SHN to SMP Converter

Encode Shorten audio as SMP sample online

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Specialized Output

Generate SMP from pristine lossless SHN source — clean audio for your specific application needs.

Online Processing

No specialized tools needed — our servers handle the entire SHN to SMP conversion through your browser.

Secure Files

SHN uploads are erased immediately. SMP outputs are purged from servers within 24 hours.

How to convert SHN to SMP

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose smp or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your smp file right afterwards

About formats

Shorten (SHN) is a lossless audio compression codec created by Tony Robinson at SoftSound and first published in 1993, making it one of the earliest practical lossless compressors. The algorithm uses linear prediction to estimate each sample from predecessors, then encodes residuals with Huffman or Golomb-Rice codes. Compression ratios typically fall between 2:1 and 3:1, with the guarantee that decoded output is bit-identical to the original. Shorten gained cultural significance in the late 1990s as the preferred format for trading live concert recordings online — communities like etree.org built entire distribution networks around SHN files, and bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish tacitly endorsed the practice. One advantage was the format's simplicity: encoding and decoding ran fast even on modest Pentium-era hardware. Another strength was deterministic output — the same input always produced the same bytes, making checksums reliable for verifying integrity across thousands of traders. While FLAC eventually superseded Shorten with better compression, seeking support, and embedded metadata, SHN retains historical importance and extensive live music archives in the format still circulate today.
Initial release: 1993
SMP is the native file format of SampleVision, a sample editing application developed by Turtle Beach Systems around 1990. SampleVision was among the first PC-based visual sample editors, letting musicians view waveforms on screen and perform cut, copy, paste, and loop-point editing — capabilities previously limited to expensive dedicated hardware samplers. The SMP format stores 16-bit mono PCM audio along with sampling-specific metadata: loop start and end points, sustain loops, release loops, and MIDI root note assignments. This made SMP files directly useful for creating and exchanging patches between hardware samplers via MIDI Sample Dump Standard (SDS) transfers, which SampleVision automated through its interface. A primary advantage was bridging the PC world with professional sampling hardware from Akai, E-mu, Ensoniq, and Roland — devices that had tiny screens and minimal editing tools. The format also supported common sample rates (22050, 44100 Hz) and brief text descriptions alongside audio data. Though Turtle Beach pivoted to gaming peripherals and SampleVision was discontinued, SMP files persist in vintage sample library archives and can be converted using SoX.
Initial release: 1990

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SMP?

SMP is a specialized audio format — a Turtle Beach sample format for sound card audio and development applications.

Why convert SHN to SMP?

Specific applications require SMP files. Lossless SHN provides clean, artifact-free source material for the conversion.

What handles SMP?

Specialized tools, SoX, and targeted professional software support SMP audio processing and playback.

Is quality maintained?

Starting from lossless SHN ensures no prior compression artifacts — output quality depends on SMP format capabilities.

Is the conversion secure?

SHN uploads are deleted immediately after conversion. SMP results are removed from servers within 24 hours.