Does anyone know of a consistent way to match levels when resampling on the OP-1?
If I have something recorded to tape and I want to resample it at the same volume that I’m hearing it at, is there a certain mixer number or input gain level I can always set it to so when I bounce to another tape track, the volume of that track is the same as the perceived volume of the unbounced tracks?
I’m just looking for a way to get consistent results. Adjusting the red knob tape input level always feels like a shot in the dark.
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might be helpful to consider the signal path that is happening when u resample
bc theres a few things it goes thru every pass that u should be aware of (which u may already be)
like the eq, master fx, tape track levels and orange tape input level… tape style? etc…?
which all can change your sound in different ways in terms of volume, tone/timbre, etc
the shift+tape thing (maybe shift+mixer? can’t remember which one it is off the top of my head)
where it shows u the entire signal path of the device is helpful to understand and/or fill in any gaps
if u set all these stages pretty flat / even it should come out pretty close to the way it goes in
i’m still living in an OG world so there may be some philosophical differences between the two but i use resampling very heavily and never found it to be varying much in volume from pass to pass.
but obv your mileage has varied
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Right. From what I can tell, resampling occurs at the very end of the signal chain, so everything impacts how it sounds.
If I’m bouncing to a new tape track, I max out the red / orange knob and then turn the encoder down by 8 clicks. That seems to keep things consistent (if the output drive is at 40).
What’s weird to me is that if you resample with the output drive at let’s say 20, the resampled signal will be quieter than what the unbounced tracks sounded like.
Seems like just doing it by ear is the best bet.
ive been thinking that i need to avoid the master drive until im totally done with the track because i feel like i run into similar leveling challenges that i imagine are due to the master drive. havent experimented enough to know confidently
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There are a few workflows for this on the OP-1 Field (not sure if this works on the OP-1 og as I haven’t tested it) but I found by far the simplest method is to Lift from the Tape and Drop (paste) into the sample. This avoids needing to fiddle around with mixer settings (mostly). I cant remember if this came with a firmware update but If this doesn’t work you may need to update the firmware.
I might be wrong but I believe when you Lift from the Tape and Drop into a sample it does one of two things:
- Lift – single track - ignores all mixer settings – Track level, Track pan, EQ, FX, Master, Drive, Release.
- Shift Lift – multiple tracks – Uses Track Levels and Track Pans. Ignores EQ, FX, Master, Drive, Release.
To have the matching level when playing/recording the sample back:
- set the tape record level to 100%
- Turn off velocity if you have it enabled
For Synth sample:
- (shift 1) with red knob set the gain to +0
- (2) make sure the gray knob is maxed out (can’t remember what this is called) so the volume doesn’t fall off after the initial attack
- (shift 2) set the volume to 100 this one is a little sneaky and gets me from time to time.
For Drum Sample I don’t think you need to do anything in particular
One catch for the paste into the sample is if you paste into a sample that is longer than your Lift it will not clear out the extra existing sample. Not usually an issue but if I’m paying attention to avoid it before I Lift and Paste into a sample slot I first do a quick very short sample using the standard sample method so that there is a very short something in the sampler then I paste over it and this avoids having part of an old sample at the tail end of the pasted sample.
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These are great tips. I always forget about the new shift+lift and drop to flatten tracks, gotta start using that.
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Yeah use the new mix drop for sure, way easier. Otherwise I think master compressor disabled, master effect off, and red volume full, is the way to get the levels the same.
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