Specifications

NN-19 SAMPLER
136
Introduction
A sampler could be described as a device capable of recording and reproduc-
ing audio material, like a tape recorder. Unlike a tape or hard disk based re-
corder, samplers allows you to “play” the recorded sound via MIDI, using a
keyboard for example. This way, any reproducible sound can be integrated into
the MIDI environment, and be controlled from sequencers etc. like synthesizers.
The NN-19 is a sample player, capable of reproducing, but not recording or ed-
iting sound files.
The program comes with more than a hundred ready-made sample patches,
covering all kinds of instrument types. In addition to this there are plenty of single
samples that can be used for creating your own patches.
If you want to record or edit your own samples, there are plenty of relatively inex-
pensive (and even free) audio editing software for both the Windows and the
Mac OS platforms, that will allow you to both record audio (via your computers
or audio cards audio inputs), and to edit the resulting audio file. Virtually every
product that is capable of this, can create sound files which can be loaded di-
rectly into the NN-19.
Also, there are thousands of high quality sample CD:s available, covering every
conceivable musical style or direction ranging from professionally recorded or-
chestral samples to esoteric electronic noises.
General Sampling
Principles
Background
Before a sound can be used by a sampler, it must be converted to a digital sig-
nal. Hardware samplers provide audio inputs that can convert the analog signal
to digital, by the use of an “A/D Converter” (analog to digital). This “samples” the
signal at very short time intervals and converts it to a digital representation of the
analog signal’s waveform. The sample rate and the bit depth of this conversion
determines the resulting sound quality. Finally the signal is passed through a dig-
ital to analog converter (D/A) which reconstructs the digital signal back to ana-
log, which can be played back.
Multisampling vs. Single Samples
Most of the included NN-19 patches are made up of a collection of several sam-
ples. This is because a single sampled sound only sounds natural within a fairly
narrow frequency range. If a single sample is loaded into an empty NN-19, the
sample will be playable across the whole keyboard. The pitch (frequency) of the
original sample (called root-key) will be automatically placed on the middle C key
(C3).
Note that this has nothing to do with the actual pitch the sample itself produces!
It may not even have a pitch as such, it could be the sound of someone talking
for example.
If you play any single sample about two octaves above or below its root key, it
will most likely sound very “unnatural”. In the case of it actually being a sample of
someone talking, playing two octaves up will make the talking voice sample
sound squeaky, short and most likely unintelligible. Two octaves down the voice
will sound something like a drawn-out gargle.
Thus, the range that most samples can be transposed without sounding unnatu-
ral is limited. To make a sampled piano, for example, sound good across the
whole keyboard, you need to first have made many samples at close intervals
across the keyboard, and then define an upper and lower range for each sample,
called a Key Zone. All the keyzones in the piano sample patch then make up a
Key Map.
How to create key zones is described on page 138.
To sample real instruments accurately requires a lot of hard work. Firstly, you
need the original instrument, which should be in perfect working order. For
acoustic instruments you need a couple of good microphones, a mixer or other
device with high quality microphone preamps, and a room with good acoustics.
You need to be meticulous when recording the different samples, so that levels
are smooth and even across the range etc.
Fortunately Reason provides a wide range of high quality multisampled instru-
ments, so much of this hard work has already been done for you.
In our experience, most people don’t use samplers only for playing sampled ver-
sions of “real” instruments. Very often, single “stand alone” or single samples are
used. Maybe you wish to use different sounds for every key zone. Or you could
have complete chorus and verse vocals plus variations assigned to several “one
note” key zones. Or use samples of different chords that play rhythmic figures to
the same tempo, and use these to build song structures etc. The possibilities are
endless. When you use samples in this way, the keys on your keyboard that play
the samples do not necessarily correspond to pitch at all, the keys are simply
used to trigger the samples.