EXS24 Relinker application

This is a program that I'll be releasing for free on the Apple App Store.

This is to help relink your EXS24 files to a new file location on your computer.

Since I've been using SF2 files that get converted to EXS24 files and I use Auto Sampling from Main Stage, the only issue I have with those two programs is that they put everything on my system drive.

So with my Relinker program, I can change the audio path to my 4TB hard drive that has the room to store all these audio files.

Here's a sneak peak of it here.

It might be a daft question, but IMO the EXS finds the required audio files sufficiently fast on all connected drives and remembers their location after the initial load, so does that really save much time?

Could as well be that I'm missing something...

EXS finds the required audio files sufficiently fast on all connected drives and remembers their location after the initial load.

That's how it's supposed to work. Except - it doesn't. Many times this is fine, but then there's cases where it just will not see the samples laying right there in plain sight, no matter how loud I scream and point.

Also, I have one special case where I have a disk image on my MacBook with a huge project on it. If I unmount the disk image from the Macbook, I can mount it over the network on the MacPro and Logic works flawlessly on that remote disk image, thinking it is a real volume, with recording, bouncing, etc. all the things that Logic has a hard time doing or simply cannot do over a network. I pat myself on the shoulder for that smart idea. Except. If I move samples manually over to that volume, EXS will not find them. Ever.

I can open the original EXS instrument, Export the samples and a new instrument to the disk image volume and then use that new version just fine, but I cannot rename any samples folder for better organisation else EXS freaks out again, and with large instruments or combined ones which pull their samples from all over the place, you do not actually want the samples to be copied at all.

Hm, well, haven't been running into any such troubles myself so far.

But then, these days my EXS samples are mainly just in one location, so that might help.

It might be a daft question, but IMO the EXS finds the required audio files sufficiently fast on all connected drives and remembers their location after the initial load, so does that really save much time?

Could as well be that I'm missing something...

If I follow the Logic path of putting my samples in the Sample folder (see pic), then yes, everything is great.

But as I mentioned, I want the samples on my external drive and that's when Logic takes it's time to search my hard drives to find the samples.

Do you know how annoying that is. So now I'm telling Logic, don't search for it I'm telling you where the audio files are at, just load the instrument.

The other thing too is now I don't need to load Logic and then load the EXS24 and click on EDIT to see what audio files are part of the instrument.

You saw in the video I posted, I just drag and drop the EXS file and I see it's contents. So it's a nice quick debugging tool just in case things don't load in the EXS24.

One thing I'll point out to those that are working with SF2 (sound font files), notice that on the conversion to EXS24, Logic created a SoundFont Samples folder.

This is kinda of good because in the end, I'll move that folder to my external hard drive once all the SF2 files get converted. They get converted once you load them.

To the OP: Does this work with subfolders ? Say, I have an instrument with 100 samples from ten folders all within one "Samples" folder. Can I point to "Samples" and it will resolve all paths correctly ?

Yes but...

If the audio files have the same name in each folder, like C2.wav, F2.wav, D3.wav, etc... then the first encounter of that file name and the path gets used.

But if you do what MainStage Auto Sampled does and create the folder name the name of the EXS instrument

Then if you click on the key of the Relinker program.

The I'll only use the appropriate C2.wav, F2.wav, D3.wav, etc... based on the EXS instrument name folder.

the first encounter of that file name and the path gets used.

Fair enough.

Looking forward to try the software.

@ValliSoftware:

Thanks for creating this app!

In the "old days", Logic's Project Manager used to do this, but it took forever.

Please let us know when the app is available...

I'm just reviewing/proofreading the HELP I just created and some more testing on the EXS24 Relinker (s) app, but the following link is the same HELP that's included in the application.

http://www.vallisoftware.com/HelpFiles/EXS24%20Relinker%20(s)/English.lproj/EXS24%20Relinker%20(s)%20Help.html

@fuzzfilth, you might be interested in the Custom INI that I just added. Makes sense since everyone lays out a different file structure.

Okay, ran into an issue but it's now fixed. Turns out that there's older EXS file formats that I need to take into consideration.

This looks like a Logic 6 format (it's a GarageBand Instrument) and I have a Logic 7 format so those work with this application, but does anyone have a simple Logic 8,9 EXS they can zip up and post here.

I just need to test the EXS file, I don't need the audio files.

I'm looking to submit to the Apple App Store next week, probably after Thanksgiving.

a simple Logic 8,9 EXS they can zip up and post here.

Here is a factory patch from 24.7.2007, so that would be a Logic 8 file, right ?

Piano & String Layer.exs.zip

a simple Logic 8,9 EXS they can zip up and post here.

Here is a factory patch from 24.7.2007, so that would be a Logic 8 file, right ?

 

Piano & String Layer.exs.zip

Awesome, thanks.

This is the EXS you sent me, do you have anything called Pompeii?

I think this is a Logic 8 format because notice the semi-colon instead of slash for the folder delimiters.

Again, thanks for this.

FeedBass.cst.zip

If you still need older patches, I have Logic 9 running on my MB (under Snow Leopard) and could even create some..

This would be awesome if you could just create a simple EXS with at least four audio file entries using Logic 9. That would for sure be a Logic 9 EXS file format.

Thanks for this.

do you have anything called Pompeii?

No I don't. However, I do have disc images of the original LP8 Install DVDs. These were

a) the Logic Studio Install DVD which then asked for the other DVDs during installation,

b) 3 DVDs Audio Content 1,2, and 3 which held installers for the sound fx and library music for Soundtrack Pro, and

c) 3 DVDs Jam Pack Content 1,2 and 3 with the Garageband / Logic sampler instruments and samples. These three only have a visible text file stating that this disc will be requested from the Logic Studio Installer. Anything else on that disc is made invisible. So if the initial folder was named Pompeii, I wouldn't be able to tell.

You need these disc images ?

You need these disc images ?

No, but thanks for asking.

The reason I asked is because even on my system for the EXS file I posted

The path in this EXS file doesn't existing in my system, yet Logic Pro X has no issue with loading the EXS Instrument.

Thru my current testing I notice a lot of EXS files are like that, the path doesn't exist yet it loads just fine.

Obviously if I set the path using this program, it will work as well. So this tells me that there's another method that Logic Pro X uses to resolve the path, hmmm.

now (for some time, probably Logic 8 or so onwards) it uses a Spotlight search.

Yes it does which is why I wrote this app.

Think about this, the EXS file contains a non-existing path, so now it goes to this other method to search or load a valid path then it loads the audio file but the issue for me is, it doesn't update the EXS file with the path it found. So another unknown place holds that information.

I'd rather just update the EXS file with a path that I know exists and when the EXS24 goes to load the audio files, it will see that the path exists so no need to go to the unknown location to find a valid path.

If there was problems loading the EXS instrument and the audio path contains a valid path, I can easily debug it, maybe the cable on my external drive came loose, etc...

Think about this, the EXS file contains a non-existing path, so now it goes to this other method to search or load a valid path then it loads the audio file but the issue for me is, it doesn't update the EXS file with the path it found. So another unknown place holds that information.

It *should* do, that's the whole point - once the sample references are found, they should be written back to the EXS so next time they don't have to be searched for again. This was a fundamental feature that's been there from the first version of the EXS24 Mark 1 in Logic 4.x... (yes, I bought the EXS24 back then, when you had to buy the various premium plugins individually).

In the old days, pre- and post- the Project Manager, the only real way to fix sample references in EXS files was to get Logic to load them, let it find the samples, and it would then update the EXS files - we had macros to do this (just continuously load the next EXS file etc).

Then things like EXS Manager gave a better way to do it (as doing this in a batch is better than doing them one by one etc)

I'd rather just update the EXS file with a path that I know exists and when the EXS24 goes to load the audio files, it will see that the path exists so no need to go to the unknown location to find a valid path.

If there was problems loading the EXS instrument and the audio path contains a valid path, I can easily debug it, maybe the cable on my external drive came loose, etc...

The problems mostly come when Spotlight *can't* find the users' samples - the index is corrupt, Spotlight hasn't indexed that location, or a few random other Spotlight problems that seem to happen sometimes. But generally, if the samples can be easily found, Logic *should* be updating the contained references, and it certainly does this for me (assuming you have write permissions on the EXS files obviously).

If your tool can find samples in those instances where Spotlight can't, and fix the references, then it will be useful to those having problems with this...

Just found this thread , this looks like a very useful tool indeed.Need to read whole thread but wondering if it will help find the dreaded "samples" in dodgy seemingly random EXS instruments ( possibly caused from exporting as a song package)

This is a Logic Project that I created that contains a package EXS instrument, notice the EXS file and the sample.

This is the Audio File path in the EXS instrument.

Do you have a Logic Project with a package EXS that you're having problems with, if so, can you zip and post just the EXS file from that Logic project.

I'm curious to see what the Audio Path contains.

If you still need older patches, I have Logic 9 running on my MB (under Snow Leopard) and could even create some..

This would be awesome if you could just create a simple EXS with at least four audio file entries using Logic 9. That would for sure be a Logic 9 EXS file format.

Thanks for this.

I'll post some later on.

I'll post some later on.

Thanks.

Here we go:

http://www.saschafranck.de/Logic/ValliDrums.zip

Haven't even opened the zip file on my MP, so it's as genuine Snow Leopard / L9 as it get's.