The interface

SampleToNES has four tabs. Use F1 to F4 to switch between them:

• Main (F1) — turn audio files into reconstructions.
• Reconstruction (F2) — listen to a reconstruction, edit its instruments, and export it.
• Sequencer (F3) — arrange reconstructions into a song.
• Instructions (F4) — build and browse the instruction library a conversion uses.

You usually work through the tabs in this order. Convert your files on Main. When the conversion finishes, click Load to open the result on Reconstruction. From there, Add to Sequencer adds the reconstruction to a song.

The Instructions tab is optional. Use it to explore single instructions, the smallest sounds the chip makes.

A few menu items are easy to miss:

• View ▸ Show advanced settings adds the Advanced settings card to the Main tab. See Configuration.
• Playback ▸ Audio settings... sets the device you listen through. Its sample rate is separate from Sample rate on the Main tab, which sets how audio is converted.
• Help ▸ Documentation opens this guide in your web browser, from a copy that comes with the app.

Project properties belong to a project and are covered in the sequencer guide.

View ▸ Keyboard shortcuts... (Ctrl+K) lists every shortcut and lets you change any of them. Click a shortcut and press the keys you want. If another action already uses those keys, the app asks before reassigning them. Reset to defaults restores the original shortcuts.

On macOS, the shortcuts use Command where other platforms use Control.