Loading User Samples

In addition to its onboard waveform sample library, Harmonia can also import user samples. To be clear, sample import is a basic implementation added during development to simplify testing samples. But it works fine and user samples will save within sound presets.

Harmonia can import uncompressed WAV files, mono or stereo, at any sample rate. We look for either a Loop0Start or Cue0Offset metadata value to determine the looping point of the WAV. If we cannot find either of these values, we treat the WAV file as a one-shot. Loops will always play to the end of the WAV file before returning to the loop point, so make sure that all sample data past the loop point is removed.

User sample import only supports a single one "zone" across the keyboard; there is no multi-sampling capability.

Tuning User Samples

Harmonia's user sample feature has a fixed base note of C3, so create samples using a C note if possible. If not, samples can be tuned to track the keyboard properly using the oscillator Octave and Detune knobs.

Sample Editing/Looping Apps

Though Harmonia can load and play "one-shot" (non-looping) samples, it's generally preferable to use looped samples so that notes can be held indefinitely. In orrder to create looped samples, you'll need to use a sample editing app that can create audio files with loops markers that get saved as metadata as outlined above.

The following sample editing apps will create samples that loop properly in Harmonia.:

* We included Antares Infinity, because it's the BOMB sample looping app, if you have an ancient OS9 Mac lying around or an emulation environment like SheepSaver. But it's a lot of trouble to get working, hasn't been officially supported for about 20 years, and makes for a finicky format mess. We only recommend it if you REALLY know what you're doing.

** Adobe Audition will let you open samples with loop metadata, and will retain the loop data on export, but it won't allow loop creation (or if it does, we couldn't figure out how). This is a shame, because it's probably the best current sample editor out there.

If you're using a sample editor that's not listed here, and it does loops, kindly drop us a line here and we'll add it to this doc.