.
Each time I want to load up some new samples, I’ll just choose 6 and then see what I can do with them. Like really try and squeeze out as much greatness as possible just using 6 samples (one for each pad, if that wasn’t obvious) I’ll pop them in their own folder and probably just label them ‘Day 1’ and then when I’m moved to do so, pull another 6 out of my library (or from wherever) and label them ‘Day 2’.
It seems like a fun way to cut out the legwork of assembling some kind of ideal toolbox (that doesn’t exist), which suits me, given other time constraints and the underlying wish just to make tunes.
We’ll see
This is so interesting, I literally just came here to post about something similar. I’ve been spending ages looking at sample librarian software and obsessing about how to categorise and organise everything (whether to use chains or folders of sounds etc) but I decided that this is just stressful and, frankly, I’m getting nowhere.
I had a similar idea - I’m going to browse my samples in Ableton Intro (it’s quick easy to search and then copy them into new folders) and try to make folders with no more than say 20-30 samples in each one (maybe genre-focused) and then try to make tracks just with one folder. I reckon if you have a handful of one-shot drums, some one-shot synth sounds and a few longer pad/chord samples for sustained notes then that should be enough.
I think my problem (and I’m probably not alone) is in trying to be too complex and not embrace the simple things that the M:S is good at. I’ve spent hours experimenting with wavetables, chains, trying to put 120 drum sounds in one file etc and it just kills the enjoyment.
10 or 15 minutes to curate a few samples into a folder then see what I can make of it.
Slightly off thread, but… I quite like the default sample library, there’s a lot of variety and with the m:s molding abilities, I find that you can get a good mileage out of it. Contrary to some peepz here, I like the idea that I’ll always have that pool of samples available whenever…
Only drawback (and we fall back on the topic) : I don’t really like the way it’s organized.
I just don’t like the way it takes you out of which ever folder you’re in when you select another track. The machine takes you to that particular sample’s location. Then I have to navigate back to where I’d like to load from. A bit of a buzz kill
Agreed, my trick (that I’m trying to translate into muscle memory) is to just to hit the ‘wave/sample’ button followed by the ‘back’ button 3 times. That gets you to the root level from any of the factory samples. Won’t always work with your own sample folders, unless you stick with the same 3 level directory structure as the factory samples.
Long press back button does the same and always works.
Oh snap, that’s way better! Thanks for the tip, I didn’t know that one!
are you transferring those entire directories to your M:S from the image above? and is it just a random amount of samples per folder or are you limiting to 6 per folder?
i just got mine today and want to do it right!
i really like it but i wish it had polyphony in each sequence so i could make a drone a stretch across the patterns while using sample lock on the same sequence to drop in some one shots, but ill deal with it. being able to pass audio thru the M:S from my ipad ( i have hundreds of ios synths/effects) into ableton then transfer it right back into the M:S is a killer workflow, and i figure i can just keep recording the loops in layers and putting them back on the M:S , i just fell this may get sloppy in file management so i’m going to try my hardest!
