A sampler instrument is the file type that is loaded into EXS24 mkII. You load sampler instruments using the Sampler Instruments pop-up menu directly above the Cutoff knob. When you choose a sampler instrument, the associated audio files are automatically located on the hard disk (or disks), and are loaded into your computer’s RAM. You play and record the loaded sampler instrument in the same way as any software instrument.
A sampler instrument tells EXS24 mkII which samples—audio files—to use, and how to organize them into zones and groups.
A zone is a location into which a single sample—an audio file—can be loaded from a hard disk.
Zones can be assigned to groups, which provide parameters that allow you to simultaneously edit all zones in the group. You can define as many groups as required.
EXS24 mkII is compatible with the following audio file formats: AIFF, WAV, SDII, and CAF. Each audio file is loaded into EXS24 mkII as a separate sample. Each audio file is then automatically assigned to a zone in the EXS24 mkII Instrument Editor window. These zones can be edited and organized into sampler instruments. See Zone and group edit overview.
Important: Audio files are not contained within a sampler instrument. The sampler instrument only stores information about audio filenames, parameter settings, and locations on the hard disk. If you delete or rename an audio file, any sampler instrument that uses this file will not be able to find it. You can move audio files to another location on your system, however, because EXS24 mkII automatically searches for files when you load a sampler instrument.
EXS24 mkII is compatible with the SoundFont2, DLS, Gigasampler, and ReCycle sample formats, as well as the Vienna Library. See Import SoundFont2, DLS, and Gigasampler files and Convert ReCycle files to sampler instruments.