I just got a Squarp Pyramid and I am looking to get a simple(ish) sampler. I have a BASTL Microgranny, and I love it for adding janky weirdness, but I am looking to add another sampler that is more accurate and precise. Obviously I don’t need a sequencer (I will be using the pyramid) so I am just looking for a sampler that will play samples when triggered by midi. As I am making industrial music most of my samples will be machine noises, fire-and-brimstone preachers and B-movie clips and NOT custom drum kits or dancey house samples. Is the Volca Sample worth looking at? Thanks in advance!
…and I have a computer but I don’t want to use it. I want hardware. (but if I need to use the computer to create the samples or whatever that’s fine)
Volca Sample sounds mint, would highly recommend. Not sure if you’d be able to fit a lot of long vocal samples in there, though, think it’s only got two minutes of total sample time.
The Akai MPX series might be better for you, as they can load clips off an SD card, and you can load certainly on the MPX16 48MB of samples at any one time (and that’s MB, rather than seconds like the Volca). I’ve got an MPX16, which I mostly use as a pad controller, but it’s alright for sampling, although be warned, it’s pretty slow to load samples (you can save sample sets, though, so just load again when you need another set of 16 samples)
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Mpc 1000 so that you have more sonic options later down the line. The squarp will play very nicely with mpc, powerful sampler for a powerful sequencer. The mpc 1000 is uber cheap as well, so it’s a no brainer. Or my name isn’t Brain Brainer.
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@Loz & @Spazzickagent have some excellent suggestions.
I’m confused that it seems you don’t want to use a computer - do you want to sample with a device or at least use a computer as editor/librarian and just have a device to play back?
I don’t have experience with the Akai or Volca gear mentioned, but other options might be an Elektron Octatrack if you want sampling capabilities and the option to mangle the samples on a hardware device (so, no computer required). With the latest OS, you can use it as a sample recorder, mangler, then save the sound and trigger it from the Pyramid (like an editable 8 channel rompler with more FX options). The OT can be daunting because it can do so much, so you can always fall back on it for other duties later if you have room for that kind of device in your rig.
If you want something super low profile to just play back static samples, and you dig the DIY realm, there’s the Tsunami WAV Trigger which allows you to store a boatload of samples on SD card, access them via MIDI Note Events, and they can be output stereo or mono on multiple outs. Requires a bit of labour but if you’re of the DIY bent it’s actually super powerful.
Note: There is also a Eurorack version of it.
And on the subject of Eurorack, there’s always the Rample too. The MIDI Implementation and ability to control so many of the features, functions, fx via MIDI is amazing. Get a powered lunchbox style or a POD case and you won’t be tempted to start down that Eurorack rabbithole (I haven’t expanded my system beyond the Rample and I’m fine with that).
Shopping is so exciting!
Have fun!
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