BTDSys SampleGrid

Installation

Unzip all files apart from BTDSys SampleGrid Out.dll to your Gear\Generators folder. BTDSys SampleGrid Out.dll goes in Gear\Effects.

You might also want to copy & paste the following into an appropriate place in your index.txt file:

  /BTDSys SampleGrid
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Byte x 4, Byte x 4
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Byte x 8, Byte x 8
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Byte x 16, Byte x 16
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Switch x 8, Switch x 8
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Switch x 16, Switch x 16
   BTDSys SampleGrid - Switch x 32, Switch x 32
   1,-----
   BTDSys SampleGrid Out, Out
   /..

Overview

SampleGrid is a sample player designed especially for rhythm programming. Its main feature is a "grid" of triggers kept together in the pattern view. It also features support for multiple outputs, and MIDI functionality.

Multiple Versions

SampleGrid comes in several "sizes", with different numbers and types of triggers. The versions are functionally identical, apart from the number of triggers available and whether those triggers allow only 1/0 (switch) or numeric (volume/pan/etc) values (byte). This document covers all versions (cos I'm too lazy to write 6 different files).
If you really really desperately need a grid with 23 bytes or 47 switches or something, email me and I'll sort you out with it.

Parameters

Global parameters

First Wave - sets the first wave from the Buzz wavetable to be used. By default, SampleGrid uses a number of consecutive waves, so if the first wave is 1, the first trigger uses sample 1, the second 2, third 3, etc.
Dividers Only in Byte versions - Just a visual device to help you distinguish the triggers from the rest of the parameters.
Triggers - Actually trigger the drum sounds.
- In Switch versions - a value of 1 triggers the sample on, and 0 off.
- In Byte versions - the sound is triggered, with some characteristic set by the entered value. What this value sets is determined by the Trigger Type parameter. The exception is a value 00, which always offs the current sample.
Note that the number and type of triggers depends on the version being used. Choose an appropriate version for your needs in each case.
Trigger Type Only in Byte versions - Determines what the numeric trigger values will set.
- Velocity - the volume of the sound
- Pan - position in the stereo field
- Tune - pitch of the sound
- Probability - likelihood of the sound being triggered, where FE is certain and 01 is almost certainly not
- Command argument - value is used as argument for the command on this line (if any)
Note that any values here are unaffected by inertia.
Solo Track - for editing purposes, allows you to solo one track (ie mute the rest). If set to "off" then no tracks are muted.
Global Volume/Pan/Tune - set the overall volume, stereo pan and pitch of all sounds.
Shuffle Size - controls by how much shuffle mode delays beats
Shuffle Step - shuffle mode will delay every nth tick, where n is the value set here.
Shuffle Randomness - how much the delay time for shuffled beats deviates from the specified size.
Shuffle Reset - a 1 in this column will reset the shuffle counter.
Inertia - controls glide time for certain parameters

Track parameters

Wave Number - Allows you to specify the wave number to use. Or if it is set to Auto, the wave will be chosen according to the track number and the First Wave specified for the machine.

Command/Argument - Provide a number of "special effects" for triggering.

Number	Command name	What it does	Argument meaning
00	None	Nothing	None
01	Delay	Delay this hit by some amount	Number of subticks to delay
02	Retrigger	Keep triggering every so often for some length of time	1st digit = interval in subticks 2nd digit = number of ticks to keep retriggering
03	Offset	Play the sample forwards from some point other than the start	Offset from start of sample, where 00=start and FF=end
04	Reverse+offset	Play the sample backwards from some point other than the start	Offset from start of sample, where 00=start and FF=end
05	Probability	Alter the likelihood of playing a hit	Probability of playing sample (where 00="definitely not", 80="50/50 chance", FF="Definitely")
06	Cut	Cut the sample off after some length of time	Number of subticks to cut after
07	Delay+Cut	Like a combination of commands 1 and 6	1st digit = No of subticks to delay 2nd digit = No of subticks to cut after (counted from when the sound is triggered)

Tick Subdivide - how many evenly sized slices to divide each tick into. These slices are used by some commands to specify times.
Mute - allows you to turn the sound of this track on or off.
Volume/Pan/Tune - set the volume, stereo pan and pitch of this sound.
Auxbus Group - which auxbus channels to send this sound over, or use "none" to send through the machine's output.

Attributes

Ramp Length - sets the ramping (anticlick) time in samples. Ramping takes effect when samples are triggered or stopped, and can also affect mute/solo and volume.
Ramp Mute/Solo - sets whether ramping affects muting and soloing of tracks.
Ramp Volume - sets whether ramping affects volume slider changes.
Inertia Volume/Pan/Tune - sets whether the corresponding parameters will be affected by inertia.

AuxBus

This machine allows you to use AuxBus to send sounds down multiple signal paths (a total of 9 stereo paths) from one machine. Note that this feaure is superceded by the multiple out functions (see below), but is included for backwards compatibility.
The procedure is as follows:

Add any Aux Return machine to your song. I recommend Cyanphase's Aux Return.
Right-click SampleGrid, and choose "Aux Assign". Assign the left and right channels of one group. Note that you must use different channel numbers for each channel of each group of each SampleGrid machine, otherwise it won't work.
Set the Aux Return's left and right channels to the same channels you just used.
Set the Aux Group parameter on one or more of SampleGrid's tracks to the group you just assigned.
This step is recommended to reduce clicks and glitches, but is not essential: Connect SampleGrid to the Aux Return. Set the return's "In Mix" parameters (NOT the volume on the machine view arrow) to zero.

Now you can add different processing to different sounds from the same machine. Note that if you set things up correctly you can have upto 8 mono aux channels instead of 4 stereo - but that's left as an exercise for the reader ;)

Multiple Outs

SampleGrid allows use of separate "output" machines to give up to 9 stereo outputs. This is somewhat neater than the auxbus solution above:

Add a "BTDSys SampleGrid Out" machine (effect) to your song.
Connect a SampleGrid to the out machine.
Set the group number on one of SGrid's tracks, and the group parameter of the Out machine, to the same value.
The volume on the connection between SGrid and the Out machine is unimportant, but it should not be zero.

Now you can add different processing to different sounds from the same machine.

MIDI

SampleGrid supports triggering of samples via a MIDI keyboard. To set this up, right click the machine and choose "MIDI Setup".

Now press a note on your keyboard, and you may use the button to assign that note to a sample. You should also choose the MIDI channel you wish to use (the same channel is used for each sample). You can also specify whether to use the velocity from the keyboard, and whether note offs are used (ie the sample stops when you lift your finger from the key)

Also you can record using MIDI, by checking the appropriate boxes in the MIDI settings dialog. Normal rules apply for MIDI recording in Buzz machines (click Record in Buzz's toolbar, make sure you lay down blank patterns over the part you want to record).

History

v1.0 - initial release

v1.1 (not released) - increased auxbus groups from 4 to 8, fixed a bug with ramping (thanks oomek)

v1.2 - second release - new non-auxbus multiple out system (thanks polac), fixed some clicking problems (thanks ronny pries)

Contact

If you have comments or suggestions, or if you find any bugs please email me.
This machine is DONATIONWARE, so if you like it, send me something cool (eg CDs, hardware, money etc). Email for details of how to get stuff to me.
Also visit my website - where the fun never ends (because it never begun).

Docs and code ŠEd Powley (BTDSys), July 2002 - January 2003

Thanks: Oskari, Cyanphase, Jeph Wacheski, Ronny Pries, Frank Potulski, mva, oomek, everyone else I should have thanked
And thanks to you for choosing BTDSys machines - sorry, no refunds.