#28

Yeah seems to work pretty well.

#29

I can’t speak to your reasons for avoiding used (warranty is a factor for sure) but I believe the sound improvements are primarily on the inputs, which wouldn’t be a factor if you only play pre-recorded material.

Edit: also, that crossfader is magic.

Edit2: also the Thyme is a very cool mangler and only middling as a looper, but won’t do anything for your stems.

Hmm, you might be able to put something together with Norns… :slight_smile:

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#30

The SP404 could work for you (definitely want the SX or the A for this purpose), but it is limited in some key ways.

It can play back a number of samples simultaneously, I think it’s 12 voice polyphony, but I also think stereo samples might count as two voices, not 100% on that. Lots of fx and many for them are good, but you can only use one FX algorithm at a time, though you can choose which samples are routing through the fx with the “remain” button. Also worth noting that you cannot repitch + change sample speed simultaneously on the SP, just pitch shifting effects. & the time stretching is pretty bumpy. These are interesting sounds but not necessarily what you’d expect from a typical sampler.

You can definitely play the stems back live as long as you’re comfortable with your timing, and as long as you don’t hit the polyphony limit. You can also sequence the stems but I’d absolutely look into the patterns sequencer workflow if that’s your preference, some people really dislike how it works, but it does offer long pattern lengths.

EDIT: realize I was assuming a lot about how groove based your music is, I will say having the long loops to free-form swell from one sound to the next is a wonderful sp experience, too.

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#31

Well, I see your point and I might consider a used mki, it’s just that I want only the new and shiny things and I know it’s stupid but I am like that with my tools :slight_smile: I suppose I will have to decide between a digitakt and an octatrack in the end. I understand that I have 11 minutes on the digitakt but I am not sure about how much memory it has when compared with the octatrack and if it would be enough for a live show. Gotta study more

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#32

You might actually have more in-memory with the Digitakt, but it’s mono-only where the Octatrack is stereo-only, and the OT can also stream straight from disk. Definitely do your own research, though, don’t take my word for any of this :smiley:

#33

The SP-404 can cover a lot of ground. It can mangle samples and be used for sound design through resampling. You can use it as an FX unit on a send from your mixer, or be the platform for your performance. Many also use it as composition tool for building beats.

I’ve got the SX and the SP-303 myself. Check out the SP-thread here on Lines.

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#34

With the midi expander you get access to the 400 slices on offer :slight_smile: Its just so well thought out and deep yet easy to get something very cool, very quickly. And its reasonably priced - 16bit 48khz

So the MKII Octatrack isn’t much different? I dont are about the UI so much but I think I read that the MKII was upgraded in its I/o?

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#35

Does anyone on here have experiences with one of these? I bought one recently, mainly because I can transfer files from my Emulator IV onto it, which makes it a lot less boring than it might otherwise be (since it can’t sample). It seems like it has a very similar architecture to the Emax II (same filters, I think), which is a sampler I’ve wanted for a while, but with quite a bit more power. Anyway, I’d love to discuss old, but not super fancy, EMU samplers here. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information on the internet about the IIIXP in particular, so I would be curious to know if folks have messed around with it. I might make a demo video of it since there are very few on youtube.

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#36

Which is in your opinion the best sampler to perform live? I am particularly interested in playing back my stems and mangling and adding effects live.

At first I thought the Octatrack was the best solution, it is probably the best sampler on the market but the learning curve scares me (people are telling me if they stop playing it for some time then they forget everything) and in my opinion is too expensive, so maybe a Digitakt, but the sample time seems a bit short and all the videos I watch depicts it like a drum machine. Roland SP404: if you use more than a couple of stems at the same time is difficult to handle and sync is not the best, but still is a classic and works with batteries.

I started doing this with an AKAI APC40, but I do not want to use a computer, so MPC Live or MPC One to me is nothing more than a controller with a software (it’s just a matter of personal taste). I recently watched some videos on the Roland MC707 but I think is overkill, as I already have a Digitone and a TR8s and the sampling part on the MC707 does not seem to be the main feature.

What do you think?

#37

In what way do you feel this is different than an Octatrack or Digitakt or SP404? They’re all controllers with embeded softwares. Is it because it’s got a big HD touchscreen and it makes it feel like a computer to you?

To me if it’s a closed ecosystem meant for music only, with an interface meant for music only : it’s not a computer.

Otherwise technically it’s all computers.

I don’t mean this to start a debate, because it’s already been debated on another topic with a lot of various point of views, but more because if we can help you with your choice it’s important for us precisely to understand what you want or don’t want. For the things you describe, it seems to me like an MPC Force would be a go to or MPC Live if footprint is a concern.

There’s also obviously Deluge, the lack of screen might make it feel more like an instrument to you (although definitely also just a controller with a software, like MPC and Octatrack!) I see it more and more used as a live sampler and it’s such a powerhouse I can see why. It’s got limitations too, so it depends on the i/o you need, is it more for stems? Clip launching? Pad playing ? Live mangling and fx? Is Sequencing external gear a concern?

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#38

Deluge is pretty interesting yes! I got what you mean. Let’s say I don’t like the big screens because it makes me feel like I am using an “actual” computer which I use 8 to 10 hours a day already :slight_smile:

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#39

Have you considered an Octatrack DPS-1? It is significantly cheaper than the Octatrack Mk2. IMO, the learning curve of the Octatrack is not as steep as people say it is. There are definitely some things that aren’t intuitive, but if you already own a Digitone, you are halfway there.

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#40

I think it would be overkill If I only need a sampler

#41

I’ll second that. I’m always surprised by how often I hear about this learning curve aspect, and I never thought it was that bad. It’s like the Dark Souls of gear, people say it’s hardcore when it’s just a matter of understanding how it works and then it’s not all that complicated. Elektron has a bad habit (at least I find it a bit annoying) to rename concepts well known elsewhere by other names, so it can be a bit confusing at first, but once you get past that, and understand how everything functions, it’s more deep than particularly complicated. And you can just as well bypass 70% of its features and still have fun for years.

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#42

I suppose that you have to dedicate quite a lot of time to it to learn it, no? Having a young kid I usually play only a couple evenings a week, that’s why I was looking for something more immediate

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#43

Octatrack is pretty immediate. I recently got it and was also afraid of it’s “learning curve”. But now I’m like “it can’t be that simple, right?”.
The main things that need learning are button combos.
But the real difficulty is deciding what to do with it, and it’s unrelated to octatrack itself, it’s a personal thing.
I guess if you want to compose whole tracks on it it might get pretty complex, but Ableton can too :slight_smile:

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#44

Take a look at the 1010 music blackbox:

Should be perfect for what you want. You can stream directly from SD card, so the memory is virtually unlimited. It’s very simple to learn and use too. It has 3 stereo outs, plus an input where you can sample on the go, or even record to card. I love mine. And it’s tiny. It also receives regular updates.

Make sure you understand the limitations though: 16 stems at once in clip mode (a bit like Ableton Live in a box), the sequencer is fairly simple, polyphony is limited, as is max sample count.

If you do too much at once you run up against the processor ceiling, but once you know where it lies, there is no problem in using it effectively without getting glitches. Playing stems only is not a problem, except when you change presets (sample banks). At least currently - it might change with an update.

#45

An iPad is portable, can be gotten cheaply used and offers an insane amount of great ways to mangle something.

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#46

While true iPad also sends one on a journey of finding the right app. And it also is not much different from a computer in terms of interfacing.

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#47

I do have it, I tried SAMPLR but I don’t like the fact that you cannot record multitrack in real time. The app is awesome but useless for the way I play