Sample chains - coming from an OT user

For a while I was an OT user, so I created this big collection of sample chains.

I’m planning on getting a Rytm, but am disappointed to read that sample chain use is not as fluid as the OT.

I saw that they need to be 30 and 62 samples/beats long - something like that? That means having to modify a lot of chains I would like to use.

I would appreciate any insight into the sample chain process on the Rytm.

Likewise, some additional info would be great, might be able to do something there.

Rytm uses 120 points in a sample, vs 128 on OT.
So your 64 slice chains will need to be truncated to 60 slice.
32s down to 30, and so on.

Loads more info in this recent thread: Sample Packs

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Thanks.

I’ve got a lot of 16 hit chains / drum kits. I guess I’ll have to rerecord then and probably just chop off the last note in most cases, normally a cymbal.

I wonder why they didn’t stick for 128?

I can’t say that I really understand why they changed it.

Also,
Rytm has a good deal of RAM.
For drums, you could fill the 127 sample slots in a project with 15 hit chains and still have more than half the RAM left, yet unusable.

If you’re going to take the time to edit some chains, I recommend compiling them into 30 or 60 hit chains, to get a bit more mileage out of the RAM in each project.

Also, make sure to render at 16bit, mono, 48khz, As this is the native format for Rytm. Otherwise, it will resample to that on import, and then you’re at risk of Rytm’s internal resampling math (possibly but not probably) fussing up your slice divisions.

Good luck!

I think so that it fits in line with tempo divisions, hence the 120 limit.

Do you just make chains with your DAW?

I think so that it fits in line with tempo divisions, hence the 120 limit.

Do you just make chains with your DAW?
[/quote]
I thought it had more to do with NRPN midi scale, but just don’t understand the technicals.
If it were for divisions, 128 would be better than 120, as 128 is divisible by 16 steps.

I make chains with Ableton Live, yes.

First, turn off “Create Fades on Clip Edges” in Preferences -> Record/Warp/Launch
Set a sample hit on every bar, turn warp off on all samples.
Adjust tempo upward to remove silence time between samples (and thus make the chain shorter in time length).
Make sure to render to the end of the last bar.

Example: (notice how the rendering selection goes all the way to 31)


AdamJay : I thought it had more to do with NRPN midi scale, but just don’t understand the technicals.

I think you are right… one of the two, I just have a vagure recollection about there being a logical midi reason for it…

AdamJay : I make chains with Ableton Live, yes.

Maybe when I have some spare time I’ll code up a Chainer for the Rytm… needs to be quantised?

Of course! :slight_smile:

Ah, yes.
Avoiding the Midi CC prime of 127.
Me thinks we are both right.

[quote="“AdamJay”"]

Of course! :slight_smile: [/quote]
Well, I’ve already done 95% of the work in OctaEdit’s Chainer module… guess I could just do some minot tweaks to the code and do something with it… needs a wee bit of down time, needs some testers etc, etc…

First of all thanks so much AdamJay for making those sample chains and information available. Been having a great time using the single cycle bass waves on the rytm.

One quick question I had, I know it was addressed before but not explicitly. The 30-sample chains for the Rytm mean that that the start point is every 4 steps on the sample selector (0,4,8,etc). Is the end point then 3, 7, 11, etc?

Here is the link to the thread in which Dalton from Elektron “explains” the choice of 120.

From what I have observed, when playing the sample forward, the end point goes to the beginning of the selected end step, and not the end of the selected end step.

That is to say the first slice is playing from the beginning of 0 to the beginning of 4. Set start to 0, set end to 4
2nd slice = start to 4, end to 8
3rd slice = start to 8, end to 12
and so on…

Invert these values for reversed samples.

Thanks. Read that. But I failed to see the upside.

Getting off topic, to my personal situation -

I’m sarting to wonder if I should stick to the OT. If there was a second gen OT with Overbridge, the choose would be easier.

I guess wha I’m really after is a box that can produce quick rhythmic results that I can use when playing guitar or for daw work.
And I want to be able to use my mountain of samples. …ideally without having to mess with them.

I believe that Rytm can do what you seek.

Once a sample chain is imported into your project and RAM, the only “mess” is setting the HLD accordingly and DEC to a short time. Then you can just use the STA (start) knob to scroll through your hits to find the best one. Starting with envelope adjustments means you won’t have to fuss with the end point until after you’ve selected your hit. (See the first thread I linked to about sample packs, earlier in this thread)
You can load up different chains on that same drum track, and you would only have to adjust HLD if the new chain has a different slice division, otherwise it stays the same.

From a librarian perspective, the chains act as a folder full of hits, this way. Your sample RAM pool is the filing cabinet.

Plus, with Rytm you get the ability to layer great analog synth drums (just excuse the cymbals)’ and amazing FX.
Also, DAW integration will be much tighter thanks to forthcoming OverBridge. And Rytm is the best Elektron for “quick rythmic results” that are useable.

Unless by “mess with”, you mean turn your mountains of samples into Rytm chains. If that is the case, I can help with that to some degree. Or maybe Rusty will have RytmChainer up and running by then.
Either way, the time you put in is an investment that pays back.

Thanks for input man. That’s all reassuring after my initial disappointment that sample chains do not work exactly the same as in the OT.

Specific questions - can you adjust the start point in a sample chain via an LFO? Randomizing the doubt that is played?

You can!
Be sure to have the envelope HLD and DEC set accordingly for a single hit, though, with end point all the way to 120.
This plus the same LFO shape and speed on the FX track is very powerful together.mhaving random hits and stabs delayed and reverberated, or compressed heavily… It’s very powerful and takes little time to set up

My favorite thing to do is assign start points to scenes, then the 12 pads become quick remix pads.
In fact you could also use a scene pad to trigger that sample LFO on how and when to do its thing.

Rytm is a beast!

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Lol, we both came up with the same/obvious name. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I started RytmChainer yesterday, but I think I’ll ship the early access release of OctaEdit first, and then I should be able to bang RC out in the meantime.

Then again shouldn’t this functionality already be in another bit of software?

Maybe we should have a little catch up sometime, because, you know, I have tons of spare time.

How will the RytmChainer work, Rusty?

The user drops in a number of samples and it will detect the length of the longest one, make that the division length (so each hit is that long), and output a wav at the appropriate resolution?