Organizing samples/kits on your sm card.

[EarlGrey]

People I just got the 303. I have a few questions though.. regarding the usage and organization of your samples. I have worked on a DAW for some years now. Where I have always worked with folders (kick,snares, hats, perc, samples folders) on my DAW.

I don't really have it clearly yet how I will be working on the SP303. Is there a method to organize your sounds in separate corresponding folders? So if I am looking for a certain snare. I dont have to resample it into the SP each time. And also not have to run through my memory for a long time skipping other sounds till I get the snare I am looking for.

Maybe I am missing something. But I assume there is a workaround. This also goes for beats that are still in progress of being made. Is it possible to save an unfinished beat, start a new one. And then later on proceed with it, without having to set everything up from scratch.

This is my first topic. I hope you guys can help me.

peace

[EarlGrey]

Sorry I've seen some responses through the search function. But it's not all clear to me. I still have questions.

I guess the best thing to do is to use my macbook or perhaps this old Ipod I have in the closet. If I just arrange folders in it for kicks, snares, hats, samples etc. And then connect the Ipod to the Mic In of the 303. And record sounds on the pads when I want to make a beat.

Some other questions:

Would recording these drum sounds (.wav) through the mic in from my Ipod make the quality (far) less? Then for instance using an smartmedia card usb adapter and putting the sounds directly on the card from my macbook?

[springwater]

congrats on your first hardware sampler, its been a while for me now with hardware and its still a mystery.

[genn bo]

hey, i've been playin with 303 since december but i'm still a noob with it. i found your advice about ipod very usefull. i usually sample something new everytime i start something. be it vinyl gameboy synth or open renoise on pc and play something from my drafts. but basically that's just the same as ipod (only ipod is super cool in terms of mobility, will go for holidays next week and i think now i'll leave my laptop at home, thanks =]]). I usually don't like sticking to the same drums or kits. so (re)sampling (not uploading same ones to card) makes them unique each time.
as for organizing tunes on card - there are 7 memory slots for sample banks and 7 for pattern banks on card (i think some things here can be expanded or smth). so you just save sample/pattern banks A and B to one of memory slots and banks C and D are always the same (not sure). basically you have 7 save slots for your tunes. There are limitations to that, but that's the beauty of it.
Please correct me if i'm wrong!

[EarlGrey]

thanks for the replies.

Now I still wonder if anyone knows if the quality will decrease when I record my drums and samples from my mac or ipod. Also is there a big difference in sound quality between recording through mic in or rca in?

I usually don't like sticking to the same drums or kits. so (re)sampling (not uploading same ones to card) makes them unique each time.
as for organizing tunes on card - there are 7 memory slots for sample banks and 7 for pattern banks on card (i think some things here can be expanded or smth). so you just save sample/pattern banks A and B to one of memory slots and banks C and D are always the same (not sure). basically you have 7 save slots for your tunes.

thanks for that bit. That clarified up a bit indeed. Also regarding the patterns being saved. I assume you create a 'track' by creating various patterns. How do you go about finishing these songs (taking a 'track' out of the SP)? Like I have in mind to record them into FL Studio eventually. But I wonder (how much) will this affect the trademark SP sound when I save the beat in FL?

[EarlGrey]

I decided to put a folder full of drum breaks on my PSP and record them to the 303 whenever I want to chop it up. Basically have all my samples and drum kits imported through external devices whenever I want to make a beat.

I guess the smartmedia card is the best just to use for exporting patterns/sounds to my computer.

[adapter pilot]

I use an old ipod and save them as playlists; drum breaks, snares etc. I don't think the quality suffers too much between the ipod and laptop. I just run it through the rca's usually in mono.

[genn bo]

thanks for that bit. That clarified up a bit indeed. Also regarding the patterns being saved. I assume you create a 'track' by creating various patterns. How do you go about finishing these songs (taking a 'track' out of the SP)? Like I have in mind to record them into FL Studio eventually. But I wonder (how much) will this affect the trademark SP sound when I save the beat in FL?

I'm still in the process of learnig and working out the workflow. Had a few beats deleted by mistake in the process =] Can't answer to that question. I got as far as just recording straight output of 303 or just sample something from 303 to renoise. not really concerned about quality as long as it sound 303ish =]

[jazzroom]

hi , I am new to sp303 , still learning it's functions.
Have troubles figuring out the file structure of SP303

If I finished one beat and saved it to smartmedia card
can I save a second beat to same card without ovewrighting
the 1st beat on the card?

somebody could explain how SP303 saves it's data on the card
and how it loads from it ( yes I am taxing the manual)
clearly - what are the options and the limitations?

[EarlGrey]

good question.

[jazzroom]

Hi again,
Coming from the MPC way of saving Beats...
I am still struggling to understand how to save Beat 1 on the Smart Media -> than start working on Beat 2 ->save Beat 2 to SM cart ---> start Beat 3
etc.... THAN ---> Being able to load Beat 1,2 o 3 back from the Smart Media...

is is at all possible ?

any ideas?

thanks in advance

peace

jazz

[genn bo]

Hey, so I'm half way on figuring out this workflow / song saving question. My current workflow:
I sample everything to banks C and D
Then chop/truncate/resample to banks A and B
Then I try and play and listen to which sample might fit together
Those that don't fit - go back to banks C and D
When banks A and B are full - save em to card (eg Pad 2)
This is "one song" which can be played to DAW or elsewhere
Same way comes the second song and so on while external memory pads are free.
When everything is saved I can load song samples from external memory to banks A and B, and the C and D remain with workinprogress samples or sound efex.

Still haven't figured out how pattern saves work as i don't use em much.
Is there any connection between sample bank saves and pattern saves?
I only use sequencer for sketches. Most of the times i play samples or patterns to renoise and then chop em there once again or just put everything in place.

As for limitations - I thing the limitation for one song/bank save can't exceed the limitation of internal memory, as it is used to load songs. You can't save/load a song which exceeds bank A/B in terms of sampling time (don't know about patterns).

[jazzroom]

thank for reply,

what i meant is:

Lets say i travel and All u got is SP303, ok.

So, I am working in some beat , so I've got samples and patterns
that make up a Beat I like.
So I need to save that beat together with samples/ patterns

so I could start working on a New Beat with new sat of samples / patterns without deleting previous beat?


How do I do that on SP303?

[jazzroom]

I really would like to use SP303 More than i actually do,
but i can't use it comfortably untill i figure out how to get the beat (samples+patterns) that i made on SP303 off the SP303 on a card and load it back
when i will need it again..

anyone got a step by step "idiots guide" to a SP303 memory management ?