Expanding on my electribe tracks

scintilla · Post by **scintilla** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:21 pm

Hi all,

I recently purchased an electribe EMX and am loving it. I produce mostly chillout and ambient tracks and am fast finding myself unable to complete tracks or that after making a good drum pattern and a few synth lines, the track gets a bit boring and repetitive.

I would like to be able to sample parts of songs or vocals from a CD or even better, MP3 to give a more wholesome, complete and atmospheric feel.

My question: What instrument can I purchase to record and playback samples with the electribe beats, bass an synth lines i have composed? I know the ESX is one choice, but is there anything else that covers the same functions? I dont necessarily need to add more drums or synth just effects and a few samples.

Another issue is that I find the EMX buttons clunky so if there is a sampler with a keyboard that would be perfect! Any suggestions welcome, i'm a total newbie and really appreciate any help on this.

Cheers!

kvnvk · Post by **kvnvk** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:10 pm

well there's the Korg MicroSampler... I haven't used it but it fits the bill for your request for a sampler with a keyboard. my other suggestion would be a Roland SP-404, no keyboard but still fairly simple to figure out. I've used one for a number of years (and previous models) and find they're great for exactly what you're wanting to do.

MarcusCarab · Post by **MarcusCarab** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:19 am

+1 on the MicroSampler and the SP. The KP3 is also a fun sampler and would also give you its huge range of dynamic effects - lots of filters and LFOs that are great for ambience. It doesn't have a keyboard, neither does the SP, but both have big cushy pads that are easier and more fun to play than the EMX buttons in terms of triggering samples and such.

There are other possibilities, if you really only have a /little/ bit of sampling you want to do, and maybe want to save some cash - you can can look at older equipment. Older stuff always comes with limitations, but some of it is great. Two other ideas:

- Older Roland SPs like the classic SP-202. Great MIDI implementation. Cool lo-fi sound with classic filters

- Casio SK! So many awesome vintage sampling keyboards. Not too expensive on ebay - amazingly cheap if you luck into one at a flea market or second hand store. Again, cool lo-fi sound. But only some will have the capabilities you want (such as assigning different samples to different keys) - you can get lots of details here: http://www.casiosk1.com/ - also there are lots of circuit-bent ones out there with patchbays and pitch pots and all sorts of other awesome features

Keep in mind too that for almost any sampler with MIDI inputs you can simply control it with an external keyboard - just pick up a MIDI controller like an M-Audio Radium or an Akai APK and you can use it with plenty of samplers

scintilla · Post by **scintilla** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 1:05 am

Thank you both, Appreciate the support and time taken out to answer my questions. I will certainly look into getting something based on your suggestions. Cheers!

kvnvk · Post by **kvnvk** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:06 am

imo the main drawback to the KP3 though would be the load time for samples (unless there's been an update that addresses that issue?) and the limitation of only being able to play back 4 samples at a time. older gear is always a distinct possibility as well.

MarcusCarab · Post by **MarcusCarab** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:09 am

Nah, load time still is and probably always will be an issue. It's true - for a sampler combined with a dynamic effects processor, the KP3 is great bang for the buck (and obviously it's a lot of fun). But evaluated just as a sampler, it's somewhat lacking.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 9:34 am

I have an SP404, KP3 and Kaossilator Pro. I'd highly recommend the SP404. 12 pads, great for triggering samples live, some really good effects on it too. My mate uses the microsampler for his samples: more options in terms of sample editting i believe: like stretching or keyboard mode where you can sample a sound and stretch it across the keyboard to play it like a synth. I'm not a fan of the keyboard layout. prefer the pads, alot easier to hit the right one and easier to do finger drumming.

SP404 is great cos with a 1GB compact flash card (or SD card on SX version) there's nearly no chance you'll run out of sampling space unless you're recording entire tracks in stereo. samples are always ready to go, no loading headaches.
has a basic pattern sequencer which can run alongside the EMX nicely when MIDI sync'd. You can sequence it with the EMX also: dedicate a synth part to it or use the drum MIDI channel (10) to layer over your own drum samples or any other kind of samples. has plenty very useable effects on it but only one effect on at any time but you can assign that effect to multiple samples and to the input mic/line.

heres an example of a track i used the SP404 with the EMX. I recorded a bunch of wobbly bassline samples into the 404 then sequenced them back using the EMX. (the 404 uses 2 MIDI channels max depending on which of the sample banks you sample onto) I used 2 synth parts up for the sequencing but the result is better than you'd be able to achieve with those synth parts on the EMX alone. excuse the sound quality, i passed everything thru a guitar pedal which had a flat spot.

http://soundcloud.com/neotechtonics/roughcut-wip

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 5:20 pm

One problem with the SP-404 is that it only has a one track sequencer- this may not be what you want. I think that the Boss SP 505 is a great deal- it has four tracks - a Wave edit screen- great effects - one hour high quality sampling time- chopping and lots more features- Check it out!

sauce · Post by **sauce** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 8:25 pm

robosardine wrote:I think that the Boss SP 505 is a great deal

I have never in my life loathed a sampler harder than I loathed the SP-505. Here is my post on LivePA.org during the time I owned one.. It will explain a small portion of the crappiness of this machine:

http://www.livepa.org/board/viewtopic.p ... 252#p47252

Feelgood · Post by **Feelgood** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:56 am

The first three machines that come to mind are an ESX, an ES-1 or a Microsampler. Many other samplers also come to mind, but those are the top three that I can reccomend, off the top of my head, that are affordable and heavy on features that will definitely give you that added 'spice' that you are wanting to give to your tracks. I've personally never worked with any of the KP3's, but I hear that they are also good for the kind of sound you're trying to achieve.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:49 am

Can the microsampler be used as an external effects unit? And are its effects any good? I'm not terribly familiar with it.
I had a look at the SP-505, doesn't look like my cup of tea. Pad layout isn't great and only 8 voice polyphony which doesn't make sense to me if it has 4 tracks. SP404 has 12voice polyphony and one pattern

@scintilla: would you prefer sequencing all your samples or triggering them on the fly?

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:17 pm

The Sp 505 scores well on just about every review site that you can find- averaging around 4/5 scores. Scintilla's question seems to indicate an interest more in phrase sampling as opposed to a keyboard sampler- in which case the SP- 505 is ideal. Having four tracks means that you can mute any combination of the four tracks (this option to me is far preferable to having an extra four voices) which you cannot do on the SP-404. It does have limited polyphony- but if you have loops/ phrases/ guitar/FX involved on your tracks-then you will have plenty on even only one pattern. Especially if you are using the machine with other boxes (Like Scintilla is doing with the EMX). Much sonic pleasure and mayhem would be guaranteed.

sauce · Post by **sauce** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:28 pm

Robosardine, do you own an SP-505?

I had a rant going, but I edited it out.. There are various things that irked me about that unit, but if you have found a good workflow with it, then that's what's up.

Telengard · Post by **Telengard** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:28 pm

punpkomg wrote:Can the microsampler be used as an external effects unit? And are its effects any good?

Yes you can use it as an external effects unit, but only one effect at a time. Although you can re-sample over and over with different effects until you are happy, but only one live effect at a time. The effects are based off of the kaossilator series, I think. I think they sound great.

Yeah, from the Kaossilator series:

Developed for Korg's KAOSS PAD series, the effect engine serves up a great selection of effects – so important when editing samples. The twenty-one effects include not only traditional delay and chorus, but also ring modulator and grain shifter, and even a Looper that's derived from the Loop Recording feature of the KAOSSILATOR Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer. The effects can be applied to any sound while resampling, allowing the effects to be used over and over again for more sonic expression.

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:32 pm

Yes I do own one. Workflow?- doesn't come in to it for me. The hard work is finding the phrases you want to sample in the first place. All I then want to do is have the SP 505 play them when I want to hear them in sync with the rest of my gear (EMX, ESX, D2 & MC 307) which it does beautifully- and a lot more besides. I havn't really used it for much more than this because the rest of my gear does the complicated interwoven knobtwiddling stuff. My sense is this is what the original question from Scintilla was looking for which was why I thought of it.
I would not dream of using it as a workstation/groovebox on it's own- that would be too much!-my work would certainly not flow if I was trying to do that. It doesn't have step recording for instance- it wont record knob movements- and lot's of other things you might want...... But- I can't think of another phrase sequencer/sampler with the many features it does have (don't forget- 4 tracks & 1hr sampling time) at anywhere near the secondhand price.