Session states
A session state is one complete setup of ScratchCraft: both decks, all 32 pads, the mix and the effects. Save states to switch between routines, keep a library of setups you reuse across projects, or recall a different setup for each track during a set.
The Sessions window
Section titled “The Sessions window”Click Sessions in the header (the disk icon) to open it. The button shows a jewel while the current state has unsaved changes.
The window has two parts:
- Session files on the left: every saved state, with a search box (Search sessions) and the date each was last saved. The current state’s file is marked with a jewel.
- Slots on the right: 8 quick-recall slots stored inside the project.
Along the top are New, Save, Save As, Undo load and Load, and four switches, Decks, Rack, Mix and FX, which choose what Load and Recall replace.
Press Esc or click outside the window to close it.
What a state holds
Section titled “What a state holds”| Part | What’s included |
|---|---|
| Decks | Each deck’s sample and its tempo, Speed, Motor, Torque, Gain, Pan, Key, Keep pitch, Sync Loop and its length, the cue and end markers, and the filters and EQ. Also the capture and take lengths and the Shape target deck. |
| Rack | Every pad with all its settings and its own sample, Pad Quantize and the rack’s MIDI channel. |
| Mix | The crossfader, its curve and reverse switch, the master gain, the input monitor and the Shape editor’s Snap. |
| FX | Every effect setting on both decks’ effect racks. |
What stays when you switch
Section titled “What stays when you switch”These are global and never change when you load or recall a state:
- your Shapes (the shape library) and the sample library,
- the MIDI mappings,
- the current tab, and Play in the Shape editor,
- the standalone transport (tempo, time signature and click),
- the Feel options, which are saved per project,
- where your hand is on the record.
Session files
Section titled “Session files”Session files are saved as .scsession files in Documents\ScratchCraft\Sessions. They are shared by every project and every instance of ScratchCraft, so a setup saved in one song is available in all the others. Each file stands alone, with its samples inside it, so it still works if the original sample files move.
- New starts an empty state: empty decks, default pads and mix. Your Shapes, samples and the transport stay.
- Save writes the current state to its file (Ctrl+S, also from the main window). If it has no file yet, you’re asked for a name.
- Save As saves it under a new name.
- Load loads the selected file. Double-clicking a file or pressing Enter does the same.
Right-click a file for more: Load, Load decks only, Load rack only, Load mix only, Load FX only, Rename…, Duplicate, Show in Explorer and Delete. Deleting moves the file to the Recycle Bin (you can also press Delete).
Project slots
Section titled “Project slots”The 8 slots live inside your project, so switching between them during a set never touches the disk.
- Store saves the current state into a slot (it asks before replacing one that’s in use).
- Recall loads it. Double-clicking a slot does the same.
Right-click a slot for Recall, Recall decks only, Recall rack only, Recall mix only, Recall FX only, Store current state, Rename…, MIDI Learn Recall… and Clear.
Recalling from a controller
Section titled “Recalling from a controller”Right-click a slot’s Recall button (or use MIDI Learn Recall…), choose MIDI Learn, then press a button or pad on your controller. Each press recalls that slot. See MIDI Learn.
Loading only part of a state
Section titled “Loading only part of a state”Turn the Decks, Rack, Mix and FX switches on or off to choose what Load and Recall replace. For example, switch on only Rack to bring in another setup’s pads while keeping your decks and mix as they are. The right-click menus’ “only” items do the same for a single load.
A partial load leaves the state marked as changed, since it is now a mix of two setups.
What happens to playback
Section titled “What happens to playback”Loading or recalling a state that includes the decks or the rack works like pressing Stop: playing pads and Shapes stop, and the needles go back to the cue. To keep the platters running instead, set Session recall to Changed decks only in the Feel window’s Needle group. Then only a deck whose sample or cue changed drops its needle.
Loading the effects fades out and clears any ringing echo and reverb tails.
Samples that are already loaded on a deck or pad are reused at once, so switching between states that share samples is immediate. Others load in the background.
Undo load
Section titled “Undo load”Switched by mistake? Click Undo load to put back the state from before the last load, recall or New, including its name and unsaved changes.
Unsaved changes
Section titled “Unsaved changes”The status bar at the bottom of the window shows the current state’s name, for example SESSION: MY ROUTINE. A * after the name means it has changes that aren’t saved yet. Moving the crossfader doesn’t count, since it moves all the time while you play.
If you load a file or recall a slot while the current state has unsaved changes, ScratchCraft asks whether to Save them first, Discard them, or Cancel.