'The world's leading sound design and analysis tool', the box says, but can this software really get samplers to speak the same language? Danny McAleer asks whether version 3.0 of Passport Alchemy gets the chemistry right

Samplers have communication problems not unlike Britain and America; two nations divided by a common language. Mr Clinton and Mr Major may not be return each other's calls, but the worst that can happen with a sampler is that you're going to have to re-sample the sound, or worse still buy another copy in another format.

Alchemy is the equivalent of a Jimmy Carter or David Owen, brokering ceasefires between warring samplers, and getting them to exchange data, via MIDI or SCSI. It is currently on its third version, with a number of distinct advantages (outlined below) over its previous incarnation, version 2.6. The program supports a fairly extensive range of samplers, including Akai (S900/950/1000/1100), Roland (S50/S330/S550), E-mu (EI/II/III), Casio (FZ1 and FZ10), and new to v3.0, Ensoniq (ASR10). It can also be used by any module conforming to the MIDI sample dump standard.

Installation of the software is all automatic, the only thing you're left to do is to run the authorisation software afterwards. The program and all its accompanying files need about 2.5Mb of hard disk space. These include a helping of demonstration samples, sound and MIDI manager extensions, plus the Patchbay accessory and any up-to-date documentation.

Alchemy will run on any Macintosh with System 6.07 or higher, with at least 4Mb of RAM. It is possible to run Alchemy with less RAM than this, but the program needs to be re-configured (2Mb is the absolute minimum), and you won't get much sampling space.

Try before you buy

There are three methods by which a sample can be squeezed into the program: sampling directly, via MIDI sample dump (or by SCSI link with compatible devices), and loading samples from disk. Alchemy offers two types of file selectors when loading new samples from disk; the bog standard variety, plus a much more useful 'special' selector.

With this, you can audition a sample before you load it into RAM, and also peruse its vital statistics: file type, size (measured in samples), channels (mono or stereo), sampling rate, key range and centre key, and model origin (what it was created on). Basic file tidying can also be undertaken, with additional radio buttons for deleting and renaming files. The only problem with this file selector is that it did seem susceptible to sudden crashes when auditioning samples it didn't particularly like, and so I tended to avoid using it when important work was as yet unsaved.

Formats supported include the (new to version three) importing of eight and 16-bit WAV samples (imported onto the Mac via PC Exchange or similar), eight or 16-bit Audio IFF files, Sound Designer (I and II) files, Sound Edit and Dyaxis formats. In addition to all these conventional sample types, Alchemy also permits you to filch samples and sounds from resource files in games and other such applications. Clicking on any program, Alchemy will automatically detect any loadable files, and present a list to choose from. It's a shame that you can't load everything, as the grating sound of text files is quite delicious.

Each of the formats supported for loading are also applicable to saving. In the case of the resource files, this enables you to create all manner of stupid system sounds, but more usefully, compile audio for programming applications.

Sampling directly

Version three comes complete with the newest version of Apple's Sound Manager (strangely enough also v3.0), which allows Alchemy to sample directly, via the Mac's internal microphone connections. With the Quadra AV and Power Mac computers, it is also possible to take advantage of the 16-bit stereo sampling capabilities offered by its built-in hardware.

Recording is initiated by accessing the applicable window from the Action menu. Here, it is possible to configure the hardware you have installed, to get the best possible recording. For example, using an add-on card like the Audio Media or Pro Tools board, if one is installed. Other options include eight or 16-bit switching, stereo or mono recording, and a selection of fixed sampling rates. A bar below all these items displays the incoming signal's amplitude: any adjustment to the recording volume must be done at the source, as there are no means to do it in the program, only a monitor level fader is supplied. Clicking on the record button will begin taking the sample, and this will continue until the computer either runs out of memory, or you press stop.

Fiddling about

Unquestionably the most useful part of Alchemy is its importing of samples, via MIDI from external devices. Setting up a MIDI dump is quite straight forward, so long as you go about it in a methodical way. Although for some devices it isn't strictly necessary to connect both the MIDI in and MIDI out to the computer for dumping, Alchemy does need a complete loop. This is a bit of a pain if you want to audition sounds in the sampler with a controller keyboard, and have no MIDI merge box. On a jollier note though, it does make the dumping process that much faster. Besides which, the devices rely on Alchemy to initiate the MIDI Sample dump procedure. This is equally useful, as a number of units have no way of performing this function internally.

After the connections have been made, you can make a choice from the list of preset instruments. There is a gaping hole in this menu where the Yamaha SY85 should have been, but the standard SDS map ought to work with it. The list is quite admirable in spite of this, with all the more popular samplers supported (see list above), plus new additions to version three in the form of the ASR10, Kurzweil K2000, the Korg T1/2/3, and Peavey sampler. With the K2000, ASR10, S1000/1100 (fitted with the relevant expansion board), and Peavey DPM-SP/SX, you have the added option of dumping samples via SCSI, which is far faster than the conventional MIDI methods, and highly recommended. The rest of the configuration box items concern themselves with things like the MIDI port and channel numbers, and are all quite self-explanatory, as they're much the same as any sequencer MIDI set up.

"Alchemy can whizz around with the vacuum cleaner and duster, and either stack, strip, or tile all the samples into a neat order"

Clicking on 'get sound', or more ambitiously 'get all', in the Network menu, prods Alchemy into a conversation with the chosen sampler. Presently, a window opens with a few pull-down boxes with all of the sounds available in the module for dumping. If there are none, it could be that the connections are not properly made; or perhaps no samples are loaded. In the latter case, the solution is to beat yourself about the forehead, lament your stupidity, and then load a disk of samples. Another attempt at communications can be initiated with the 'look' button, which updates all the data.

Although this is not always so in the case of other models, the S900 uses both the multisound and sound menus. The multisound menu represents the program on the S900, whilst the sound corresponds to the individual samples that go to make up the whole voice. Underneath these two boxes is a key map, with the area greyed-out that corresponds to the key range of the chosen sample.

Selecting 'get all', and then choosing one of the multisounds will load each sample consecutively into RAM, whilst 'get sound', will only load one sample at a time. Sample transfer from the S900 is reasonably fast, and very reliable, whilst the Korg T3 tends to be a tad slow, and does occasionally go wrong (depending on the multisample requested). It only managed to complete a 'get all', request once in about twenty attempts, but as I discovered, this is more the PCMs' fault than the Alchemy's.

Some samplers, like the S950, treat a stereo sample as two mono samples, dumping one after the other, and then writing the program file to play the two together. The T3, on the other hand, doesn't like stereo PCMs at all, and tends to either ignore one side, or attempt to sum the two parts together. Alchemy has its own function for summing together a stereo sample into mono, which is far better. It can also be used in reverse, creating a pseudo-stereo sample out of a mono sound.

The fun part

If all goes well, whatever method you've used, there ought to be a sample in a window, ready to edit. Each window is sizeable both in the x and y-axes, making it far easier to see what edits you're making. With several windows open at once, things can get a little untidy; in these cases, Alchemy can whizz around with the vacuum cleaner and duster, and either stack, strip (where each window is stretched along the breadth of the screen and squashed vertically to allow space for all the others), or tile (giving each sample an even square-shaped window) all the samples into a neat order. Other window options include the ability to switch on or off the ruler, and to define which measurement from a choice of samples, seconds, and SMPTE, the horizontal axis is measured in.

There are three modes when editing a sample: Select, draw, and loop mode, each of which have their own functions in the Edit menu. The Edit options box is applicable to all three modes: It contains settings for the blend function, as well as the undo on/off switch, and the space assigned for the clipboard buffer. Setting each of these values to 0 forces Alchemy to use the hard disk rather than RAM for temporary data storage, thus freeing up valuable memory for more samples.

Select mode is likely to be the one where you spend the most time. Here, it is possible to highlight portions of the sample and perform basic edits like cut, paste, and copy. The mix function takes the data from the clipboard, truncates it to fit into the selected region of the sample, and then merges the two together. Using the insert tool, it's possible to dovetail the contents of the clipboard into the currently selected sample. Alchemy then extends the sample length accordingly, to accommodate the extra bit. Extract, on the other hand, wipes clear all but the selected region of the sample, allowing you to quickly create a new sound from a larger section. Finally, Clear wipes clean the selected area; this is particularly useful for passages of spoken word interspersed with quiet portions that would otherwise reveal a noticeable amount of noise.

Other effects that can applied to samples include reverse, fade in or out, and a scale function, which optimises the sample volume according to a definable amplitude threshold value. You can also create copious amounts of digital delay (including some stereo algorithms), or re-equalise the sample with new timbre characteristics, with the EQ function. Both of these tools are completely configurable.

As well as these standard editing functions, Alchemy has some astounding tools. For example, it is possible to completely redraw the amplitude, pitch, or frequency cut-off envelopes, using the pencil to scribble all over the sample. Each point can be defined, moved around, and if need be, deleted. With this function, you can create things like a wah-wah type effects on the sample, simply by sculpting the filter envelope into a triangle waveform. Should you only need to perform a minor edit on one of the envelopes, Alchemy can automatically 'trace' the sample, creating a template around the existing values.

It is also possible to 'draw in' new harmonics in the appropriate window. Using this in conjunction with the Resynthesise function, you can completely alter the sound texture, embellishing the sample with extra frequencies, or causing it to sound weird and atonal by completely removing the fundamental frequency.

Verdict

Adding WAV format to the import/export repertoire is a fine manoeuvre, but it does highlight the limited sample format support: RAW sound files are omitted, as are all types of Atari sound files (SPL and AVR), and there seems to be a problem with reading some types of IFF files from the Amiga (although this seems to be inherent in quite a few Mac samples programs). As well as including more sample formats (even if only import is featured), perhaps it is not wholly inconceivable that an update might feature a more user-configurable MIDI Sample Dump map, thus ensuring better compatibility with other models not specifically catered for. Other than these horribly pedantic quibbles, and the hefty price tag, Alchemy is a whizzo program, with the added functions of version three making it immeasurably easier to work with. It is certainly a solution to having to buy or record your sample library more than once, at any rate. There's one treaty negotiated. Now, if only Europe was so simple...

On the Mac partition there's a selection of 16-bit samples in AIFF format, created and sampled using Alchemy during the review period. Do with them as you will, so long as it's not rude...