Samplers

My favorite loop station is Clark and Lake, but folks seem to be all about this Boss RC-30 Loop Station. Of course, I don't trust just anyone to change my mind — that's the job of contributing pro reviewers like Marty Cutler.  

Some so-called "samplers" are really sequencers with a smidgen of sample-memory for sound storage. The Roland SP-404SX Sampler, however, can store and playback up to 96 hours of mono, uncompressed audio. Just ponder the annoying epic performance possibilities! Reviewer David Battino lets us in on whether the SP-404SX is every bit as reliable and useful as its predecessors, or a skippable sampler update.  

Jon Philpot of Bear in Heaven warns Owen about the dangers of trusting MIDI synch in live performance. Also discussed: real synths vs plugins, the seeming omnipotence of Ableton Live, and starting the band you didn't mean to start.  

Electronic musician, multi-instrumentalist and music journalist Marty Cutler asks "is the MPC still the king of the beat machines?" He answers this question by examining the über-successful, mid-market Akai MPC1000, putting it through its beat-making paces, and writing up a thorough Pro Review for your perusal.  

Are you a sample-phile? Well then, be sure to cleanse your palette before sampling the finest that the Korg MicroSampler has to offer. This budget offering from the good people at Korg vineyards boasts a heady array of sampling modes with pleasantly lingering key-mapping notes.  

Dan Krishner from Roland gives us a thorough walk-through and demo of the Roland SP-404sx. This little box is perfect for a huge array of sampling-based musical and sound design applications; this fifteen-minute demo just scratches the surface of what you can do with an SP404sx.  

Do you love chickens? I mean really love chickens. Then this video demo of the new Way Out Ware iSample sampler / sequencer for iPhone and iPod touch is the gear demo of your dreams.  

The original Kaossilator may have been a great addition to your live setup, but the new Korg Kaossilator Pro might be the only rig you'll need, all by itself. Watch this video demo from Winter NAMM 2010 to see what we mean.  

The presence of Korg at the 127th AES show lent itself to two great opportunities: 1) to check out the new Korg MicroSAMPLER in action, and 2)to review Former Justice Souter's majority opinion in the seminal sampling case Luther R. Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker, et al., Petitioners v. Acuff-Rose Music, Incorporated. As if we needed more proof that David Souter rocks.  

The SP-404 is indeed a famous portable sampler from Roland that have given DJs a smile. Bringing in more to the table to cater to the ever expanding needs of DJs and other musicians into sampling, the Roland SP-404SX has been unveiled.  

Even for those of us not long enough in the tooth to remember when the Casio SK-1 came out, the legend of this handy device looms large, even though the thing itself is not that big. One man band Willis P. Jenkins demos the SK-1 for us, and continues to amaze us with his penchant for instruments that make multitasking seem easy.  

Samplers sure are fun, but when you're performing as a one-man-band like Willis P. Jenkins is, they're a downright necessity. Learn how the Roland SPD-S sampling drum-pad can help you avoid nearly all human contact.  

Even if you haven't fully explored the multitudinous function on the Akai MPC5000 -- and we'll understand if you haven't yet -- you'll want to check out the expanded features that the OS v2.0 firmware upgrade offers. Also, it's a free upgrade; download now and ask questions later.  

John Bechdel has played with the likes of Ministry and Fear Factory. Now, working on his own project, False Icons, he takes some time to chat about the Akai S5000.  

Get with the programming on the Korg Electribe ESX-1. Bill Holland shows you the many ways you can sequence your individual parts on this unit and all the crazy effects you can apply and tweak on the fly.  

Electric Funk and Envelope Followers. Is it any coincidence they both share the same initials? No, it is not. These two EF-ers are nearly inextricable, and in this video, Bill Holland shows you how to get the most funk-per-filter on the Korg Electribe ESX1.  

Want a single-box solution for recreating the backing tracks for your favorite early 90s dance pop tracks? Bill has your answer in the form of the Korg ESX1 Electribe and this informative walkthru video, one of three.  

No tanks allowed? I'm guessing that's what the headline on this classic Keyboard Magazine ad from 1985 means. Just take a look for yourself. If nothing else, you can drool over the PPG while learning how not to design a magazine ad.  

Jean Michel Jarre's name is synonymous with late-seventies spacey electronic music. In fact, his excursions into sprawling, multi-part synth odysseys would later inspire the mid-eighties Space Synth style of dance music. However, when I think of Jean Michel Jarre, what I really think about is: How did he create all of those sounds in 1978?  

If the perfect compromise leaves all parties dissatisfied, then the new Korg M50 is like the exact opposite of the perfect compromise! Who wouldn't be satisfied with a full featured Korg workstation that's equally suited for live performance AND is is half the price of an M3?  

Mike Huckaby has been djing in over 12 different countries in the last 12 months, has taught reaktor and ableton all over the world, and has received accolades on his recent remix work for artists including Juan Atkins. While serving for a long time as the go-to DJ at the famous Record Time, Mike now mentors Detroit youth in Ableton Live and Reaktor when not performing or producing. This week, Gearwire got a chance to talk shop and find out what Mike has been up to in the studio and out.  

It's time to get your hands dirty with a beat making tutorial on the MPC500. Bill Holland walks you through what to do with all those sweet, sweet pads.  

We welcome the Akai MPC500 into Gearwire Studio, and Bill shows all you future producers (and current producers) how to set the Akai MPC500 up for use. This includes a look at the controls, assigning your pads and fine tuning the pad sounds.  

The latest episode of Crosstalk features an interview with one of Chicago's fastest-rising (and youngest) hip-hop and R&B producers, Nael Shehade from Force One Seven. We pick his brain about his gear and production methods.  

Will we ever get tired of the "Bang Your Beats On" stock Roland Sample? The answer, of course, is no, but seeing as how Jason Donnelly concludes his look at the SP-555, you better get your fix while it's in.  

The Roland SP-555 has the effects capabilities you'd come to expect from a giant like Roland -- the audio company, not the literal giant who lives in a windmill in Holland.  

In this section of DJ Puzzle's look at the Roland SP-555, Sir Puzz-A-Lot checks out some of the preset patterns included with the unit. He also uses this opportunity to test out some of the controls as they relate to pattern manipulation.  

In part two of his SP-555 overview, DJ Puzzle gets caught in the pull of that Roland electronics staple, the D-Beam. Did you know that DJ Puzzle's Prius uses a D-Beam for it's throttle control?  

In this Roland SP-555 walkthru, DJ Puzzle Jason Donnelly gives away a tasty morsel of information: his fascination of red and blue flashing lights. All I need now is a form fitting DJ Puzzle costume to get away with the biggest bank heist in history.  

Bill Holland on creating a looped sequence from scratch with the Alesis SR18. I think Bill's finally decided to settle down with the SR18 and make an honest drum machine out of it: I've never seen him spend so much time picking out patterns.