SONICWARE TRK-010-SG-01-EN Smpl Trek Portable Production Sampler User Guide

SmplTrek
Start Up Guide

TRK-010-SG-01-EN Smpl Trek Portable Production Sampler

TRK-010-SG-01

Introduction
Thank you very much for purchasing a SONICWARE SmplTrek.
This startup guide explains the basic functions of this product. We will explain how to use it, some functions and other features, while actually creating a project. See the reference manual for details.

Names of parts

Top Panel

Func button
Press the func button with  other buttons to switch to  submenus|
Rec button
Use for sample and sequence recording
sampling button
Open the SAMPLING Screen|
Project button
Open the Project Screen
pool button
Open the POOL Screen|
Home button
Open the Home Screen
system  button
Open the SYSTEM MENU
---|---|---|---

Play button
Play projects
Rewind button
Move playback position backward|
Stop button
Stop playback
Fast forward button
Move playback position forward|
Mixer button
Open the MIXER Screen
fx button
Open the EFFECTS Screen|
Edit button
Open track editing screens
rec src button
Open the INPUT SETTING Screen

Rear Panel

Making sound

Starting the unit

1. Insert a card (sold separately) into the card slot on the side of the unit.
   Compatible cards
   SDHC up to 32 GB (CLASS 10 or higher)
   (SDXC cards are not compatible.)

2. Connect the included AC adapter to the DC12V connector on the unit.
   Alternatively, install 6 AA batteries.

3. Press and hold the POWER switch until SmplTrek appears on the display.

Preparing preset data and formatting cards
Preset data, including drum kits, instrument sound sources and demo projects, are stored inside the SmplTrek. First of all, prepare a blank card and execute FORMAT & DUPLICATE on it.

1. Press to open the SYSTEM MENU Screen.

2. Select CARD, and press .

3. Select FORMAT & DUPLICATE, and press .

4. Select YES, and press .

POINT
• Duplicating files takes a few minutes.
• Be careful because this will erase all data on the card.

5. After FORMAT&DUPLICATE completes, demo project 1 will load.

Playing the demo project

Playing projects

Project structure

We will examine project structure by working with the demo project.

Track types
LOOP tracks
These are designed for sampling performances  with drums, guitars and other instruments and looping them in the scene.
DRUM tracks
Use these to make drum patterns with bass drums, snares, hi-hats and other drum sounds.
INST tracks
Use these to play phrases in scales on the keyboard with samples of single notes from pianos, guitars and other real instruments.
SHOT tracks
Use these to play one-shot samples, such as sound effects and crash cymbals, once.
Sequence patterns can also be made using one-shot samples.
MIDI tracks
These are piano-role type sequencer tracks for creating phrases to use with external MIDI equipment.
GLOBAL tracks
These are independent audio tracks that can span multiple scenes. Use these for recording vocals and other performances that continue through a song, for example.

Learning operations while creating a song

Creating new projects
We will create a project with 4 tracks, 1 scene and 4 bars for practice.
First we will arrange preset patterns in a DRUM track. Then, we will input a bass line in an INST track. In addition, we will sample while applying effects to a guitar with a LOOP track, and play a sampled effect sound with a SHOT track. To create a new project, select an empty project.

1. Press .

2. In the PROJECT MENU, select SELECT/NEW.
   

3. Turn to select an empty project (EMPTY).
   Press or VALUE.

4. A pop-up message will appear to check whether or not to save the current project.
   At this point, changes have not been made to the current project, so select NO and press .
   

Adding DRUM tracks

Loading preset patterns

1. Select a clip in Track 1, and press .

2. Select DRUM, and press .

3. Turn  D to select a preset Turn pattern. By pressing while turning it, preset patterns can be switched by genre. For this example, select the ROCK 01 pattern.

4. After selecting the preset pattern, press to load it.

5. Press , and while playing the scene, turn  B to change the tempo. The tempo can also be set by tapping B with a steady rhythm. After the tempo is set, press again to stop playback.

Extending a pattern to 4 bars and adding

1. Press the right twice to open the SEQ Screen.
   

2. Press C to duplicate the current pattern, doubling its length. Press C twice to make it 64 steps.
   

3. Press o start recording standby.

4. Press to open the 4th page.

5. Use the direction buttons to move to the desired input position, and press to change the arrangement in the 4th bar.   POINT! ………..
   • To use real-time recording, refer to the INST track procedures (→ P.11).

6. Press to end step recording.

Preparing an INST track

1. Press to reopen the Home Screen, select a clip in Track 2, and press .
2. Select INST, and press .
3. Turn c to select a sample.
   For this example, select
   Bass 1.wav.

Real-time recording

1. Press to close the popup menu

2. Press the octave keys to set the piano roll to the desired input range.   POINT! ———
   • Pressing an octave key will shift the piano roll by one white key. Pressing an octave key while pressing will shift it by an octave.

3. Press to start recording standby.
   For this example, we will record a one-bar bass line.

4. Press . Then, press the pads with the desired input timing.   POINT! ……….
   • To play only the selected clip, press • To use step recording, refer to the DRUM track procedures (→ P.9).
   • If a performance is unsatisfactory, the pattern can be cleared by pressing + after stopping recording.

5. Press to stop recording.

6. Press to end real-time recording.

Sampling a guitar on a LOOP track

Preparing a LOOP track

1. Press to reopen the Home Screen, select a clip in Track 3, and press .
2. Select LOOP, and press
3. Press the right to open the SEQ Screen, and turn A and B to set the clip length.
   Since 64 16th notes is 4 bars, set them to LEN 64 and NOTE 1/16 for this example.

Preparing for sampling

1. Connect a guitar to the IN L jack on the rear panel.

2. Press + to open the SAMPLING Settings Screen.
   Since a guitar is connected, turn A to set the recording source to Hi-Z.

3. Press the EXT SRC enable checking the guitar input sound.
   While playing the guitar, use the input gain knob to adjust the input level.
   Adjust it so that the LED does not blink.

Using inserts effects

1. Press , select INSERT and press .
2. Turn the knobs to set ON/ OFF to ON, TYPE to ROCK AMP, TARGET to INPUT and REC POS to POST IFX.
3. Press the right to open the second page, and adjust the ROCK AMP parameters while playing the guitar.

Sampling

1. Press to reopen the Home Screen, select a LOOP Track and press .

2. On the EDIT Screen, pressing will enable auditioning ( lights yellow), allowing the sound that will be recorded to be checked.
   Press and practice the guitar part while the other tracks play back.

3. Press again to start recording standby ( lights red).Recording will start automatically at the beginning of the next scene, so play the guitar part. POINT ……….
   • Recording will stop automatically when the set clip length is reached.
   • If the performance is unsatisfactory, repeat these procedures from step 2.

Using a SHOT track to play sound effects

Preparing for sampling

1. Press + to open the SAMPLING Settings Screen.
   Turn A to set the recording source to the built-in mic.

2. Turn the mic gain knob to adjust the gain. Adjust it so that the level meter exceeds –12 dB when the effect sound, such as a hand clap, is made.

3. Press VALUE to enable AUTO REC (the automatic recording function), and turn VALUE to set the AUTO REC level to –12 dB.

Quick sampling

1. Press to reopen the HOME Screen.
   

2. Press and hold for Track 4 to start quick sampling.

3. Make an effect sound, such as a hand clap. Recording will start automatically if the level exceeds the AUTO REC level setting.

4. When done recording, press or to end sampling.

Preparing a SHOT track

1. When a pop-up to select the type of the assigned track appears, select SHOT and press .
2. Turn A and B to set the range of the sample to use, and press the right .

Playing the effect sound

1. Press to reopen the HOME Screen.
2. Press to start playing the scene.
3. Pressing for Track 4 will play the effect sound, so try playing along with the other tracks.

Mixing

Adjusting levels, panning and effect send amounts

1. Press to open the MIXER Screen, and press to start playing the scene.
2. Select a track and adjust the various parameters.

MIXER （PRM VALUE）

| Track selection
A| Track level
B| Panning
C| Effect send level

Adjusting the EQ

1. Press D.
2. Use to select a track, and press .
3. Use A to select the EQ type and use C and D to adjust the parameters.
4. Press the left to reopen the Mixer Screen.
5. Repeat steps 2–4 for each track.

Saving projects

Be sure to save projects regularly because unsaved project changes will be deleted when the power is turned off.

1. Press .
2. In the PROJECT MENU, select SAVE.
3. Select YES.

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