Do you find yourself creating the same note patterns in multiple projects? Would you like to store audio samples for future projects? Do you want to know how to recall your favourite FX chains on any project? If so, this article is for you.

Music Loops and Patterns

In the picture above, I’ve created a Pattern called ‘Kick Snare Perc Clap’ for working in Impact XT. I would like to save this Pattern as a basis for future songs. All I need do is drag and drop it into an appropriate folder in the Browser to save it as a Music Loop. Music Loops are PreSonus proprietary files. They save all necessary components, such as the virtual instrument and effects, required to recreate the same Part later. Right-click and choose ‘Show Package Contents’ to reveal these elements. In my case, it is relatively simple, however, a Music Loop can accommodate multiple Inserts and Instruments.

We may not always want to save the Instrument etc with the Part, perhaps, we just want to recall the performance data. In such a case, drag and drop into the Browser in the same way, but this time, press one of the modifier keys (Option/Alt) to switch to “Pattern”. This saves the Part as a traditional MIDI file.

Wave File, Wave File with rendered Insert FX, and Audio Loops

When it comes to saving audio in the Browser, click-hold with Option/Alt key allows three options, select between ‘Wave File’, ‘Wave File with rendered Insert FX’, and ‘Audio Loops’. A simple drag and drop into the Browser will save the audio as a WAV file. A good tip is to select several Events at once and drop them into a folder to create the required stems fast for export.

An alternative is a Wave File with rendered Insert FX. Choosing the second option renders any Insert effect on the audio. I decided to Bounce (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+B) ‘Kick Snare Perc Clap’ to a new Track. To add interest, I added Beat Delay as an Insert effect. Before dropping the ‘Kick Snare Perc Clap’ into a folder in the Browser, I chose “Wave File with rendered Insert FX”, therefore, writing the effect permanently onto the WAV file.

The third option is to store an Audio Event as an Audio Loop. Like with Music Loops, Audio Loops are PreSonus’ proprietary format and contain some important advantages: the embedded tempo allows the audio to time stretch; and with the prior use of Audio Bend, can create Slices within the Audio Loop which may be dragged into a Song as an individual Event.

Let’s create Slices for ‘Kick Snare Perc Clap’ Audio Event. Open the Audio Bend panel from the toolbar. Choose Slices from the Action menu. Ensure the Merge box is ticked and Quantize is unticked. With the Audio Event selected, press the Analyze function. Adjust the Threshold slider where necessary, and then click on Apply to execute the Action. Now all we need do is drag and drop the Event into a folder in the Browser.

Storing FX Chains + with Instruments

As well as storing audio and performance data for future Songs, one can also recall FX chains. To save all Insert effects and their settings, click on the arrow next to ‘Insert’ at the top of the Channel in the Console. Choose the “Store FX Chain” option from the drop-down menu. Name the FX chain in the dialog box. Another way is to drag from ‘Insert’ onto a FX Chains folder in the Browser (F7). I’m not so keen on this method, as you don’t get a chance to name the FX chain first.

FX Chains are also able to be saved to Instruments presets. If we select Impact XT’s Dope Kit, place Beat Delay on Impact St1 (kick) and Bit Crusher on St2 (snare), we can save this altogether as one preset. With Impact XT open, click on the folder tab next to Bypass. From the drop-down menu, choose “Store Instrument+FX Preset”. We shall name it, ‘Delay & Crusher’. Click on the folder tab again, this time select “Show in Browser”. You should see the ‘Delay & Crusher’ listed among the Impact XT presets.

In Summary

There are various helpful options for storing MIDI data, audio, and FX chains to be used in future projects. It is possible to make powerful virtual instrument presets by saving accompanying FX chains.