What samplers do you use, and when?

andowrites

@senhorlampada said:

@andowrites said:
If anyone here is using hardware with iOS for sampling, resampling, recording, or live performance, could you please share what you're using?

I would really like a Launchpad X or Pro Mk3, or Maschine Mikro Mk3, to use with my iPad and Ableton. I've been weighing up my options, and also like the look of the full Maschine Mk 3. I've even looked at the Novation Circuit Rhythm.

All for meditative ambient and drone. Both recorded and live. I have purchased samples, but am now creating my own, on iOS, in Ableton, and field recordings on my Tascam.

Having a Tascam you're pretty damn equiped for ambient and drones on hardware
My weapon of choice would be one of the SP-404 series. I have the SX. The new MK2 is even better from what I know. They can handle huge sampling times.

The SP404 doesn't appeal to me.

My Tascam isn't tape. It's the DR-100 mk3. But great for capturing sounds, yes.

andowrites

@lasselu said:

@wired2moon said:
But my attention has turned back to Elsa recently (which is AUv3) - it can capture and manipulate sounds for interesting and weird results much like Fieldscaper but also serves as the actual sample player. One of its modes allows a sample to be sliced up such that different midi notes can trigger different slices - fun for random triggering and also reducing AUM track count compared to using AUM file player (i.e. make one long sample that contains a string of individual samples - 5min samples will be supported in next release).

This made me go and buy Elsa...

Elsa can be great fun.

sevenape

I play stuff on decent sampler but its all recorded into KOALA

wired2moon

@lasselu said:

@wired2moon said:
But my attention has turned back to Elsa recently (which is AUv3) - it can capture and manipulate sounds for interesting and weird results much like Fieldscaper but also serves as the actual sample player. One of its modes allows a sample to be sliced up such that different midi notes can trigger different slices - fun for random triggering and also reducing AUM track count compared to using AUM file player (i.e. make one long sample that contains a string of individual samples - 5min samples will be supported in next release).

This made me go and buy Elsa...

Great choice It can be a bit of mystery at first, but don’t let that put you off. Put in some quality study / experimentation time and you’ll find you can do loads with it. At least that’s my experience with Elsa. User manual ain't the best but ask any questions you have here, plus Erik provides solid support

rs2000

Got too many samplers already...
Two standouts are the Zoom ST224 and the Korg Microsamplers though.
The ST224 has a few unconventional tricks built in and the Microsampler is about the fastest sampler I can imagine, both great for spontaneous jamming. Adding a Kaoss Pad (not for sampling, just live FX) is fun too.

cokomairena

The one I use most is Sitala for drums because it is super solid, it has never crashed on me.

For melodic samples I tend to use AA sampler for it's simplicity and because it's the first in the list on Drambo, so overall lazyness. I don't like it's release curve tho

Koala would be perfect if it didn't crash randomly and made me lose all my work

Angie

Koala for ease of use and ability to export as Ableton drum kits to use on the Push 2.

DawnBeat is likely to turn into a fave as well. The developer has a good sense for finding his niche and doing it right. His vector trace app is great and my only regret about his music stuff is that I didn’t buy them sooner.

Samu

@cokomairena said:

For melodic samples I tend to use AA sampler for it's simplicity and because it's the first in the list on Drambo, so overall lazyness. I don't like it's release curve tho

For me the Drambos Flexi Sampler is enough. It supports drag'n'drop from Files.app etc.

Even the SunVox AUV3 is easy to use as a sampler, load a sample from the SunVox menu and it auto-creates a sampler module which can be connected to the output. Midi-Input can be enabled in the sampler module and envelope can be set to 'infinity' and if the sample is looped it's perfect for drones etc. Limiting sampler polyphony to 2 or 3 notes avoids total chaos with samples set to infinity

Gavinski

Yeah, it's a real pity AASamplePlayer doesn't have drag and drop. I think it's a JUCE port so won't be able to have that either, unless JUCE updates their framework to support drag and drop. If I'm wrong about that, please correct me

Kashi

@rs2000 said:
Got too many samplers already...
Two standouts are the Zoom ST224 and the Korg Microsamplers though.
The ST224 has a few unconventional tricks built in and the Microsampler is about the fastest sampler I can imagine, both great for spontaneous jamming. Adding a Kaoss Pad (not for sampling, just live FX) is fun too.

+1 for the Korg Microsampler. A truly delightful piece of kit. Still use mine all the time

ipadbeatmaking

@Gavinski said:
Yeah, it's a real pity AASamplePlayer doesn't have drag and drop. I think it's a JUCE port so won't be able to have that either, unless JUCE updates their framework to support drag and drop. If I'm wrong about that, please correct me

Great thread, and I agree AASamplePlayer having drag n drop would make it so clutch. In terms of possibilities, is this the answer?

https://forum.juce.com/t/drag-and-drop-tracks/50698

Gavinski

@ipadbeatmaking said:

@Gavinski said:
Yeah, it's a real pity AASamplePlayer doesn't have drag and drop. I think it's a JUCE port so won't be able to have that either, unless JUCE updates their framework to support drag and drop. If I'm wrong about that, please correct me

Great thread, and I agree AASamplePlayer having drag n drop would make it so clutch. In terms of possibilities, is this the answer?

https://forum.juce.com/t/drag-and-drop-tracks/50698

Maybe, bit technical for me but will pass it on to AA dev, cheers!

cokomairena

@Gavinski said:
Yeah, it's a real pity AASamplePlayer doesn't have drag and drop. I think it's a JUCE port so won't be able to have that either, unless JUCE updates their framework to support drag and drop. If I'm wrong about that, please correct me

It doesn't bother me that much because I browse files on samplecrate and that make them available on the recent files, so on AA I click on LOAD an just select the first file that apperas there. I find it even easier than drag and drop to be honest. dragging from sample crate sometimes I open the delete menu or I drag the file to far to the corner and it opens another app

cokomairena

@Samu said:

@cokomairena said:

For melodic samples I tend to use AA sampler for it's simplicity and because it's the first in the list on Drambo, so overall lazyness. I don't like it's release curve tho

For me the Drambos Flexi Sampler is enough. It supports drag'n'drop from Files.app etc.

I should learn drambo xD and I use it every they since v2

Gavinski

Ah, good tip! Yes, Sample Crate rocks. And I agree that with drag and drop it is too easy to accidentally trigger the delete slider

@cokomairena said:

@Gavinski said:
Yeah, it's a real pity AASamplePlayer doesn't have drag and drop. I think it's a JUCE port so won't be able to have that either, unless JUCE updates their framework to support drag and drop. If I'm wrong about that, please correct me

It doesn't bother me that much because I browse files on samplecrate and that make them available on the recent files, so on AA I click on LOAD an just select the first file that apperas there. I find it even easier than drag and drop to be honest. dragging from sample crate sometimes I open the delete menu or I drag the file to far to the corner and it opens another app

senhorlampada

@rs2000 said:
Got too many samplers already...
Two standouts are the Zoom ST224 and the Korg Microsamplers though.
The ST224 has a few unconventional tricks built in and the Microsampler is about the fastest sampler I can imagine, both great for spontaneous jamming. Adding a Kaoss Pad (not for sampling, just live FX) is fun too.

Love my ST224. And still need to explore it more.
The MicroSampler is forever on my wishlist. I know it has it's limitations, but it's crazy fast to have fun with.

senhorlampada

On iOS, Samplr is an absolute must-have. I would say BM3 too, but it's not for everyone, I know

ipadbeatmaking

@senhorlampada said:
On iOS, Samplr is an absolute must-have. I would say BM3 too, but it's not for everyone, I know

Really? I’ve got it but never really used it. It’s that good?

wired2moon

@Samu said:

@cokomairena said:

For melodic samples I tend to use AA sampler for it's simplicity and because it's the first in the list on Drambo, so overall lazyness. I don't like it's release curve tho

Even the SunVox AUV3 is easy to use as a sampler, load a sample from the SunVox menu and it auto-creates a sampler module which can be connected to the output. Midi-Input can be enabled in the sampler module and envelope can be set to 'infinity' and if the sample is looped it's perfect for drones etc. Limiting sampler polyphony to 2 or 3 notes avoids total chaos with samples set to infinity

Ah yes Sunvox, bought that recently but haven’t delved into its riches yet. Looking forward to getting to it at some point and trying stuff like this out. Right now though I’m having too much fun with Elsa

andowrites

@ipadbeatmaking said:

@senhorlampada said:
On iOS, Samplr is an absolute must-have. I would say BM3 too, but it's not for everyone, I know

Really? I’ve got it but never really used it. It’s that good?

Samplr? Oh yes.

BM3 too.

bcrichards

I primarily use Koala in Drambo. I love how quick it is. Additionally, I love Flexi and have enjoyed building custom sampler instruments.
https://patchstorage.com/sp-flexi-2-0/

HotStrange

Oh man there are so many with so many different use cases. Koala, Dawnbeat, Beathawk, EG Pulse for something simple and quick, to make Beats, etc.

ReSlice, Segments, Sitala for chopping.

Fieldscaper, Soundscaper, Spacefields, Borderlands, Samplr, Elastic Drums, PaulXStretch for getting experimental (Koala falls into this too).

Hypertron, Drambo, Grooverider, Blocs, Groovebox (both versions) for the groovebox feel.

Then the lesser known but still fun ones like Sampletoy, SQRT, Beat Machine, Sampler San, Tick, Sir Sampleton, SK-51, Realbeat. I could go on and on with these haha. I love iOS samplers.

And this is before getting into granular stuff and more instrumental stuff like Samplewiz, AudioLayer, etc.

KirbyMumbo

Koala when I'm waiting for the train and while commuting. Vancouver when I'm sampling in Gadget.

andowrites

@HotStrange said:
Oh man there are so many with so many different use cases. Koala, Dawnbeat, Beathawk, EG Pulse for something simple and quick, to make Beats, etc.

ReSlice, Segments, Sitala for chopping.

Fieldscaper, Soundscaper, Spacefields, Borderlands, Samplr, Elastic Drums, PaulXStretch for getting experimental (Koala falls into this too).

Hypertron, Drambo, Grooverider, Blocs, Groovebox (both versions) for the groovebox feel.

Then the lesser known but still fun ones like Sampletoy, SQRT, Beat Machine, Sampler San, Tick, Sir Sampleton, SK-51, Realbeat. I could go on and on with these haha. I love iOS samplers.

And this is before getting into granular stuff and more instrumental stuff like Samplewiz, AudioLayer, etc.

Great breakdown.

Can you explain to me how you might use SampleWizz with your own imported samples?

HotStrange

@andowrites said:

@HotStrange said:
Oh man there are so many with so many different use cases. Koala, Dawnbeat, Beathawk, EG Pulse for something simple and quick, to make Beats, etc.

ReSlice, Segments, Sitala for chopping.

Fieldscaper, Soundscaper, Spacefields, Borderlands, Samplr, Elastic Drums, PaulXStretch for getting experimental (Koala falls into this too).

Hypertron, Drambo, Grooverider, Blocs, Groovebox (both versions) for the groovebox feel.

Then the lesser known but still fun ones like Sampletoy, SQRT, Beat Machine, Sampler San, Tick, Sir Sampleton, SK-51, Realbeat. I could go on and on with these haha. I love iOS samplers.

And this is before getting into granular stuff and more instrumental stuff like Samplewiz, AudioLayer, etc.

Great breakdown.

Can you explain to me how you might use SampleWizz with your own imported samples?

Sure! It’s pretty simple (for my use case anyway). I just import some kind of weird sample, like walking on rocks or a door shutting, and use the various parameters to make a pad out of it. I love it for taking found sounds and turning them into something more instrument like.

Hope that’s what you meant!

HotStrange

@andowrites said:

@Gavinski said:
Koala, Segments, Sitala, Dawnbeat, AASamplePlayer etc....

Which do you use more and why? What are the main pros and cons of each? Which do you prefer in specific circumstances (eg making a hip hop beat vs something more ambient or experimental) etc etc?

Being a complete noob to sampling, but with a passion to learn right now, as sampling is calling me as an approach to ambient (yes, I know that's a little off the ambient beaten track), I'm here mostly to listen, learn, and follow this thread. Thanks for starting it @Gavinski.

I must admit, I have all of the above, but so far, I'm finding Koala to work best for me. I also have begun to learn Beatmaker 3, which attracts me most out of all the iOS DAWs. If only it had BM3 on the iPhone too. I loved the simplicity of AASamplePlayer, but haven't got to grips with how to use it in my workflow. I have seen (may have been you) it used in multiple instances in AUM, which looked interesting. I appreciate the features of DawnBeat, but struggle to like it, when I have Koala. I keep dipping in to it to see what I'm missing, but the feeling is, nothing.

I love the speed of use of Koala. It feels really flexible, and creative, as tools go. Especially for my ambient uses. And it looks and works great on my iPhone SE2020 and iPad Air 4. The Mac OS version is being really buggy, so I haven't been using it since it didn't flow for me.

I also have Segments. I must have bought it a long time ago. I never really got into it.

Koala for the win for me. Oh, and I almost forgot, Samplr! I use and love it a lot. Such a creative tool. Beautiful to look at, to use, to play.

For me Dawnbeat excels at being the closest thing to the SP404 on the iPad. I know Koala is approximating that as well, but I like them both for different things. Definitely nothing as quick yet feature packed as Koala though. It’s a gem.

HotStrange

@Poppadocrock said:
Koala - usually for something quick, fun, maybe a few one shot instruments or one shot chords, and a few one shot drums for shorter track/beat. But also sometimes as an Au as part of something larger.

SEGments- I like to use vocals, or solo instrument lines/melodies to chop up an play a new way

Sitala - for all my single hit drum kits

Digistix 2 - for drum kits, mostly velocity layered drums, but I’ve built a bunch of kit’s before sitala came out

Audiolayer- for SFZ files, or multi velocity layered instrument, EXS files if they are working

Decent Sampler- only have the space to use this on my iPhone currently, for DS files, sounds great

AA Sample player - haven’t used a ton, still new, but mostly instrument one shots, 808 shots

I feel like I’m missing something….

One thing I love about Sitala is how quick and easy (and great) its auto slicing is. I like to break out some of my drum apps with limited connectivity, screen grab a loop, and make a kit out of it in Sitala. It’s my go to for that now.

HotStrange

@Gavinski said:

@lasselu said:
Decent Sampler...

In terms of consuming samples rather than making your own, Decent Sampler fits my taste so well. The amount of free - and paid - amazing samples there is incredible, and will take you to places that no synth can. Yes, not even Tomofon. Anyone who likes experimental and organic sounds should check out Pianobook, search filtered to find DS libraries. I pray for a better interface on iOS. I also hope that Apple will lift their ram limit per AUv3, allowing us to use multiple instances of this, even the heavy duty ones, without crashes.

I may be way out of the loop but is Tomofon out on iOS now?

Gavinski

@HotStrange said:

@Gavinski said:

@lasselu said:
Decent Sampler...

In terms of consuming samples rather than making your own, Decent Sampler fits my taste so well. The amount of free - and paid - amazing samples there is incredible, and will take you to places that no synth can. Yes, not even Tomofon. Anyone who likes experimental and organic sounds should check out Pianobook, search filtered to find DS libraries. I pray for a better interface on iOS. I also hope that Apple will lift their ram limit per AUv3, allowing us to use multiple instances of this, even the heavy duty ones, without crashes.

I may be way out of the loop but is Tomofon out on iOS now?

It's not yet!

About Sitala, I haven't sliced anything there yet. Is it better than, say, Segments, for that?

scrape

RS7000, K2600XS, VSynth in hardware, Drambo, Koala, Grooverider, FieldScaper, PaulXStretch in software. Looking to get Elastic Drums soon.