In this post, we will continue becoming familiar with the knobs and dials of Logic Sampler. The Logic Sampler synth parameters are the first step in understanding which controls are available and an important step towards mastery of Sampler. This overview is part of the SoundEngine Logic Sampler Owner’s Manual series – more here.
First, if you don’t see knobs and power switches under a tab named SYNTH, then click SYNTH in the Navigation Bar at the top of the Logic Sampler window. At this point, you should see a row of parameters, including PITCH, FILTER 1, FILTER 2, and AMP. This section, in Logic Pro manual language, is called the Synth Pane.
The Pitch Parameters
The PITCH section of the Logic Sampler synth parameters is where the Coarse and Fine tuning of the overall Logic Sampler instrument are set. The Coarse control is in semitones, and the Fine control is in cents. So far, so good.
The Filter Parameters
The FILTER section is the powerful core of sound alteration within Sampler. Notice that there are essentially two Filters, each of which can be enabled or disabled with its own power button. Each FILTER has a pop-up menu to select the topology.
There are multiple Low-Pass, High-Pass, Band-pass, Band-Reject, and Peak configurations for each of the two available filters. In total, you can configure each of the two filters in 22 different ways. Each Filter also had a Cutoff frequency, a Reso (resonance) boost/cut, and a Drive knob. The Drive knob works as an overdrive control at the input of the FILTER, allowing from very subtle distortions to a fuzz-like tone. It offers a very handy sound mangling control for each filter.
In addition to the more traditional FILTER controls, the interaction between the two filters is also programmable. At the center of the Synth pane is a switch that lets you select either a Series or Parallel configuration between the two filters. In Parallel mode, the Blend control is enabled, allowing the relative mix volume between the two Filter sections to be set. Keep in mind that you can mix a filtered portion of the sound being played back with an unfiltered section by using the Parallel mode and turning a Filter off.
There are lots of FILTER configurations, modes, and mixes to play with in what I consider one of the most powerful FILTER sections in any software sampler. The engineers at Apple nailed it here.
The AMP Parameters
The AMP section is what you would expect, with a Volume and Pan control for each voice. The default Volume for each sound is set to 0dB, with a 6dB boost or a -60 dB cut available. Pan is left-to-right in -100 to +100 increments. Double-clicking any knob within most panes of Logic Sampler will return it to its default setting. This is very handy with the Pan control in particular.
Now, the (sorta) secret bit
When I first worked with Logic Sampler, after it was re-skinned and renamed from EXS24, I panicked. I couldn’t find a series of parameters that I used to use all of the time in EXS – like glide, unison, and more. I took me a while to realize that the “Details” box in the upper right corner of the Logic Sampler synth parameters section was not a label, but a button. Yeah, noted – dumb.
Glide and Pitch Bend Ranges
Let’s click on that details box and have a look at what is going on. What is revealed is a set of 15 parameters and a status field that are extremely useful as we begin designing new sounds. Glide is portamento, the time you can program Sampler to change pitch from one note to the next, from 0ms to 5000ms. Pitch Bend Up and Pitch Bend Down allow separate responses to the pitch wheel in each direction. I haven’t used this much myself, but I can imagine applications with power-guitar sounds, for example.
A Quick Word about Quick Help
Quick side note: If you enable “Quick Help,” you get Apple’s descriptions of each parameter. For example, with the Coarse Tune Remote parameter (which I’ve never used), Quick Help states: “Choose a note value that sets the center key for keyboard-controlled transposition. The range is an octave above and below this key. Play a note in this range to transpose the mapping in semitones.” It also invites you to press “CMD+/“ for more information. The good news is that the Logic Pro User Guide describes this parameter as follows: “Choose a note value that sets the center key for keyboard-controlled transposition. The range is an octave above and below this key. Play a note in this range to transpose the mapping in semitones,” and adds “This is much like using the Tune parameter.” LOL. So not much more detail here.
Coarse Tune Remote
So, how does it work? In a strange way, in my opinion. I took the default Classical Piano sound and programmed the lowest key to be C1. This is the same as the low C on a 60-note keyboard. I then programmed the Coarse Tune Remote parameter to be C0. Playing the piano sound, then pressing the D0 key (or any key between C0 and B0), you will hear an immediate pitch change for the playing notes. Subsequent notes also play with this pitch change, until C0 is hit again, when the function is reset.
The implementation is strange two ways. First, using this feature in a live setting would be problematic. If you wanted to play notes beyond a 49-key controller keyboard’s range, you would need a longer keyboard to send the “Coarse Tune Remote” message. That, to me, defeats the purpose.
The second oddity is that the function itself is indeed a coarse-tune offset. It adds semitones in pitch shift to each note – it does not transpose the MIDI. What you get is notes that, at least on a piano sound, sound wrong, because the original note for say, C3, is the sample for C3, but played with a pitch offset. It is like programming your Pitch Wheel for an octave range, then playing a piano and holding the wheel up. The pitches are correct, but the sample formants are wrong. Coarse Tune Remote works in conjunction with Transpose, which transposes the incoming MIDI note before selecting the sample to play.
In short, my sense is that this isn’t a really useful parameter, but I’ve also been wrong before. If you know an application that I’m not thinking of, please let me know. I’m happy to learn something new.
Sample Select Random
The Transpose field works in semitones, +/- two octaves. Sample Select Random is tied to the Sample Select modulation, which we’ll learn about in later posts. It can be used to create subtle variations in sample playback if you have multiple instances of the same instrument on a MIDI note. This is similar to a round-robin design. You can also add a bit of random velocity variation to the incoming MIDI signal with the Velocity Random parameter. This adds a more realistic playback and human feel to the sound.
Velocity Response Parameters
The next two parameters, Amp Velocity Curve and Velocity Offset, allow manipulation of the incoming MIDI Velocity to modify the instrument’s dynamic range. Negative values for the Amp Velocity Curve parameter essentially “boost” low MIDI velocity values. Lower velocity notes are more easily heard. Velocity Offset does largely the same thing, but just adds or subtracts MIDI velocity. The Curve parameter may adjust the MIDI Velocity response curve, but there is little information about it. I have found that once I have a keymap built in Logic Sampler, I perform a trial-and-error approach to programming these two parameters, until the keymap “feels right.” Feeling right is directly tied to the type of instrument.
Ignore Release Velocity is a parameter that is generally on, with few exceptions. One exception would be if you have imported a Gigasampler instrument, since it maps to the release-trigger function there. The other exceptions would be tied together – if you have a MIDI controller that transmits Note Off velocity, AND you are programming Logic Sampler instruments to play samples on key up that have multiple velocities, Note Off velocity is a bit of a rare bird in lower cost MIDI controllers, but if your controller transmits it, it’s worth exploring the implementation.
Amp Key Scale Field is essentially a Keyboard Position → Amp modulation. Use it when you want to adjust the volume of higher pitches against lower pitches across the keyboard.
Polyphony and voice Modes
You can also program the number of notes of Polyphony for each keymap. The default polyphony is 16. Keyboard instruments like a piano would likely demand a higher number here, perhaps up to 64, while a Synth Bass is probably fine with 1 or 2. Allowed polyphony has a direct impact on CPU utilization, so the more notes you have playing or ringing out in a long release, the more CPU cycles you use. My recommendation is to program this appropriately to the number of voices needed to accurately emulate your design – but not more.
The voice Mode can be Poly, Mono, or Legato, and is tied to the Polyphony field above. Use Poly for sounds in which you will be playing more than one note. The difference between Mono and Legato is that Mono retriggers the Envelopes on each new MIDI Note event, while Legato adjusts the pitch of the oscillator without retrigger.
The Unison and Random Detune parameters also interact with Polyphony and Mode. You can trigger up to 8 instances of the sample you are playing for each MIDI note you press – that is the case when Unison is programmed to “8.” Random Detune alters the tuning of each of those layered oscillators and assigns them to a separate place in the stereo field. For a subtle Chorus effect, set Unison to 2 and adjust the Random Detune to +/- 2 or 3 cents. For magnificent stacks, set to 8 and increase the Detune to taste. Polyphony, Voice Mode, Unison, and Random Detune all do a “dance” of sorts with polyphony. Experimentation is key – try a number of settings as you are designing sounds to nail the tone you are looking for. Used Voices is a status display of the polyphony being used.
Tour is Over – Go Home
That’s it for the tour of the Logic Sampler synth Parameters. On the surface, there aren’t many parameters, but getting a bit below the surface, you find that there are many parameters and many considerations when programming them. On top of that, we didn’t really do a deep dive on the Filter pane and its applications – that’s for another post.
This section of the Logic Sampler UI Tour will be a part of SoundEngine’s Logic Sampler “Owner’s Manual” series, where we really get the sampling tools within Logic Pro up on the lift and take a look under the hood. If you have just stumbled across this article and want to know more tips and tricks about Logic Pro’s samplers, check out our entire series on the Sampler Owner’s Manual page.
We’ve got tutorials from basic use to advanced programming – lots of learning opportunities. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in a couple of weeks with another Dexed-focused article. We’ve also got posts of the amazing K1v synths and Dexed, too. Thanks for reading!
Resources:
- The Sampler overview in Logic Pro for Mac:
- Our custom Logic Sampler instrument sample packs:
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