We are building and creating new instruments using the latest programming technologies.  Our instruments are based on real instruments multi-sampled with at least 4 levels of velocity, every notes, in stereo 24bits / 96Kz.

We consider ourselves like modern instruments makers, using technology in place of where violins makers were using knifes and wood. Our instruments are  unique, the accent is set on the expressivity, the playability, the real pleasure to play.

Creative process.

First we sample the real instruments. For example, the Grand Piano line has been recorded in Miami during one month in December 2002. We took our time to get the best samples from a Steinway and a Bösendorfer grand pianos and several electric pianos like Rhodes and Wurlitzers. We also use our own secrets tools, we can sample any instrument very quickly and with a very high quality, without having to do everything by hand. It is, in my opinion, impossible to sample 4 layers of velocity every note on a piano with accuracy. That's why most piano soundbanks are done with Wavelab's pitch shifting and amplitude plugins! We use our own hardware to play the instruments with a very high level of accuracy.

Then we build the soundbank itself. But we use our own editor. Our software allows us to make complex tasks a snap and to build complex multisampled programs quickly. We can start again and again until we are satisfied. Most sound designers stops their work here.

But we are only starting the creative process. We are now using our own plugins (we use several Scope DSP enhanced Creamware soundcards with our own plugins to re-work the sounds). The alchemist work is starting and it takes generally more time than the sampling itself. Like doing a good wine, we are mixing several texture and we are looking for new and unique textures of sounds.

Then we rebuild the soundbanks using our tools to optionally loop, gate the sounds and make it as optimized as possible.

At this stage we convert the basic soundbank from our own format to Halion, Gigampler, Exs-24 and STS. We use a special version of CDXTract, the best and most accurate tool of its kind.

Finally we are carefully doing local optimizations to exploit each sampler potentialities. For example we are often using the Mega trigg option of Halion to have 2 soundbanks that can morph together with the Modwheel.

At the end of the chain are the beta testers. They are first call studio, composers, and engineers. Their feedback can push us to change completely our settings from the beginning, or cancel a soundbank until it is fixed. When they are enthusiastic, we release the result.

Our Commitments

1. Always innovate. For example uses controllers to mix several sounds, premix original drum-kits in stacks, generate rare instruments by computers, do huge velocity stacking with natural instruments, do unique and playable samples.

2. Never use any artifacts to inflate velocity layers. We really sample every notes, every samples, we do not use pitch shifting to simulate more samples.

3. Use effects and software we made internally to achieve a very high level of quality so we have our own unique sound.

5. Keep our libraries optimized. Most of them are 50mb compressed (100mb uncompressed) but they sounds like bigger ones. We try to loop our samples when possible, even if it is a long work. Bigger sounds will be available on DVD Rom.

How to we sample?

We use 24bits / 96Khz. The rest depends on the type of the library and the studio where the instruments are. We always try to get the best sound at the source, we do not apply too much processing to keep the original sound fresh.

We use our own reverbs, compressors, optimizers and generally our own effects. We have a total of 48 DSP to host them. Most of them needs too much DSP power to be commercially available today.

Who we are?

Gigfiles has been created in December 2002 by Nicolas Choukroun (  'Nikko' ) the author of DADEV.com.

More credits will be added with time and as soon as we get the written authorization of the interested persons.