A new Sampler/Grooverbox

[Mikelundy]

Hello everyone,

I need your advice to replace my actual groovebox : Electribe 2 Sampler.

It's a good machine to start with. Its really intuitive and allowed me to be introduced to hardware, making full tracks on it and stop losing time on Ableton where I was distracted by too many plugins / sound available.
I just feel it lack in term of audio quality. For example low become fast muddy and imprecise, (hard to associate kick and bass without it dribble from everywhere) and the high (cymbal, charley etc.) lot of aliasing, not really good effects - who add more aliasing (sensation of crenelage and numeric artefact…) maybe its due to the quality of the convertor I dont know.
I think I just need a more punchy sampler. (I owned a TR-8, DX100, Korg KPR-77, but was still going back to my Electribe. It just suit better my workflow : having everything in one stand alone machine and being able to switch from project to project)…

I have readed a lot about what's were available from old machine to new one.
I never tryied it but I like the ideas of old sampler who add grain/color to the samples.
(thinking about 12/16bit sampler s900/950, EMU-EMAX II, EPS16, MPC60… but these machine got a lot of cons : either too low sampling memory, keyboard based, rack… Is there a standalone groovebox that got the color/punch of those old sampler? It would be associated with my Mackie MS-1202 (used for analogue distortion) and an Alesis 3630 compressor.

My reasearch lead me on :
- ASR-X (I’ve read sequencer is bad but I can sequence to ableton).
- Yamaha RS7000
- Roland MV8000/8800 (doesn’t sample in low bitrate)
- MPC Renaissance?

More expensive but maybe save for a :
- Analog Rythm
- Spectralis (Not sure about this one, wont need the synth engine… On my electribe I wasn't using at all the waveforms osc)

My choice for the moment is more on the ASR-X / ASR-X Pro, i’ve read so good review on it.

Linking some examples of sound I render I would like to reach

- D-Knox ‎- Meditation
- Greg Beato - When Monkeys Attack (I know he saves to tape, would help for the warmer sound…)
- Dana Kelley - Armageddon
- DJ Trebluf - Strikin In Da Hood (look like dr660 sound)
- DJ Baby Pop - WICKI STIK
- Terrence Dixon - Midnight Hours (I know TD is an MC-303 user)
- Robert Armani - Kick Off

Really heavy drums, dirty and distorted.
I'am not going to samples records, will mostly use sampled drums, bass and some hit, tone sound (downloaded online).

Hope i've been accurate on my demand,
Thanks in advance !

[Saukar30]

Personally, instead of a new sampler, I think maybe you could use some outboard effects to run it through.

That Korg sampler is fast & does a lot of neat tricks. Nothing in that price range is as intuitive. The older stuff is really dated & you'll have to deal with load times. Also... relearning another machine might not be as fruitful as you wish.

For a thicker sound, maybe get a good preamp or mixer to run the sampler through. Maybe even an outboard exciter. Sometimes the best way to get a thicker is to bring it through some additional processes.

Good luck!!