The Kyma Language for Sound Design, Version 4.5

The Kyma Sound compiler allocates a portion of sample memory for every parameter field in which you
specify a sample file. The compiler can then do one of several different things:
♦ If the Sound has FromMemoryWriter checked, the compiler tries to make this Sound use the same
sample memory that a MemoryWriter in the same Sound structure and with the same name for its
RecordingName parameter has written, see Writing Sample Memory In Real Time, below.
♦ If the parameter field is set to Private, the compiler will not allow the sample memory to be shared.
Private memory is typically used as delay lines for filters or reverberators, or in other situations
where the sample memory is only needed internally for the duration of the Sound.
♦ Otherwise, Kyma assumes the parameter field names a sample file on the hard disk and tries to locate
it. (See How Kyma locates files on page 431 for more information.) If Optimize Sample RAM Use
(see Performance… on page 430) is on, Kyma will load the sample file onto only the expansion cards
that require it; otherwise, Kyma will load the sample file onto all expansion cards. Note that all
Sounds that use a sample file on a particular expansion card will share the same sample.
Writing Sample Memory In Real Time
If you are using Kyma as a real-time performance tool, there can be situations in which you might want to
capture a sound and play it back later during the performance. You can use a MemoryWriter Sound to
write the output of any other Sound (including ADInput) into sample memory in real time. Once written,
that section of sample memory can be read by any Sound that can access sample memory as long as that
Sound has FromMemoryWriter checked.
In the following example (a Concatenation of a MemoryWriter followed by a Sample), the inputs write to
and read from sample memory:
MemoryWriter captures one second of the ADInput in a segment of sample memory named recTable.
After that the Sample reads recTable for a duration of one second, thus playing back the recording that
was just made. When you load this Sound, Kyma reserves one second of time in the sample memory, and
it protects this memory until the last time it is read by the Sample at time 2 s. Then it releases the memory
for use by other Sounds.
A sample written by MemoryWriter Sounds is ephemeral by nature; it is protected in sample memory
only for the duration of the Sound(s) for which it is a parameter. When the last Sound to reference that
sample finishes playing, the sample memory used by the recording is made available for recycling. To
guarantee that a sample persists for longer than the Sound in which it is recorded, use a DiskRecorder or
a DiskCache Sound to write the sample to disk rather than to sample memory.
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