I really love my Play+, but the sample pool size is laughably small. By my calculations, it’s around 28.5 MB after converting samples to 16-bit. This limitation becomes extremely apparent when you start loading stereo samples on the Play+.
Recently, I bought a few Polyend Palette sample packs (which are also great), and I noticed that none of them can be fully loaded into the Play’s memory in their entirety. I like to use some longer samples/pads, and loading folders full of these 5+ second samples will very quickly fill up the memory. Loading individual samples in a new project works, but it’s just a bit clunky. I like to use Variations for movement within a track, and Patterns for different tracks. I’ll usually create several tracks using the same sample pool in each project.
I’d love to hear how you all approach loading samples into new projects! I tend to overthink and load tons of samples that I don’t have an actual plan for, “just in case”. Maybe I just need to choose more carefully!
When I’m worried about hitting the sample memory limit, I downsample some of my long samples to mono and/or to 22050 Hz. Not all samples need to be in 44.1 kHz.
I’m considering implementing some redundancy in my sample prep. Maybe storing a stereo and mono version of each sample folder, and now possibly a downsampled version of some of the folders with longer samples in them. Anything to avoid having to jump back onto the PC in the middle of a jam session
Yeah, I get where your coming from, I wish there was more sample memory too, like you I like to throw different samples together, the Play is designed more for just short one shot samples for drums, fx, hits, short tone stabs etc… it would be nice to be able to use long soundscapes, pads with the device like the Tracker, I have setup a wish for a sample based oscillator which was accepted by Polyend, this would hopefully allow you to use longer samples and play them polyphonically. Maybe’s we’ll see something this on the Play+ in the near future?
A sample-based oscillator would be insane! Do you have any workarounds for programming pads/drones currently? I know it’s gotta be possible somehow. I haven’t been able to make any pad samples sound good in an ambient composition. They’re either too short and cut off abruptly, or they’re long enough and take up half the sample memory. I wish there was a way to sustain or loop, (maybe glide params, to achieve some sort of faux modulation?) more seamlessly.
Admittedly, I haven’t dug too deeply into the synth engines yet. If not with samples, I think the Play+ has huge ambient/drone potential with the synth engines, given the right feature set.
Sorry I don’t, I’ve mainly been using Play+ for creating more percussive atonal jams, or loops.
When it comes to creating your own loops, there ain’t nothing like the Play for that, especially with it’s randomise algorithms .
I’ve not really dug into the synth engines myself to much, I’m not a big fan of how Play handles polyphonic notes, in that you have to select multiple tracks and then edit notes over multiple tracks, instead of the whole data being contained inside a single track or clip, not sure why they went down that route workflow wise? it’s way too convoluted for me personally that is, especially coming from using other devices.
If you want to try using loops, you could give this template a go which is designed to give you a sort of faux time stretch, along with messing with the Attack and Decay of the loop sample and drenching them in either the ‘Unchartered’ reverb preset or subtly use the ‘Drone’ preset, I hope Polyend add time stretch to Play down the line?
I use the 1010Music Tangerine in my DAWless setup. I record improvisations while listening to a sequence, then go back and set a trigger for it on the Play. Plenty of gigabytes available on the Tangerine’s SD card .
I wonder with the hardware update in the Play+, Polyend plan to increase the available memory per project, 30mb is way to small if your wanting to use stereo samples and use some longer samples. I’m forever having to remove samples or converting to 32khz when creating sample packs to use on it, not a fun process in the slightest.
Of all the design choices of the Play+, this is by far the most questionable to me.
I’m not trying to say I think the Play(+) has many bad design decisions. It’s just such a small sample pool size, especially given the addition of stereo sample capability on the Play+.
I think a pseudo-solution to longer sounds might be to just use the synth engine for more of the pad or drone-like sounds. A better solution (assuming no pool memory increase is possible) would be the aforementioned sample-based synth engine.
If I want to load multiple different stereo plucked string, piano, or other percussive sounds with long tails, I’m still pretty much out of luck
Yes, midi note triggers (starting with C2) samples on the Tangerine.
In my setup the Tangerine is assigned midi channel 8. Since it doesn’t need program change info I use ch8 prog ch to control Strymon Nightsky presets. Pretty tricky!
Can someone dissolve my confusion, it states 6 minutes officially?
A solution (And I did mention this before in a thread request for an editor) is an algorithm for an librarian/sample editor/manager to have a pitch up resampling option(batch option) that would include root note pitch information file when imported… so samples would play at correct pitch once loaded…
You can still do this now… but you jave to manually tune the samples down once in play
Be curious if there’s not already audio editors (free or within a DAW) that can perform batch possess of this function ??
That number might not be 100% accurate, but I arrived at it after testing various files, sample rates, and accounting for the internal conversion to 16-bit. Actual length of the samples doesn’t seem to matter, and the 6 minutes thing seems more like a general estimate.
I was actually working on a web app for quickly building and editing sample packs for the Play. Staying within the memory limits was obviously an important feature, and staying under 28.5mb (post 16-bit conversion) seemed to be the most reliable metric.
