hardware v software samplers

Rinko · Post by **Rinko** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:32 am

i am interested to see how many people use hardware samplers as part of their setup with Live and also why- what do you feel it brings to your music?

again- if you don't, why not?

thank you.

DJ VAKIS · Post by **DJ VAKIS** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:19 am

MPC1000 user here.I like to make my beats with the mpc.It is nice feeling when i work with a hardware sampler,from the sampling till the sequencing.Sounds a bit better than a software sampler(Warm sound)

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:57 am

HW samplers have a strange 'voodo' about them...I really do like them!!!

but SW samplers offer you better sound quality and pack features that'll make any MPC breakdown and cry...
C'mon... Live + 'sampler' + racks + Ext. kbd/pads = SAMPLER HEAVEN!

4am · Post by **4am** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:57 pm

3dot... wrote:HW samplers have a strange 'voodo' about them...I really do like them!!!

but SW samplers offer you better sound quality and pack features that'll make any MPC breakdown and cry...
C'mon... Live + 'sampler' + racks + Ext. kbd/pads = SAMPLER HEAVEN!

it is a (big) pain in the ass to work with it...
but i definintely love the sound of my A3000 more than any software sampler. no voodo in it

that said it is 1000 times easyer and faster to work with software samplers... and depending on what i'm doing i also use software samplers...

Brainstormer · Post by **Brainstormer** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:11 pm

The only real advantage I can see on the S3000 is the 'rubber band' type time stretching on beats, which can't be done easily with software.

Rinko · Post by **Rinko** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:30 pm

cool

i'd like to go into a shop and do a direct comparison between a Live setup and, say, an mpc, an sps1 uw and an a3000 or whatever- see if you could tell the difference in sound quality and whether it would bring anything to a Live setup.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:42 pm

Considering the SPS1-uw is 12bit and mono, I'm guessing you'll be able to tell the difference

Yeh · Post by **Yeh** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:12 pm

Yes,

I've got an Yamaha A3000. Some years ago I've sold all hardware and I do regret. I'm buying it back now.

Software samplers are so much easier and faster to work with. They sound good to.

But it's true: hardware samplers have a certain old skool sound.

nowtime · Post by **nowtime** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:45 pm

great topic. Was just playing with some soft samplers at afriends house last night. I was so excited by the sounds, and so dissapointed by the lack of immediacy in the latency. And the latency was minimal, my guess - 10-12ms.

There is absolutely no comparison how much more fun hardware samplers are for me. They are just BOOM! In your face, immedtiate instruments. Especially for any sounds with fast attack. I am on a MISSION to get that pleasure from a softsampler.

That said, hardware samplers are all dinosaurs (patch and bank management, load times...). I mean, you _can_ make some phat patches that are prettty small and then have a number of instruments that you load up from disc and have available at the touch of a button- enough to make _alot_ of music.

But with all these mega-gig modern libraries and instruments we have - I wish someone could enlighten me as to why no one creates a harware sampler that simply has, say, 8-gig capacity, and simple patch/bank management & basic editing via USB.??

downfader · Post by **downfader** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:58 pm

nowtime wrote:But with all these mega-gig modern libraries and instruments we have - I wish someone could enlighten me as to why no one creates a harware sampler that simply has, say, 8-gig capacity, and simple patch/bank management & basic editing via USB.??

Akai did make steps towards that with their 5000/6000 models and then the Z models, but it went a bit pear-shaped after that. I think softsamplers appeal to peoples lazyness and it killed off the majority of potential buyers.

I started out with Vienna soundfonts tbh, so i guess I started soft and went hard later.

First proper hardware one was the Emu e5000. later I wanted to play with drum beats/samples so bought an Akai s3000 (fully expanded from a dealer) dirt cheap as it needed a new back light. It still needs a new back light and sadly I've never used it.

Hope to change that ths year.

divonic · Post by **divonic** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:05 pm

Does the korg KP3 and the Boss SP-202 count?

In my live rig I use the above "samplers" I trigger the 202s from Live (I recently got the KP3 while I think I can trigger the loaded samples I haven't done it yet)

I don't use them in the studio.

Rinko · Post by **Rinko** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:21 pm

tarekith - good point re the sws1 uw. hehehe.

you know what i mean though - a lot of people talk about the character and distinctive sound of hardware samplers and i'd just like to check it out for myself 1st hand as i've never owned a hardware sampler and don't know anyone that does.

the idea of having a bit of kit that could really bring some character to my setup appeals to me.

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:56 pm

4am wrote: it is a (big) pain in the ass to work with it...
but i definintely love the sound of my A3000 more than any software sampler. no voodo in it

that said it is 1000 times easyer and faster to work with software samplers... and depending on what i'm doing i also use software samplers...

I agree that the Control element is essential...
But I'm so cozy with live at this point...
I got my Racks, My Samples...
and midi controlled to the max...
Using my Bcr2k acting as 4 Remotes
(can 'lock' 4 rows of leds to 4 layers/devices)...
bomes running full on for some handy kbd shrtcts...
Ezbus as a midi controller running mackie emu for the mixer
(as another remote...)
Axiom49 (as another remote...total maxed out 6 remotes)
DAC is a Multiface
...
You get the point...I'm a control freakl!!!
Live was first and foremost kind of an Uber Sampling workstation
(From V1 way before Sampler and Operator...)

I control almost every aspect of live with my setup

...and create handy device racks...

...Hence Live will Cover me on the sampling end...
(And bit reduction is kinda easy to acheive no??)

Now give me something Analog to sample !!!

Cheers

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:30 pm

Good topic - I was at a friends last night fooling around with Torq and I noticed his Emu 1, or 2 or 3 or whatever thousand sampler he had racked up (unplugged and collecting dust)

at first I was like - "Wow, lets fire this baby up" then I remembered the buttons and knobs and menus and sub menus and was like "let's not and go see Transformers again."

so we went to see transformers again

hardware is just so NOT immediate and very cumbersome - soft samplers are a dime a dozen with their unique features and intuitive (I hate that word, just the way it sounds, ugh) implementation into most if not all major DAWS but with the right combo of effects, sounds and know how you can really get some big dirty sounds out of 'em

I'd buy a $300 dollar sampler before I bought a $100 hardware sampler

andrewbrewer · Post by **andrewbrewer** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:34 pm

i only use the live samplers ... loads of character.

hardware v software samplers

do you use a hardware sampler as part of your setup with Live?

hardware v software samplers