Multisampling a Synth for the EP-40 Riddim
Synths are the easiest thing to multisample well. They hold forever and stay consistent across the keyboard, so the only real skill is good loops. Here's how to capture a hardware or software synth for the EP-40.
If a piano is the hardest thing to multisample, a synth is one of the easiest. A synth note holds as long as you want, and its tone usually stays consistent from low to high, so you can sample fewer notes, space them wider, and let the EP-40's pitch-shifting fill the gaps cleanly.
The one skill that matters is looping, because a sustained synth needs to ring on past the length of the sample you captured. Here's the workflow.
This guide covers the approach. For the editor mechanics, see How to Make Multisamples for the EP-40 Riddim.
Why synths need fewer zones
The EP-40 gives you up to eight zones, but a synth rarely needs all of them. The timbre doesn't change much across the range (a sawtooth is a sawtooth whether it's low or high), so you can often cover the whole keyboard with three to five well-spaced samples and not hear the stretch. Keep the spare zones for the very low and very high ends if they need a hand.
Let the Auto-Sampler do the work
Capturing a synth by hand, play a note, record, trim, repeat, is tedious. EP-PatchStudio's Auto-Sampler does it for you: connect your hardware synth or VST and it records the instrument automatically, note by note, across the range you choose. For a consistent sustained sound it's far quicker and more accurate than capturing by hand, and you get an evenly spaced set of samples ready to map. There's a full setup walkthrough in How to Auto-Sample a Synth for the EP-40.
The Auto-Sampler is part of the Pro feature set, included in the free trial.
Loop the sustain
A synth pad recorded for three seconds cuts off after three seconds unless you loop it. The goal is to find a stable, sustained section of the sample, past the attack and before any release, and loop that, so the note holds for as long as the key is down.
Let EP-PatchStudio detect the loop points automatically first. If you hear a click on each repeat, nudge the loop start and end to zero crossings so the waveform joins smoothly. And pick a steady section to loop: avoid looping across an LFO sweep or a moving filter, or the movement repeats unnaturally.
Record one consistent dynamic
As with any EP multisample, there are no velocity layers, one sample per zone. So if your synth responds to velocity, set it to a fixed medium level while sampling, so every zone matches. You can shape dynamics afterwards with the EP-40's envelope.
Shape it with the envelope
Once it's on the device, the EP-40's attack and release envelope does the expressive work. Slow the attack for pads that swell in, and add release so notes don't stop dead when you lift off. Remember the envelope is global to the whole multisample, so it's set once for the instrument.
Quick workflow
- Set your synth to a fixed medium velocity and the patch you want to capture.
- Run the Auto-Sampler across the range, or capture three to five notes by hand.
- Map them across the keyboard with correct root notes.
- Loop the sustain on each sample so notes hold.
- Set the envelope, then send to the EP-40.
If anything sounds out of tune or clicks once it's on the device, see Fixing Detuned or Clicking EP-40 Multisamples.
Get started
EP-PatchStudio is free to download, and the Pro trial includes the Auto-Sampler.