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• Default instrument output volume (head room): Nondestructively alters the main Output
volume in the Parameter window. This can be adjusted after conversion. Sustained pad
sounds and polyphonic instruments in AKAI format often tend to have a higher output
than a drum groove, for example. This can result in the output levels of some converted
AKAI instruments being much higher than the rest of your EXS24 mkII sampler
instrument library—occasionally, converted programs may be so loud that they clip.
Set this parameter to the desired amount, which will limit the headroom (output level)
of the EXS24 mkII parameter settings for each converted AKAI program. The value to
choose for a given AKAI disc is a matter of trial and error, but here are some suggestions:
• For drum discs, start with either no change (0 dB) or a headroom value of −3 dB.
• For piano, string, or pad discs, you might try a headroom value of −9 dB.
• For very loud programs, such as layered analog synthesizer instruments, you might
even want to try −12 dB.
• In cases where you’re not sure of which headroom value to select, start with the
average setting of −6 dB.
• Merge programs (same MIDI cha. and prog. change number) into one EXS instrument: Many
discs created for AKAI samplers feature programs that contain single velocity layers for
an instrument. AKAI samplers require that an entire volume, or all necessary single
programs, are loaded in order to play all velocity layers. All of these single programs
are automatically assigned to the same MIDI channel, and they also respond to the
same MIDI program change number. The EXS24 mkII AKAI conversion intelligently
checks for these settings and builds a single EXS sampler instrument out of multiple
single programs. In general, when you are importing samples of this type, this option
should be switched on.
• The same is true for drum discs where single programs contain one instrument from
a complete drum kit—kick, snare, hi-hat, and so on, as separate entities. You’ll
probably want these single AKAI programs to be merged into a single EXS sampler
instrument—as a full drum kit.
• There are, however, a number of AKAI discs where a single program of an AKAI
volume contains the entire instrument, and where other programs in the same
volume have the same MIDI channel and MIDI program change number preset. On
this type of disc, use of the merge programs parameter is not desirable, and the
option should be switched off.
• Create interleaved stereo files whenever possible: Should always be left enabled, as
interleaved files offer better performance within the EXS24 mkII. When you are
converting AKAI format samples, some audio files are created as split stereo and as
interleaved stereo files. The detection of when it is possible to build an interleaved file
is based on information stored with both the AKAI program and audio files. Both the
left and right files must have the same settings; otherwise they cannot be used to create
an interleaved file.
230 Chapter 9 EXS24 mkII