Owner's Manual

Samples and Programs
70
Chapter 3 Basics
Samples and Programs
Samples and programs are the building blocks that you use to create and organize sounds on
your A3000. This chapter introduces you to these two essential concepts.
Basics
A sample is a sound unit that serves as a component of a larger, more comprehensive
sound, or program. A program is an organization of samples and related settings into a
playable sound. Programs, in other words, are built from samples.
An object is an independent data structure that exists in memory and can be manipu-
lated by you, the user. Despite their differences, samples and programs both meet this
definition, and may both be referred to as objects.
When playing sounds from the A3000, you play the programs rather than the individual
samples. As an example, assume that you have created three samples in A3000 memory:
a “piano” sample, a “bass” sample, and a “sax” sample. You could then create a program
to play any or all of these samples. The relationship is illustrated by the diagrams below.
Memory
Program
No sound
"Piano" sample "Bass" sample "Sax" sample
Deselect
Select
Deselect
Select
Deselect
Select
In the above case, the program has deselected all three samples, and will therefore pro-
duce no sound. Although you are free to select this program, it will not generate any
sound so long as all samples are deselected.
If you set the program so that it uses the piano sample only, as shown below, then the
program will be able to produce piano sound only.
Memory
Program
Piano only
"Piano" sample "Bass" sample "Sax" sample
Deselect
Select
Deselect
Select
Deselect
Select