Operation Manual

1.4 Getting started 17
Audio and MIDI Configuration
Before you start exploring the included instruments and presets, take a moment to set up your
system configuration:
Edit menu - Preferences - This menu allows you to select whether exported folders from the
browser contain the contents of any sub-folders located in their branch of the browser tree, i.e.
when you export a synth, its presets and sub-patches will be included in the export with it if this
option is selected. For more details on import and export functions please refer to the browser
section of this manual. The General page also includes a slider which allows you to choose between
smoother graphical response or better audio performance. Save preferences and the default sound
file directory are also set from this menu. Finally, this menu lets you resize the window of the
different plug-in versions of Tassman by adjusting the height and width of the window. Note that
in order for these adjustments to take effect, you need to unload and then reload the plug-in.
Audio menu - Audio Settings - This menu allows you to select from the installed audio ports
on your computer, by driver type. If you have ASIO drivers available, these should be selected for
optimum performance. Multi-channel interfaces will have their outputs listed as stereo pairs.
MIDI menu - MIDI Settings - This menu lists all of the available MIDI ports installed on your
system. Select the port or ports you wish to use and click OK. Tassman can receive up to 16
simultaneous channels of MIDI data.
Audio menu - Audio Control Panel - This panel allows you to select the bit depth (16, 24, or
32 bit audio) sample rate (22.05, 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz) and buffer size, which affects how quickly
the Tassman responds to the control information it receives. The smaller the buffer size, the shorter
the latency, and vice versa. Why would you ever want to introduce more latency you might ask? In
some situations, such as large, self generating ambient synths and other stand-alone applications,
you may wish to ‘trade’ the resources Tassman normal utilizes to maintain low latency response
for more raw processing power. Note that the content of the dialog depends on the driver selected
in the Audio Settings menu.
ASIO Driver Configuration - Some sound cards provide their own ASIO control panel, in which
case the above information will differ from card to card. Some sound-cards also require that you
close all programs before making changes to the buffer size, sampling rate, or bit depth. If you
discover this is the case with your sound card, please refer to the manufacturer’s documentation
for details on configuring it for optimum performance. Most sound card manufacturers also update
their drivers regularly. It’s is strongly recommended that you visit your sound card manufacturer’s
website regularly to ensure you are using the most up to date drivers and support software.