About sample length

[Alfonso]

I was reading:

https://www.keyboardforums.com/threads/keyboard-specifications.21985/

Sample ROM – the amount of onboard sound samples. The more – the better. Bigger wave ROM usually means either more samples or longer samples, and longer samples sound more natural since looping them won't be that noticeable.

Ive only had 1 keyboard in my short keyboardist life Casio CTK 1300ES, it comes with styles so I guess it is not sound focused.

For instance in the strings sound I can hear (VERY CLEARLY) the loop of the sample, it length vary depending on the note, for instance: the central C last about half a second, the higher notes last less, and the lower notes last more.

So regarding the fragment I quoted: "longer sampler sound more natural". I believe that that might not be true.
I mean, the restart of the loop will be less frequent, but it will be there anyway.

What do you think?
longer samples make the sound more natural? or just reduces the frequency of the loop restarting but it's still annoying?
If I buy a better keyboard will it sound smoother? will the sample looping be imperceptible or almost imperceptible?

 

[happyrat1]

Visit a music store and test out a Korg or a Yamaha or a Roland for yourself. Try some different models.

Nobody will be able to tell you what you will hear when you listen to an instrument.

It's all subjective. What you find objectionable may not even be noticeable to someone else.

After you try a few test drives come back in here and tell us what YOU think.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, a Casio CTK 1300 is not even close to high end as keyboards go.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Hello, Alfonso!

It sounds like the CTK-1300ES is using only one sample per sound, with the sample being played at different rates to get different musical notes or frequencies-- e.g., the A4 note (A above middle C) has a frequency of 440 Hz, where A3 (A below middle C) has a frequency of 220 Hz. Doubling the frequency moves the note up one octave, and halving the frequency moves the note down one octave-- and for equal temperament tuning, any given note has a fixed and very specific ratio to the note that's one semitone above or below it. Thus, if you sample an instrument playing a single given note-- say, middle C-- you can theoretically use that sample to play any of the 128 MIDI notes by replaying the sample at a faster or slower rate than it was recorded at. However, as you've discovered, if the sample is replayed faster than the sustain period, you might be able to hear the sample looping.

To get better sampled sounds, most "ROMpler" keyboard manufacturers these days will generally record each note that the original instrument can play, and may even record a given note multiple times at different intensities/velocities/volumes. That may not eliminate the need to loop the sample if the note is sustained for longer than its sample length, but at least the sample won't be artificially speeded up or slowed down to play it at a different frequency. The problem you described is more likely to occur on older keyboards-- i.e., ones produced before the manufacturer in question started using sound generation methods where each note is sampled one or more times-- or on keyboards that let the user record a short sound sample and then play that sample on the entire keyboard.