Customize the Medussa Instrument

The Medussa sample instrument plays back audio samples. You can shape the sound while you play and change how the samples are spread across notes and velocities. No external plugin is needed.

Open the instrument

Open Instrument from the top bar.
Choose Medussa Sample Instrument as the source.
Open its editor with the instrument's edit button.
Wait for loading to finish.
Play a few notes to check it.

To load a different instrument, click the Load Instrument… folder icon and select an .asti file, an instrument folder with its samples, or a WAV/FLAC file. Make sure the samples are available after loading.

Use Performance for playing controls and Edit for the details of how the instrument is built. The editor menu lets you restore the built-in instrument, open recent items, and save variations.

Adjust volume, tuning, and envelope

In Performance, set volume and pan.
Change the octave or fine tuning if you need to.
Adjust the A4 reference when you need to tune to something other than 440 Hz.
Shape the envelope, then play short and long notes to compare.

Control	What it changes
Attack / A	How long the sound takes to reach its initial level.
Decay / D	How long it takes to fall to the sustained level.
Sustain / S	The level the envelope holds while the note is still on.
Release / R	How long the sound takes to fade out after you release the note.

An envelope's sustain is a level; it is not the piano's sustain pedal. A zone can have its own envelope and stop inheriting the global one.

Shape the sound with effects

The chain runs EQ → Delay → Reverb → Tape.

Turn on the effect you want to adjust.
Play back a passage or play a few notes.
Change its controls and compare by switching the effect on and off.
Check the output level so a change in volume doesn't mask the change in tone.

In the four-band EQ, drag the points to reshape the curve, Option-drag to change Q, and double-click to return a band to 0 dB. ANALYZER shows the spectrum.

In Delay, choose a free time in milliseconds or musical sync, then set the note value. Reverb adds space, and Tape changes the character of the result at the end of the chain.

Choose quality and memory use

LIN: the lowest-cost interpolation.
HERM: a middle ground for everyday use.
SINC: the most accurate interpolation, with more processing load.
RAM: loads the samples into memory.
STREAM: reads part of the material from disk and reduces the memory needed.

Start from the loaded instrument's settings.
If you need to save memory, try STREAM.
Play chords and use sustain to check how it handles many notes.
If you hear dropouts, check the memory mode, the quality, and the audio buffer.

Edit the sample map

Open Edit > MAPPING.
Click a zone to select it.
In the inspector, check the sample and its note and velocity limits.
Change the values you need.
Play notes inside and outside the range to check which sample responds.

Field	Meaning
KEY LO / HI	The lowest and highest notes that trigger the zone.
VEL LO / HI	The minimum and maximum velocity that trigger the zone.
ROOT	The note at which the sample plays at its original pitch.
GAIN dB / PAN	The zone's level and stereo position.
TUNE st / CENTS	Transposition and fine tuning.
START / END	Where playback starts and ends within the sample.
LOOP / LP LO / LP HI	The sample loop's mode and boundaries.
XFADE	Crossfade between the end and the start of the loop.
PLAY	The zone's playback mode.

Sample boundaries are measured in audio frames, not bars. Set loops while listening to sustained notes so you can catch clicks.

Create, duplicate, and select zones

You can drag sample files onto the map, or double-click to create a zone and finish setting it up. Shift/Cmd-click selects multiple zones; Option-drag duplicates. You can also copy, paste, delete, and undo within the map.

When several zones are selected, inspector changes apply to the whole group. Check the selection before you change ranges or tuning.

Give a zone its own envelope

Select the zone in Mapping.
Set A, D, S, or R under ENVELOPE (SAMPLE).
Play the zone to check the response.
Use use global when you want it to inherit the instrument's envelope again.

Change the identity and save

In Edit, change the name and credits to match your instrument.
Use the image icon to change the artwork.
Choose Save As… in the editor, or File > Export Instrument….
Choose the destination folder and type the instrument's name.
Turn on Include the samples in a folder alongside if you plan to move or share it.
Save, and keep the .asti file and the "Name - Samples" folder together.
Load it again from that location to check the result.

The .asti file stores the instrument's definition and settings and references its samples. Don't assume it is a self-contained file with all the audio inside. Unless you copy the samples next to it, it depends on their original locations. The built-in piano is never overwritten: save your changes as a new instrument.

Continue with Instruments and mixing or Sessions.