Hardware sampler owners

[mks]

I'm finding I'm have a similar work flow as Contakt321's, except with my synthesizers.

I was one of the last people to hold out using my hardware setup. Long after my friends had gone all software and sold off a lot of their gear, I was still using mine with an old apple computer sequencing system and doing mixdowns the old school way. I kept most of my gear and find myself using that stuff all of the time, with the exception of the sampler. It's nice having the best of both worlds.

I might bust my Akai S5000 out again. I remember doing a deep house tune with it last year because I wanted to test out this Symetrix compressor that I had got. I thought the drums sounded so tight and in your face. I have been using software sampling for the last few years just for the convenience.

It's funny because that sampler was probably the most expensive piece of gear that I have bought. It was over $2000 when I bought it in 1999, and was the centerpiece of my studio for years. That is probably why I never got rid of it, besides they are not worth very much now. I'm glad I still have it, as it was such an important tool in my arsenal for years.

EZ

[aeser]

i had an emu e4xt ultra for about 10 years that i loved but finally just sold last year. though it sounds awesome, it's slow and cludgey as dirt compared to kontakt.

[FSTZ]

whats to discuss they exist for when you're after a certain sound that soft can't give
ie: emu z-plane

emulator X uses the dsp off an emu card (with the same chips that the hardware samplers have) and Zplane filters

just sayin'

[FSTZ]

I don't miss my ASR and my EPS shitting the bed on me halfway through a tune

ERROR 144 - REBOOT?

fuck that shit

[aeser]

whats to discuss they exist for when you're after a certain sound that soft can't give
ie: emu z-plane

emulator X uses the dsp off an emu card (with the same chips that the hardware samplers have) and Zplane filters

just sayin'

last i checked, no they didn't. unless they changed emulator X years and years after they stopped producing the e4 samplers with the original chips on them. emulator X did have Z plane filters but they sounded nowhere near as good (i had one at the same time as owning my e4xt ultra) and didn't use the same chips.

[FSTZ]

whats to discuss they exist for when you're after a certain sound that soft can't give
ie: emu z-plane

emulator X uses the dsp off an emu card (with the same chips that the hardware samplers have) and Zplane filters

just sayin'

last i checked, no they didn't. unless they changed emulator X years and years after they stopped producing the e4 samplers with the original chips on them. emulator X did have Z plane filters but they sounded nowhere near as good (i had one at the same time as owning my e4xt ultra) and didn't use the same chips.

you're probably right.. I was thinking of the access virus and the powercore platform using the same motorola chips

annnnyway...

let me re-phrase my earlier statement...

I BELIEVE that the zplane filter emulatorX2 on the 1616m card sounds better than the Zplane filter on my old proteus and I still use the same monitors

[nowaysj]

Symetrix compressor that I had got. I thought the drums sounded so tight and in your face.

Uhm, maybe it was the compressor? Which model?

[mks]

Symetrix compressor that I had got. I thought the drums sounded so tight and in your face.

Uhm, maybe it was the compressor? Which model?

It was the compressor combined with the sampler and doing a full old school mixdown from the desk recording to a Tascam CDRW deck. It was the first old style of mixdown that I had done out of the box in a couple of years. The compressor is a Symetrix 525 and it sounded very nice on the snares.

EZ

[X_S_]

To the OP

I use an mpc 1000 with maxed ram and jj OS.
This OS with this machine is an absolute breeze and a BEAST.
I resample onto the cf memory card. Then I load the wavs onto a computer thru a USB card reader. Download the wavs and that's that. The swing and the ease of drum programming is absolutely clutch.
Just make A drum loop at 140 and you can chop to your hearts content in the software.
I also use a sp 404sx and record onto the sd card with that.
I have Akai s 950 that I haven't busted out in a while, but that is great for adding a timbr and disctinction to drums bass and synths. I used the hell out of it when I was trying to remake Pete rock beats, years ago.

This is actually making me realize I need to busy out my hardware again. Sometimes having limited equipment can force you into greatness

[mks]

This is actually making me realize I need to busy out my hardware again. Sometimes having limited equipment can force you into greatness

I was actually just thinking about that a bit ago while pondering this conversation. I think limitations are good. With my sampler, I only had 8 channels of audio to work with and you had to make them count. Now with the software you can have as many channels as your processor will allow and all of the vst's that you want, but I think that working with limitations actually helped the music in some ways. Sometimes you can do more with less.

EZ

[nowaysj]

For limitations in a sampler, you cannot beat the sp 404sx. Actually you can, but it is hella limited.

[upstateface]

For limitations in a sampler, you cannot beat the sp 404sx. Actually you can, but it is hella limited.

I kinda want one to bring to school with me, to show off for the ladies

[nowaysj]

I take mine to bed with me, no jokes son.

[Ldizzy]

wow.

this thread has gone beyond expectations. thanks to every one of yall modderbeetchez.

theres a shitload of info i want to share but my laptop is currently at repairing... ill edit the post once im done!!

mpc 3000 precisions :
someone asked about the mpc timing features.. theres the quantizing, and then there's the note repeat button, avaliable on every mpc (i guess) and which in my opinion is the most interesting tool on the whole machine.. it basically triggers the sample at whatever quantize setting u put, which allows u to play against a grid... by holding and releasing the pad... that way u can fill blanks in and make very, unperefect yet controlled grooves... altho i gotta admit i more often turned my quantizing off on that machine...

with the vailixi update for the 3k.. u have that cool option to have swing settings for triplets... didnt try it there yet but i think its a crazy idea.

plus i remember reading about the 3k about its particularity of randomly cutting somewhere in the last 20 sec of the sample... at random... which would, in my opinion, help explain its capacity to inject life to ur grooves... meaning every single 4 to the floor kick is different from the other one...

u can also define choke groups (for two other pads only, which in my opinion is very limited)... so a pad stops another..

add that to very good converters, 16 bit high quality sound and a fun workflow... there u have ur answer about the mpc 3000 magical groove...

wavetable capabilities...
ive ALWAYS wondered about how i could use a sampler to actually create wavetable patches... even before i knew about wavetable synthesis... it just sounded so intense to me... so that bit about the eps and asr really got me interested... any other experiences about that...

Something very silly but still...
also... most of those hardware units have no possibility to ''automate'' effect tweaks and such.. is there a way to record the midi information relative to those live tweaks in some samplers.. or something like it.. is it possible to translate it to a daw as midi info!? am i being way too optimistic?

everything ive read up so far is VERY inspirational...

and yes.. gear limitation has one remedy and that is an endlessly increasing creative sense...

keep em comin!

[buttock]

just bought one on ebay

[upstateface]

is there a way to record the midi information relative to those live tweaks in some samplers.. or something like it.. is it possible to translate it to a daw as midi info!? am i being way too optimistic?

Midi CC dawg

[Ldizzy]

so it works

wow the shit im gonna do with that... cant wait.

[wormcode]

I haven't seen/used the Yamaha RS7000, but the Yamaha SU700 I believe was the predecessor and that thing is a beast.

Totally true. I still have 1 fully upgraded SU, and love it. I want another fully upgraded one at some point, but that's the only bad thing about the SUs, the upgrade parts are really rare. It took a lot of ebay sniping to get mine upgraded (including the original branded and padded carrying case - ultra rare), but only one of them. When I did, it increased the value considerably as I've had offers for 800-1000 for mine, which is great considering I picked it up for about 150. The 2 expansions were about 99 each, minus the RAM SIMMs which I had laying around from the 90s. It's amazing for live use, especially being able to sync up to any speed without altering the sound and still having full control over the pitch. That doesn't seem like much in a 2011 software world, but in the 90s-early 2000s this was legendary! It still is IMO.

It was meant to be paired with the RM1x, Yamaha's flagship sequencer at the time. A really amazing combo that they later integrated by creating the RS7000. It was really fun and inspiring to use the pair live coupled with a dedicated synth, I really want to get back to that. The only other downside was having to use a ZIP drive and ZIP disks to store and load samples. Not the loading itself, but rather the failed ZIP technology. The dreaded "click of death" and random dying associated with ZIPs. Otherwise you need to load via floppy disk which is both hilarious and depressing at the same time. Man I have some bad memories of loading 25 floppy disks worth of samples (and that's not much) minutes before going on live, hoping the power didn't cut. I created some interesting workarounds though before I finally was able to locate the ZIP expansion. Made it so much better.


Speedy J was the king of the SU, he also used 2 of them live and it was amazing every time. He is using Ableton Live on a Mac Book these days I believe, and I've not seen him live since but back then... mind blowing shows. There was quite a few videos of him using them live, but this was before the youtube days... I didn't see those SU videos with a quick search, just laptop. I'm sure they're out there though.

[Sharmaji]

the zplane filter emulatorX2 on the 1616m card

yeah that's the single-most fantastically nerdy thing i've read all week-- And Tape-op AND wired both arrived yesterday, so i know my geekdom


HI FIVE BRO!!

[nowaysj]

My asrx pro's internal zip is click of deathing. Fucking zip. Seriously has been a pain in my ass for a decade and a half. Truly the definition of EPIC FAIL.

Is there no scsi type sd, or cf card readers out there to backwards jerry rig this shit?