Sample File Formats

Sound Bridge™ supports WAV and AIFF sample file formats with sample rates up to 48kHz. There are several other sample file parameters that are important to consider as well.

As explained in a separate topic, the QSR architecture uses a hierarchical relationship between samples, sounds, Programs and Mixes. A sound is the combination of a sample with its associated processing. You can use built-in samples, or load your own custom sample files.

You can transfer samples to the QSR using Sound Bridge™ software, which accepts WAV and AIFF file formats. If your samples are not in either of these formats, you can use Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software to convert between formats, or download a free format converter from the Web.

While it is natural to want to fit a large number of samples on a single Flash Card, you will quickly find that the 8 MB PCMCIA card size limitation in the QSR creates its own unique set of challenges. When the QSR was introduced in 1997, the 8MB PCMCIA card provided a lot of storage space for its time. Modern electronics commonly offer SD card interfaces, with available storage into the Gigabytes. But with a little care in planning your sample files you can work within the 8MB limitation. To make this work, however, it is important to optimize the file parameters to maximise the number of samples that the card will hold without sacrificing the audio quality of the samples.

There are several sample source file parameters that can be changed, including:
  • sampling rate - 48 kHz maximum, 44.1 or 48 kHz internal clock options in QSR
  • bit depth - 8, 16 or 24 bit samples are compatible
  • sample length - trim and adjust fades to minimize file size
  • mono or stereo - the QSR only plays mono files, 2 sample files are required for stereo
  • multisamples for velocity crossfade use - multiple files can be used with velocity profiles

Carefully consider the tradeoffs between these factors when preparing sample files; it is not possible to optimize them all at once. For example, you can fit more samples on the card if you reduce the sample length, sampling rate or bit depth, but you will often sacrifice audio quality. For some drums this will be less critical, but for your snare and cymbal sounds you will want to keep the bit rate and depth high and let the sample naturally decay.

Avoid using stereo samples unless necessary. This will be discussed in a separate topic.