Koala - the ultimate pocket-sized sampler

wim

@jazzroom said:

@wim said:

@jazzroom said:
@elf_audio , First of all Thank You for the Samurai update - great new features!

A future update feature request:
Would it be possible to select sample bit rate and frequency in the Audio I/O
to be able to select between 44.1Khz and 48.0Khz for external USB Audio interfaces,
to have more flexibility in Koala Audio I/O options?

As of now Koala samples from external USB at 44.1
( Zoom U-24 interface can record at 44.1 and 48.0Khz at 24bits but defaults to 24bit 44.1Khz)
as long I am using external USB for recording and playback all is fine.

But, as soon as I unplug
external USB from iPhone ( iOS12.4.1) , Koala resets back to48.0 Khz I/O playback
that completely messes up the pitch and the length of the recorded/sequenced samples
the pitch shifting doesn't function correctly because of 44.1- 48.0 Khz sample frequency difference.

My workaround for now :
to import all recorded 44.1khz samples into Audio Share and convert them to 48.0Khz and import back into Koala.....
It works but..... takes time to rebuilt the Koala Project and takes extra storage space on iOS devices,
and just breaks the great Koala workflow.

don't know if this feature easy to implement or is it a limitation of Apple iOS audio ?

any ideas?

Peace & Jazz

Yeh, I'm struggling with the sample rate thing too. I have to be sure to start things up in such an order that I always get the right sample rate, then remember what sample rate was used to stay in tune if I re-open a session.

I've been trying to remember to stay in hosts, set at 48 KHz, and to send in external audio through the host, not directly into Koala.

Thanks for reply @wim
I cant seem to sample into Koala at 48.0 with external audio interface ...Koala keeps the 16bit 41.1 rate that usb interface is set to internally.
But I can switch to 16bit 48.0Khz in Audio Share or Twisted Audio apps for example cause they have the option to choose a sample rate.

What hosts are you using that allow you to set 48.0Khz that Koala picks up ...Audiobus 2 or 3 or other apps ?
Do you sample into Koala trough those apps or directly ?
What iOS are you on and what external USB interface do you use?
cheers
Jazz

It all depends on which app sets the sample rate first. If AUM is started first with a 48K sample rate, then I load Koala in an FX slot, it inherits the 48K sample rate.

Of course, if the audio interface is only 44k, then AUM adjusts down and all bets are off.

elf_audio

Koala tries to listen for sample rate changes and device changes, and adjusts its internal rate accordingly - it doesn't always pick the changes up though - I've spent some time trying to track down when this happens, but I've never been able to replicate.

When koala starts, it always asks what sample rate it should be at - iOS tells it what the preferred sample rate of the hardware is, or if in IAA, what sample rate the IAA session is at. I know it would be good to put something in to let you choose, but I'm wary of resampling being inserted into the chain by iOS. It's something I need to look into more closely.

I've made another update - it now lets you choose export between 16 and 24 bits (in the extras for now) - I imagine it will be out in about 18 hours or so if approved.

Stuntman_mike

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but imagine Koala as an auv3 host... that would be interesting! Being able to sample synths and use more effects to mangle audio onto the pads. 🤯

reasOne

What if koala had internal tape effects! Warble, hiss, tape speed and stop 😎🥰

stormbeats

@elf_audio said:
@stormbeats Can you see what version it is (go to settings -> extras) it should say there

@elf_audio latest version

stormbeats

@elf_audio its strange cos all my other devices are ok just the iap issue / airplane mode issue on iphone6 / ios12.4.9

Halftone

@stormbeats said:
@elf_audio its strange cos all my other devices are ok just the iap issue / airplane mode issue on iphone6 / ios12.4.9

Works with airplane mode on for me - iphone6s iOS 13.

stormbeats

@Halftone said:

@stormbeats said:
@elf_audio its strange cos all my other devices are ok just the iap issue / airplane mode issue on iphone6 / ios12.4.9

Works with airplane mode on for me - iphone6s iOS 13.

@Halftone all my iOS 13 devices are ok . My iphone6 is not an S (i6s) and can not upgrade past iOS12. I don’t think its an iOS issue

RockySmalls

@stormbeats said:

@elf_audio said:
@stormbeats Can you see what version it is (go to settings -> extras) it should say there

@elf_audio latest version

i’ve had this issue on an ipad pro 12.9 , ios 13.7 .. but only with the first samuria version release ( haven’t updated that one yet due to the stem export issue.. ). but once i had gone through a restart and switching the wifi on then restore worked ok and ( fingers crossed ) seems to be permanent with wifi off.. will check again when new V comes up..

RockySmalls

@elf_audio said:
Koala tries to listen for sample rate changes and device changes, and adjusts its internal rate accordingly - it doesn't always pick the changes up though - I've spent some time trying to track down when this happens, but I've never been able to replicate.

When koala starts, it always asks what sample rate it should be at - iOS tells it what the preferred sample rate of the hardware is, or if in IAA, what sample rate the IAA session is at. I know it would be good to put something in to let you choose, but I'm wary of resampling being inserted into the chain by iOS. It's something I need to look into more closely.

I've made another update - it now lets you choose export between 16 and 24 bits (in the extras for now) - I imagine it will be out in about 18 hours or so if approved.

marvelous! and many thanks for the bit rate option , most appreciated and unexpectedly swift!

aleyas

@reasOne said:
What if koala had internal tape effects! Warble, hiss, tape speed and stop 😎🥰

That would be sick! Like a vinyl or tape mode. Man I want that so much.

supadom

I get very cool results when selecting very short fragment in edit mode (loop l, hold and longer release) while the sequence is playing. Moving markers around etc. in a Samplr style granular way.

I wish it was possible to move the whole selection around by placing a finger in the middle of the selection.

reasOne

@aleyas said:

@reasOne said:
What if koala had internal tape effects! Warble, hiss, tape speed and stop 😎🥰

That would be sick! Like a vinyl or tape mode. Man I want that so much.

To bake those right into the samples would be a pleasure hehe! I vote for the iap!

Samu

@elf_audio Hmmm, I'm getting corrupted *.wav files when I try to export from Koala
I've tried all available export options. iPhone 8, iOS14.4...

Will try re-installing the app and see if that fixes it...
...re-install did not help.

Is export working properly for everyone else?
(The last beta I have on my iPad Air 2 exports properly, but in 16-bit so something must have gotten wonky with the 24-bit export, some apps identify the file as 8-bit 48k but with no content).

Raw export of individual samples works.

Hopefully it's a minor glitch.
Cheerios!

Samu

Hmmm...

As far as I know my iPhone 8 has a 'mono' microphone, still samples get recorded in stereo?
(The settings for L,L+R,R only affect USB Interfaces and have no effect on the built-in microphone but I tried anyway).

I'll just avoid export for now until it gets fixed and remember to convert to mono before exporting them samples.

On 'thing' that I thought of that could be a blast is to sample thru all the effects present in the perform tab.
That could hive a healthy dose of creative fun, it's possible to preview the sound thru the effects but it needs to be 're-sampled' after recording. Sampling directly thru Perform effects would save one step.

So when the FX is lit an option to pass it thru 'perform' effects would be appreciated.

Koala is plenty of fun even with them minor glitches...

elf_audio

Hey @Samu really sorry about that - I sent a fix to apple last night about 10 hours ago, they usually approve by the cupertino afternoon.

Yeah, the other case for sampling through those PERFORM effects is the spontaneity - the only thing is I'll get more angry emails asking why the pitch/gate/stutter/tempo delay/chopper don't work (as they're tied to the sequencer and don't really have any meaning in the context of sampling.

Another thing I would prefer to do is make the input effects more dynamic. They're not so useful at the moment as they're on/off - if they had any control at all, they could become a lot more useful. e.g. instead of octave up/down, just make it a pitchshifter - even one slider for each of those effects could make them more fun. Like on the "synth" one, if you could just control the filter, it would be much more useful and have a lot more sounds that it could create.

israelite

@elf_audio said:

Another thing I would prefer to do is make the input effects more dynamic. They're not so useful at the moment as they're on/off - if they had any control at all, they could become a lot more useful. e.g. instead of octave up/down, just make it a pitchshifter - even one slider for each of those effects could make them more fun. Like on the "synth" one, if you could just control the filter, it would be much more useful and have a lot more sounds that it could create.

Yes! This would be great as the default ON state is often too much. Good luck with bringing this to reality and thank you for your work.

Samu

@elf_audio said:
Hey @Samu really sorry about that - I sent a fix to apple last night about 10 hours ago, they usually approve by the cupertino afternoon.

Goodie

Yeah, the other case for sampling through those PERFORM effects is the spontaneity - the only thing is I'll get more angry emails asking why the pitch/gate/stutter/tempo delay/chopper don't work (as they're tied to the sequencer and don't really have any meaning in the context of sampling.

Yepp, I was more thinking about sampling thru the crusher, compressor, flanger, ring-mod, talk-box etc.
But sure, I can always enable hold on the perform screen and use the re-sample option and for tempo-based effects use an empty pattern and put them notes there.

Another thing I would prefer to do is make the input effects more dynamic. They're not so useful at the moment as they're on/off - if they had any control at all, they could become a lot more useful. e.g. instead of octave up/down, just make it a pitchshifter - even one slider for each of those effects could make them more fun. Like on the "synth" one, if you could just control the filter, it would be much more useful and have a lot more sounds that it could create.

Cool!

Another 'thing' regarding selecting start & end point of the sample...
When zooming and panning (especially on the iPhone) it's very easy to accidentally change the start & end points.

I do get that there is a threshold in the middle of the sample view to set the start & end but two fingers are needed to zoom/pan/scroll the view.

What about using the lower portion of the waveform view for pan/zoom to avoid accidentally changing start & end?

In Auditor (the iPad sample editor) one finger Swipe up/down on the waveform is used to zoom in/out and one finger can also be used to pan/scroll the view, handles are used to set start & end.

In Koala the upper portion of the waveform view could be dedicated to start & end while the lower portion could be used for zoom & pan?

I think it's worth a thought to make it easier to navigate the sample view.
(Maybe you have some cool ideas regarding this as well?)

Koala is the 'iPet' that keeps on giving

elf_audio

@Samu I agree that the zooming at the moment is annoying, I need to give it some more thought - If you look at koala on a $20 android phone with low aspect ratio, there isn't really a lot of space to have more UI in that sample waveform box - the timestretch UI was invasive enough. It basically needs a rethink, including all the associated interactions.

supadom

Sorry if it has being discussed before but when I sample from radio unit au the recording is mono and when I pan left the volume goes down which leads me to believe that it only gets recorded on the right channel and Koala doesn’t sample in stereo?

Btw I have L+R selected in settings

Sirt

radio unit now records in stereo on the latest update for me(through aum).

Samu

@elf_audio said:
@Samu I agree that the zooming at the moment is annoying, I need to give it some more thought - If you look at koala on a $20 android phone with low aspect ratio, there isn't really a lot of space to have more UI in that sample waveform box - the timestretch UI was invasive enough. It basically needs a rethink, including all the associated interactions.

Gotcha!

The swipe up/down on waveform to zoom in/out and swipe left/right to pan could work.
'Swipe In'(ie. starting the swipe from left / right edge of the waveform view) could set the start & end points with would be handy when 'zoomed in' and would be kinda natural gesture, if the start & end marker is already on screen it could be moved with the finger.

Eventually The Start & Markers could also be like the arrows in the slicer? (With S & E labels)
Drag from left to set start, drag from right to set end, thus way the waveform view could be used for pan & zoom without accidental taps.

But for now, lets enjoy Koala for a while

supadom

@Sirt said:
radio unit now records in stereo on the latest update for me(through aum).

All updated here on iPhone 6s hosted in AUM. I’ll check my iPad later.

aleyas

@elf_audio said:
Hey @GeorgeL909 - what are the main things that xequence let’s you do that koala is missing? Just wondering if there were 3 or 4 main things, it would be good to know.

With regards to having keyboard mode and non-keyboard mode midi controllable at the same time, I think it’s possibly a bit too complicated to do conceptually within the design of koala. It’s not difficult to program, it just needs more buttons and those buttons can confuse the majority of users and water down the effectiveness of the interface

Hey, so one thing I find myself wishing for is a simple ASR envelope. It would be great for adding a bit of dynamics, or for allowing pads to fade in/out more musically, without having originally sampled it that way. There are many things I'd like to do with Koala - such as having 8 or so 'ambiences' on each pad, and gradually fade in and out between them. I'm not much of a beat maker, but I do love sampling and sample mangling - which Koala is admittedly great at.

So.. any chance for a volume envelope in the future ??

RockySmalls

@aleyas said:

@elf_audio said:
Hey @GeorgeL909 - what are the main things that xequence let’s you do that koala is missing? Just wondering if there were 3 or 4 main things, it would be good to know.

With regards to having keyboard mode and non-keyboard mode midi controllable at the same time, I think it’s possibly a bit too complicated to do conceptually within the design of koala. It’s not difficult to program, it just needs more buttons and those buttons can confuse the majority of users and water down the effectiveness of the interface

Hey, so one thing I find myself wishing for is a simple ASR envelope. It would be great for adding a bit of dynamics, or for allowing pads to fade in/out more musically, without having originally sampled it that way. There are many things I'd like to do with Koala - such as having 8 or so 'ambiences' on each pad, and gradually fade in and out between them. I'm not much of a beat maker, but I do love sampling and sample mangling - which Koala is admittedly great at.

So.. any chance for a volume envelope in the future ??

there is already attack and release in the sample edit page... though both could maybe do with a tad more range for slower swellings ... which sounds like what you are after..

aleyas

@RockySmalls said:

@aleyas said:

@elf_audio said:
Hey @GeorgeL909 - what are the main things that xequence let’s you do that koala is missing? Just wondering if there were 3 or 4 main things, it would be good to know.

With regards to having keyboard mode and non-keyboard mode midi controllable at the same time, I think it’s possibly a bit too complicated to do conceptually within the design of koala. It’s not difficult to program, it just needs more buttons and those buttons can confuse the majority of users and water down the effectiveness of the interface

Hey, so one thing I find myself wishing for is a simple ASR envelope. It would be great for adding a bit of dynamics, or for allowing pads to fade in/out more musically, without having originally sampled it that way. There are many things I'd like to do with Koala - such as having 8 or so 'ambiences' on each pad, and gradually fade in and out between them. I'm not much of a beat maker, but I do love sampling and sample mangling - which Koala is admittedly great at.

So.. any chance for a volume envelope in the future ??

there is already attack and release in the sample edit page... though both could maybe do with a tad more range for slower swellings ... which sounds like what you are after..

@RockySmalls said:

@aleyas said:

@elf_audio said:
Hey @GeorgeL909 - what are the main things that xequence let’s you do that koala is missing? Just wondering if there were 3 or 4 main things, it would be good to know.

With regards to having keyboard mode and non-keyboard mode midi controllable at the same time, I think it’s possibly a bit too complicated to do conceptually within the design of koala. It’s not difficult to program, it just needs more buttons and those buttons can confuse the majority of users and water down the effectiveness of the interface

Hey, so one thing I find myself wishing for is a simple ASR envelope. It would be great for adding a bit of dynamics, or for allowing pads to fade in/out more musically, without having originally sampled it that way. There are many things I'd like to do with Koala - such as having 8 or so 'ambiences' on each pad, and gradually fade in and out between them. I'm not much of a beat maker, but I do love sampling and sample mangling - which Koala is admittedly great at.

So.. any chance for a volume envelope in the future ??

there is already attack and release in the sample edit page... though both could maybe do with a tad more range for slower swellings ... which sounds like what you are after..

Cheers man, thanks for pointing out. I'm new to Koala
Yeah, longer swells is definitely something I'd like for those long samples.

RajahP

A ‘Back’ button (to AUM) would be nice.. IAA..😃

eross

is there a way to make a pad latch down , so that I can go outside of the app and play an instrument and have it be recorder in koala withou holding the button down?
also can you overdub over a pads recording.
could be cool to use this app at a simple looper
any ideas ?

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Samu

@eross said:
is there a way to make a pad latch down , so that I can go outside of the app and play an instrument and have it be recorder in koala withou holding the button down?

Yes, enable loop and hold for a pad..
Tap once to play, tap again to stop.

also can you overdub over a pads recording.
could be cool to use this app at a simple looper
any ideas ?

You can mix pads (drag on top of each other) but no live overdubbing.