Need to find a better way to auto-sample instruments on iPad in 2024/25

EdZAB

Looking for recommendations on the best way to sample in instruments using an automated method. I've tried a few different apps and the results have not been great, and ran into problems. If someone has a solid method, even if it's not fully automated, I'd be interested. I've got a large collection of apps including Drambo, Koala, Logic Pro, and I'm willing to buy a new app if I can get something that works well.

Here's what I tried so far and the results:

Sample Source: 4Pockets Stringlab
Instrument to sample: User created nylon guitar preset
Goal: Create a set of wav files sampled across a key range that can be imported into Soundbox in order to create a Nylon Guitar preset. A single velocity level may be OK, but I'd like to use a spread of 2-4 notes per sample, each across the range E2 - C6, but I'm willing to to per note and up to 3 velocity levels if the sound quality demands it.
All sampling was done in AUM with the sampling app on an effect slot below Stringlab. The sample rate showing in AUM is 44.1 kHZ. I have an audio interface attached over USB.

-- Results --

*Synthjacker
Seems like a great choice, but it appears to flake out on iOS 18 - not all samples are triggered, and other weird behavior.

*Audiolayer
The auto-sampling works great, and I've used it successfully to sample from a few apps, but this time, the sample it created don't sound very accurate. The guitar sound from Stringlab loses a lot of detail in the sample, and it just sounds flat.

*Chameleon
There are a couple limitations here. There does not appear to be any way to export the sample files, only import, although it can save the set as a User preset in Chameleon and play back using the samples. Additionally, the autosampling only has one velocity level. Beyond that, again, the sound of the samples does not match the source.

*Thumbjam
I haven't tried it but I do know that it can perform sampling of an instrument, but it's not AUv3, so that would make it a little more difficult to work with. Nevertheless, I would be willing to try if anyone has an example of a good workflow with it.

ejacul337

I record chords and notes in one session file and chop it up in Sitala. The longest part of the process is nothing. Just pause between each note/chord and the app will shit out the stems all properlike.

ahallam

@ejacul337 said:
I record chords and notes in one session file and chop it up in Sitala. The longest part of the process is nothing. Just pause between each note/chord and the app will shit out the stems all properlike.

Pro tip… Thanks 🙏

wim

@EdZAB said:
*Audiolayer
The auto-sampling works great, and I've used it successfully to sample from a few apps, but this time, the sample it created don't sound very accurate. The guitar sound from Stringlab loses a lot of detail in the sample, and it just sounds flat.

It might be worth figuring out why this is so. There has to be an explanation that involves changing something or other. Digital sampling is just digital sampling. It's not subject to degradation. Could it be just perceptual due to a change in volume? We definitely hear lower volume things as sounding less bright and detailed. Or, perhaps there's a slicing issue, cutting off transients. If you're sampling at multiple velocities, are you perhaps hearing playback of the lower velocity samples in AudioLayer and higher velocity in the source app? It may be anything, or nothing, but I really doubt that there's an actual loss in the digital quality of the actual sampling process.

EdZAB

@wim , @ejacul337, @ahallam - Thanks for the input - I've got some things to try. 👍

Tones4Christ

@wim said:

@EdZAB said:
*Audiolayer
The auto-sampling works great, and I've used it successfully to sample from a few apps, but this time, the sample it created don't sound very accurate. The guitar sound from Stringlab loses a lot of detail in the sample, and it just sounds flat.

It might be worth figuring out why this is so. There has to be an explanation that involves changing something or other. Digital sampling is just digital sampling. It's not subject to degradation. Could it be just perceptual due to a change in volume? We definitely hear lower volume things as sounding less bright and detailed. Or, perhaps there's a slicing issue, cutting off transients. If you're sampling at multiple velocities, are you perhaps hearing playback of the lower velocity samples in AudioLayer and higher velocity in the source app? It may be anything, or nothing, but I really doubt that there's an actual loss in the digital quality of the actual sampling process.

So true. I'm actually considering doing some sample of my favorite symths to use in AudioLayer. I totally had gotten the sampling steps down, but like anything, easily forgotten if not done regularly. Lol, but will definitely help with cpu.