AudioLayer by VirSyn - The mobile Sampling Solution for iOS

[Deleted User]

Still want a manual pdf since there is no answer yet to what format it can work with.
Of course EXS24 would be amazing since there are tons available and the most easy to made (for me).

Strizbiz

@greengrocer said:
If I understood it all well, there's only smooth import of files through iCould. @VirSyn my iCould is full with backups. Will there also be other cloud import option like dropbox or stack?

Dropbox is working fine, also Audioshare import is pretty smooth.

lukesleepwalker

Update has dropped with bug fixes.

lukesleepwalker

@MonzoPro said:

@lukesleepwalker said:
@MonzoPro I'm likewise stumped by how the three tabs on the left interact with each other. It's certainly not intuitive. Agree that we need vertical velocity and auditioning while trimming. It's early days--ReSlice came along nicely after initial release (choke groups, etc); I trust the same will happen here.

It’s a bit quirky - took me a while to suss it out. As far as I can tell ‘Instrument’ is the global section, and changes affect all layers if ‘instrument scope’ is selected.

Selecting the Layer tab, and then the far left layer dropdown, allows you to make changes to the selected layer, but only if ‘layer scope’ is selected as well.

It’d be handy if there was an easier way to jump between layers, it takes a few clicks at the moment, and maybe different colours for each layer.

Haven’t messed with Zones, but I’m guessing editing these would be the same as layers.

Now I’ve worked out the basics I should be able to make some decent patches.

Aha! This helps quite a bit. Thanks!

[Deleted User]

@lukesleepwalker said:

@MonzoPro said:

@lukesleepwalker said:
@MonzoPro I'm likewise stumped by how the three tabs on the left interact with each other. It's certainly not intuitive. Agree that we need vertical velocity and auditioning while trimming. It's early days--ReSlice came along nicely after initial release (choke groups, etc); I trust the same will happen here.

It’s a bit quirky - took me a while to suss it out. As far as I can tell ‘Instrument’ is the global section, and changes affect all layers if ‘instrument scope’ is selected.

Selecting the Layer tab, and then the far left layer dropdown, allows you to make changes to the selected layer, but only if ‘layer scope’ is selected as well.

It’d be handy if there was an easier way to jump between layers, it takes a few clicks at the moment, and maybe different colours for each layer.

Haven’t messed with Zones, but I’m guessing editing these would be the same as layers.

Now I’ve worked out the basics I should be able to make some decent patches.

Aha! This helps quite a bit. Thanks!

Just discovered you have to select ‘layer scope’ in each of the three layer sections (pitch, filter etc.) otherwise they work globally.

Just had a load of fun mucking about with the LFO’s, using them to trigger pitch and filters.

I’m starting to discover the whacky side of the app now...

[Deleted User]

Tell you what I really like about this app: I sampled some pads from Layr, and opened three AudioLayer instances in AUM, and played the samples.. The DSP meter was peaking at about 40%.

Closed AUM, and loaded three AU instances of Layr to see how it compared. When I tried loading the patch I’d sampled previously for AudioLayer, the DSP meter shot up to 120%, turned red, and all three instances crashed out. Didn’t even get to try and load patches into the other two.

As well as being useful for playing sample library type stuff, this will let me play sounds from Layr, the Moogs, Synthscaper etc. on my ‘old’ Air 2, without causing a meltdown.

Pretty chuffed with this so far.

Trueyorky

@MonzoPro said:
Tell you what I really like about this app: I sampled some pads from Layr, and opened three AudioLayer instances in AUM, and played the samples.. The DSP meter was peaking at about 40%.

Closed AUM, and loaded three AU instances of Layr to see how it compared. When I tried loading the patch I’d sampled previously for AudioLayer, the DSP meter shot up to 120%, turned red, and all three instances crashed out. Didn’t even get to try and load patches into the other two.

As well as being useful for playing sample library type stuff, this will let me play sounds from Layr, the Moogs, Synthscaper etc. on my ‘old’ Air 2, without causing a meltdown.

Pretty chuffed with this so far.

nerVe

@VirSyn My AUM session is set to 24bit/96kHz. Hosting Layer AUv3 in the Effects slot but the recorded samples read 16bit/44.1kHz in the samples folder?

Carnbot

You can highlight multiple zones at once and move change the velocity range at once. We could with more multiple editing options but that's pretty useful.

McDtracy

this is...> @MonzoPro said:

three AudioLayer instances in AUM...DSP meter at about 40%.

Bingo. It should also make using other DAW's a lot less frustrating so you can keep the MIDI tracks longer before needing to convert a track to audio.

When we can also start archiving and sharing "AudioLayer Instruments" that we download just for use and then discard we'll have solved the major iPad problems with resource constraints: CPU, RAM usage and Storage requirements for large
sample libraries.

david_2017

I think i get already 15% of what the app will offer me... and I absolutely love it

Virsyn, bring the tutorials

[Deleted User]

@McDtracy said:
this is...> @MonzoPro said:

three AudioLayer instances in AUM...DSP meter at about 40%.

Bingo. It should also make using other DAW's a lot less frustrating so you can keep the MIDI tracks longer before needing to convert a track to audio.

When we can also start archiving and sharing "AudioLayer Instruments" that we download just for use and then discard we'll have solved the major iPad problems with resource constraints: CPU, RAM usage and Storage requirements for large
sample libraries.

And of course you can have more than one layer - so I just had an instrument going made from Layr, Synthscaper, and Model D. I could never run those three at once, but the sampled version was about %15 on the old DSP.

I dropped in another one, plus an instance of Quanta and Spacecraft and had a very fun time.

Quanta, Spacecraft, AudioLayer, plus some Ruismakers - triggered via Rozeta and Steppolyarp - with some fx via Discord and Turnado......absolute peak fun here look.

lukesleepwalker

@MonzoPro said:

@McDtracy said:
this is...> @MonzoPro said:

three AudioLayer instances in AUM...DSP meter at about 40%.

Bingo. It should also make using other DAW's a lot less frustrating so you can keep the MIDI tracks longer before needing to convert a track to audio.

When we can also start archiving and sharing "AudioLayer Instruments" that we download just for use and then discard we'll have solved the major iPad problems with resource constraints: CPU, RAM usage and Storage requirements for large
sample libraries.

And of course you can have more than one layer - so I just had an instrument going made from Layr, Synthscaper, and Model D. I could never run those three at once, but the sampled version was about %15 on the old DSP.

I dropped in another one, plus an instance of Quanta and Spacecraft and had a very fun time.

Quanta, Spacecraft, AudioLayer, plus some Ruismakers - triggered via Rozeta and Steppolyarp - with some fx via Discord and Turnado......absolute peak fun here look.

No doubt this app is helping me use the CPU hogs in ways that I could not before. True that it cuts off AU parameters automation but with enough foresight the automation can be sampled too!

Carnbot

Found another AU bug. I now have a large multi sampled instrument with many velocity zones but on starting up the Session with the AU several of the zones have disappeared. If I reload the instrument preset the zones come back though.

@VirSyn

lukesleepwalker

Maybe some of you sampling experts can explain this: why is the random and round robin associated with layers? Shouldn't random and round robin be associated with zones--basically randomizing all layers associated with a zone? As designed, if you randomize a list of layers associated with two zones, it breaks upon jumping zones. That is, if you play a note in a zone and it randomizes a layer in the other zone you get no sound. What am I missing?

wim

@VirSyn - I just discovered mono wav files aren’t compatible. Intentional??

yeahrightkid

This is a wonderful app and I’m so happy this missing piece of the AU puzzle is here. Just wondering if you guys are working on any timestretching capabilities? I’m sure it’s quite an undertaking so I understand if you aren’t but if this thing had a kind of variphrase tech it would be the ultimate sampler app. Keep up the good work regardless!

McDtracy

@lukesleepwalker said:
Maybe some of you sampling experts can explain this: why is the random and round robin associated with layers? Shouldn't random and round robin be associated with zones--basically randomizing all layers associated with a zone? As designed, if you randomize a list of layers associated with two zones, it breaks upon jumping zones. That is, if you play a note in a zone and it randomizes a layer in the other zone you get no sound. What am I missing?

I'm no expert but here's my guess. A Layer is defined by a sample
and multiple versions of samples can be defined and used in a round robin or random order to make the instrument have some variations in sound so it's a better imitation of a real instrument played by a human and less like a machine without variations.

Zones are used to pitch stretch a sample across 1 or more MIDI Notes. The Notes played in that Zone could all be Round Robin'ed from 2 or 4 Samples as defined in the Layers for the Root Note in that Zone.

I hope that's close to being right.

ageezz

@Carnbot said:
You can highlight multiple zones at once and move change the velocity range at once. We could with more multiple editing options but that's pretty useful.

What am I missing - can’t seem to find how to select multiple zones at once.

Carnbot

@ageezz said:

@Carnbot said:
You can highlight multiple zones at once and move change the velocity range at once. We could with more multiple editing options but that's pretty useful.

What am I missing - can’t seem to find how to select multiple zones at once.

you have to hold down for a short time until a red square appears which is a selection box then drag the box over your selection. i hope we get more options with what we can do with this selection eventually.

Samu

I'm pretty sure @VirSyn will add some work-flow improvements in future updates

I so would love to see some ReSlice features (Transient Detection and Slices->Zones / Layers) implemented in AudioLayer and maybe at some point a StepSequencer/Arpeggiator for sequencing/trigger notes/slices.
(This would be as close to Ableton Simpler as we'd get for now).

Also 'Reverse' option for playback would be nice but could be tricky since the samples are not cached in ram but rather always streamed from flash...

ageezz

@Carnbot said:
you have to hold down for a short time until a red square appears which is a selection box then drag the box over your selection. i hope we get more options with what we can do with this selection eventually.

Great - thanks. Yes agreed. At the moment on the top of my list is a long press In the sample window to go to maximum zoom at the cursor - similar to AudioShare.

lukesleepwalker

@McDtracy said:

@lukesleepwalker said:
Maybe some of you sampling experts can explain this: why is the random and round robin associated with layers? Shouldn't random and round robin be associated with zones--basically randomizing all layers associated with a zone? As designed, if you randomize a list of layers associated with two zones, it breaks upon jumping zones. That is, if you play a note in a zone and it randomizes a layer in the other zone you get no sound. What am I missing?

I'm no expert but here's my guess. A Layer is defined by a sample
and multiple versions of samples can be defined and used in a round robin or random order to make the instrument have some variations in sound so it's a better imitation of a real instrument played by a human and less like a machine without variations.

Zones are used to pitch stretch a sample across 1 or more MIDI Notes. The Notes played in that Zone could all be Round Robin'ed from 2 or 4 Samples as defined in the Layers for the Root Note in that Zone.

I hope that's close to being right.

Seems right to me. What I don't get is why AudioLayer doesn't allow layers per zone? Perhaps you can and I'm missing it? How would you do round robin for different octaves if all the samples/layers are "collected" across zones? I can see that I can add zones per layer, but it appears I can only import a single sample for that zone, right?

SevenSystems

Before I read the whole thread: does it have a modulation matrix, and can you assign note pitch or another controller to sample offset?

Samu

@SevenSystems said:
Before I read the whole thread: does it have a modulation matrix, and can you assign note pitch or another controller to sample offset?

NO

SevenSystems

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:
Before I read the whole thread: does it have a modulation matrix, and can you assign note pitch or another controller to sample offset?

NO

Oh OK, so still not on par with my 20 year old hardware E4X 😂

(sorry yes I know, I complain too much. But as mentioned on another thread, I still find the total lack of a full featured sampler on iOS surprising. I just want a damn iE4X!!)

Samu

@SevenSystems said:

@Samu said:

@SevenSystems said:
Before I read the whole thread: does it have a modulation matrix, and can you assign note pitch or another controller to sample offset?

NO

Oh OK, so still not on par with my 20 year old hardware E4X 😂

Makes me kinda wish AudioDamage made a sampler AUv3 too as the nailed the modulation matrix with Quanta

And well, AudioLayer is deep but in reality what I personally would love to see is something more close to Ableton Simpler or the Cubase Sampler Track.

Don't know if the SunVox library could be of use here as it allows loading of samples and also chaining modules so In practice it should be possible to script it to forward Midi Velocity to Sample Start % or something like that.

Remains to be seen in what direction @VirSyn will take AudioLayer or in what direction ReSlice will evolve?

SevenSystems

@Samu, unfortunately I just had this exact problem (mapping note number to sample start, for interactive splicing) to solve in Sunvox, and it appears to be not possible because the Sampler module doesn't have an offset slider that you could MIDI learn... it is possible to set sample start via pattern effects, but that's of no use if you want it via MIDI... I only took a brief look at libsunvox but it might have the same limitation then (available parameters of modules the same as in the UI?).

Nevertheless I'm having great fun and pulling amazing sounds out of Sunvox...

SevenSystems

@Samu EDIT: NightRadio -- as always -- just solved the problem in a blink. You CAN actually control the sample offset via MIDI: The Sampler considers a "Phase" input as the Sample offset (makes sense technically). So, just control it via a MultiSynth, and MIDI learn that module's "Phase" parameter. Boom! Dude that app is amazing...

Samu

@SevenSystems said:
Boom! Dude that app is amazing...

It is! Just wish it was possible to change the bit-depth of the recorded samples just like it's possible to re-sample/change the sample-rate for some added grit. Sure the distortion module has bit & rate reduction but it's not really the same as changing the bit-depth/sample-rate of the source material.

And well as requested by many 'export pattern as *.wav' or use another Sunvox module as a source for quick re-sampling. 1.9.5 will most likely be pretty awesome when it drops

The LFO modules could use an overhaul/addition as well (Ie. directly be useable with for example the Generator without the need to pass it thru a SoundCTL module).

Anyway back to AudioLayer, hope it will get some ReSlice features at some point