utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Discuss John Bowen Synths - Solaris
SubliminalEffect
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utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by SubliminalEffect »

is your Solaris hungering for some new samples to play? do you have your own custom sample files that you would like to incorporate into your Solaris sounds?

to paraphrase a television commercial i've seen just once or twice, now there is an app for that...

the Solaris Sample Pooler is an easy to use OS X application that can read standard 16-bit, 44.1 kHz .WAV files conforming to the Waveform Audio File Format specification and create the necessary sample data files that can be loaded and used by the Solaris synthesizer.

you can convert a single sample file at a time or an entire folder full of them in seconds.

if the sample files that you want to use with the Solaris but aren't 16-bit, 44.1 kHz Waveform Audio File Forrmat (.WAV) files, you will need to convert these prior to using them with the Solaris Sample Pooler application.

you can find the Solaris Sample Pooler application along with two other Solaris utilities (Solaris Preset Renamer and Solaris Bank Lister) at:
http://www.subliminaleffect.com/synths/ ... en/Solaris

don't forget to share your converted sample files with the Solaris community!
Little Gorilla
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by Little Gorilla »

Excellent, thanks. Those all look really useful but with the stage I am at the preset namer will be very very useful indeed.
Astrolab
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by Astrolab »

Woaw! That's totally unvaluable!! Thank you VERY much for your work. Amazing, and, for free (!!!) :shock: Sure, your work will help the growing community of the amazing Solaris!
SubliminalEffect
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by SubliminalEffect »

thanks for the kind words of encouragement - very much appreciated.

there is more on the way.

we are fortunate to have such an extremely deep synthesis platform in the Solaris - so much to delve into for hours and hours...

let's share among ourselves so we can go deeper into our sonic explorations individually and together as a group. as our collective Solaris work reaches the outside world, our community will grow.
Soul circuits
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by Soul circuits »

Well done! Is there a chance to have a windows version ?
Thank you !
Toby Emerson
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by Toby Emerson »

these definitely look helpful - I would also like to know if you have any plans for a windows version.

Thanks!
SubliminalEffect
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by SubliminalEffect »

Toby Emerson wrote:these definitely look helpful - I would also like to know if you have any plans for a windows version.

Thanks!
none. don't do windows no more!
sonix
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by sonix »

Toby Emerson wrote:these definitely look helpful - I would also like to know if you have any plans for a windows version.
Thanks!
You can use the open source sound editor Audacity.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=en

Load a soundfile, if it's a stereo-file, convert it to mono (Track's menu),
then export it as raw format with:

File -> Export -> click on the button Option in the lower right corner ... a Dialog-Panel appears:
in the Header-comboBox select RAW (header-less)
in the Codec comboBox select Signed 16 bit PCM (if it's a 16 bit file)
SubliminalEffect
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by SubliminalEffect »

sonix wrote: You can use the open source sound editor Audacity.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=en

Load a soundfile, if it's a stereo-file, convert it to mono (Track's menu),
then export it as raw format with...
I'll preface this response by stating upfront that I don't have a clue in the world about what Audacity can or can't do.

if Audacity can take a standard WAVE format file and then split it into the data that the Solaris requires then call me a fool for wasting countless hours researching, coding, testing and documenting my utility that just duplicates what already exists and is readily available. stupid, stupid me! sorry for wasting everyone's bandwidth here including my own.

before posting your recommended solution with Audacity here, you have successfully accomplished this conversion procedure yourself and tested the results with Solaris, right?

anyone else accomplished this successfully with Audacity?
sonix
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by sonix »

I'll preface this response by stating upfront that I don't have a clue in the world about what Audacity can or can't do.

if Audacity can take a standard WAVE format file and then split it into the data that the Solaris requires then call me a fool for wasting countless hours researching, coding, testing and documenting my utility that just duplicates what already exists and is readily available. stupid, stupid me! sorry for wasting everyone's bandwidth here including my own.

before posting your recommended solution with Audacity here, you have successfully accomplished this conversion procedure yourself and tested the results with Solaris, right?

anyone else accomplished this successfully with Audacity?
... SORRY, i did not want to reduce your work!
I just want to mention a partially solution for Windows users ... and of course: the Solaris 'header' file must separately be created with a text-editor.
Yes, you are right, i could not test it, because i have not yet a Solaris.
John Bowen
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by John Bowen »

Yeah, I'm not sure if Audacity can provide the meta data from the WAV's header file. This is the hard part! You need the loop start and end points, and sample length, root pitch, any fine tuning, etc.. There are a couple of converters such as Audacity that can produce .raw files from .wavs, however.

For Windows users, there's a paid product, Translator 6, that will produce a Solaris file set, generating both the .raw file and the proper text file for the Solaris to read. It is Windows XP/7/8 compatible:
http://www.chickensys.com/products2/tra ... index.html

john b.
rdorsche
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by rdorsche »

So here I am nearly six years later trying to do the same thing.
I can get as far as creating a .raw formatted sample file, via Audacity or Amadeus Pro on OSX (10.12.6 at this writing).
However I can't figure out the sample length and by extension any loop points.
The fore-mentioned "Solaris Sample Pooler application" is long-gone, as the hosting website is gone.
Can anyone share that app with me, hopefully it still works on OSX?

I've also tried Jim Hughes' "Solsa" but can't get that to run (again, I'm on OSX). His link:
https://bitbucket.org/JimHewes/solsa/src/default/

at any rate: Yes, I realize it's tricky to do any fancy sample work, but I'm bound to try it anyway. I'm only held up by the "sample length" variable here; the rest I can create by hand or guestimate.

Any leads to a modern editor?
John Bowen
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Re: utility to create custom samples for Solaris

Post by John Bowen »

I have this still working on OS 10.14.5. When I find a .wav file in the utility window, I see a report of what the .txt file is going to have in it, and when I click on the ‘Extract Sample Pool’ button, it produces both a .raw file and a proper Sample Pool text file (and these are located in the same folder as the original .wav file).
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