Table 1. Transport toolbar
Icon | Action |
---|---|
![]() | Open files in WAV, MP3, FLAC or AIFF format. The program supports mono and stereo samples of varying sample rates (e.g. 44,100 or 22,050 Hz). |
![]() | Save the current sliced loop in WAV format. MP3 export is disabled due to licensing restrictions. |
![]() | Undo previous edit. The undo history is unlimited for each wave file. All changes that will lead to a different sound are recorded in the undo history. Changes only affecting the layout, such as displaying the help panel, are not taken into account. |
![]() | Redo previous edit. |
![]() | Share preset. This tool enables you to share presets with other smasher users. Please note that what is shared is the machine state, not the samples themselves. To share presets you need to request a passcode, which is emailed to you on completion of a dialog box. Email addresses are only used in order to protect write access to the smasher database. Your email is treated in confidence. |
![]() | Play the original sample without changing the order of slices or applying effects. |
![]() | Play the slices in the order given in the pattern grid. |
![]() | Pauses playback. |
![]() | Stop loop playback, sliced or otherwise. |
![]() | Enable continuous loop playback. If you notice a slight gap between loop starts, try adjusting the loop compensation setting in the Playback tab under Controls. |
![]() | Press this button to hide all interface elements except the transport toolbar. |
The volume slider controls the volume of sample playback. The sliced loop itself is not affected.
Table 2. Pattern toolbar
Icon | Action |
---|---|
![]() | Show/hide the controls panel on the left. The panel itself consists of several tabs: master, effects, chain, presets and play back. |
![]() | Show/hide the help panel on the right. |
![]() | Restore the original slice order, which is shown as a diagonal line from top left to bottom right in the pattern grid. |
![]() | Reverse original slice order. |
![]() | Rotate the pattern one step to the left, so that what was previously the last slice is heard first. |
![]() | Rotate the pattern one step to the right. |
![]() | Shuffle pattern. This icon is found twice: the first affects the slice order, the second the choice of effects. |
![]() | Warp the pattern using only slices that are currently selected. Press this button repeatedly to cycle through a number of possible permutations all of which should sound different yet similar to the current pattern. The warp pattern itself can be changed in the Master pane under Controls. |
![]() | Clear the grid. Like Shuffle and Shuffle selected, this tool is available both for the pattern grid and the effects grid. |
![]() | If this tool is selected, effects are associated with particular slices, so that certain changes to the pattern grid (e.g. rotate left/right, shuffle selected) also affect the effects grid. |
The 'slices' spin control sets the number of slices. Typical values include 4, 8 and 16 though others are of course possible. In the case of the four-bar Amen break, a value of 16 slices effectively splits the loop into fourths.