Understanding F2 Root Key on GD Soul Treasures

Gordon Laurie
Gordon Laurie Member Posts: 3 Sine
in Maschine

Hi Team,

When i load up a SoulTreasures patch, the root key is set to F2 - does that mean that all the phrases/loops are in the key of F?

Probably not, right?

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Answers

  • Friede
    Friede Northern GermanyMember Posts: 10 Sine

    No, it just means you can use the 2nd octave for transposition. The Samples can come in any key, for example Augemented 1 & 2 are in Eb minor, Open Heart is in C major.

    You can choose your root key depending on if you want to shift more up or down. F2 is in the middle, you can go -5 or +6. If you want to shift 11 keys up, set root key to C2 and press B2.

    It's just translating a part of the keyboard to numbers, they have no meaning as notes.

    Technically all the root keys in samplers are like that. You often will put a sound on the corresponding note on the keyboard, but sometimes you want something completely different.

    So root key in any (not only GD ST) environment means: the key where the sample is in original pitch, other keys might transpose (there can be multiple zones with own root keys).

  • Gordon Laurie
    Gordon Laurie Member Posts: 3 Sine

    Thanks Freide,

    how do you know the original key of the patches? I need to know that I order to make the correct transposition to my song key, no?

    Is there a phrase “original key” that I can see or are you able to tell with your perfect pitch?thanks!

  • Brad Yost
    Brad Yost Anacortes, WA, USA Member Posts: 218 Saw
    edited August 30

    Further information:

    If you open the GD instrument in Edit view (either in Kontakt or Komplete Kontrol) and view Keyboard as well as the <Trigger> tab, you will see the three octaves broken out and enumerated.

    Red is the FX chain which affects the tone & timbre, Green is the ROOT pitch, Blue is the trigger key section for each sample slice.

    This is all covered in the manual on page 9, Section 2.2, which is in a <Documentation> directory in the library install location.

    Most of the performances in GD default to F so that when they are stretched or shrunk for the other keys, they don't get too strange sounding.

    image.png


  • Gordon Laurie
    Gordon Laurie Member Posts: 3 Sine

    Thanks, Brad,

    I am familiar with the keyboard triggers and thanks for the screenshot. I think my question is what key is each loop played in? I can't tell because I don't have perfect pitch - is there a list of each loop and its original key? If I knew that I could transpose the samples via the F2 root to my song key - does that make sense?


    Gordon

  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ UKMember Posts: 344 Saw
    edited August 30 Answer ✓

    If you need to detect keys, there's a little free app I use on my iPhone called Auto-Key (by Antares so it's quality).

    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/auto-key-music-key-detection/id1559061303

  • wesboundmusic
    wesboundmusic 86470Member Posts: 4 Sine

    Thanks for that! I had wondered the same. Maybe I should have looked here first before making my little songwriting clinic using a phrase from this library (https://youtu.be/CgINc05KYEY). OK, now I know for future use, thanks again!

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