Manual facts, sample import process

[resyn]

Hi-
Here's a newbie on the PX that came a week ago.

In the online manual version 1.3 it refers to user banks U1 - U4, and to add-on banks A1 - A4 (page 4). These facts match what I see in my PX running 2.2.2.0.0 FW ie it appears to me to show that there are four U-banks and 4 A-banks, but also 4 F-banks. Have tried to import samples (the Instruments are generally called Merlin) using a USB 3-stick and the hierarchy px/u4/category-folders/zip-files which I have assumed are zipped samples or zipped samples + presets. Have not exactly understood where this material supposedly ends up once the import is complete.

Performed this import under Global 34. Chose "User".

Accepting Overwrite, I then read at the top:
Copying Group User 5, and on the line below
Instruments remaining, and a number counting down as the import proceeds.
After this has finished, I leave Global.

In the main screen I cannot find U5 (User bank 5 = what I assumed was being created).
In the samples hierarchy at Sample Playback, I can find no new samples.

Where has my stuff ended up? How come this process is not clearly explained in the V1.3 manual, which also claims that user-imported samples will be coming along at some point in the future...

Update
OK I found the imported material at the Samples Playback section, hitting/holding Type, changing to U5, which is an unexpected use of such terminology (U5). I thought U1 - U4 were specifically User Banks 1 - 4, meaning banks of categorized instruments pointing at their relevant samples. Would have expected U5 (and however many there actually are or potentially are on PX) to show up together with U1 - U4, but no...

So to update my knowledge:

(1) Is it not the case that a PX running 2.2.2 FW correctly imports User Samples? Isn't that what I just did (about 3.5GB worth)? Why is the manual not updated to reflect this capability?

(2) By importing as I believe I just did (there are new sounds), am I thereby beginning to use up the approx 50GB of user sample space?

(3) Is there any way for me as User to see how that user-sample-space is being updated, so I can see how much space there is before trying to import something else?

(4) How do I erase imported materials from the PX?

[thirteen_engines]

Hi Resyn,

I think you may be confusing presets with samples. What you described in the first part of your post are the preset slots, F (Factory, can't be overwritten), U (User, where you can save a preset you have made) and A (Add-on programs, which I don't quite understand yet). Samples are saved in a different area (on the ssd drive I think) and are labeled F(Factory) and U(User, ranging from 1 to 32 as of firmware 2.2). Also, in a zip file containing samples, the folder naming convention will contain a subfolder 'Ux' which (a bit confusingly) is loaded into bank 'Ux+1'. So U4 would be loaded into sample bank U5. Be aware of this when loading samples. You don't usually want to overwrite a set that is already there.

As far as the manual goes, there are a couple of addenda that list new features and their use. I can email them to you.

As for your list of questions:

1) yes

2) yes

3) not that I know of. It would be nice to be able to see what space is left. Probably not doable on the instrument itself but in a library program ... maybe.

4) never tried this but I would think that overwriting with a dummy zip file with the proper file system in it might do it. Or not.

Hope this helps a bit.

Keith

[Lady Gaia]

It sounds like you're finding your way, and as pointed out by the prior post your initial confusion likely stems from similar naming between Preset banks and Sample groups.  There are parallels between them: Factory (F) Presets and Samples come with the device and are only updated by Sequential, Add-On (A) Presets and Samples only come from 8dio, and User (U) Presets and Samples are freely available for your use as well as for third-party content.  The sample import process can theoretically be used with any of the three, but I don't think there has ever been a factory sample update.

Once imported, sample "instruments" are found in a combination of group + type (sometimes called category) + sample number, which must be unique.  So you can't have two U1-02.Bass-#2 instruments installed at the same time, but there are lots of unique slots.  32 user groups, each with 17 categories, each of which can have 98 instruments (numbered 2 through 99, as 1 is always reserved for silence.)  You're much more likely to run out of the 50GB of available sample storage than unique places to store them, unless you're using a lot of older samples that are tiny by modern standards.

You can indeed see what's installed, how much space it takes up, and can delete samples you've imported.  Press Global, then scroll down to function #32, Manage Samples, and select it.  You can see each of your installed user and add-on groups here with an indication of their size, and can delete entire groups.  There is no way I'm aware of to delete individual sampled instruments.

Lastly, I don't believe Sequential ever officially documented the procedure for packaging presets along with samples.  8dio does so for their add-ons, but third parties tend to provide preset banks separately from their samples.  This is generally necessary as there's not a lot of standardization regarding what presets go with which samples, and there are far fewer user preset slots than user sample locations.  8dio appears to have limited themselves to 32 presets per add-on for similar reasons.