Translations To STS Format

Talk about the STS series of Creamware samplers.

Moderators: valis, garyb

chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

Hi - like this forum, just joined.

Chicken Systems will be translating directly into the STS format (which means .sts files and .wav files) very shortly. We will be adding the additional parameters STS facilitates and the long files names that STS makes available.

PC and Mac flavors will be available.

What you'll be able to do is take any Akai, Emu, Roland, Kurzweil, Ensoniq, SoundFont, SampleCell, etc. and make a STS file(s) out of it.

The Pulsar is flexible, and with certain exceptions, can handle most of what other formats can throw at it.

If there's anything you really want in this type of feature, please post here or e-mail us privately.

Thanks!
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
User avatar
wayne
Posts: 2375
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Australia

Post by wayne »

Sounds good to me :grin:
:cool: WELCOME :cool:
subhuman
Posts: 2573
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Galaxy Inside

Post by subhuman »

VERY :cool: ... Welcome Garth, we're very glad you're here.
marcuspocus
Posts: 2310
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Canada/France

Post by marcuspocus »

Hi, and welcome aboard!

For a suggestion, it would be cool if my translator was able to convert FROM sts to Akai on the fly (like the creation of a CD image). As of now, i can convert about anything to STS (.P and .S for now...) but not backward. One activities i often do, is convert an akai disk to STS, chose some nice sounding programs, tweak them to my taste, then create a compilation CD of those... Since everybody is at least able to read akai disk, i use translator to create those image. But before i can create the image using translator, i have to save back my STSs files in .P and .S again using the STS itself, files by files. That's pretty boring :smile:
chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

OK, we'll take care of that. I do know that the long file names, if larger than 12 characters (10 if stereo, but I don't think STS stores stereo .wav files, does it?), will be truncated.

I'll tr ythe next build, up later this week.
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
caleb
Posts: 356
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by caleb »

Aha! I do have a question Garth.

In Chick Sys' translation to STS, will it correctly convert velocity layering into the STS format?

The reason I ask this is that - for me anyway - I find the STS import of SF2 to be very substandard in that regard.

If you grab say Pianissimum soundfont with 12 velocity layers or so, it will not be converted correctly into the STS.

If you use AWave to translate from SF2 to AKAI, you'll successfully convert, but only 4 layers at a time.

Now, I know you are aware of the peculiarities of the AKAI formats and I'm guessing that STS is a superset of these?

Will Chick Sys successfully convert an SF2 12 velocity layer instrument into the STS format?


Meanwhile - on another note - does Chick Sys translate files into SampleCell format? (I know it's a side-track question)
Caleb

Happiness is the hidden behind the obvious.
User avatar
at0m
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Bubble Metropolis
Contact:

Post by at0m »

On 2002-05-01 20:20, chickeneps wrote:
I don't think STS stores stereo .wav files, does it?
Not for the moment, but does somebody know how it will be in Pulsar OS 3.1? I thought I read soemthing about CW making STS ready for stereo wav's, can't find it again though. Was it a suggestion or an announcement?

at0mic.
chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

>In Chick Sys' translation to STS, will it >correctly convert velocity layering into >the STS format?
>If you use AWave to translate from SF2 to >AKAI, you'll successfully convert, but only >4 layers at a time.
>Now, I know you are aware of the >peculiarities of the AKAI formats and I'm >guessing that STS is a superset of these?
>Will Chick Sys successfully convert an SF2 >12 velocity layer instrument into the STS >format?

Yes. Here's how the Akai format works. (I hate to say "Akai", because we are talking about Pulsar/STS, but it's basically the same.)

You have up to 100 "keygroups," which is a set of parameters within a keyrange. Within that keyrange you can assign up to 4 samples (these are somewhat misnamed "zones"). Each zone has it's own velocity range, tuning, level, pan, filter cutoff, loop type, vel->start.

Your allusion to only 4 velocity layers comes from the fact that these convertors programs use the zones within only a single keygroup to replicate things. What isn't so documented is that you can overlap and layer keygroups all you want. So to reproduce 12 velocity layers would require 3 keygroups with all the zones referenced. Seems pretty easy, actually.

Translator does this - I don't know why the other convertors don't do this. That was why Translator was made.

>Meanwhile - on another note - does Chick >Sys translate files into SampleCell format?

It's just getting that capability. We are putting out a Mac version and there really wasn't any reason to do SsampleCell until that came into being.
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
User avatar
kensuguro
Posts: 4434
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: BPM 60 to somewhere around 150
Contact:

Post by kensuguro »

wow, someone from chicken system! You're joining is more than welcomed!
cook
Posts: 135
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: travelling

Post by cook »

Maybe we get a -planetz- group discount...
'Yeah, we take, say, 1028.'
:grin:



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cook on 2002-05-02 12:39 ]</font>
snoopy4ever
Posts: 367
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Costa Rica

Post by snoopy4ever »

Hey chickeneps .., That's what I've been looking for...
Do you have any beta testers program, so I can give it a try??? :wink:.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: snoopy4ever on 2002-05-02 13:22 ]</font>
chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

You can sign up for the testers program; doesn't mean you'll be used. Give some good qualifications, and I know we'll be running some trials soon.

As for the discount, I'll try to set something up.
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
caleb
Posts: 356
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by caleb »

Thanks for your prompt reply Garth.

A long time ago I looked at Chick Sys Translator and decided against it. But recently it's become more and more important to me that translations be as faithful as possible. It looks like you guys put a hell of a lot of attention into getting it right.

I notice you're also putting a "To SampleTank" translation in the software. This is also of interest to me.

I think I'm going to be one of your customers soon.
Caleb

Happiness is the hidden behind the obvious.
mr swim
Posts: 397
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Londres
Contact:

Post by mr swim »

I'm with caleb. Its been niggling at me for a long time that sts doesn't convert sf properly, because many free multi-samples are sf. Be shopping with you soon !
User avatar
braincell
Posts: 5943
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Washington DC

Post by braincell »

I would like to be a tester for the Emax conversion. I spoke with you on the phone about it and emailed you a couple images. I have noticed on your webpage that since then other people have requested the Emax format. My 44 MB syquest drives are waiting eagerly :smile:.
chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

There's not too much demand for Emax, but we have most of the info here, so we should get it done. I assume you mean Emax->STS.

Question for all: what difference does it make that you can convert to p+s files as opposed to .sts-.wav files? Currently you can do p+s files.
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
jupiter8
Posts: 448
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Sweden lives in Norway

Post by jupiter8 »

I for one don't care what format it is as long as i can load it to my STS.
chickeneps
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2002 4:00 pm
Contact:

Post by chickeneps »

Transaltor already does translate into the p+s formats (.p for programs, .s for samples) already, and you can load them into your STS. All Akai, Ensoniq, Emu, Kurzweil, Roland are avaialble. SoundFont and SampleCell are comming this week, as well as native STS support, which adds the additional paramters, samples are in .wav format for ataptability, and long file names.

(Sorry if I am repeating myself - I think I am)
Garth Hjelte
Chicken Systems, Inc.
Home of Translator
User avatar
at0m
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Bubble Metropolis
Contact:

Post by at0m »

I'm wondering if anyone here knows if Pulsar OS 3.1 samplers will support stereo wavs. Maybe I should write CW about it, cos that can make a nice difference if you could adjust for that. I think they announced it, but it may be rumours as well. I don't remember. Damn gruyère memory.
User avatar
braincell
Posts: 5943
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Washington DC

Post by braincell »

Sure emax to sts but emax to akai would be just as good.
Post Reply