The <buses> element
As of version 1.12.0, DecentSampler has support for audio buses, which can be used to create a more complex mix of the samples in the sample library as well as route audio to various audio outputs. Sample library designers can specify up to 16 buses in the <buses> element using the <bus> tag. Each bus can have its own volume and audio output settings.
The <bus> element
Within the <buses> element, you can have up to 16 <bus> sub-elements. These specify parameters for each individual bus that you would like to have in your sample library. The <bus> element has the following attributes:
busVolume: The volume of the bus. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output1Target: The first audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options areMAIN_OUTPUT(the main audio output),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_1(auxiliary output 1),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_2(auxiliary output 2),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_3(auxiliary output 3),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_4(auxiliary output 4),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_5(auxiliary output 5),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_6(auxiliary output 6),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_7(auxiliary output 7),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_8(auxiliary output 8),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_9(auxiliary output 9),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_10(auxiliary output 10),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_11(auxiliary output 11),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_12(auxiliary output 12),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_13(auxiliary output 13),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_14(auxiliary output 14),AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_15(auxiliary output 15), andAUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_16(auxiliary output 16).output2Target: The second audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output3Target: The third audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output4Target: The fourth audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output5Target: The fifth audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output6Target: The sixth audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output7Target: The seventh audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output8Target: The eighth audio output for this bus. This is a string that specifies the audio output that the bus should be routed to. The available options are the same as foroutput1Target.output1Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ first output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output2Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ second output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output3Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ third output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output4Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ fourth output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output5Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ fifth output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output6Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ sixth output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output7Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ seventh output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.output8Volume: The volume of the audio being sent to the bus’ eighth output. This is a floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is silent and 1.0 is full volume.
Here is an example of a <buses> element with two buses:
<buses>
<bus busVolume="0.5" output1Target="MAIN_OUTPUT" output2Target="AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_1" output1Volume="0.8" output2Volume="0.5"/>
<bus busVolume="0.8" output1Target="AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_2" output2Target="AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_3" output1Volume="0.6" output2Volume="0.7"/>
</buses>
In this example, there are two buses defined. The first bus has a volume of 0.5 and is routed to the main output with a volume of 0.8 and auxiliary output 1 with a volume of 0.5. The second bus has a volume of 0.8 and is routed to auxiliary outputs 2 and 3 with volumes of 0.6 and 0.7, respectively.
Effects and buses
Buses can also have effects applied to them. To apply an effect to a bus, you can use the <effects> element within the <bus> element. The <effects> element can contain one or more <effect> sub-elements, each of which specifies an effect to apply to the bus. Details on the attributes of the <effect> element can be found in the Effects section.
Here is an example of a <bus> element with an effect applied to it:
<bus busVolume="0.5" output1Target="MAIN_OUTPUT" output2Target="AUX_STEREO_OUTPUT_1" output1Volume="0.8" output2Volume="0.5">
<effects>
<effect type="Reverb" wetDryMix="0.5" roomSize="0.5" damping="0.5"/>
</effects>
</bus>
In this example, a reverb effect is applied to the bus with a wet/dry mix of 0.5, room size of 0.5, and damping of 0.5.
Using buses in the sample library
Once you have defined buses in your sample library, you can use them in the <sample> elements to route the audio of the samples to specific buses. To do this, you can use the outputXTarget attributes in the <sample>, <group>, or <groups> elements. The outputXTarget attributes specifies the audio output that the sample should be routed to. The available options are the same as for the output1Target attribute above, but, with additional options for the buses defined in the <buses> element using the format: BUS_1, BUS_2, …, BUS_16.
Here is an example of a <group> element with samples routed to a bus:
<group output1Target="MAIN_OUTPUT" output1Volume="1.0" output2Target="BUS_1" output2Volume="0.2">
<sample path="Samples/Volca Keys Poly-V127-29-F0.wav" loNote="17" hiNote="17" rootNote="17"/>
<!-- More samples here -->
</group>
In this example, the audio of the samples is routed to both the main output and to the first bus defined in the <buses> element. The volume of the audio sent to the bus is 0.2 (20% of full volume).