ReCycle Operation Manual
DAW | Rack Plugin | Reason+ Rack Extensions
Saving and Exporting
If you have opened an audio file and worked on the slices and other settings, you can save it as a ReCycle (REX2) document.
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Saving is done using the regular “Save” and “Save As” commands.
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ReCycle files can be opened just like regular audio files (see “Using Open”).
One difference is that no analysis needs to be performed, since the analysis data is already included in the file.
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ReCycle files have the extension “.rx2”.
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The ReCycle document will include all settings made in Preview mode as well as the actual audio data.
These include:
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All the slice points and their status (locked, muted etc.).
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All real-time processing features, like tempo, pitch settings, Stretch amount etc.
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Any applied offline processing like Normalize etc.
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Tempo data for use when importing files to Reason.
On the Process menu, you will find two Export settings (or “options”); ”Export as One Sample” and “Silence Selected”.
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Export as One Sample has no effect on playback in ReCycle. Silence Selected, however, can be auditioned in Preview mode.
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Each document has its own settings.
If you are working with a lot of windows, be sure to check that the settings are correct before you Export. The settings are also saved to disk with the file when you Save.
#Export as One Sample
#Deactivated
When the Export As One Sample option is deactivated, the audio gets sliced into individual samples when exported, and the MIDI files created will contain one note for each of those slices.
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This is the preferred mode if you want to use your MIDI sequencer to edit the loop, change its tempo or use the MIDI file as a groove.
#Activated
When Export As One Sample option is activated, the program will save/export the part that stretches from the Left Locator to the Right as one sample. Also, in this mode, the MIDI File will only consist of one event, with the length set using the Bars and Beats settings.
#When should Export as one Sample be Activated?
One obvious application of exporting as one sample (as opposed to separate slices) is when you simply want to change the properties (like pitch and/or tempo) of an audio file without otherwise changing it. Say you have an audio file (Wave, Aiff etc.) that you wish to use in a song. The problem is that the tempo and/or the pitch of the file is wrong for the song, and you wish to fix this. The solution is to open the file in ReCycle, then slice it up and set the length of the loop using the normal techniques. Enter Preview mode, set the new tempo and/or pitch, and lastly export the file in it’s original format but with a new tempo and/or pitch etc. A step by step example of exporting to file can be found in “Exporting to File”.
Export as One Sample can also be used in conjunction with Silence Selected to separate sounds from a loop (see below and in “Using Silence Selected”).
#Silence Selected
When this function is activated, the slices that have selected markers will be silenced when saved or exported. Preview mode has to be activated for Silence Selected to be available.
When Silence Selected is turned on, the slices which have selected markers...
...will be replaced by silence.
This feature is probably best used when the Export as One Sample option is activated, to silence individual sounds in a longer sample. An application of this is found in “Using Silence Selected”. It can also be used to simply skip unwanted sounds, when slicing.
But, Silence Selected works even if the Export as One Sample option is deactivated. In this case, the selected slices will simply be skipped when creating MIDI Files. You can use the Gate Sensitivity parameter (see “Gate Sensitivity”) in combination with this feature to remove the silenced portions of the loop.
#About tempo data in exported files (when imported to Reason)
Samples and REX2 files can be imported to audio tracks in Reason. Since samples exported from Reason (and REX2 files) contain embedded tempo data, Reason will automatically stretch the samples and REX2 files to the current sequencer tempo.
In other words, you never have to match the Reason sequencer tempo to the tempo of the sample exported from Reason - the sample will be automatically stretched during import to the audio track in Reason.
The Export Sound dialog is opened by selecting “Export...” on the File menu.
The Export Sound is similar to the normal Save dialog, but contains a few extra items. The Export dialog is used if you want to save your files in other formats for which the program saves audio files on your computer’s hard disk.
It can also be used to change the inherent properties of a sound file. You could for example load a Wave file, change the file’s tempo and export it as a new Wave file.
#File Formats
The following Export file formats are supported:
| Name
| Ext.
| Comment
Standard MIDI File
MID
Allows you to export a MIDI file (see “Exporting MIDI Files”).
Audio IFF
(AIFF)
AIF
Audio Interchange File Format; Apple’s standard audio file format. Exports one or several files, with one slice in each file, depending on the “Export as One Sample” setting on the Process menu.
Tempo data for Reason is embedded in the file!
Wave File
WAV
The standard Microsoft file format for audio. Exports one or several files, with one slice in each file, depending on the “Export as One Sample” setting on the Process menu.
Tempo data for Reason is embedded in the file!
SoundFont 2
Banks
SF2
SoundFont is a file format for storing wavetable synthesized sounds. Effectively, this turns an ordinary sound card into a sampler. Creates a single file when exported. For more information see “About SoundFonts”.
Akai .akp Program File
AKP
Exports a program file together with one or several Wave files, with one slice in each file, depending on the “Export as One Sample” setting on the Process menu. AKP files are program files for the Akai S5000/S6000 series of samplers - for more information see “About Akai S5000/6000”.
#Export Settings
Before exporting a file in one of the supported formats, the Export Settings dialog is shown. The following items cam be set:
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A Sample Rate pop-up allows you to change the sample rate when Exporting.
The pre-selected sample rate shown in the dialog is the original sample rate of the audio file.
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A Bit Depth pop-up allows you to change the bit depth when Exporting.
The pre-selected bit depth shown in the dialog is the original bit depth of the audio file.
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An “Export MIDI File with Same Name” tickbox.
When checked, a MIDI file with the specified name, plus the extension ”.MID” will be generated together with the exported file.
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The above options are not available for Standard MIDI files.
#Exporting MIDI Files
There are two ways to create MIDI Files with ReCycle:
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By selecting Export from the File menu and then selecting “Standard MIDI File” as the File Format in the dialog.
This is used if you wish to create a groove template.
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By selecting Export from the File menu and then ticking the “Export MIDI File with Same Name” option in the Export Settings dialog.
If the file has been sliced for tempo changes, you will need this MIDI file to play the slices from a sequencer. This only applies to the Soundfont 2 and Akai S5000/6000 formats.
In either case you are prompted with a regular File dialog where you can specify a name and location for the file.
ReCycle always creates MIDI Files of type 1. However, they only contain one Track plus a Tempo Track.
#“Export As One Sample” and MIDI Files
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If Export as One Sample is turned off, the MIDI File will contain a number of short events, each triggering a slice, to re­create the loop. This is the mode to use if you want to create a “groove map”.
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If Export as One Sample is turned on, there will only be one long event which triggers the entire sample.
#“Silence Selected” and MIDI Files
Silence Selected only affects the MIDI File if Export as One Sample is turned off, see “Silence Selected”.
#Exporting REX2 files to Reason by drag & drop
A very nice feature, if you want to “export” REX2 files straight into Reason, is to use the drag & drop functionality described in “Importing REX2 files using drag & drop”.
When you select this format in the Export dialog, you export a program file (AKP) together with the separate audio files. These files can be transferred to your sampler using one of the following two methods:
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By using the application “ak.Sys”.
This is described below.
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By transferring the files via a removable media.
This is described later in the chapter.
#About ak.Sys
This is an application developed by Akai that enables direct file transfers between your S5000/S6000 and your computer via USB. This is the most convenient method of transferring files between the sampler and your computer (i.e. ReCycle).
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The ak.Sys software features a “browser” that facilitates direct access to your S5000/S6000 sampler (and any drives connected to the sampler).
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Items can simply be dragged from disks shown in the browser into the sampler’s memory for quick loading.
Also, a sample’s ‘properties’ may be changed directly in the browser (i.e. loop mode, pitch and tuning).
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ak.Sys is available for both Mac OS and Windows.
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The program requires that a USB interface card is installed in your S5000/S5000.
A USB card for your S5000/S6000 is included with ak.Sys.
#Using ReCycle with ak.Sys
ReCycle can export S5000/S6000 Program files (AKP) together with the audio files which can be loaded in ak.Sys.
Proceed as follows:
1.
Open the Export Sound dialog on the File menu.
2.
Select “S6000 Program File” from the Type pop-up menu.
The S5000 uses the same format.
3.
Select a destination for the exported files.
If the loop to be exported has been sliced for tempo changes, it is a good idea to export to a folder on the disk, for easier handling of the separate wave files that will be created.
4.
Click Save.
The Export Settings dialog opens.
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Make sure “Export MIDI file with Same Name” is ticked if the exported file has been sliced for tempo changes.
5.
Click “Export”.
Three types of files will be exported (given you have chosen to export a MIDI file in step 4):
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A Program file with the extension *.akp.
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Audio files in the Wave format, one for each slice.
If “Export as One Sample” is ticked on the Process menu, only a single wave file will be exported.
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A MIDI file.
This file should be used in your sequencer to play the slices in the loop.
From here, please refer to the ak.Sys documentation for specifics about loading the files into the program.
#Transferring files without using ak.Sys
Without the ak.Sys application, it is not possible to transfer files directly to the sampler. You use the same basic method in ReCycle, i.e. using the Export Sound dialog, but the resulting files have to be transferred to disk or some other media, and then be “manually” moved to a compatible media drive connected to the sampler.
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The file format used by S5000/S6000 is MS-DOS, and the native audio file format is Wave.
This enables both Windows and Mac OS users to format disks that can be read by these samplers.
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Macintosh computers can read and format MS-DOS disks, and also mount PC SCSI disks.
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The recommended method is to use a removable disk media, for example Zip, Jaz or MO.
You could of course use ordinary floppy disks as well, or an external hard drive. In the former case, you wouldn’t need an external drive at all (given that your computer has a built in floppy drive).
The setup should preferably comprise two removable media drives of the same type. One is connected (or built in) to your computer, the other is SCSI connected to the sampler. To transfer files is then simply a matter of moving the disk from one drive to the other. If you only have access to one external drive (and you do not have a built in drive of the same type), you will have to swap the drive between the two devices.
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Never “hot swap” SCSI devices! Make sure all devices are switched off before disconnecting or connecting SCSI cables.
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SCSI connecting a S5000/6000 sampler to a Mac or PC to share a disk drive is definitely not recommended! Please refer to Appendix D in the Akai S5000/S6000 Operator’s Manual for more details.
The following steps describe how you can transfer files between ReCycle and the S5000 or S6000 sampler without using ak.Sys.
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If you are planning to use an external SCSI drive, make sure your drive is properly connected and can be “found” by your computer
2.
Format whatever media you intend to use to transfer the files.
You must use the MS-DOS file format!
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Open the Export Sound dialog on the File menu.
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Select “S6000 Program File” from the Type pop-up menu.
The S5000 uses the same format.
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Select the destination for the exported files.
If the loop to be exported has been sliced for tempo changes, it is a good idea to export to a folder on the disk, for easier handling of the separate wave files that will be created.
6.
Click Save.
The Export Settings dialog opens.
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Make sure “Export MIDI file with Same Name” is ticked if the exported file has been sliced for tempo changes.
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Click “Export”.
Three types of files will be exported (given you have chosen to export a MIDI file in step 7):
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A Program file with the extension *.akp.
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Audio files in the Wave format, one for each slice.
If “Export as One Sample” is ticked on the Process menu, a single wave file will be exported.
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A MIDI file.
This file should be used in your sequencer to play the slices in the loop.
#Loading the Exported Files
Once you have saved the files to disk, and made the necessary connections you can load the Program file and the associated samples in the normal way.
Refer to Appendix C in the Akai S5000/S6000 Operator’s Manual for details
#Requirements
You need the following:
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The required operating system for your sampler:
New operating systems can be downloaded from Akai’s Web site.
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For ak.Sys, you also need to have a USB card installed in your sampler, and a USB cable connected between your sampler and your computer.
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Without ak.Sys, you need some means of transferring files between your computer and the sampler (as outlined above).
SoundFont is a file format for storing wavetable synthesized sounds. The format is developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Technologies. It allows users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds, and play them back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards (e.g. Creative Technologies AWE-32, AWE-64 and Soundblaster Live!, Terratec EWS-64 and E-mu APS).
In broad terms, a SoundFont Bank consists of Presets, which contain references to one or several Instruments. Each Instrument in turn contain references to a number of Samples, complete with key and velocity range information. There are also several levels of articulation data (filtering, modulation settings, etc.). These are not affected when ReCycle generates SoundFont files, but they make it possible to change the sound in a SoundFont editor later on.
#Requirements
There are no actual requirements for ReCycle to be able to export SoundFont files, but to make use of the files, you need the following:
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An application that can load the exported SoundFont file.
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An application that plays MIDI files.
#Using ReCycle with SoundFonts
When you have set up and sliced a loop in ReCycle, you export it as a SoundFont file using the following procedure:
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Select “Export” on the File menu.
The Export dialog appears, allowing you to specify a name and location for the resulting file.
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Select “SoundFont” on the Type pop-up.
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Click “Save” when you have named and specified a location for the file.
The Export Settings dialog opens.
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With the “Export MIDI file with Same Name” option ticked, click Export.
Now, a SoundFont Bank file is created, together with a MIDI file. The SF2 file contains a single Melodic Preset, which contains a single Instrument. The Instrument contains all the slices (as separate samples), laid out chromatically with one sample per key, from key number 36 (C1) and upwards.
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Use a SoundFont editor or bank manager program to load the SoundFont file into the RAM of your audio card.
See the documentation of the program for details.
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Open the generated MIDI file in a sequencer, and set it to play back to the MIDI synthesizer on the card, using your generated SoundFont Bank as sound source.
You will hear the original loop played back, but you will be able to change the tempo, remove or reorder individual slices, etc. You could also use the SoundFont editor software to manipulate individual slices in various ways.