SampleGen is a Source block. It’s a sample player, operating in the same way as the Sample block, but instead of loading in an existing audio sample, it employs the concept of Procedural Generation to create a new one on the fly.

This process uses Algorithms and random number generations to plot out a number of simple waveforms, and then combines those waveforms to create a single more complex waveform. (A good video demonstration on combined waveforms can be found here).

In it’s options, ‘Wave’ gives you a graphic of the generated waveform, and lets you drag locators for the Start, End and Loop Start & Loop End. The ‘Generate Wave’ button will run the procedural generation and create a new sample. The ‘Reverse’ switch will switch the direction the sample plays, and ‘Loop’ will toggle between wether the sample just plays through once, or continues looping between the Loop Start & Loop End locators. ‘Playback’ sets the speed/pitch of the sample.

Each of the simple waveforms it generates can be thought of as an individual voice or instrument. The SampleGen algorithms follow a path of decision-making where these voices choose options such as; a waveform shape, a pitch, whether they will arpeggiate, and if so how quickly does it arpeggiate, and with what kind of melodic pattern. Some voices will choose to follow their own path while others choose to act as a harmonic to another leading voice. As all of these various options combine, the resultant scope for sample variation becomes massive.

Digital audio can usually be described as simply a list of numbers, these numbers represent a waveform’s amplitude at a given time. Each of these numbers may be referred to as a sample, and sample rate determines how many of these samples happen per second.

Because of this, and because algorithms are able to generate a lot of varied data very quickly, we are able to create a complex list of numbers suitable to use as digital audio near instantly, as a type of Procedural Synthesis. Expanding this concept could mean that entire songs could be quickly generated and saved as digital audio files, without them ever having to be written, played or recorded.