Samplers

Hardware samplers allow you to record or "sample" sections of audio which can then be altered, repitched and sequenced. The use of samples in music is now the norm and there are very few recordings today that don't feature samples. From metal to hip hop and electro to jazz, sampled audio is everywhere.

The appeal of hardware samplers is that they can be the hub of your creative process. They allow you to step away from the computer for a more hands-on approach. Samplers like Akai Professional's MPC samplers and Native Instruments Maschine+ not only sample audio, they are fully formed music workstations. With built-in effects, large sound libraries and MIDI sequencing, whole musical compositions can be arranged using samples. Even external synthesizers can be sequenced.

This fully hardware approach to music not only works great for composing, but also makes live performance a much more intuitive and reassuring process. You no longer have to worry about your laptop crashing because it's decided to do an update during your set. Your sampler sequencer only has one job and it won't spring any surprises on you when you need to get an idea down or you're in front of an audience.

Why Should I Choose a Sampler?

• Create music away from your computer
• Add sampled audio to your live set
• Sequence modular synths and drum machines