The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum

SEQUENTIAL/DSI => Prophet => Sequential Prophet X => Topic started by: Lady Gaia on January 27, 2019, 10:55:16 AM

Title: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on January 27, 2019, 10:55:16 AM
I'm delighted to announce that the Erebus and Voyager samples are now available as part of version 1.2 of the VCO Pack.  Click here (http://"https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sway3dmsh10yvyf/AABgHvd0vWVX0VeEJYLODkeoa?dl=0") to download from DropBox (note that if you have an earlier version you can just download the nested sound sets numbered 20 and higher, no changes were made to the Neutron or OB-6 samples.)

Release Notes

The Prophet X VCO Sample Pack is a community effort to bring classic VCO sounds into the Sequential Prophet X as user samples.  Long unfiltered samples were captured for every key across a 73-key range from C0 to C6 to reproduce the natural variation of each instrument.  A variety of configurations appropriate to the source were used to reproduce a range of useful raw oscillator sounds.

The pack currently includes four instruments: Behringer Neutron, Sequential OB-6, Dreadbox Erebus, and Moog Voyager.

Neutron samples:

  02. Triangle
  03. Saw
  04. Square
  05. Dual Saw
  06. Dual Saw Alt
  07. Dual PWM
  08. xMod PWM
  09. Saw Trio w M32

These keymaps showcase a modern CEM3340 oscillator IC, manufactured using the same design and specifications that contributed to the core sound of classic instruments including:

* Cumar Spirit
* Moog's Memorymoog
* Oberheim OB-8 and OB-Xa
* Roland SH-101 and Jupiter-6
* Sequential Circuits' Pro One, Prophet 5 rev 3, Prophet 10, Prophet T8, and Prophet 600

The final keymap routs a dual sawtooth configuration externally through a Moog Mother-32 to layer yet another sawtooth wave for additional thickness and variety.

OB-6 samples:

  10. Triangle
  11. Saw
  12. Saw PWM
  13. Square
  14. Pulse
  15. Narrow Pulse
  16. PWM
  17. Saw xMod Square

These keymaps showcase a discrete design manufactured by Sequential as a collaboration between Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim as a callback to classic Oberheim sounds.

Dreadbox Erebus samples:

  20. Triangle
  21. Saw
  22. Square
  23. Pulse
  24. Narrow Pulse
  25. PWM
  26. Fast PWM

The Dreadbox Erebus has a classic character that is closer to pure mathematical waveforms than anything else in this pack, tending toward bright, aggressive tones that are consistent in amplitude across the keyboard.  The unit sampled here is a version 2 model.

Moog Voyager samples:

  30. Triangle
  31. Saw
  32. Square
  33. Pulse
  34. Narrow Pulse
  35. Saw-Square (every cycle the wave alternates between saw and square shapes)
  36. Triangle-Saw (every cycle the wave alternates between triangle and saw shapes)
  37. Dual Saw Square
  38. FM Saw Square (saw frequency modulated by another saw, layered with a square)

This particular Voyager has the slew rate mod which brings a little more high end content to the raw oscillators of this classic synthesizer.  Its character is achieved by taking substantial liberties with the wave shapes.  Looking for a very soft muted triangle, a nasal sawtooth, or a bright buzzy square?  This is the one.

Caution:

Make *certain* you're on the latest Prophet X firmware prior to installation.  System updates performed using SysEx do not completely update all aspects of the system and should be followed by a regular OS update using Sequential-provided .bin file.  Owners have encountered issues with versions as recent as 2.0.0.0.1, so a later release is recommended.  Version 2.1 was in beta as of this writing and can be downloaded by members of the official forum at The Official Sequential/DSI Forum - Index (https://forum.sequential.com).

Installation:

Starting with a USB storage device formatted by the Prophet X (from the Global menu select 35-Format USB Drive), create a directory named "px" at the root of the drive.  Copy the "u02" directory accompanying this README into the "px" directory to create a directory structure the Prophet X can install (using the Global menu's 34-Update Library option, which should be switched to User mode.)

The u02 directory corresponds with the sample group User 3.  The directory name can be changed to control which group the installation occurs in, but it must be one of u00, u01, u02, u03, u04, u05, u06, or u07.  These correspond to the groups User 1-8 for reasons only a software engineer could love.

Credits:

Thanks to the GearSlutz.com community for the collective interest in getting this project started.  The first step was taken by [MENTION=307144]blewis_13[/MENTION] in providing his Neutron VCO recordings and following up with the Voyager.  OB-6 and Erebus samples were contributed by [MENTION=298357]AlanC3[/MENTION].  Sample editing, looping, and packaging by [MENTION=398507]Lady Gaia[/MENTION].

Disclaimer:

The content of this sample pack is provided AS IS with no implied warranty.  Install at your own risk, knowing that you accept full responsibility for resolving any issues that may arise.

Version History:

v1.2
- Added Erebus content
- Added Voyager content

v1.1
- Added OB-6 content
- Added Neutron samples for black keys unintentionally omitted from v1.0
- Renamed the collection to "VCO Pack"
- Revised naming to follow established Prophet X conventions

v1.0
- Initial release of Neutron VCO pack
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on January 27, 2019, 10:56:58 AM
The newly added Dreadbox Erebus and Moog Voyager bring some wonderfully distinctive characteristics to the mix.  The Dreadbox has a classic character that is closer to pure mathematical waveforms than anything else in this pack, tending toward brighter aggressive tones that are consistent in amplitude across the keyboard.  This particular Voyager has the slew rate mod which brings a little more high end content to the raw oscillators of this classic synthesizer.  It brings a ton of character by taking substantial liberties with the wave shapes.  Looking for a very soft muted triangle, a nasal sawtooth, or a bright buzzy square?  This is the one.

Comparing the most basic classic waveforms...

(https://i.imgur.com/43EUGe2.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/3n0NUfi.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/keyqOS2.jpg)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Shaw on January 27, 2019, 11:04:39 AM
The link to download doesn't work.




and I have a question:  I have a prior version of these samples installed (the Neutron and OB-6)... I have some programs that I made based on these.  Should I delete the entire user bank and re-install this set to the same bank number?   


Also, are these samples looped?  When playing them in the PX, It seems smooth loop points were difficult to achieve (but I admit, that may well be user error on my part).


Regardless, Kudos to you guys who have worked on this.  It is great work and much appreciated by us all.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on January 27, 2019, 12:34:07 PM
The link to download doesn't work.

You'd think I'd remember the URL pst format here is different...

This one should work (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sway3dmsh10yvyf/AABgHvd0vWVX0VeEJYLODkeoa?dl=0).


Quote
I have a question:  I have a prior version of these samples installed (the Neutron and OB-6)... I have some programs that I made based on these.  Should I delete the entire user bank and re-install this set to the same bank number?

No need to delete the old ones.  Contrary to what the message on the Prophet X says when you're installing to a bank, it doesn't appear to overwrite any sound sets that don't have the same numbers.  You can install these just by putting the .zip in the 20's and 30's in the usual px > u02 > 15. Synth folder structure and doing the install with just the new samples.

Presets appear to reference samples by location rather than name, so they're looking for eg: User 3 > 15 (Synth) > #03 as far as I can tell.  Those #s won't change so you're good to go.

Quote
Also, are these samples looped?  When playing them in the PX, It seems smooth loop points were difficult to achieve (but I admit, that may well be user error on my part).

They are all carefully looped.  Using the PX interface you don't have much fine control, but sound packs can have sample-accurate loop points defined.

Quote
Regardless, Kudos to you guys who have worked on this.  It is great work and much appreciated by us all.

I'm delighted to hear people are finding them useful.  It has been a fun side project.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on January 28, 2019, 07:44:22 PM
So, Dropbox decided they didn't really want to provide a convenient hosting solution given the size of the content.  Fair enough, but some warning would have been appreciated.  Not to mention a reasonable path to recovery.  Ah well, live and learn.  The replacement site is definitely no work of art, but at least it's a functional workaround.

Click here (https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prophet-x/VCO+Pack/index.html) to get access to the Prophet X VCO Pack released yesterday.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Shaw on January 28, 2019, 07:56:19 PM
Google Drive is pretty reliable. And free.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on February 02, 2019, 10:34:24 AM
Google Drive might have been a reasonable option but this was a perfect excuse to start putting together a better overall experience than a basic file download service.  I've been meaning to put together a site to host projects like this, so why not now?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Shaw on February 02, 2019, 10:36:45 AM
Google Drive might have been a reasonable option but this was a perfect excuse to start putting together a better overall experience than a basic file download service.  I've been meaning to put together a site to host projects like this, so why not now?
Absolutely!


I’ve thought of sampling the Prophet 12 for use in the PX... I’m on a Mac.  Any suggestions as to software could I use to get good loops in the samples?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on February 02, 2019, 02:42:03 PM
I’ve thought of sampling the Prophet 12 for use in the PX... I’m on a Mac.  Any suggestions as to software could I use to get good loops in the samples?

Everything in this pack was trimmed, gain adjusted, and looped using SampleRobot.  It's not the most intuitive or Mac-like application on the planet but it is very helpful and does a nice job of automatically finding loop points once you understand how the whole process works.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Shaw on February 04, 2019, 07:45:36 PM
Is the sample set size limit of 1.5 GB, is that a limit that the Prophet cannot exceed, or a limit for the Sequential / 8dio software sample editor?
Can that be overcome?
Can users create Add-on packs to load into that memory? and also so that you can create/load companion programs for your samples?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on February 05, 2019, 07:16:38 AM
Is the sample set size limit of 1.5 GB, is that a limit that the Prophet cannot exceed, or a limit for the Sequential / 8dio software sample editor?

As I understand it, that’s the limit for what a single keymap can contain.  Terminology is problematic here, but what I’ve called a “keymap” is the set of samples you can select for one of the two Instrument slots in a layer.  8Dio’s software calls this a “sound set”.  It’s a completely different limit from the amount of samples you can have installed at once.

A user-created sample pack can have as many as 98 of these per category (Synth, Woodwind, Choir, etc.) so long as there’s enough disk space available.   The Prophet X loads samples pretty quickly from the 200GB solid-state drive of which 50GB is set aside for user and commercial add-on samples.

Quote
Can that be overcome?

Not without changes to the firmware and I wouldn’t expect anything to happen there.  Chances are there are 6GB of RAM set aside for loading two layers, times two instruments, times 1.5GB each.  That’s going to be a physical limitation.  It defines how many samples you can play at any given instant.

Quote
Can users create Add-on packs to load into that memory?

Definitely!  That’s what we did for the VCO Pack using 8Dio’s Mapping Utility.

Quote
... and also so that you can create/load companion programs for your samples?

Yes, but that gets slightly complicated because all programs (or presets in Sequential’s terminology) are stored in numbered slots and there’s no way to know what user programs are safe to overwrite.  There are 16 reserved preset slots in the “A” banks for each of the 32 commercial add-on banks, but no similar provision for the eight user banks.
Title: VCO Pack version 1.3
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 03, 2019, 05:11:05 PM
Once again, one of my faithful contributors has provided more raw samples that have been integrated into the VCO Pack (http://thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html). These add two new keymaps (or "sound sets" in Sequential/8Dio parlance) that can be downloaded and installed alongside the existing Neutron / OB-6 / Erebus / Voyager content:

Four synthesizers were stacked here. It starts with two detuned DCOs from a DSI Evolver hard panned in stereo as a foundation. A Sequential Prophet 6 contributes two VCOs alongside a subtle touch of noise, all centered to anchor the sound. There are two Moog Voyager oscillators as well, offset from center with a subtle touch of filtering to give each side a unique character, accompanied by another hint of noise. Lastly, a Moog Mother-32 adds a seventh oscillator centered in the stereo field.

The same configuration is used twice: once with seven sawtooths and again with seven pulse oscillators that have subtle pulse width animation applied.

90. Stereo 7 Saws
91. Stereo 7 PWMs


No need to reinstall the previous sounds, just download the new "Stacked OSCs" and install them into the same User Group. Despite warnings about overwriting, the Prophet X can add these to the existing group without replacing the earlier sounds.

Enjoy!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: LoboLives on March 03, 2019, 06:12:40 PM
This is awesome! I really hope to see a Fairlight pack soon. I’d get that in a heartbeat.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: cshorte on March 06, 2019, 11:38:26 AM
Okay, so I got very brave but no joy! I created the px directory at the root of the USB drive, I copied all of the .zip files to the u02 directory and then proceeded to update the user area of the PX. It did its thing of overwriting the 50 GB area but, when I go to group user 3, I do not see any instruments in any of the created groups. Help, help .... HELP. Thanks.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: cshorte on March 06, 2019, 03:02:29 PM
Okay, so I got very brave but no joy! I created the px directory at the root of the USB drive, I copied all of the .zip files to the u02 directory and then proceeded to update the user area of the PX. It did its thing of overwriting the 50 GB area but, when I go to group user 3, I do not see any instruments in any of the created groups. Help, help .... HELP. Thanks.

I got it ... I needed to look under the group "synths" and all of my imported instruments are present and accounted for. Thanks for those who saw my initial post and said hummmm. Now, off to play with my new "synths"
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: victros on March 10, 2019, 02:28:25 PM
Hello, I attempted to download this pack and extract it on my PC only to find blank folders. I tried another PC and had the same issue. The folders have no content in them at all. Has anyone else came across this issue?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: blewis on March 10, 2019, 06:16:55 PM
Totally blank? You use the word “extract”. Are you trying to open the zip archives?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Steve in VA on March 11, 2019, 03:51:03 AM
Hello, I attempted to download this pack and extract it on my PC only to find blank folders. I tried another PC and had the same issue. The folders have no content in them at all. Has anyone else came across this issue?

Try using the 7Zip (free) rather than the built in Windows .zip extractor. That worked for me.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Shaw on March 11, 2019, 06:50:11 AM
Hello, I attempted to download this pack and extract it on my PC only to find blank folders. I tried another PC and had the same issue. The folders have no content in them at all. Has anyone else came across this issue?

Try using the 7Zip (free) rather than the built in Windows .zip extractor. That worked for me.
You mean you’ve been able to extract the individual samples?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: victros on March 11, 2019, 08:06:54 AM
I believe I see the issue with the help of Steve (Thank you). The archives appear to be password protected and windows cannot extract password protected files with the native zip utility. I can't seem to find the password to extract the files where I downloaded the pack http://thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html Does anyone know the password?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Steve in VA on March 11, 2019, 08:32:16 AM
I believe I see the issue with the help of Steve (Thank you). The archives appear to be password protected and windows cannot extract password protected files with the native zip utility. I can't seem to find the password to extract the files where I downloaded the pack http://thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html Does anyone know the password?

You don't need to extract the inner .zip files (ones with names like 02. Neutron VCO_Triangle.zip). Just copy the .zip files onto the USB stick you'll use for importing into the PX. Put them in a folder called "15 Synth".
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 11, 2019, 12:00:10 PM
The password protected .zip archives are not intended to be extracted prior to installation.  Just put them in the appropriate directory structure on a USB device:

\px\u02\15 Synth\

The Prophet X loads these directly and decrypts them internally.  This process has confused a few people, so I’ll update the instructions on the ThinkerSnacks site to clarify further.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: victros on March 12, 2019, 09:34:17 AM
Thank you for your help all. It's been resolved  :)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Gerry Havinga on March 13, 2019, 06:37:38 AM
The password protected .zip archives are not intended to be extracted prior to installation.  Just put them in the appropriate directory structure on a USB device:

\px\u02\15 Synth\

The Prophet X loads these directly and decrypts them internally.  This process has confused a few people, so I’ll update the instructions on the ThinkerSnacks site to clarify further.
Interesting, thanks for the explanation. I don't own a Prophet X yet, planning to buy one later this year. I wanted to try to load the samples on my good ol' Akai S5000.

I presume password is an "industry" secret? Otherwise we would be able to decode 8Dio's packs ........
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: gridpower on March 24, 2019, 07:43:39 AM
I just got these installed and love the new audio palette to work with. Great sounding samples...thank you.

Do you have a Donation Page to contribute to so I can reward your efforts ?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 24, 2019, 10:38:51 AM
I just got these installed and love the new audio palette to work with. Great sounding samples...thank you.

You're welcome!  I'm delighted to hear they're being put to good use.

Quote
Do you have a Donation Page to contribute to so I can reward your efforts ?

I can't speak for my co-contributors whose circumstances may differ, but I am absurdly well compensated in my primary career and don't want to muddy the waters by earning something on the side.  This has been a pure labor of love and an opportunity to learn a few new skills at the same time.

Ask me again once I retire, and if I'm still building tools for musicians I'll almost certainly welcome donations.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: laurentluigi on March 27, 2019, 01:32:11 AM
Just Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!

You've done a great job !!!!!
Thanks to the team who made this with passion !!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: tommym on March 29, 2019, 04:16:14 PM


GOT IT! Thank You :) :) :)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: JonnGauntletier on April 16, 2019, 05:45:12 PM
This pack looks fantastic. I'm having a bit of trouble installing it though. My PX keeps saying there is nothing to read on the USB drive. I've double-checked my directory/folder hierarchy a dozen times and tried two different flash drives. Right before working on this, I successful installed the 8Dio A2600 and OBX add-ons, so I'm very surprised. I was hoping you might have some suggestions for how I can trouble shoot? Or perhaps there is a user sample import bug afflicting some people (I'm on 2.1.0).
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: blewis on April 16, 2019, 07:44:02 PM
Sorry for the basic question: When you try to install the VCO Pack, are you sure you’ve selected “Update Library - User” in the global menu? As opposed to the “Update Add-On Packs”?
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on April 16, 2019, 07:53:52 PM
I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble.  The suggestion above by @blewis is a good one, and the steps listed on the original download page (http://www.thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html) under Installation should cover everything required.

I did notice that there was a typo on the page that I've since corrected, so if you wound up naming a directory "15. Synth" you may have been led astray.  It hasn't been a problem for anyone else I've heard from, largely because the correct directory structure is already present in the downloadable .zip archives.  Still, on the outside chance that you renamed the directory from the correct form, it should be:

px/u02/15 Synth/02. Neutron VCO|Triangle.zip
... and so on for the rest of the instruments ...
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: JonnGauntletier on April 16, 2019, 08:09:54 PM
Sorry for the basic question: When you try to install the VCO Pack, are you sure you’ve selected “Update Library - User” in the global menu? As opposed to the “Update Add-On Packs”?

That was exactly it! I had no idea about this step. Thank you, Blewis!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: blewis on April 16, 2019, 08:13:57 PM
Sweet! You got all kinds of sampled analog goodness now! Have fun getting lost in sound...
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: JonnGauntletier on April 17, 2019, 10:18:02 AM
Sweet! You got all kinds of sampled analog goodness now! Have fun getting lost in sound...

No doubt! Playing the Moog Voyager samples polyphonically with all sorts of Prophet X modulation matrix and LFO goodness obliterates any and all Moog One envy!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: JonnGauntletier on April 17, 2019, 10:20:28 AM
Also, I have an OB-6 but am really into being able to have it "live" inside my PX to have added modulation and synthesis features. I plan on recreating my OB-6 patches inside the PX, then seeing where else I can take them!

Thank you Lady Gaia and your collaborators for this phenomenal piece of work! Multisampling is far too much of a headache for me to accomplish with any level of quality on my own. You all are legends.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: laurentluigi on April 17, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
I call Miss LadyGaia the One and only
 :) :) :) :)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on April 17, 2019, 11:52:55 AM
Thank you Lady Gaia and your collaborators for this phenomenal piece of work! Multisampling is far too much of a headache for me to accomplish with any level of quality on my own. You all are legends.

I’m glad you’re enjoying them!  The project was certainly fun, and as you can see with PXToolkit I am somewhat obsessed with getting it done right to the extent that I’m in a position to do something about it.  I’m extremely grateful to @blewis for getting the ball rolling by doing the first round of meticulous recording work for the VCO Pack, and Alan for joining in the fun.  Without the raw samples it never would have gone anywhere.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: AlanC on April 17, 2019, 01:49:23 PM
Multisampling is far too much of a headache for me to accomplish with any level of quality on my own.

The secret here, for me at least, was SampleRobot.

LadyGaia suggested it in a thread on GS. I was initially sceptical, but since I have a Yamaha Montage and Yamaha were offering the Montage-specific version for free I decided to give it a go. It turned out to be an excellent product that can fully automate the process of sampling a MIDI controllable synthesizer and, with some practice, can also automate the otherwise extremely time-consuming process of looping the resulting samples. So I upgraded the Montage-specific version to the full product with a view to using it to create samples for an unrelated project I'm working on.

The process of creating the OB-6 and Erebus sample sets was basically one of setting up a series of SampleRobot projects to record the relevant note ranges for each waveform, making sure the levels were appropriate, and then leaving SampleRobot to get on with the job. LadyGaia subsequently handled the looping of the samples, and did an excellent job. There's something of an art to setting the parameters that control this process, and at the time I was still very much at the learning stage.

I'm happy to hear that you - and others - are enjoying the results. :) But if you are interested in doing something of this kind yourself then SampleRobot really can take the majority of the pain out of multisampling, particularly when sampling a synthesizer.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: JonnGauntletier on April 17, 2019, 05:29:45 PM
Similar to SampleRobot, the MPC Live and X now have auto-sampling. I have a Live so could set up some multisamples of my own, but it sure is nice when very experienced people have already done so and shared their hard work! :)

Multisampling is far too much of a headache for me to accomplish with any level of quality on my own.

The secret here, for me at least, was SampleRobot.

LadyGaia suggested it in a thread on GS. I was initially sceptical, but since I have a Yamaha Montage and Yamaha were offering the Montage-specific version for free I decided to give it a go. It turned out to be an excellent product that can fully automate the process of sampling a MIDI controllable synthesizer and, with some practice, can also automate the otherwise extremely time-consuming process of looping the resulting samples. So I upgraded the Montage-specific version to the full product with a view to using it to create samples for an unrelated project I'm working on.

The process of creating the OB-6 and Erebus sample sets was basically one of setting up a series of SampleRobot projects to record the relevant note ranges for each waveform, making sure the levels were appropriate, and then leaving SampleRobot to get on with the job. LadyGaia subsequently handled the looping of the samples, and did an excellent job. There's something of an art to setting the parameters that control this process, and at the time I was still very much at the learning stage.

I'm happy to hear that you - and others - are enjoying the results. :) But if you are interested in doing something of this kind yourself then SampleRobot really can take the majority of the pain out of multisampling, particularly when sampling a synthesizer.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: blewis on April 17, 2019, 06:12:01 PM
I would avoid trying to use the MPC Live for this. I did a write up of my pains trying this method on the Gearslutz forum.

Both AlanC and Lady Gaia ran circles around me using Sample Robot. Basically it all came down to start samples and looping, both of which the MPC sucked at. Mind you, the way MPC handles it’s Start pointer works great on the MPC - but horrible for exporting a wav for another sampler.

Mainstage on the Mac was similarly painful, but better, but not much.

I spent days cursing at this stuff. LOL. Downloaded at least a dozen free audio tools - all of which destroyed various pieces of critical metadata.

Similar to SampleRobot, the MPC Live and X now have auto-sampling. I have a Live so could set up some multisamples of my own, but it sure is nice when very experienced people have already done so and shared their hard work! :)

Multisampling is far too much of a headache for me to accomplish with any level of quality on my own.

The secret here, for me at least, was SampleRobot.

LadyGaia suggested it in a thread on GS. I was initially sceptical, but since I have a Yamaha Montage and Yamaha were offering the Montage-specific version for free I decided to give it a go. It turned out to be an excellent product that can fully automate the process of sampling a MIDI controllable synthesizer and, with some practice, can also automate the otherwise extremely time-consuming process of looping the resulting samples. So I upgraded the Montage-specific version to the full product with a view to using it to create samples for an unrelated project I'm working on.

The process of creating the OB-6 and Erebus sample sets was basically one of setting up a series of SampleRobot projects to record the relevant note ranges for each waveform, making sure the levels were appropriate, and then leaving SampleRobot to get on with the job. LadyGaia subsequently handled the looping of the samples, and did an excellent job. There's something of an art to setting the parameters that control this process, and at the time I was still very much at the learning stage.

I'm happy to hear that you - and others - are enjoying the results. :) But if you are interested in doing something of this kind yourself then SampleRobot really can take the majority of the pain out of multisampling, particularly when sampling a synthesizer.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Gerry Havinga on April 26, 2019, 07:16:33 AM
Thank you so much Lady Gaia and development team. I collected my Prophet X yesterday afternoon from the shop and started exploring it yesterday evening till late. Deeply impressed and moved by "her" sound design capabilities, quality of the samples is out of this world, filter is smooth as an "androids' bottom".

Last thing I did was loading the Neutron samples into the user 3 bank. Awesome, really looking forward loading the rest this weekend.

And of course thank you Dave and team Sequential/DSI for developing and bring to market such a great instrument.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on April 26, 2019, 11:11:11 AM
I’m very pleased to hear you’re enjoying your Prophet X, Gerry, and I’m glad to have contributed in some way to that experience.  I have to agree, Dave and crew did a phenomenal job of delivering a sweet sounding modern hybrid with enormous potential.  I hope you’ll post more when you’ve had enough time with her to decide what speaks to you most about the instrument.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: blewis on April 27, 2019, 02:09:55 PM
If you like the Neutron samples, wait til you hear the OB6 ones. I did the Neutron samples and like them, but those OB6 from AlanC3 are great!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Gerry Havinga on April 28, 2019, 10:27:58 PM
If you like the Neutron samples, wait til you hear the OB6 ones. I did the Neutron samples and like them, but those OB6 from AlanC3 are great!
Just made my first patch with the Voyager square wave sample this weekend. Two squares slightly detuned, running an LFO over the filter cutoff with a sprinkle of resonance, slight beat introduced with synced BB Delay. The sound fills the entire room, awesome! I love the ability to combine the  choir and strings like sample patches, soft and gentle, on the other layer, with a huge synth sound.

For years I've tried to create these kind of patch combinations using my ol' Akai S5000 and out board effects. I have been partially successful, but it can take days before I have a combination I like. The Prophet X workflow makes this possible in an instance - I love it.

Will try the OB6 samples later this week, thanks for the tip  :).

I "had" to load the Neutron samples first as a rather futile gesture towards our "friends" at Behringer......
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: armenjc on May 03, 2019, 07:28:09 PM
Thank you for these! They're fantastic and I can tell how much work went into editing these, keeping the amplitudes consistent and the looping smooth.  Great job!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: nb2789 on December 23, 2019, 12:28:05 AM
MASSIVE thanks to everyone involved in this, Lady G in particular.

I'm a new PX owner and just put these VCOs on this morning. Sounds amazing!...and the process was so quick and easy with the clear instructions provided.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on December 23, 2019, 05:55:32 PM
I’m always happy to hear these are working well for people.  It didn’t take long after I bought my Prophet X to conclude that having simple raw material like this would be something I’d reach for again and again.  I was fascinated to find others felt much the same and that there is so much interest in the VCO Pack, both from a contribution perspective in the beginning and in terms of ongoing downloads.  It’s amazing to me how much difference something like subtle variation in the harmonic makeup of a sawtooth waveform can make!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Tripomatic on March 01, 2020, 04:33:17 PM
Can anybody give me some advice how to install the VCO pack correctly? When I try to install it, I can only find the two instruments "stacked OSCs" pack in userbank 3 of my Prophet X.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 03, 2020, 07:41:01 AM
Can anybody give me some advice how to install the VCO pack correctly? When I try to install it, I can only find the two instruments "stacked OSCs" pack in userbank 3 of my Prophet X.

The pack consists of five individual downloads.  They can be installed all at once, or one at a time, by following the instructions on the ThinkerSnacks site (http://www.thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html) (under the heading "Instructions".)

The main thing to make sure of is your directory structure, which should look like this: \px\u02\15 Synth

Inside the 15 Synth directory you should have a bunch of .zip files, one for each instrument.  I hope that helps!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Tripomatic on March 05, 2020, 01:12:56 PM
Can anybody give me some advice how to install the VCO pack correctly? When I try to install it, I can only find the two instruments "stacked OSCs" pack in userbank 3 of my Prophet X.

The pack consists of five individual downloads.  They can be installed all at once, or one at a time, by following the instructions on the ThinkerSnacks site (http://www.thinkersnacks.com/px-vco-pack.html) (under the heading "Instructions".)

The main thing to make sure of is your directory structure, which should look like this: \px\u02\15 Synth

Inside the 15 Synth directory you should have a bunch of .zip files, one for each instrument.  I hope that helps!

Thank you! I got it installed.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: tigeir on March 29, 2020, 12:25:20 PM
The password protected .zip archives are not intended to be extracted prior to installation.  Just put them in the appropriate directory structure on a USB device:

\px\u02\15 Synth\

The Prophet X loads these directly and decrypts them internally.  This process has confused a few people, so I’ll update the instructions on the ThinkerSnacks site to clarify further.

Hi
I am a previous owner of the Prophet X, and I now own a OB6. I have a Nord Wave 2 coming to me next week, and I am busy converting my favorite samples to the Nord format. It is very easy with the new editor from nord.

The VCO sample pack you greatly contributed to make a reality is one of my all time favorite sample packs. It gave the PX something it missed. To continue to appreciate these samples in my wave 2 I would need to unzip the px files to access the wav files. It worked like a charm with the Moog One sample pack. I have deep respect if you don´t want to share the password to wave files. I know you put a lot of work in to it. If it however was to protect users from making mistakes when installing onto the px, I would be very happy if i could continue to enjoy these samples as I have done for a while now. Same person different instrument, so to speak  :)

Best wishes from Norway
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 29, 2020, 12:55:21 PM
The VCO sample pack you greatly contributed to make a reality is one of my all time favorite sample packs. It gave the PX something it missed. To continue to appreciate these samples in my wave 2 I would need to unzip the px files to access the wav files. It worked like a charm with the Moog One sample pack. I have deep respect if you don´t want to share the password to wave files. I know you put a lot of work in to it. If it however was to protect users from making mistakes when installing onto the px, I would be very happy if i could continue to enjoy these samples as I have done for a while now. Same person different instrument, so to speak  :)

I'm delighted to hear you found the samples especially valuable.  As it happens, the VCO Pack was constructed using 8Dio's utility before I started work on PXToolkit.  That utility encrypted installable archives without asking, using a password scheme that is presumably intended to protect samples from being used anywhere but the Prophet X.

PXToolkit, on the other hand, doesn't encrypt anything which is why you're seeing more recent sample packs showing up without encryption.  Of course I have all the original raw samples, so it wouldn't be especially difficult to package them up again and replace all the files currently available for download.  Or at least, it wouldn't be difficult if I wasn't currently a few thousand miles away from my backups while waiting out a global pandemic. :o

Hopefully things return to normal and I'll be back where all the raw samples are in June or July.  Sorry I can't readily put something together sooner!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: tigeir on March 29, 2020, 01:29:51 PM
The VCO sample pack you greatly contributed to make a reality is one of my all time favorite sample packs. It gave the PX something it missed. To continue to appreciate these samples in my wave 2 I would need to unzip the px files to access the wav files. It worked like a charm with the Moog One sample pack. I have deep respect if you don´t want to share the password to wave files. I know you put a lot of work in to it. If it however was to protect users from making mistakes when installing onto the px, I would be very happy if i could continue to enjoy these samples as I have done for a while now. Same person different instrument, so to speak  :)

I'm delighted to hear you found the samples especially valuable.  As it happens, the VCO Pack was constructed using 8Dio's utility before I started work on PXToolkit.  That utility encrypted installable archives without asking, using a password scheme that is presumably intended to protect samples from being used anywhere but the Prophet X.

PXToolkit, on the other hand, doesn't encrypt anything which is why you're seeing more recent sample packs showing up without encryption.  Of course I have all the original raw samples, so it wouldn't be especially difficult to package them up again and replace all the files currently available for download.  Or at least, it wouldn't be difficult if I wasn't currently a few thousand miles away from my backups while waiting out a global pandemic. :o

Hopefully things return to normal and I'll be back where all the raw samples are in June or July.  Sorry I can't readily put something together sooner!

Yes, we have bigger problems than samples these days. Hope you are ok. I look forward to use the VCO sample pack on my wave 2 when all this is over. Stay healthy  :)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on March 29, 2020, 03:12:45 PM
Yes, we have bigger problems than samples these days. Hope you are ok. I look forward to use the VCO sample pack on my wave 2 when all this is over. Stay healthy  :)

Likewise!  Looking after ourselves and those around us simply has to be a priority at the moment.  I'm fortunate enough to have had a choice of where to be, and opted for our residence on Maui as a sparsely populated and isolated location that seemed as well suited as anywhere.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: rcmusic35 on May 11, 2022, 11:11:29 AM
Hello,

Just installed VCOs and the piano. Thanx a lot to everyone involved, especially Lady Gaia. Excellent quality.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on May 13, 2022, 12:25:58 PM
Just installed VCOs and the piano. Thanx a lot to everyone involved, especially Lady Gaia. Excellent quality.

I'm delighted to hear you're enjoying the content.  All the initial sampling work came from other contributors who were kind enough to share their work, and it's amazing how these sources of rich harmonic content with a little natural note-to-note variation can spice up the sound design process in conjunction with the Prophet X's luscious filters.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Seelezerkleiner on July 31, 2023, 02:05:52 AM
I have found an issue with the Erebus Square VCO. When I play the D2 it only sounds for a moment then will remain silent until the instrument selection is switched.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on July 31, 2023, 11:13:11 AM
I have found an issue with the Erebus Square VCO. When I play the D2 it only sounds for a moment then will remain silent until the instrument selection is switched.

Huh.  That sample does indeed seem to be problematic.  I did a quick scan of file sizes for everything else and it's the only one that's suspiciously short.  Sadly, that's also true of the raw source file I was provided so I don't have a way to recover that particular sample.

Can you try a replacement for that instrument and let me know if it works for you?  The VCO Pack set was produced using the original 8dio utility before work started on PXToolkit.  The file linked here (https://prophet-x.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/staging/Fixed+Erebus+Square.zip) is a recreation of the instrument using the more modern utility.  I've eliminated the problematic D2 sample and just stretched the healthy C2# sample up a semitone to cover the gap.  Download the zip linked below and decompress it to get a px/ directory you can install directly to overwrite the problem instrument (it assumes you used the original User 3 location, rename the nested u02 subdirectory if needed to change the installation location.)
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Seelezerkleiner on July 31, 2023, 03:37:31 PM
That VCO now works perfectly! I don't know why I'm surprised about how quickly you got this resolved, considering how helpful you seem to be here in general. I wanted to do the same fix but couldn't due to the password protection. I can't believe nobody else has caught this. Thank you so much!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on July 31, 2023, 05:40:45 PM
That VCO now works perfectly!

I'm glad to hear it and I really appreciate you finding and bringing the issue to my attention in the first place.  As you note, it has been this way for four years without prior discovery!  I've given the fix a slightly more permanent home here (https://prophet-x.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/downloads/22+Erebus+Square+Fix.zip) for anyone who is already using the VCO pack and have corrected the full Erebus download as well for anyone who comes across the VCO pack down the road.

Quote
I don't know why I'm surprised about how quickly you got this resolved, considering how helpful you seem to be here in general.

I'm not always able to take care of things this quickly, but I'm glad it worked out today.  I had been waiting for a hybrid synth like the Prophet X for quite some time so I dove in pretty hard on day one trying to address what I saw as shortcomings on the software side of things.  I'm always pleased to hear from others who benefit from the time I've put in.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Stue007 on August 02, 2023, 08:41:59 PM
Thank you very much for your effort, highly appreciate. Wouldn't be the same to be loved synth without your passion for it.
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: tempted11 on November 02, 2023, 04:45:08 AM
Thank you very much for your effort, highly appreciate. Wouldn't be the same to be loved synth without your passion for it.

I can only agree with these words! Many thanks from me too - fantastic gift from Lady Gaia, AlanC3, blewis_13 and of course Shaw for his incredible expansions!
Title: Re: VCO Pack for Prophet X
Post by: Lady Gaia on November 10, 2023, 11:30:06 AM
I appreciate the kind words and am delighted that my contributions have made a difference for this community.  It was fun working with other owners to put the VCO Pack together, and that exercise left me itching to solve other problems that led to PXToolkit.