CWI Technology has released TX16Wx, a full-featured freeware sampler instrument in VSTi plugin format for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit).
TX16Wx by CWI Technology.
TX16Wx is not an exact emulation, but its design and features are inspired by the Yamaha TX16W hardware sampler unit.
The TX16Wx Software Sampler is a simple, yet powerful sampling instrument inspired by various classic hardware samplers from the 80s and 90s, but mainly the excellent Yamaha TX16W sampler as used with the Typhoon operating system.
Many software samplers sport a multitude of features aimed mainly at disk-streaming gigabyte sized preset libraries. The TX16Wx instead aims to bring back some of the joy of working with the classic hardware instruments, using sampling not for playing back pre-built libraries, but instead creating your own new sounds in creative way.
Perhaps the biggest reason this software was created though, is that I have yet to find a software sampler, free or otherwise, with both workstation features, and a clear cut, well-documented file format that does not lock the user in to a product forever. The TX16Wx file format is simple XML files and can be translated even by hand in a simple text editor.
TX16Wx is available for free download via CWI Technology.
Features
Main features of TX16Wx:
- Unlimited multi-timbral operation
- 128 voice polyphony
- 16 modulation slots per voice
- 24dB resonant filter
- Two LFO + Two modulation envelopes per voice
- Polyphonic glide
- Built-in sample editor
- Actually samples! Record straight into the sampler.
- Graphical keyboard mapping editor
- 4 Stereo + 8 Mono outputs
- 16 mappable controllers for automation
- Multiple loop definitions per wave
- Individual outs for keyboard groups (drums)
- Multiple keyboard scales
- Multiple trigger modes
- Mono/Poly/Legato operation
- Preview loaded programs and samples in your song before loading
- WAV/AIFF/AIFC/SoundFont 2 support
- Reads Typhoon compressed AIF files
- 100% documented XML-based sound file format. Anyone can write conversion tools.
- Low CPU usage
- Fully native, optimized for SSE2.
- 64-bit support
Links
Download TX16Wx: click here
CWI Technology Website: click here
2 Comments
Not that idea itself is bad… but I must say that replicating also the cumbersomeness and user-unfriendlyness of oldschool samplers isn’t maybe the best idea of 2011. If you want to try this one, you have to read the manual first.