Sample instrument

A Sample instrument plays one WAV from the project's sample pool and applies pitch, level, pan, lo-fi processing, filtering, looping, and an optional instrument table.

The parameter list scrolls while the title and bottom-bar context remain fixed.

Load a sound

1. Set the instrument Type to SAMPLE and move to the SAMPLE row.
2. Use Left / Right to choose Load, then press Enter to open the sample library.
3. Select a WAV and tap Play to preview it; tap again to stop.
4. Stop the preview if it is still playing, then choose Import on the file. NullPerator copies it into the project, assigns it, and returns to Instrument.

On Web and iOS, the SAMPLE row offers Load / Import / Record / Edit. Import opens the system WAV picker, Record captures a new take, and Edit opens the assigned WAV. Edit requires a loaded sample; stop playback before loading, importing, recording, or editing.

See Browse and import samples and Record a sample for the complete workflows. Importing a different WAV clears this instrument's slice points.

Page sections

The list groups parameters under Source, Level & Pitch, Character, Filter, Playback, and Modulation. Move through fields with Up / Down; the section dividers are labels.

Common adjustments

• Make it louder or quieter: change VOLUME.
• Tune it: set ROOT NOTE to the pitch the WAV was recorded at, then use DETUNE for small corrections.
• Place it in stereo: change PAN; 7F is centered.
• Play once: leave LOOP on ONE SHOT.
• Sustain a sound: choose FORWARD or PING PONG, then adjust the loop start and end.
• Play a chopped beat: open SLICES and add or automatically place slices.

Parameter reference

Values shown with A–F are hexadecimal unless the table says otherwise.

Field	Values	Default	What it controls
SAMPLE	Project WAV name	--	Choose Load, Import, Record, or Edit in the bottom bar; available actions depend on the platform and loaded sample.
SLICES	Slice count	Unsliced	Enter opens the Slices editor.
VOLUME	00–FF	80	Instrument output level after drive/crush.
PAN	00–FE	7F	Stereo position; 7F is centered.
ROOT NOTE	MIDI note 0–127	C3	Note that plays the sample at its base pitch.
DETUNE	00–FF	7F	Fine pitch around the root; 7F is neutral and the full range is about ±1 semitone.
DRIVE	00–FF	FF	Gain into the crusher.
CRUSH	1–16 decimal	16	Bit-depth reduction; 16 is full resolution.
DOWNSAMPLE	0–8 decimal	0	Sample-and-hold reduction; each step increases the reduction factor.
FILTER	LP / CC RR	LP / FF 00	Displays cutoff (CC) and resonance (RR). Direct field editing changes cutoff.
FILTER TYPE	00–FF	00	Morphs the response from low-pass through band-pass toward high-pass.
FILTER MODE	ORIGINAL, BASSY, SCREAM	ORIGINAL	Chooses the filter character.
INTERPOLATION	LINEAR, NONE	LINEAR	Linear interpolation or nearest-neighbour playback. NONE is cheaper and rougher.
LOOP	Five modes	ONE SHOT	Chooses the playback/loop strategy described below.
START	7 hex digits	0000000	First frame used for playback.
LOOP START	7 hex digits	0000000	Beginning of the loop window.
LOOP END	7 hex digits	End of sample	End of the playback/loop window.
TABLE	--, 00–1F	--	Table attached to every note from this instrument. Enter assigns the first free table.
AUTOMATION	NO, YES	NO	With YES, an instrument trigger advances its table automation rather than advancing once per tick.

START, LOOP START, and LOOP END are bounded by the loaded sample. Hold Enter, select one of the seven digits with Left / Right, and edit it with Up / Down.

Loop modes

Mode	Behaviour
ONE SHOT	Plays once from START to LOOP END.
FORWARD	Starts at START, then repeats the LOOP START–LOOP END window.
PING PONG	Alternates forward and backward through the loop window.
OSCILLATOR	Treats the loop window as one oscillator cycle and tunes it from C3.
LOOP SYNC	Fits the loop window to the tracker's tempo-synchronised cycle; notes transpose that result from the root note.

Reversing the order of the start/end points reverses playback where the selected loop mode supports it.

Slices and notes

A Sample instrument can store up to 16 slice starts. Once slices are present, the displayed note range C4–D#5 (stored notes 48–63) addresses slice slots 1–16. Each slice plays once from its start to the next later slice (or the end of the WAV), independent of the instrument's loop mode. Older builds labelled these same slice notes C2–D#3; existing sequences need no note changes.

Slice points belong to the instrument, not to the WAV. Importing a different sample into the current instrument clears them. See Sampling → Slices for editing controls.

If playback crackles on NullPerator hardware

Start with ONE SHOT, set the filter and lo-fi processing to their neutral values, and try INTERPOLATION NONE. Add processing back one setting at a time until you find the combination that plays cleanly.