What the (my) world needs is... (warning: sampler)

I’ve been producing for many years, quiet a few good times and releases, and many many good gigs as a dj…

Enter digitakt (late to the DT party), and the past week has been super fckn rad. I’m 85% producer-in-the-studio normally, and I’m back in hands-on frenzy sequencer wise, and love it.

I’ve now spent said week g’ing up samples and loops from my lovely collection of gear and have the full plan for my live use with it sorted… but…

Double BUT:

I want more. I want:

Independent outputs (for a live set specifically).

I want:

Kick: processing, but mainly gentle bus sidechain comp of most parts (via ext hw comp);
Clap / Snare: separate fx send on a mixer for builds (I love other hw fx I have for this… not all DT verb/delay;
HH: same as kick snare for random reverb flushes and builds;
“Other”… maybe up to 8 total separate outs… but particularly keen on main hits…

Do I want these from DT?? No… it’s super fckn rad as is… I just want a good affordable HW sampler for basic hits with multiple outs for mixer / mixing flexibility.

So: yes: old akai. Yes, but too old and clunky and getting unreliable… honestly: it is, and it’s too sketchy for a live set. Mpc live? Sure, but that’s a lot of kit for something I can sequence from the DT…

Double so:

“The world needs”: a universal multi out (e.g. 8 mono / stereo configurable) basic sampler, without bells and whistles (pads/sequencers) with maybe only 4-8 outs for basic editing, but also a usb port or two for class compliant controllers to enter the guts.

Imagine the 8 midi tracks on the DT controlling loops and hits on a mini expander?! Want synths to from DT? Route expander outputs separately, but use only one or two DT midi tracks to control.

Super old tech.

Expander expander expander… do it.

Much respect,

Bam x

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Have you checked Octatrack ?
Or even better in your case, Analog Rytm mk2, that can be seen as an upgrade of DT?

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Toraiz SP-16 is probably closest to what you describe, possibly a tad overkill though, as it has sequencer etc.

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Why a “basic” sampler ? There are already many basic samplers out there. “The world” (well… you and me for now…) needs an advanced hardware sampler that does only sampling but does it well: non-destructive xfade loops, loop in release, streaming, layers, persistent memory, etc…

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I’m watching to see how the sp2400 pans out.

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Thanks for the replies guys :)…

I think the main reason why I’d like a basic unit is price / value… and that the tech is there. Akai has a range of basic samplers with pads attached for around 200 dollars… I’d love to see that with more outputs, and with a usb port where you can attach your controller of choice.

It’s not that I cant save up for / afford a nice high end sampler with bells and whistles… I just don’t like bells and whistles that I dont use, if you know what I mean.

If a company made a compact 8 (or 4) out drum expander with basic minimilist editing AND plug-in-your-controller-of-choice options, I think it would pair so freakishly good with the DT :slight_smile: something basically the size and nature / layout of e.g. a DSI mopho (is that what they’re called?? The yellow one).

Toraiz… I’ll take more of a look… thanks for the suggestion!.. I’m seriously considering things like the mpc live, but its SO much kit and functionality for what I’m really after. Maybe a couple of volca samples, but again: wasted capability and a little low fi for my main hits tbh. Akai z4 or z8 (or older models)? I mean yeah… but pretty clunky and bulky for this day and age (and z4 and z8 although newest still have a few reliability issues).

Mayyybe id be happy with just an in / out expander that uses overbridge… that could be cool I guess?

At the end of the day though, I know I’ve got a bad habit for wanting things that dont exist haha.

Acidhouse: new to this forum, just typed you a response but couldn’t work out how to quote (so deleted it, cause it didnt make sense on its own)!..

Either way: yup!.. exactly what you said is what I’d love!! I guess that’s what I mean by “basic” :slight_smile:

Check out the Blackbox @jBam could be just the thing for you.

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Exactly!!! Individual outs for every track plus you get a analog drum synth as a bonus.

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The problem is: we don’t necessarily use the same bells and whistles. It’s just like the MS Word software: nobody uses 100% of it, probably only 20%, but it’s not the same 20% from one person to another… that’s why I think a complete solution is needed. For now the most complete hardware sampling solution I now of is the MPC line. And yet they fail is some areas, like basic synthesis needs and basic loop management:

  • No pitch envelope
  • No xfade loop
  • No glide

Also, it doesn’t support multiple midi channels in…

Everything has trade-offs. Old samplers are no good either, they come with slow mass storage, bugs, clunky interface…

And yet I’m super efficient with the DT because obviously features are not everything and limitations drive creativity…

Enough with my wishful thinking, back to music :rofl:

Me too!

@circuitghost… yes… hmm… yes - dude, I think that’s pretty much it hey… need to do some more research into it hey, because on face I think you nailed it!!.. tbc

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I reviewed it not long ago:

Might help in your decision😊

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Hi all, thanks for the ongoing chat :slight_smile: I love circuit ghosts suggestion… very keen to read up on that…

Analog rhythm: I mean yes, super cool bit of kit I’d assume, but I really do have an awesome collection of drum synths / machines already… and its sampling functionality is fine, but certainly secondary if you know what I mean.

Classically I… umm… own a machine drum mk2, but not uw… damn… probably could’ve made do with that hey! 12 bit samples with decent sample rate on main hits would be fine (most likely)… I’ve actually always liked 12bit oomph on big hits :):smiley: … but alas. Love the md tho - I’ve sampled the shit out of it, and its somewhere in every tune I write… always felt it needed some decent external processing tho… but still keen to include it in a live set up for side percussion and weird stuff…

So I think the blackbox may be “it” (thanks for posting review while I type this… I’ll read through shortly)… or, I buy a UW with +drive and… oh dear, sell my MD?! (I have a strange emotional attachment to my gear!.. selling my MD after so many late nights together feels wrong Haha…).

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@circuitghost… wow… ok… fck.

And thanks for the review… makes research easier when someone who likes gear jumps in and tells me everything I want to know ;)…

So it seems very capable, and is basically exactly what I want I think :slight_smile:

midi sync sampling… out of interest, could I use that live as a loop recorder, or is there a bit of downtime between rec and play? No stress if not, but that’d be… just insanely rad!

Thanks heaps for the suggestion… I’ll keep reading up more.

Peas!

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You’re welcome :blush:

Yep, it records and loops seamlessly. If you want to, you can use it as a sixteen track looper, each track thumping to its own bar length.

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I second this. Bought BB last Thursday and played a 3h club set on Saturday, using it as a sample/loop expander and master midi clock in combination with OT and AR. Stable. Simple. Intuitive. Keeper.

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Just read your review, excellent work. I have one question. You mention the BB has a 16 patterns limit, does that mean each pattern has 16 sample slots or that each of the sample slots constitutes a pattern?

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Have you heard of a Computer :smiley:

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Thanks, that’s very nice of you to say :slight_smile: it’s a bit of an open grid system. One project consists of sixteen sample slots, sixteen patterns and sixteen clips.

A sample slot is a sample, but that sample can be a loop (about as long as the memory card allows), a one shot, a sample chain which can be spliced up, or a batch of multi-samples, for that Rhodes action or whatnot. You got sixteen of these slots in total.

A pattern can play anyone of these samples, as much as the CPU allows. So just one, or a few, or all sixteen. Patterns can run in parallell, so you can for example have one 32 step pattern playing a kick and a snare, one 12 step pattern going for hats and cymbals, another 80 step pattern for lead and bass - all together, just one, or a mix.

A clip is a batch of patterns playing at the same time, for up to 32 bars. You got sixteen of those as well.

It’s a bit like Ableton, really. You structure your set of patterns. Then you batch them into groups and play them in sequence.

But all of this can be triggered live as well, and sample slots don’t need to be in a pattern to be launched, so essentially, if you got finger drum skills (I don’t) and mix a bunch of one shots with loops, you can play an entire set and never leave the sample slot screen. Or you can mix and match - launch a few patterns with the more complicated stuff, go to sample slot screen for some live action if you for example got keyboard skills (which I do have), and mix it up.

It’s really quite versatile in terms of structure, and only limited by this magic 16 number. Though you get pretty far with sixteen of anything, when they move across the borders like this.

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