Soundplant Documentation

General Usage Questions

Where I can find free sound files to download for use with Soundplant?
• Here are some keymap examples and links to free sound archive sites. Google is your friend too, especially if you are looking for very specific sounds.

How can I get Soundplant to work while the program is minimized?
• If you want Soundplant to receive key input while its window is not in focus (i.e. while minimized, while using other programs, etc.), you simply need to turn on the 'background key detection' function (on/off buttons located at the top center of the Soundplant interface).

Can I record or process Soundplant's output?
• Yes; though Soundplant does not have a built-in recording function, you can record its output fairly easily with the help of other software on both Windows and Mac:
• On Windows, you can record the output of Soundplant internally with any audio recording software by setting your input source to your sound card's own output, which is usually called something like the 'wave', 'loopback', 'stereo mix', or 'wave out' device. The exact name for the input source that refers to recording your soundcard's own output varies from system to system, but it should have an obvious name. Sometimes it is even called 'what you hear'. You can also search for programs that make this process easier; there are several Windows programs available for the purpose of recording other program's sound output. Even better, for more advanced users, you can use a program like Virtual Audio Cable to reroute Soundplant's audio into another program's input, such as for realtime effects processing of Soundplant's output (in programs like Max, Audiomulch, etc.), or also for direct recording of Soundplant's output.
• On Mac, you can record Soundplant's output using any recording software with the aid of one of several free third party software intermediaries, since Soundplant is a Core Audio application. One way is to install the free Jack OS X which allows you to route Soundplant's output as its own virtual sound device into other programs for realtime recording or processing. You can also try the free Soundflower which provides similar functionality. These utilities can be used to record or even process Soundplant's output (in programs like Max, Audiomulch, etc.). For less advanced users, there are several programs available that make the recording process easier which you can find by googling.

What can I do to optimize Soundplant performance in order to squeeze out the absolute fastest possible sound triggering?
• A decent, recent computer should have no problem triggering sounds instantaneously, but here are some things to keep in mind to facilitate the lowest possible sound triggering latency by reducing as much non-essential overhead as possible, especially helpful for slower computers and/or for those who want the best performance for the most demanding applications such as millisecond-accurate drum pad use or sfx foleying: make sure all samples are set to 'play from RAM'; run Soundplant in 'simple' view mode and do not manually resize the Soundplant window to a custom size; on Windows, set your power saving settings to "high performance" under Control Panel->Power; save pitch and volume adjustments directly to your sound files with an editor instead of relying on Soundplant's non-destructive realtime settings; keep 'low power mode' off; keep 'show key config after key hit' off; keep 'background key detection' off; set 'mp3 handling' to 'decompress on loading' for fastest mp3 triggering; use a high quality computer keyboard, ideally with a PS/2 connection, which is superior to USB; in very low RAM situations (like 500MB or less total system RAM), turn off 'asynchronous dialogs and file loading' to free up a bit of extra RAM for audio; of course, for best possible performance, use a newer/faster computer.

Can I control the rate at which key presses repeat as I hold down keys?
• Yes, in the Windows Keyboard Control Panel or under the Mac System Preferences->Keyboard.

[Mac version] How do I use the function keys (F1-12) with Soundplant? On my Mac they seem to all be mapped to system functions.
• By default in OS X the function keys are reserved for operating system functions and you would have to hit fn+the function key in order for Soundplant to receive the key input. But this can be easily remedied under System Preferences->Keyboard by checking the box for "Use all F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys", which reverses this behavior so that just hitting the key by itself sends its input directly to programs including Soundplant, and fn+the function key accesses the associated system function. Note that even with this option enabled, for F9-F12, which are specially reserved, you have to hit command+the key or option+the key to trigger it.

Do mp3s trigger more efficiently than wavs because they are smaller in size?
• This depends on your needs and your settings. Using mp3s is always more disk space efficient. With the default 'mp3 handling' setting in the Preference ('decompress while playing'), mp3s are also more RAM efficient, but can be less cpu efficient especially on older computers, because Soundplant does the work of decompressing mp3s in realtime as they play. This makes them load quickly, especially from saved keymaps, and also take up much less RAM than their uncompressed counterpart. But for the fastest and least-cpu-intensive triggering of mp3s, change the 'mp3 handling' setting to 'decompress on loading' which will force the full uncompressed data to be loaded, doing the decompression work in advance before the sound starts playing, at the expense of increased initial loading time.

Why do MP3s not loop well or have extra silence added?
• This is a limitation in the mp3 format (known as encoder delay/zero padding) and not a bug in Soundplant. Mp3 was not designed to be a gapless format, and mp3 encoders add a few ms of silence to the audio as part of the encoding process. Normally it's not noticeable but if you try to loop a short sound as an mp3 there will be an audible gap in the loop. To work around this, either use Soundplant's offset controls to trim out the silence, or use a different format for sounds that require millisecond-perfect looping.

Is there a Linux version of Soundplant?
• Soundplant was developed with a language/IDE that only compiles to Windows and Mac; there are no plans for a Linux version. Users have reported that Soundplant works under Wine but latency is worse.

Hardware Questions

Can I use a MIDI device as input for Soundplant?
• Soundplant is optimized for use with the computer keyboard for lowest latency, but you can use 3rd party software such as Bome's Midi Translator or GlovePIE to convert any MIDI device's input into computer keyboard hits. This has been found to work well with Soundplant by several users with MIDI keyboards and other controllers.

Will Soundplant work on a netbook?
• Generally yes, but keep in mind that netbooks use very cheap/slow non-standard hardware and are not intended for intensive multimedia software or high quality sound output, so you may have to do some tweaking to get Soundplant to run optimally, and results may vary. Here are some pointers for netbook use:
• Soundplant may not display optimally if your netbook has a low resolution like 1024x600 (Soundplant's window in the default full size 'detailed' view mode is 928x667). On low resolution machines, when Soundplant first starts, it should automatically scale down its window size to fit on the screen in 'detailed' view. However, on some machines this does not work properly and its interface may be cut off at the edges of the screen. If this happens, click the Soundplant window's maximize button, which will force it to scale down to fit on the screen; if you can't see the maximize button because it is offscreen, click and drag anywhere in the Soundplant interface that is not an interactive button to move the window. Also note that at any time double-clicking anywhere that is not an interactive button will force it to scale back up to full size. It is recommended that on netbooks Soundplant be run in 'simple' view mode (which shrinks the window size to 772x386), to only show the essential interface elements which can fit on the screen without scaling and also because it is less cpu-intensive.
• On some netbooks, the power saving mechanism can impede performance, therefore disabling it is recommended if you experience any odd playback problems. This setting can be found under Control Panel->Power. On Win7/Vista, set the "power plan" to "High Performance". On WinXP, set the "power scheme" to "Always On".

I have multiple soundcards, how can I make Soundplant play out of a specific one?
• Soundplant outputs to whatever is set as the primary system default sound device. If you want Soundplant to output to a certain soundcard, set it to be the default output device in your system settings. In Windows you can do this via the Control Panel->Sound->Playback tab (Vista or 7) or Control Panel->Sounds And Audio Devices->Audio tab (XP). In Mac OS it's System Preferences->Sound->Output. On Windows only, Soundplant outputs to whichever soundcard is set as the system default at the time of the program's startup; so, if you do not want that particular soundcard to be permanently set as the default device, you can just reset the system sound settings back to the way you want it after Soundplant starts, and Soundplant will continue to output to the device that was set as default at the time of startup for the remainder of the Soundplant session, even if you change the default setting after Soundplant starts (note: this trick does not work with all Windows soundcards, you will have to test and see what you come up with).

On one computer I can press several keys at once in Soundplant to create a 'chord', but on another computer I can't always do this.
• This is entirely dependent on the keyboard hardware. Unfortunately, there are some computer keyboards out there that simply don't support holding down many multiple keys at once (aside from 'modifier' keys - shift, ctrl, alt). Other keyboards support this only partially and will allow some keys to be pressed down simultaneously and not allow others, or will generate "phantom" key presses in certain combinations, depending on the layout of its internal circuitry. If your keyboard is particularly bad in this regard, consider upgrading to a high end one guaranteed to detect all key press combinations (called "n-key rollover") like those made by Das Keyboard, or get to know the behavior of your existing keyboard and configure keymaps accordingly to work around your particular keyboard's limitations. Note that USB keyboards are inferior to older-style PS2 keyboards and are generally technically incapable of detecting more than 6 keys pressed simultaneously. More info about keyboard hardware and common quirks of inputting simultaneous key presses can be found in this article.

Can I use a non-U.S. keyboard with Soundplant?
• Yes, Soundplant is optimized for use with a standard U.S.A. QWERTY keyboard, but has been found to work well on other common keyboards (like AZERTY, U.K. QWERTY, etc.) with some minor quirks. For example, some keys on certain non-U.S. keyboard may not exactly match their onscreen equivalent, and 'shift+mode' may respond differently than expected on a couple of keys. You will have to do some testing with your non-U.S. keyboard to learn how it works with Soundplant. If you find that the operation of your non-U.S. keyboard hinders your use of Soundplant, consider buying a cheap U.S. keyboard for optimal Soundplant use (easily found on eBay for example for under $10).

Troubleshooting

[Windows version] Soundplant seems to have odd playback glitches, clicks, and/or is very slow on my machine.
• In rare cases, some software/hardware combinations can cause Soundplant to not be able to properly use the default sound mixing option DirectSound (for example some soundcard drivers have poor DirectSound implementations). First, check the web to make sure you are using the latest drivers for your soundcard; in most cases, updating your sound driver solves all DirectSound problems. But if this does not help, you may need to change the 'sound mixing' setting in the Preferences. QuickTime is the second best option for performance; it requires the free download of QuickTime from Apple. Unless you know for sure that you can't use DirectSound on your system, you should try and update your sound card drivers before resorting to using QuickTime. If neither QuickTime or DirectSound work for you, you can use the much slower MacroMix option. Also, on some machines, especially laptops and netbooks, the power saving mechanism can impede performance, therefore disabling it is recommended if you experience any odd playback problems. This setting can be found under Control Panel->Power. On Win7/Vista, set the "power plan" to "High Performance". On WinXP, set the "power scheme" to "Always On".

I have another issue not listed here.
• For technical support or to report any bugs, send an email to soundplant [at] soundplant.org. Please note your operating system version and any other relevant specs of your computer.

Sales, License Terms, and Upgrades

I purchased Soundplant but all I got was a license code; where do I download the registered version of the software?
• There is no separate "registered version" to download, rather you must download and install the free version if you don't already have it, and then follow the instructions you were emailed to enter in your code and unlock the registered features.

When I try to unlock my copy of Soundplant by entering my registration code, I keep getting an "invalid code" message.
• 99.999% of the time, this is due to you not entering in the code correctly, exactly as it appears in your registration email. Both the registration name and code are case sensitive, and the easiest and most surefire way to enter them into Soundplant while preserving case is by using copy and paste directly from the email into Soundplant. On Windows copy/paste is Ctrl+c/Ctrl+v, and on Mac it's Command+c/Command+v. If you can't access your email from the machine on which you want to register a copy of Soundplant, it is recommended that you copy the registration email text onto your Soundplant machine (for example in a .txt file).

What does "free for non-commercial use" mean? What defines "non-commercial use"?
• It means that if you do not make money while using Soundplant, then you may continue to use the free version of Soundplant after the trial period expires without needing a license. Non-commercial users may include students, independent musicians, volunteers, etc. If you use Soundplant at your job or while doing any activity that gets you paid, you must buy a license, even if you do not require the full functionality of the registered version.

Does the Soundplant license ever expire?
• No, it is not a time-limited license.

Is a school considered a "non-commercial user"?
• "Commercial user" is defined very simply as anyone who gets paid while using Soundplant. By this definition all students are "non-commercial users" and do not require a license as long as they don't need the registered version's expanded features. But teachers who are paid employees are considered commercial users and therefore a license must be purchased for every instructor that will be using the software, regardless of whether they need the registered version's features (obviously unpaid/volunteer instructors would be exempt from this requirement since they qualify as non-commercial users). Please contact soundplant [at] soundplant.org for information on an educational discount if you need to purchase a site license.

I registered my copy of Soundplant a while ago but now Soundplant is back to telling me it is running in unregistered mode.
• Sometimes making certain system configuration changes (such as changing your OS username or other system properties) can reset the registration of your Soundplant installation. Simply reenter your registration code into Soundplant if this happens.