Soundation - Samplers
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Nearly every virtual instrument uses samples (something we will discuss later on). But inside of Soundation I am categorizing samplers as instruments that use multiple audio files that trigger when you hit a key. For example the violin patch uses samples of a violin. All you control from the front panel is how those samples playback. Does it start immediately or does it fade in (attack)? Now this ADSR envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release) is heavily influenced by the initial samples that load for each instrument. For example a slow attack on a violin would sound natural, while a slow attack on say a snare drum may play nothing at all (if your attack is slower than the sound).
You'll notice that when you go outside the traditional key range of familiar acoustic instruments you get totally new timbres that only slightly resemble the original. That is certainly something worth experimenting with.