An instrument produces a track's sound. Effects process that sound in their displayed order. Use this page to identify a device and its main controls; the mixing chapter gives the steps for inserting and routing it.
R2.1Sampler
Select a track, open DEVICES, then use CHANGE > Sampler if it has another instrument. Load a recording before testing the controls.
| Control or area | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| Sample-bank menu | Add or select recordings. A note's target determines which source or slice it plays. |
| Root, Tune and Fine | Set the recording's original pitch, semitone transposition and cent adjustment. |
| Gate / One shot | Gate responds to timed or key release. A non-looping One shot continues past a timed gate; explicit OFF, FAD and CUT still act on it. |
| Mono / Poly / Legato | Mono retriggers one voice; Poly allows overlap. Legato connects overlapping notes on the same sample and slice without a fresh attack; a new source or slice starts a fresh voice. |
| Bits and Rate | Rebuild the internal audio used for pitched playback. The source remains available. |
| Interp | Choose the reconstruction method used during playback. |
| Stretch | Off uses ordinary pitched playback. Varispeed changes speed and pitch together. Vintage uses grains to change duration. |
| Filter and Amp | Shape frequency content and the note's level envelope. Release can continue after OFF. |
The character menu applies these settings:
| Mode | Bits | Rate | Interp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern | Source | Source rate | Linear |
| Amiga | 8 bit | 22.168 kHz | Hold |
| M3000 | 16 bit | 44.1 kHz | Paula |
| SP12 | 12 bit | 26.04 kHz | Paula |
These are Tracker Pro settings, not a claim that every hardware stage is reproduced. RESAMPLE prints the current character and stretch into replacement project audio; filter and amp remain live. See sampler conversion and printing a sample.
R2.2Macro
Choose DEVICES > CHANGE > Macro. The current engine name opens a menu of 24 engines.
- Choose Virtual Analog. Play one note and adjust Detune, Pulse / Sync and Saw Shape separately.
- Choose Two Operator FM. Its three tone controls become Ratio, FM Index and Feedback.
- Use the preset-name menu when you want a complete starting sound rather than an engine change.
- Adjust Volume before comparing two presets or engines. Their output levels can differ.
LPG couples level and brightness. Gate follows note gating; Ping makes a decaying response; Drone bypasses LPG gating and uses ADSR to end each note. LPG Decay and LPG Colour shape that response where the engine uses it. Aux Blend crossfades the engine's main and auxiliary outputs; Width spreads their difference in stereo.
In DEEP, Envelope selects ADSR or Follow LPG where available. Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release shape ADSR; Glide connects pitches. New engine > Keep / Initialize determines whether an engine change keeps existing values or initializes them. Engines with internal envelopes can make some LPG controls inactive.
R2.3Resonator and GrainOSC
Resonator produces a tuned body or string response. Choose it through CHANGE, play a note, then compare Structure, Brightness, Damping and Position. Structure changes the resonant relationships; Brightness affects excitation and higher partials; Damping changes ringing; Position changes where the body is excited.
The model menu offers Modal, Sympathetic String and Modulated String. In DEEP, Source chooses native excitation, a burst, a sample or a track. Tail > Release uses the output Release control after note-off; Natural ring allows the body to ring according to its own decay, within the selected ring limit.
GrainOSC generates grains from internal wavetables. Choose a Wavetable, then move Scan through its waves. Density sets grain spacing, Size their duration, Shape their envelope and Pitch their transposition. Grains balances the underlying oscillator with the grain sound. DEEP includes variation between grains.
GrainOSC creates its own material. Granular FX, below, records audio arriving from earlier in the chain.
R2.4Rack effects
Select the track, return or master chain, then tap its circular + to open Add Effect. Search by the names below. Tape appears for the master chain only.
| Effect | Main controls and purpose |
|---|---|
| Drive | Drive adds saturation; Tone shapes the upper frequencies. Gain match helps compare levels. |
| Lofi | Sample rate and Bits reduce passing audio. Drive, AM Freq and AM Depth add saturation and amplitude modulation. |
| Filter | Select SVF or Cascade, then adjust Cutoff and Resonance. Drive is available for Cascade. |
| EQ | Four bands. Drag a point to change Frequency and Gain; Q controls the middle bands' width. |
| Chorus | Classic, Ensemble and Dimension modes. Base delay, Depth, Rate and Voice spread shape moving delayed voices. |
| Phaser | Center, Sweep, Rate and Feedback move and emphasize spectral notches. |
| Delay | Single, Ping-pong or Dual tap echoes. Sync follows tempo; Free uses a time value. Feedback repeats the echoes; Duck lowers them under new input. |
| Reverb | Room, Plate, Hall or Ambience. Decay, Pre-delay, Size and Damping shape the space. |
| Ambient Reverb | Cloud and Bloom create long tails and swells. Decay, Density and Motion shape the tail; Hold sustains it. |
| Space | Dense reverb with Size, Brightness and Motion. Freeze holds the tail. |
| Granular FX | Live captures incoming audio; Frozen holds the buffer. Time chooses the buffer position; Density, Size, Shape and Pitch shape grains. Blend balances dry and processed sound. |
| Resonator | Incoming audio excites a tuned body. Note sets its tuning; Structure, Brightness and Damping shape its response. |
| Compressor | Threshold and Ratio set reduction; Attack and Release set its response. DEEP > Sidechain selects the detector source. |
| Limiter | Input drives the limiter, Ceiling sets its peak target, and Release controls recovery. |
| Utility | Gain, Balance and Width adjust the signal; Invert L, Invert R and Mono support channel checks. |
| Tape | Master-chain tape saturation or vinyl coloration, with Input, Saturation, Output and Mix. |
For an effect comparison, play the same phrase, adjust one control, then toggle the device's power button to bypass it. Use Mix or Blend where available to balance the unprocessed and processed signals. A shared return is usually fully wet, with its level set in MIX.
R2.5Macros, presets and Audio Units
A track macro can control several parameters together. Modulation routes add movement from an LFO, envelope or played-note values. See movement for mapping and automation steps.
Use the native instrument's preset menu to load a sound; its adjacent ellipsis menu offers user-preset actions. Presets reuse instrument settings across projects. Save the project separately to keep its notes, arrangement and sample assets.
Installed AUv3 instruments appear under CHANGE; AUv3 effects appear in Add Effect. OPEN PLUGIN opens their own interface. If a new installation is absent, use ellipsis > SETTINGS > AUDIO UNIT HOST > RESCAN AU. Use SAVE after editing a plug-in sound so its current state is captured. Another iPad needs the same plug-in installed to restore it.