op-1 is definitely my most used sampler. I almost always have it in my backpack wherever I am.
microGranny is my quirkiest sampler but I do love it for being so strange.
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Gotta say my ASR10, just for the sound, building drum kits with layers, excellent fx and resampling. What a beast. Got some distinct synth sounds over the years and pitching was key to really getting into alien territory.
Of course the OT, once the keypresses are memorizedā¦itās nice to have the additonal editing onboard, mostly fine-tuning levels of various parts of a sample by ear, the waveform can be deceptive sometimes.
Microsampler, actually sounds way better than it should. Nice aliasing and fun to play with. Fiddly UI though.
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Some years ago I had a Korg ESX1. I liked it a lot, very easy to use, but quite hard to get away from that ESX1 sound. I liked the SD card storage, internal file managment wasnt brilliant.
Octatrack since 2015. Yes there is some set up required, but other than that it is amazingly quick to resample phrases, or sample external sources, save and organise samples. I also really like the fact there is no software required, just drag and drop from computer to OT for transfering samples. The internal file management is exellent, and can be accessed externally too. Obviously my favourite.
Got a digitakt a few months ago, havenāt used it much yet. Resampling is super quick and easy, lacks the fine detail of sample editing that you get on octatrack. File transfer is ok, the software seems to work fine, I dont like being reliant on software. No removeable memory, shame, an SD card slot would have been nice. Dunno but I can see myself resampling internally to make drum sounds etc, but not so much external sources.
So yeah, limited experience but OT for me. Once you click with the octatrack its difficult to want to try anything else.
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I have still a bigger experience with DT than OT, but yeah I see what you mean, the more I use OT, the more I like it and the more it climb to top 1 sampler
Force because of its multiple sampling modes, but the Digitakt has something about itā¦
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1 Octatrack - yes once a project is setup itās a breeze. Options galore and creatively mind blowing. A football pitch streaker on a dual LSD Ecstasy trip.
2 OP-1 - piss easy to use and imo the most fun. Instant gratification machine. I like things to sound shitty too and it does that brilliantly. Total clown but actually funny rather than terrifying.
3 Digitakt - like others have said - āefficientā kind of sums it up and it sounds so good! Maybe a bit āconservativeā? The Savile Row tailored suit.
4 Polyend Tracker - just bonkers but also brilliant. Alien goo.
(and Iāve had an Electribe Sampler but it was a short affair due to some menu diving frustrationsā¦ and before that I used an MPC 1000 but Iād mostly just stare at it in disbelief of itās monstrosity)
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DT for sure for me.
But as far as old samplers I have grown kind of fond of those quick DJ samplers for character samplingā¦ (specifically Iām using Rexer DRS-10) they really just donāt get in the way, big record button, slider for pitch, big buttons for play back. Easy to get a sound in and back out to the Digitakt. It even records the sample at the tune position of the slider so you can move it while recording and get some really funky stuff and then move it more while sending the sample back. Funky warbles and pitch envelope type sounds a plenty.
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Nobody has mentioned the akai mpx16 
Sorry for the derail but does anyone know if I could trigger samples on it easily from my DN? Not worried too much about workflow trimming etc at that price.
Back on topicā¦ I had a blackbox and loved the workflow but wanted more functionality for the money so got a 2nd hand mpc one but had to return it due to a fault. I have a polyend tracker but havenāt tried sampling with it yet.
ā¦I think you should try sampling with your Tracker before you try anything else. It seems pretty great.
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Thanks, yes I will. And I guess I could sample the left and the right separately and trigger at the same time to playback as stereo?
Yes. You can set the MIDI note number that each pad on the MPX 16 responds to (manual, page 11). Apparently, it responds to those notes on any MIDI channel.
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Thanks thatās very helpful.
If weāre just talking about the pure act of sampling, then the Polyend Tracker. Itās just a few clicks away from capturing samples and saving them with the auto-naming function. So quick and effortless. Koala app is a close second for being the EASIEST sampler Iāve ever used. Also, the fact that I can airdrop a folder of all my captured samples onto my MacBook and then drop that folder into my Tracker or Octatrack? Omg itās so good.
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Yeah, trackerās auto name, save and load function workflow. Itās just so fast. And it has all the file management architecture i wished was on the op1, which was my other favorite sampler.
On the subject of the tracker, anyone know what style the mic input is? I have been thinking about getting one of those 1/8ā gooseneck mics that plugs directly in with no cord. That plus a power bank could be my dream setup.
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Easiest: Casio RZ1 - Record and itāll auto-save to ROM/battery in 1 of the 4 sample-slots!
Casio FZ10M - Easy and its floppy drive still worked after 20 years.
Troublesome: Many rack samplers when saving over SCSI, notably the Yamaha A-series and Ensoniq ASR-X Pro. Yamaha EX5Rās sampler was awful. Zip/Jaz SCSI drives caused premature balding. SDS/SMDI/ASPI - good riddance.
Recent: MPC/Force - IMO canāt beat a touchscreen and on-screen keyboard for naming, saving, and navigating a folder structure. Nice to be able to install a 1TB HDD inside. Akai S5000/6000 & EMU Ultra-series were pretty good at this too, but the expansions were very expensive. OP1 is very easy. On my 2nd Octatrack after owning the 1st one for less than a month - with so many recording/saving options, it can be a little long-winded, like this post.
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I am also curious how you people make their samples? Do you record or create samples by yourself? Are you using mics or maybe from other audio sources or simply a sample pack?
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I always roll my own. My sound design/sample provision gigs over the past 20 years allowed me to amass a large collection of my own samples, including every instrument of the orchestra (with the exception of a tuba). I also maintain a large collection of electric/electronic/acoustic instruments that I can sample when I need them. I have a number of high-end mics, pres, and dynamics processors to shape the sounds going in, should I choose to do so.
I sometimes use my samplers as āROMplersā to shape my own samples into new sounds, which might then be re-sampled.
I never use sample packs, and only make the rarest exception for sample-based synths (Ensoniq SD-1, Korg Wavestation - though I can now use my own samples in that, too, thanks to WaveRex). I donāt have anything against using them, mind you, itās just that after 40 years of making music, Iāve found that I enjoy making my own sounds from the ground up.
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Owned an SP303, SP555, Digitakt, and a Microsampler. The Korg was the best one to record to. Just fun and easy.
Too bad the machine as a whole was a frustrating experience. That keyboard could have been one of the greatest samplers of all time.
Mpc Live was the easiest sampler/manager I ever had.
The giant touch screen is an unfair advantage over itās competitors and it is basically a Dollar General daw-in-a-box, so it should have the better sampling features.
I sold mine and now I am starting to miss its sampling features.
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Currently itās the polyend tracker and itb I do love serato sample