Build a sample instrument

Retrieve build-sample-instrument through get_producer_workflow in the all profile, or open its MCP prompt. Describe the musical role, a local sample or configured library, the intended part and any audition request. collaborative resolves material choices with the user; autonomous chooses within the brief. Retrieving the workflow does not execute it.

Preserve a playable part

For an existing MIDI part, use instrument comparison to retain the original and load a different sample into the resolved alternative. Re-read both actual device paths after duplication. Parameter snapshots do not capture full sample state. If comparison is unavailable, resolve whether a separate staging track or an explicitly authorized replacement is intended.

For a new part, create the intended MIDI track and load Simpler from an observed factory browser path. Inspect the actual device chain. Search configured local samples or use an explicit existing file; a browser URI or filename alone is insufficient to identify that file. Source analysis can inform pitch, duration or transients, but does not establish the loaded instrument's sound.

Inspect and load Simpler

get_simpler_sample_state reads one exact existing Simpler on an ordinary MIDI track, including a device inside a rack chain. It reports the sample path, length, start/end markers, slices, sample rate, gain, warp state, playback mode, parameters and native context without moving selection. Empty Simpler reports sample: null. Sampler and Simpler multisample replacement are outside this operation.

Length, start/end markers and slices use sample frames. Divide a position by the observed sample rate in Hz to obtain source seconds. These are not clip beats, MIDI notes or an Arrangement location. Unavailable slice/rate fields remain null.

The context also binds exposed native warp markers and slicing/timbre controls, including the shadow warp marker. Warp-marker sampleTime is retained in its native representation and marked sampleTimeUnit: "native-unverified"; do not treat it as frames or seconds. These collections are bounded at 4096 entries, and unavailable optional controls remain null.

Plan load_simpler_sample with exact trackId, deviceId, absolute sourcePath and fresh expectedStateVersion. Optional playbackMode selects classic, one-shot or slicing; omitting it leaves the resulting mode to Live. allowReplace defaults to false and must explicitly be true for a loaded sample.

The confirmed plan binds native document, owner, device, sample and parameter identities and exposed controls, plus the chosen file's size, modification time, device and inode. Execution rechecks these before invoking Live's native sample replacement. It requires stopped transport, recording off, an unfrozen unarmed target, no input monitoring, pending target launch or active sample playback. The target must expose native replacement and be in single-sample mode. Native loading validates the audio format.

Readback verifies the exposed path, positive frame length/rate, valid marker bounds and requested playback mode. Live may rename the device after loading; retain native IDs and re-read its actual name. Readback does not prove decoded file bytes, Live's cache identity, audible equivalence or hidden state. Replacement may reset sample-derived controls, markers, slices or warping. There is no complete sample-state backup or automatic rollback; an error after invocation can leave a partial replacement. Inspect the device and file before retrying, preserve intervening work and avoid global undo.

Play and refine

Independently read the sample state after loading and compare the retained original's sample, parameters and notes. Use existing guarded parameter tools only for intended exposed controls. A playback mode alone does not establish correct note-to-pitch or slice mapping; resolve those against observed material before writing a new clip.

To isolate a hit or phrase, plan set_simpler_sample_region with exact trackId, deviceId, fresh expectedStateVersion, and startMarkerFrames and/or endMarkerFrames. At least one bound must change; omitted bounds retain their observed values. Both must be integer source frames satisfying 0 <= start < end < lengthFrames. Convert source seconds using the observed sample rate and make the rounding choice explicit. Clip beats and normalized device parameters are not source frames. If the correct sample is already loaded, keep it; a region edit does not require sample replacement.

The region tool supports nested rack devices and binds the native sample, owner, parameters and complete exposed context. It requires the same stopped, inactive, unarmed single-sample target as loading. It moves the expanding edge first for disjoint regions, rechecks ownership after each marker assignment, and verifies the exact requested markers and retained source properties. It edits native playback markers without cropping or writing the source file. Live may derive playable slices and normalized sample/loop controls from the bounds; inspect those after each edit rather than promising preservation of their former values. For a complete manual slice layout and a new MIDI pattern, follow sample chopping. Warp editing and complete hidden-state backup are outside these operations.

A failed marker assignment or readback can leave a partial region. No automatic rollback is attempted. Read the actual target before retrying; do not reload the file, replay stale bounds or use global undo to discard intervening work. A deliberate return to earlier markers needs a fresh plan after comparing current state with the last applied observations. Audition the chosen region and compare the preserved original; exact marker readback alone does not establish a good edit or a click-free boundary.

Audition only when requested or already authorized. Native comparison switches only the pair's mutes; preserve unrelated tracks and read actual playback after quantization. Other material can sound during global playback. Ask what the user hears; a file path and MIDI playback are not proof of audible output or musical quality. Separately requested measurements follow Live audio capture.

Keep the original and chosen alternative. Saving, collecting external samples, deleting alternatives and further edits retain their own scope. Loaded samples remain external references; replacing one does not create a portable Project or independent audio backup.