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Wotja Pak Maker

Wotja Pak icon

Create Zipped Paks for use in Wotja (AKA "Wotja Pak"). See our free Pro Paks.

Note: Audio Paks require Wotja 23+; for older Wotja see Archived Guide

UI: Music; Engines: Wotja WME iconWME | Wotja WAE iconWAE | Wotja WSE iconWSE; Paks: Wotja Pak iconPak Maker

Current version | 24 Feature Set | Standalone Pak Guide | Pak Guide PDF > Doc Archive

Wotja in Pro mode supports use of add-on content that has been zipped - we generically refer to these zip files as "Paks". Paks can include any kind of supported add-on content. They can also use folder / sub-folder structures for content organization, too, but see notes below.

We user the zip format for add-on content because it's open (there are many tools that can create zips), it allows content compression, it supports folders for organization, it's a great format for archives (as files in a zip are not overwritten) and it's perfect for distribution!

There are two main kinds of Pak we refer to:

Making Paks is easy and you can put all your zips in a /zips subfolder in the Wotja Folder, keeping them out of the way of mixes, boxes and playlists.

What can I put in a Pak?

Any content you can select to use in a Wotja mix or for the creation of auto-mixes and that would otherwise get saved to and/or picked up in the top level Wotja folder.

Use of folders is not supported unless otherwise advised.

Supported content (see also filetypes):

  • Wotja Template (.wotja_tp)
  • Wotja Schema (.wotja_sc)
  • WAE Sound Network (.tg)
  • WAE FX Network (.fxm)
  • SF2 SoundFont (.sf2)
  • Audio Sample (.wav, .ogg)
    • Formats: WAV (8/16/24-bit PCM, 32-bit float) and Ogg; Any kHz
    • See Audio Pak
  • MIDI (.midi)

Optional (and not used in a Wotja file):

  • License (.txt)

Not supported (should not be included):

  • Wotja (.wotja)
  • Wotja Album (.wotja_al)
  • Wotja Playlist (.wotja_ls)

Pak Types

We note above that a Pak can include any content you can select to use in a Wotja mix or for the creation of auto-mixes and that would otherwise get saved to and/or picked up in the top level Wotja folder.

How that content is displayed is governed by the content itself, as noted below. So, mix and match content as you wish!

IMPORTANT: Whilst you can just zip your Pak at its top level (a "flat" Pak!), we strongly suggest that you use in the zip a path that gives the Pak a unique name thus ensuring that the content in the Pak will have a unique reference. We use /intermorphic/wotja/paks/pakname/ but you might use e.g. /com/mycompany/myname/pakname/.

Note: Wotja does not support use of zipped Paks (i.e. a zipped collection of Paks which are themselves zipped).

Template Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • Wotja Templates: .wotja_tp (see also filetypes)
  • Other Content:
    • Include whatever else you want! For display, see other Pak types.
  • Primary Content Display:
    • LHS Pak List in the Template List
    • RHS list will show the content types above.
    • The Template List is accessed via
      • Music Mode Cell, or;
      • Schema > Templates > Select Templates button.
  • Folder / Sub Folders:
    • Templates can be in the root folder of the Pak or can be put in sub-folders if required for content organization.
  • Pak Name:
    • The name of the zip file is used for LHS Pak display/ordering, i.e. My Pak 1.zip.
  • Pak List Ordering:
    • Your Paks will show in alphabetical order below any built-in Template Paks, or other IM Paks.
  • Tips:
    • All content items included in each Template Pak will show alphabetically in the right hand Template list ("Templates").
    • The right side list is alphabetically ordered and no file extensions are shown so if your Template Pak includes multiple content types be careful to name your content accordingly.
    • If you want to use the Pak name to organize your content you will need to put your content in separate Paks, e.g. My Pak 1.zip and My Pak 2.zip.
    • The folder structure you use in the Template Pak for content organization is not important.

Audio Pak (Wotja 23+)

  • Primary Content:
    • Audio samples: .wav / .ogg (see also filetypes)
    • Formats: WAV (8/16/24-bit PCM, 32-bit float) and Ogg; any kHz.
    • Note: Be aware that Wotja needs to load into memory (RAM) ALL audio samples that are used in a mix.
    • Tip: The higher the quality of the samples you use (which does make them larger, however), the better the results you will get from time stretching or pitch shifting.
    • IMPORTANT: If you want any of your audio samples to be time stretched or pitch shifted to fit the Wotja mix tempo and root then your Pak must also include a pak.xml file. Without a pak.xml file then audio samples can still be added to a mix, but none will be time stretched or pitch shifted (e.g. for foley samples).
  • pak.xml file
    • TIP: To see an example of a pak.xml that includes Sample Overrides, download this Pak , unzip it and then open its pak.xml file.
    • The pak.xml file is where you specify the "default" tempo and root of audio samples in the Pak
      • e.g. <pak tempo="90" root="D"></pak>
    • Sample Overrides:
      • You can provide in the pak.xml overrides for individual audio samples in the top level folder (or sub-folders) that may be different to the default Pak values.
      • These must be placed between the <pak> and </pak> tags (see example below).
      • Tip: Where the pak.xml default values are NOT "?" then you only need to include the sample values that you want to override, e.g.
        • <sample file="myfile.wav" tempo="64" root="A#"/> overrides both sample tempo & root
        • <sample file="myfile.wav" tempo="80" /> overrides just the sample tempo (root as pak.xml)
        • <sample file="myfile.wav" root="F" /> overrides just the sample root (pitch as pak.xml)
        • <sample file="myfolder/myfile.wav" tempo="64" root="A#"/> shows use of sample folders
      • If it better suits your content organisation a pak.xml file can be included for each sub-folder that includes audio samples, e.g. for audio samples in "My Pak/Folder1/" then "Folder1" could include a pak.xml that is concerned only with the audio samples in that folder.
    • ?:
      • Important: Whenever "?" is used, you MUST provide a pair of values, i.e. tempo="?" root="?".
      • "?" is a special value for tempo or root which is used for sounds that you do not want to be time stretched or pitch shifted when added to a mix (e.g. foley sounds), e.g.
        • e.g. <pak tempo="?" root="?"></pak>
          • Any sample overrides must then specify values for both tempo and root.
        • <sample file="myfile.wav" tempo="?" root="?"/>
    • Optional Text:
      • You may optionally include any other text you wish to e.g. source="creatorName" or year="2017" etc. but that text does not affect the operation of the Pak and it MUST go at the end of the intial "pak" tag (see below).
    • Example (copy text and paste into a text file that you rename as pak.xml)
         
      <pak tempo="90" root="D"
      source="creatorName" 
      year="2017" 
      >
        <sample file="myfile.ogg" tempo="81" root="C"/>
        <sample file="myfile.wav" tempo="64" root="A#"/>
        <sample file="shift-root-only.wav" tempo="?" root="A#"/>
        <sample file="shift-tempo-only.wav" tempo="92" root="?"/>
        <sample file="foley/myfoley.wav" tempo="?" root="?"/>
      </pak>
      
  • Other Content:
    • Include whatever else you want! For display, see other Pak types.
  • Primary Content Display:
  • Folder / Sub Folders:
    • Audio samples can be in the root folder of the Pak or can be put in sub-folders if required:
  • Pak Name:
  • Pak List Ordering:
  • Tips:

MIDI Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • MIDI files: .midi
  • Other Content:
    • Include whatever else you want! For display, see other Pak types.
  • Primary Content Display:
  • Folder / Sub Folders:
    • MIDI files can be in the root folder of the Pak or can be put in sub-folders if required for content organisation.
  • Pak Name:
  • Pak List Ordering:
  • Tips:

Synth Preset Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • Synth Preset: .tg
  • Primary Content Display:
  • Pak Folder Structure:
    • Must be the following:
      • /sounds/GroupName/PresetName
    • "sounds" must be lower case
      • e.g. /sounds/Bells/Bells1.
  • Tips:
    • The Sound Preset list is sorted alphabetically so the GroupName you choose determines where in the list you will see it.
    • The Pak file name is not important, i.e. Any name.zip.

FX Preset Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • FX Preset: .fxm
  • Primary Content Display:
  • Pak Folder Structure:
    • Must be the following:
      • /fx/GroupName/PresetName
    • "fx" must be lower case
      • e.g. /fx/GroupName/PresetName.
  • Tips:
    • The FX Preset list is sorted alphabetically so the GroupName you choose determines where in the list you will see it.
    • The Pak file name is not important, i.e. Any name.zip.

Schema Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • Schema: .wotja_sc
  • Primary Content Display:
  • Pak Folder Structure:
    • Must be the following:
      • /AnyOldName/SchemaGroupName/SchemaName
    • "AnyOldName" is required in the path but is not used
      • It can use any case e.g. /anyOldname/My Group/My Schema 1.
  • Tips:
    • The Schema list is sorted alphabetically, but it first displays any custom Schema found in any non built-in Schema Groups so the "SchemaGroupName" (your Schema are listed alphabetically in that).
    • The Pak file name is not important, i.e. Any name.zip.

SF2 Soundfont Pak

  • Primary Content:
    • SF2 Soundfont: .sf2
  • Primary Content Display:
    • Soundfont SF2 Paks are displayed/used via:
      • WAE Wavetable Unit.
      • They are shown in the left side of the Wavetable Unit and are sorted alphabetically according to the SF2 name (not the Pak zip name).
      • They will be displayed below the last of the included SF2 (i.e. IM NT3-MT7) and below MDB if installed.
  • Pak Folder Structure:
    • SF2 Paks do not require a special folder structure but you might still wish to use one if you want to retain the structure of the content grouping on your Mac/PC (perhaps you have licenced a loop or SF2 collection from a 3rd party and you don't want to change the organisation of it).
      • e.g. say have the following collection of SF2 files on your PC/Mac:
        • mySF2Collection1/drones/drone1.sf2
          mySF2Collection1/pads/ambient.sf2
          mySF2Collection1/synths/buzzer.sf2
      • You can zip the Pak like that BUT, as noted above, the SF2 will display in the left side list in alphabetical order irrespective of folder/subfolder structure or naming, e.g. in the order of "ambient.sf2, buzzer.sf2, drone1.sf2"
  • Tips:
    • The Pak file name is not important, i.e. Any name.zip.
    • Tip: If you want to create your own SF2 files then you may wish to check out Polyphontics, Polyphone or even Awave Studio.

Zipping your Pak

IMPORTANT: Whilst you can just zip your Pak at its top level (a "flat" Pak!), we strongly suggest that you use in the zip a path that gives the Pak a unique name thus ensuring that the content in the Pak will have a unique reference. We use /intermorphic/wotja/paks/pakname/ but you might use e.g. /com/mycompany/myname/pakname/.

macOS and Windows 10 have in-built zipping capability:

  • macOS: Right click on the folder (e.g. "fred") and select "Compress 'fred'".
  • Windows: Right click on the folder (e.g. "fred") and select "Send to" then "Compressed (zipped) folder".

If you prefer you can use your preferred Zip file utility to create your Zip.

Pak Installation

Once you have created your Pak then:

  • Copy or move it to the Wotja Folder; if you wish you can put all your Pak zips in a /zips subfolder under that.
  • Restart Wotja and your Paks should be ready and available for use!

Note: If you create, save and share mixes that reference the content in your Paks then, provided the recipient also has your Pak installed in the Wotja Folder, they should play exactly as intended!

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