Akai S950 Operator's Manual page 87

Of course, you may not have access to a mixer and so you will want to use the
MIX output. If this is the case. you can mix the various instruments and
control tone in Page 06 of EDIT PROGRAM.
Note: however you sequence your 5950, ensure that total polyphony never
exceeds B voices at any time. In particular, take care if you are using-any
layered programs as these will reduce the available polyphony of the sampler.
USING THE 5950 WITH ANOTHER SYNTH
Using MIDI, it is possible to layer the S950 on top of sounds generated by
another synthesizer. This can be very useful in enriching the sound of either
the synth or the sampler.
For example, you may have a synthesized string sound which needs some extra
'detail' to add more realism. By layering a nice 'bowey' string sound, you
not only create a richer sound but you also add that extra bowed detail. By
EQ'ing each sound and carefully balancing the two together on a mixer, you
can enhance the sound even further and a touch of reverb will add the
finishing touches. The same technique applies to any other combination of
sounds. Of course, the sounds don't have to be the same - french horn and
glockenspiel is a nice combination as is piano and strings with the synth or
the sampler providing either sound. Combining sampled sax with synth brass
and then splitting them in octaves with some slight WARP on the S950 can
create a powerful brass section whilst combinations of sampled voices and
synth sounds allow you to produce beautifully ethereal textures.
One popular technique these days is to graft the attack of a sampled sound
onto a synth sound and this too can be particularly effective and layering
Just the attack of a violin onto even the most lack-lustre synth string sound
can create a very realistic hybrid. The 5950 can be used to do this very
easily and the beauty of using the 5950 in this way is that you can layer
your own samples on top of your own synth programs and not rely on factory
preset samples and programs as is the case in the synths that utilise this
technique. Once again, with the right balancing, EQ and Judicious use of
effects such as reverb, some astonishing textures can be created and the
advantages of this method of layering just sampled attack transients is that
these transients take up very little memory in the 5950 and one disk could
easily hold a few string, brass. breath and percussion attacks to layer over
your synth sounds in a myriad of combinations.
If you are working live, you will probably want to recall these samples with
the synth programs. This is easily achieved by assigning any given program on
the S950 to be recalled via MIDI program change using the 'MIDI prog'
function on Page 02 of EDIT PROGRAM. So, if your synth string program is
number 37, assign MIDI prog 37 to your sampled string attack transients and
the samples will be recalled whenever you select the string sound. If you
want to layer those same samples on too of another sound in another memory
location on your synth. simply copy the program in the S950 giving it a
slightly different name (why not give it the same name as your synth sound?)
and assign the approriate MIDI prog number to the copied program.
Naturally, all this needn't relate only to keyboard control and it is
possible to layer 5950 drum samples on top of a drum machine's drum sounds to
create powerful modern drum hybrids. Similarly, a MIDI drum kit could be used
with the sampled sounds layered on top on the distinctive analogue synth drum
sounds these electronic kits are famous .for. Likewise, layering samples over
your MIDI guitar can create extremely interesting effects.
70