Future sampler
I’ve just started using NS2 and there is just something about it that keeps me coming back to it. I’ve used most of all of the other big DAWs on IOS, especially BM3. I was just wondering if anyone thinks it would be possible in the future for NS2 to be able to chromatically map out samples on the pads instead of manually doing it. I’ve managed to do some cool things with slate already but this was one thing that was in the back of my mind.
Comments
Currently you can play chromatically samples just in Obsidian (which is amongs other features also sampler with zones and layers), at the moment such feature for Slate is not planned ...
Gotcha, maybe I just need to dig deeper in it
Feel free to ask anything ...
Btw. i suggest yo check also manual, is very well written and you get a LOT things clear - this app is VERY deep
https://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/nanostudio2/user-manual/index.html
Also "Tips & Tricks" section of this forum contains few interesting informations
Would be great to see a pitch mode added to slate at some point. Being able to select a pad and then play it chromatically. It’s a feature that I find myself missing every time I use Slate.
Yes!!!! This x1000000. It would make life so much easier with making kits for slate and not having to manually pitch out the same 808 samples to different pads. If it took (dare I say it) the Beatmaker 3 approach with the pads and being able to play them chromatically it would take NS2 to the next level. I’d even gladly pay for it via IAP to support the time to develop it
Just use Slate to play the sample in Obsidian.
Doable but slow and clunky workaround compared to a legit pitch mode.
You can do a lot more with a sample in Obsidian and it takes seconds to set it all up. It's worth exploring for those who haven't tried it.
I’ll try it out. Do you know where I can see how to set it up?
Which part are you trying to set up?
I’m talking about standard drum pad sampler programming workflow/functions. Fast/organic and tidy/concise in terms of experimenting with composition and also editing etc. For that kind of traditional pad sampler workflow it’d really benefit Slate to take a leaf out of the best alternative options that are out there already and add a chromatic mode per pad. I’m not saying that there aren’t workarounds, which have their own perks in some ways, just that chromatic mode would be a very welcome addition and possibly pull me back in to using NS a little more often.
Curious to know how apps (or real MPCs for that matter) represent pitched pads in exported MIDI. Is it CC automation or do they somehow get translated into discreet MIDI notes?
Good question. I did this often in Maschine with such a fast workflow but never actually bounced the midi alone, I always bounced the audio into pro tools to arrange, mix, etc
Couldn’t AGREE MORE! If Slate had this along with NOTE REPEAT that can be played live, that’d be great. Finally digging into Obsidian and it is so deep! For now I’m sampling 808’s into it for better pitch playing (trap beats, r&b etc) and it’s powerful but tedious to set up. For drums with pitched hi hat variations, tuning kicks and snares etc it isn’t ideal at all, especially compared to BM3 and Maschine etc. Also if the keyboard had note repeat like Cubasis for arp creations etc that’d be cool too.
Yeah totally agree. And +1 for note repeat/rolls too
Tbh I never exported Midi in my life. But pads have their own piano roll and mixer channel in things like B3. So I’d guess Midi export is same as any other Midi track?
Flam/roll was always a useful function that originally appeared in drum machines including the Korg DDD-1, the LinnDrum and the Akai MPC. Ironically it was also a function available in NS1, but alas couldn't handle triplets (even though this was requested). It's a feature I too really miss not having it in NS2, but the development team are aware that there is a call for its return. I'm pleased that there are others who also support this request. So fingers crossed that it will return sometime soon.
Yeah, this is pretty much the MPC workflow that people are used to and it would be very cool to have that in NS2. At the moment, NS2 is built around a different approach but I'm guessing this could be within reasonable distance for something like 2.5. Note repeat is the easiest of these and I hope it will make an appearance sooner.
Totally spitballing, I have absolutely no info on timetables.
regarding me, i would prefferer another instrument covering all that MPC pad madness :-)
I'm afraid that adding more layers of complexity into Slate would destroy it's beauty of simplicity - i love Slate for what it is - simple version if NI Battery which i used a lot on desktop..
All that per pad fxs, chromatic pads, etc - obviously MPC-like things - would work in my opinion better as new instrument type, optimised for such workflow.
Yeah that’s really a tough one. IMO, BM3 is the closest thing to an MPC/Maschine workflow I have seen, and it’s really really good at that. It’s waaaaaay more advanced than slate. I practice finger drumming and kit setup (slice to pads, for example) every single day in BM3 because the layout is, IMO, second to none.
BUT, it’s design is also completely different than that of a “drum/sample trigger” paradigm like slate. It’s entire layout for sampling, AU’s, etc is based around that design. You switch to “drum” or “sequence” view based on whatever you setup for that pad. It’s completely unique compared to any other product out there and the track layout, pattern and song views work around this ecosystem. Slate is like “a drum machine” that you buy. It’s got built in effects for 4 groups and that’s it. Since it does do midi out, you can split stuff out into other slates on other channels and party on. But I think of Slate as a self contained drum/sampler machine. BM3 is well beyond that,
Another BUT...
Making slate more full featured to being MPC like is definitely workable. Having the note triggers would be really helpful. Swing per pad...
@dendy Obsidian is great cos it’s pretty deep. Giving slate comparable depth isn’t gonna hurt anything. Simplicity isn’t a good thing about Slate atm imho. It’s a shortcoming... Good foundation to build on though
Re bm3. Bm2 also had the same functionality but in a far less chaotic overall app. Chromatic per pad and repeat/rolls can be a very simple function addition (in terms of user experience) if done right. No need for a new instrument. A new NS pad sampler Instrument that had these features would make Slate instantly obsolete, which would be a shame after Matt worked on it.
So far I’ve made some cool stuff without ”MPC” feature but I know for certain things I’ll need to jump to BM3 for, and that’s no discredit to Slate. I can get my ideas out pretty quick in NS2, but the “MPC” feature is the only thing I’m missing
Slate is what’s keeping me from using NS2. Bought it on release tried it out, got into slate and was turned off. I just can’t see myself using the app just for obsidian and export out to whatever other app.
That’s kinda where I’m at too. Obsidian is great but it’s just a plug-in and there’s so much missing elsewhere. Hoping for some big updates ASAP...
Strange that. Everyone else seems to getting along swimmingly with the app as it is.
Lol, everyone except for the people that aren’t. Erm, yeah you could say that about any piece of software
From the way you describe the app, it comes across as a real car crash. You know ‘lame’, ‘dull’. It really sounds like it’s not for you which is a shame. You said you was going to delete the app, but you still come here, so there must be a draw?
Why not give us some of your positive thoughts on it while you are here, because I don’t think I’ve heard any from you
Piano roll is nice. Take lanes are good. Obsidian is pretty nice, especially when you wanna keep an eye on cpu. There’s stuff to like. That stuff already exists though so I have no need to mention it
First and foremost, the app is very stable and intuitive which I imagine was at the top of the developers and beta testers list of priorities. Secondly, I bought the app literally understanding that it was in a way incomplete and that features were slated to be added in 2019 (such as audio tracks) but the framework was built into it to add them so it wouldn’t destabilize the app to incorporate them. Thirdly, I really love the app and it makes me finally take my iPad seriously for producing desktop class music. It doesn’t crash and it’s fun and easy. A real win!
But let’s set the record straight. Slate should have more depth. Good for those who don’t need the tools, but these are very basic workflow tools/scenarios for ‘modern’ radio/club/pop/urban/r&b/etc music (note repeat and chromatic pads). I was literally shocked that Slate didn’t have note repeat. I thought I must be missing something. Trying to Draw note repeat on an Apple Pencil and accidentally erasing hi hat notes as I’m trying to add 1/32th and triplets isn’t ideal. That can’t be that hard to understand right? Piano roll drawing is great sometimes, but it being my only option isn’t ideal. I don’t use half the tools in obsidian, doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them or knock the person who needs them, and in the future I might thank my lucky stars for having them when they are needed, even though I didn’t find them needed earlier on.
Respectfully, I really don’t understand the push back on this. The app is admittedly incomplete and I bought in knowing this. Why wouldn’t the feedback of the user base needing important features that are basics on desktop be taken seriously? I don’t do music just for fun, I sell it, I sell beats and sell studio time for artists to record. The iPad let’s me make beats anywhere and be more efficient, so I don’t have to sit in the studio for 12-20 hours to get things done, and NanoStudio 2 is one of the reasons for that! So many thanks to the developer!! This app is so close to closing the desktop beat making gap on iPad it’s unreal, I think this feedback and that of others is what will help it do it.
My post wasn’t aimed at you sir. It was more of a reply to those that feel that they can’t use the app because of a couple of missing features, which is a shame.
I’m sure note repeat will make its way into Slate at some stage and that would be handy, I agree.
As for chromatic pads, I don’t know what the plans are, but i’m Sure Matt will be able to put it to bed. It’s a feature I can do without for sure, but we’re all different I guess.