Alesis Sample Rack possible option for adding pads for 2Box users?

[Jman]

This was announced at NAMM 2014 but it was unclear whether the samples that could be added would allow velocity layering. According to this video and questions in the thread it appears it will have velocity layering capabilities (defined in a software utility). Time will tell just how many layers, how well it performs, etc. It will not have what they call dynamic articulation (which would be similar to the Variable choice in the 2Box module I think).
But if everything were ideal this would mean you could likely record a multi-layer WAV from .... for instance... a VST program .... add pads or triggers and there you go. I could see if you were already running VST kits on your 2Box module adding additional pads using sounds from the same or other VSTs and expanding your setup pretty easily. Worth keeping an eye on it IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cbVZZ05giM&sns=em
Depending on what sample rate/format the samples will be used at, it might even be possible to convert dsnds we have already built to play through it.

I may have to "take one for the team" and test one of these when they are available. Alesis says April. With their track record that could mean this April, 2 years from this April, or .... but we'll see.

[Jman]

I thought I would update this thread. The Sample Rack, and Sample Pad Pro have been released and the manual with the specs is now available. This will not be a viable option for me. The velocity layers you can add and trigger are limited to 2 per trigger input, and very small size limit at that. That is nowhere near what we are able to do with the 2Box module. So for me this is a bit of a disappointment as I had higher hopes for multi velocity layer samples that could be triggered. But again, it does emphasize just how great our 2Box system is!


This is from the new Sample Rack manual:

Velocity Layers:
You can load up to 2 samples (referred to as Layers) per trigger input. The 2 Layers are referred to as A and B and
they can only be accessed if you are using samples from a SD card (Loc: Card). You can select a velocity range
setting (shown as Vel: 000-127) for each of these layers, so that each sample will only play when a trigger is struck
with that velocity amount. If multiple layers are set to the same velocity range on a trigger, they will both play at the
same time when the pad is struck.
And:
Sample File Requirements
Please note the following file requirements:
• The samples files must be 16-bit, mono or stereo .WAV files.
• You can use a SD card or SDHC card with a capacity up to 32 GB.
• The .WAV file must be located in the root (main) directory of the card and not in any folders.
We recommend formatting your SD card to a FAT32 file system (if it is not already) and naming your sample
files according to this format. Basically, this means:
• Do not use these characters: " * / \ : < > ? |
• Do not use spaces.
• Limit your file name to 8 characters (excluding the file extension, ".WAV").
• You can assign up to 48 MB worth of samples per kit (the sample library on your SD card can be larger, of
course). Also, please note that a sample's size will be rounded up when loaded (e.g., a 2.1 MB sample on the
SD card will be treated as a 3 MB sample when it is assigned to a pad).
• The max number of files that can be located in the root directory is 512.
• When a .WAV file is selected, it will take a few seconds to load into the memory.
• SampleRack supports mono or stereo .WAV files, with a sample rate of 48K, 44.1K, 32K, 22.05K, and 11.025K.
• When there is no SD card inserted, it is not possible to select the card location.

[Dänoh]

Thanks, J !!!   

...you reflected exactly my concerns about the SampleRack!