I remember images of what it used to be like to capture your own samples. You bring a bag of your sampling equipment plus your own microphone attached to it, and take it out on the street to record whatever you want to capture. While slinging along a bag is not all that bad in terms of portability, it would be nice to eliminate more of that bulk and weight so you could move around better. Thanks to the iPhone's thrust in promoting very portable and lightweight options for musicians and sound engineers, this is now a possibility. Way Out Ware iSample ensure that you can record your very own samples by the palm of your hand.

The iSample is a powerful and simple sampler that allows you to sample any sound you'd like via the iPhone's built-in condenser microphone or any microphone that you'd wish to attach to it. Using the iPhone for this purpose already eliminates around 10 to 20 pounds of bulk you would get from other portable hardware samplers. More than just recording your own samples, the iSample features six sample pads that allow you to play your samples in an instant as well as permits you to play six samples all at the same time. Because it is possible to record one long sample with multiple sounds, you can actually create shorter samples based on the longer pad in other pads to allow a more interesting way of playing them. You may also lock the samples into a loop for continuous play.

FEATURES:

• 6 sample pads with direct to disk recording.
• Very fast response to pad touches.
• Up to 6 samples can be played at the same time.
• Banks of pads can be saved and loaded.
• Each sample can be looped.
• A loop lock feature allows you to loop a pad as long as you want.
• No need to interrupt audio play for any tasks.
• Samples can continue looping during load and save.
• Ergonomically designed for the iPhone or iPod touch screen.
• Even large fingers can play easily.
• Unique multi-touch recording makes for very fast and accurate multiple sample captures and accurate slicing of sounds.
• Record lock feature allows you to create longer recordings without touching the pads.

The iSample costs around 2.99 USD. If you already have that iPhone in your hand, it's a pretty small cost compared to shelling out thousands of dollars for a hardware unit you just love to leave at home.