KVR Audio

vicshere · Post by **vicshere** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:31 pm

What's the best sampler to add to my collection of stuff? Cheers!

mellotronaut · Post by **mellotronaut** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:39 pm

It depends in what you need, of course. Kontakt 3 is always a good choice, but if you want to sample, you'd need another app.

Meloday · Post by **Meloday** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:04 pm

it always makes me laugh when a sampler can't sample

that's like a keyboard that doesn't have, um, keys!

kontakt is a beast, indeed. check out shortcircuit too..it's free...and its wicked..

noiselurker · Post by **noiselurker** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:40 pm

Once again, it depends upon what you need. Do you want hardware or software?
Software samplers really are "romplers", none of them actually sample lol. But they are all great at what they do, and they are a fraction of the price of hardware samplers.

These days, there are a ton of hardware samplers that have software that integrate them into your daw, and they really do act as a vsti. Korg's M3 actually might as well be a rediculously overpriced vsti, the software it comes with, and firewire option, make it function just like a vsti, and it actually works. Yamaha's motif, the newer ones, come with some sort of cubase AI software, that makes the whole motif a vsti.

So honestly, if you try to compare the softsamplers to a yamaha motif that is a vsti and a big honking great synth, then I think the Motif wins.

As for vsti's that are samplers, you have kontakt 3, which as stated earlier is a BEAST, it has seperate players in it and alot of editing modulation functions, including the script editor. With the script editor, and the seperate players, it's really amazing. You can really edit all the midi functions with the script editor, and make a performance sound "real".

Wusikstation continues to improve at a fraction of the cost of everything. A group buy brings it to $50 usually, and it is now a full functioned sampler, with keyzone mapping. Plus it's modulation sources are amazing. It actually IMO has more flexible modulation routing than even kontakt. It doesn't have a script editor, but I don't think most people use the script editor that much on kontakt, even though it's really usefull. Wusik is just easier to use and I like it because it's really a synth that became a sampler, so that means all the synth functions can modulate the samples, including it's wave sequencer, kontakt has one as well, but it's not as extensive.

My two software sampler picks are kontakt and Wusik.

There is however one more choice....

EMU's software sampler. It is the ONLY software sampler I know of that actually DOES SAMPLE! It will take audio in, which means it samples, records on it's own either as a stand alone or a vsti. And all it requires now instead of a card is a little usb plug, and that's it.

EMU's Emulator series with the routing actually blows most hardware and software out of the window. They own sampling. The modulation routing, fx, and amazing filters, combined with a great graphic interface, a decent sample library to start off, and once again it's modulation matrix that lets pretty much any function modulate any other function, is probably the not only the best choice, but the only TRUE soft sampler that actually SAMPLES!

I guess with most other vsti soft samplers you have to think of the host, and soundcard as part of the sampler, and the software as it's yummy editing tools.

I don't think you could go wrong with any of the soft samplers I listed, EMU, Wusik, Kontakt, are all going to rock.

I don't like the idea of the hardware vsti's just because they cost literally 10 times as much as the soft samplers, which with the rediculous power of the quadcore processors really makes the sampler's usage of pc processing power almost irrelivant(unless you are really trying to do a giant orchestral composition). If you are doing a giant project, you can pick up a quad core computer on EBAY for about 500 dollars, and use it as a dedicated sampler lol, and it's still cheaper than the damn korg or yamaha stuff.

So I guess:

1. SoftSamplers: Kontakt, Wusik (just my personal preferences)

2. Hybrid SoftSampler: EMU it is software with jus a usb plug in. It is the ONLY softsampler I know of that actually samples.

I honestly kind of lean towards the EMU over all, just because the mod matrix is awsome, and it actually samples. It is a great piece of work that alot of people forget about, and it's really the same price as most vsti's now, and no longer requires a emu sound card.

3. Hardware samplers: I do like the Korg m3, and Yamaha Motif(the new motif is not only a little more powerfull, but its all knoby, and "sexy"). I shy away from them though just because of price. I would guess the rack versions of each are about 1,500 dollars. Too much, when you have the above mentioned soft samplers IMHO.

I now have carpel tunnel syndrome from typing this, jesus....

mellotronaut · Post by **mellotronaut** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:45 pm

Wow, that was quite a good and detailed answer!
Hats off!

m

vicshere · Post by **vicshere** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:51 pm

Wow,thanks to all, obviously noiselurker especially! I think this may take some time... do I want to actually go and make a lot of my own samples?... Yes, I think I do! If I ever get anything good done, I'l let you all have it. Cheers!

thelizard · Post by **thelizard** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:58 pm

directwave samples. it's the only soft-sampler I know that does...

shortcircuit is my personal favorite for mangling, and it's free.

kontakt has terrific libraries, both default and commercial

khanyz · Post by **khanyz** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:00 am

What about Yellow Tools? I've tried their rompler in Magix Music Studio and it sounded great for the price. I am just starting with Independence Free but it seems to be great. The only drawback is the lack of Orchestral Sounds.

I'm currently deciding between a used copy of Kontakt 2 or getting Independence Basic.

Any Ideas?

sergevoluminous · Post by **sergevoluminous** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:25 am

Looks like you use pro tools, so maybe start with the free version of structure.
I don't think you can save much but it loads Kontakt files, etc. well.

vicshere · Post by **vicshere** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:58 am

sergevoluminous wrote:Looks like you use pro tools, so maybe start with the free version of structure.
I don't think you can save much but it loads Kontakt files, etc. well.

Thanks Serge and everyone else!

MaxSynths · Post by **MaxSynths** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:24 pm

Meloday wrote:it always makes me laugh when a sampler can't sample that's like a keyboard that doesn't have, um, keys!

Yes, I agree with you

Does a REAL sampler (not sample player) exists in the VST/soft realm??
In the meantime I stick with my S2000 and Shortcircuit.

Best Sampler