LiSA from STEIM

[Scot Gresham-Lancaster <scot@csuhayward.edu>]

At 07:29 PM 9/18/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Can anyone reccomend a good sampler/sequencer for the Macintosh? Prehaps 
>even
>forward it?
>       Right now I'm using BackToBasics in union with SoundEffects, and 
>I'm looking
>for something with a bit more precision.
>       Anyone use a Mac at all?
>
>

If you have a PowerMac you might be interested in checking out LiSA
developed at the new music center STEIM in Amsterdam

http://www.xs4all.nl/~steim/lisa.html

LiSa v1.1 (Live Sampling)

     LiSa (Live Sampling) is a real-time audio manipulation environment
that runs on any Macintosh computer with a PowerPC (PPC) processor. The
program uses the 16-bit AD/DA converters of these platforms and the
computing power of the PPC RISC processor. This combination turns the Mac
into a versatile audio sampling machine, able to generate up to 64 voices
on a fast PPC604e equipped machine. Complete program control is possible
via Midi, thus allowing the user to work with this system in a performance
environment.

     The system contains one big Sample Buffer, and the user defines so
called 'Zones' which have access to some part of the sample buffer. A
library of Zones can be created (more than two thousand) and each Zone can
have six different
     functions: 
     1) Playing back the sample buffer's data (start and length as defined
by the Zone) in various ways.
     2) Recording audio data into the sample buffer (start and length as
defined by the Zone) in various ways.
     3) Reading a sample file from disk into the sample buffer (start and
length as defined by the Zone).
     4) Writing part of the sample buffer (start and length as defined by
the Zone) as a sample file to disk.
     5) Copying data from the 'Output' or 'Process' buffer back to the
sample buffer.
     6) Reading saved recording data into the sample buffer (start and
length as defined by the Zone).

     Since the user has access to these Zones thru Midi, the top layer of
the system is organized as 'Presets', each Preset enables the user to
assign the Zones to one or more Midi note events. The program can store up
to 128 Presets,
 whereby each Preset can load a so called 'Preset Image' lll (sample file)
into the sample buffer in various ways. Each Preset can have different Zone
assignments for each of the 16 Midi channels, so flexibility is the keyword
here.

     LiSa does not try to compete with hardware samplers in terms of
ultimate sound quality, no, it tries to compete in terms of flexibility.
One of the more important features of LiSa is that at all times the user is
able to record new
samples in the sample buffer, not only while other Zones are playing, using
this part of the sample buffer, but more than one recording Zone may be
active, meaning that the samples can be recorded in different parts of the
sample buffer simultaneously!

     To use the program you will need:

          Any PowerMacintosh computer with System 7.5 or higher 
          OMS or The Apple Midi Manager (driver, manager, patchbay) 
          Sound Manager 3.1 or higher 



Scot Gresham-Lancaster
< Neo-Luddite Technology Victim >
ph: 510-885-3150
fax:    885-3461
www: http://tesla.csuhayward.edu/~scot/sglbio.html