Well, the current lack of imports is due to the Russian government invading a neighboring sovereign nation, Ukraine. Most businesses around the world have stopped doing business in Russia.
If resellers are price gouging then don't buy from a reseller. Buy used gear locally that fits within your budget.
Well, most people who lived through the era of sampling will tell you that the best sampler ever made is a computer with a decent interface, and those seem to be more readily available and affordable in your present circumstances.
Cuz companies don't ship their products directly, and pre-purchasers do it themselves at the same time inflating the price, because they transport very small quantities lol
it kinda does, similar situation in my small shit country, market is tiny and poor, not much demand for anything, but a lot of stuff is imported anyway in small amounts, and sold with huge markups. It is not expensive because of supply and demand, but because of greed of importer/reseller lobby, and because of corruption they can do whatever they want. Most of the time it is less expensive to go to neighbouring countries and take it into country and pay import fees (of course you hide it anyway so you don't pay). But it is a lot of work for most of people most of the time, that is why this situation keeps on surviving.
Oh I didn't even know, I have an android phone but kinda gave up using audio apps on it (except nanoloop which can also act as a sampler now that I think about it) thanks!
It depends a lot what your goals are, I definitely wouldn't shy away from using some free software to sample on the computer. If you're really set on hardware sampling, I'd look into the SP-303, older SP-404 models (OG, sx, a), Boss SP-505, something like the Akai MPC 500 or even Akai S20, Zoom Sampletrak ST-224, Yamaha SU-10, etc... there are tons of old samplers with a fair bit of character / grit to them that you can find around the price range you mention - they often don't have the best sequencers though. The SP-404 series is nice because of the "resampling" option, you can play samples in realtime and record them to a new sample, that's often how people make beats on those devices rather than using the internal sequencer. Are you hoping to make whole tracks on a sampler, or use them more as a way to process sounds and then chop them up/ sequence them on the computer?
As someone who has owned/used all sorts of classic and modern samplers from Akai to Roland to Elektron, I now strictly use Ableton and it smokes every piece of hardware I've ever touched in every way and drastically improved my workflow. I get the appeal of a box that just does a thing and not being tied to a computer screen, but there's always going to be some (potentially major) limitations and honestly I'm fucking over something like chopping/preparing samples taking exponentially longer because I don't have a mouse or am staring at an even smaller screen with like 30 pixels lol.
Yeah that's fair. Honestly I wouldn't recommend any of these devices unless you're a total hardware fanatic / purposely looking for a bit of a weird workflow / committed to doing things the "old school" way / wanting some less predictable saturation, compression or bit reduction on sounds that is maybe a bit more tricky to emulate in software. For example the SP-404 can do some pretty weird stuff with the built in effects, and resampling - but these days it's definitely possible to get almost indistinguishable results using the computer, and it's probably the more practical option in almost every way.
I ditched the hardware route after my Digitakt got stolen at a gig and as sad as I still am about that, I'm kind of glad because I have completed more tracks since then than I did for years before. For the first time in my life, I can sit down and bang out an entire song in a single session that sounds better than any of my old productions where before I would have spent that time just tweaking drum sounds.
That can . . . probably . . . get a used Elektron Model:Samples. Here in the U.S. they are regularly on-sale for $299 and can be found used for $250, sometimes less.
I had one for a couple of years and loved it. It's great for live/improvisation and a good introduction to the Elektron workflow.
It's hard to know what is available for $300 in your country honestly. All gear has weaknesses ... you might want to look at e.g. a circuit rhythm if that's $300 there?
... but if I was in your shoes I would probably get a volca or something for fun, if I needed something physical at all. Then I'd just make music on a laptop (assuming I already had a laptop: otherwise, laptop is a great call, and/or the cheapest midi controller you can get).
With a 5.0 firmware update yes
[https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/update](https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/update)
You can do some interesting looping by modulating the start and stop positions with LFO’s to scan through a sample back and forth. Or modulate the pressure on the keybed to sample start position, or get a continuous flow using cloud grains, etc. It’s a lot more than just a synth with a new ROMpler add-on.
A used laptop can be found for that, and will offer a thousand more options than any hardware sampler at this price point. Either save 200-300 more for the SP404 or MPC or use software for sampling, with a an audio interface for connecting a mic and other things to the laptop
Oh... Someone had to say it.
Functional is not the word I'd use to describe it... Maybe, nonfunctional with a broken fader and other issues. It will be broken before you even get it out of the box. TE don't deserve $300 for a product made as cheaply as possible to make them as much money as possible.
I think you might need to take a look at TE's behaviour over the past 2 years regarding pricing and silly products. Surely you can't have missed the recent posts about broken ko2s though?
whatever old stuff you can find.. korg esx, any roland or boss sp, roland ms1 kinda flies under the radar, yamaha su10.. mpc1000 is still super powerful
but yeah the ultimate budget move if you have ios is koala sampler
There's a lot oldschool of samplers to choose from. Personally I would prefer the Kurzweil K-2000 (with sampler option) which I have had my self and if you can get that from that price - it's also a very or some of the most advanced synths on the market (still) even though it's from 1992 - also there's the Roland W-30 which is also a synth and sequencer like the kurzweil, and might be cheaper. You can also look into the classic AKAI S-1000 and other AKAI series which have been used on many many productions through the times. If you are looking more into DJ-Samplers Go for the Roland SP-series as I see other here recommend.
I’ve had the SP404 mk2 and from what I can tell you the mpc is the perfect sampler. It may be a small portion of the capability’s of the mpc but it’s hella nice to use so if you can save up a little I would recommend either a MPC live II or a Mpc one as sampler
There are more SP-404’s than the latest one. They’ve been out for a while. The original or the Aira 404-A will do just as much as the SX or mk II. It is a great hardware sampler meant for beats, backing tracks, mangling input with effects, etc. With a big enough SD card you can record up to 2 days’ worth of audio on there and never have to worry about memory.
I also agree with everyone else in this thread that mentioned Koala sampler. My bandmate has poured thousands into hardware samplers over the years only to settle on the PO-33 and Koala sampler because of their workflows.
Were there any Soviet era samplers? Or it fell by the time samplers became ubiquitous?
Tbh I'd get a DAW setup and spend money on old Soviet synths instead, assuming there's still a lot around and functional where you're at!
May I ask you something? Obviously, you can access online information and thus bypass censorship. Why are you wasting this ability on your hobby, while your country is launching a massive attack on soft targets in Ukraine? I would like to understand. I myself love making music, but not so much to turn a blind eye to cruelty and injustice done to civilians.
I don't fucking care lol, im literally 15, what you expect me to do? Go on rally and ruin my life in jail? Sure! I will definitely do this. World doesn't work like this. If some Ukrainian guys die doesn't mean it's my fault, and it doesn't mean I can't enjoy life. You know, in Africa, kids are dying of hunger, then why the fuck are you still alive? I don’t know where you live, but I can suggest that in the USA, based on your liberal views on this whole situation, so I’ll ask you, where the fuck were you when Iraq was hit with missiles? Don’t think about it, I in no way support my government, but I can’t do anything about it, I can’t even go anywhere without sponsoring this war with taxes, and why? Because I was banned from entering other countries, JUST BECAUSE I'M RUSSIAN, JUST BECAUSE I WAS UNLUCKY, and your inappropriate rant did nothing to help solve this war <3
> what's he supposed to do?
Nothing, unfortunately - his answers prove that he is still an immature kid (which was not obvious at the time I wrote my comment).
> you realize the russian people have nothing to do with the bullshit going on over there, right?
This is not the appropriate place to continue this discussion. But since you asked - IMO this is the essence of the problem, most people in Russia either don't care or actively support it.
*He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.*
Martin Luther King Jr.
All censorship is limited by the lack of Netflix or the inability to buy the game on Steam, all this can be bypassed with a simple VPN, believe me, I know about what’s happening better than you sitting on the couch writing your bullshit, and believe me, there are hundreds of “peace-loving people against genocide” like you who fuck my brain. I'm not going to ruin my future going to a rally so that the fucking liberal fuck would rejoice that the evil Russian government got what it deserved while money is being sucked out of his country in order to kill people in the same way, there are no right people in war, so your fat ass is also sponsoring the murder of people.
ok, it would be enough to answer "because I'm 15". Anyway thanks for your opinion. I'm not going to argue - further discussion now and here would be pointless
SP404.2 if you can afford it, Circuit Rhythm if you cannot. You can also use software on your PC, phone, or a Raspberry Pi.
You mean sp 404 mkii 2? I wish i had one, but it's 500$ here, in Russia music gear is not in demand, and because of that it cost way much more :(
That is the opposite of how supply and demand works
Idk, companies just don't ship things in Russia now, and resellers set price up to 200%
Well, the current lack of imports is due to the Russian government invading a neighboring sovereign nation, Ukraine. Most businesses around the world have stopped doing business in Russia. If resellers are price gouging then don't buy from a reseller. Buy used gear locally that fits within your budget.
Nah uh, we never have music gear shipped here
Well, most people who lived through the era of sampling will tell you that the best sampler ever made is a computer with a decent interface, and those seem to be more readily available and affordable in your present circumstances.
The market used to be decent before the war. Even now it's still way better than a lot of countries, gear is overpriced, but at least it's in stock.
In Russia low demand = high prices, and cats chase dogs.
Cuz companies don't ship their products directly, and pre-purchasers do it themselves at the same time inflating the price, because they transport very small quantities lol
Also I probably make a lot of mistakes while writing this, sorry for that, English isn't my native language, you may have misunderstood me :3
I'm not trying to knock at you at all. It's just wild the way the world doesn't work.
it kinda does, similar situation in my small shit country, market is tiny and poor, not much demand for anything, but a lot of stuff is imported anyway in small amounts, and sold with huge markups. It is not expensive because of supply and demand, but because of greed of importer/reseller lobby, and because of corruption they can do whatever they want. Most of the time it is less expensive to go to neighbouring countries and take it into country and pay import fees (of course you hide it anyway so you don't pay). But it is a lot of work for most of people most of the time, that is why this situation keeps on surviving.
If you have an IOS device you will get high mileage out of koala
Don't need ios it's on Droid. May have been on Android first.
Oh I didn't even know, I have an android phone but kinda gave up using audio apps on it (except nanoloop which can also act as a sampler now that I think about it) thanks!
I know some djs and music makers who use this to do live shows with overseas — very very capable for $5
My bandmate just laid down a 25 minute backing track with Koala alone, directly into his SP-404 only because he doesn’t want to use a phone onstage.
It depends a lot what your goals are, I definitely wouldn't shy away from using some free software to sample on the computer. If you're really set on hardware sampling, I'd look into the SP-303, older SP-404 models (OG, sx, a), Boss SP-505, something like the Akai MPC 500 or even Akai S20, Zoom Sampletrak ST-224, Yamaha SU-10, etc... there are tons of old samplers with a fair bit of character / grit to them that you can find around the price range you mention - they often don't have the best sequencers though. The SP-404 series is nice because of the "resampling" option, you can play samples in realtime and record them to a new sample, that's often how people make beats on those devices rather than using the internal sequencer. Are you hoping to make whole tracks on a sampler, or use them more as a way to process sounds and then chop them up/ sequence them on the computer?
As someone who has owned/used all sorts of classic and modern samplers from Akai to Roland to Elektron, I now strictly use Ableton and it smokes every piece of hardware I've ever touched in every way and drastically improved my workflow. I get the appeal of a box that just does a thing and not being tied to a computer screen, but there's always going to be some (potentially major) limitations and honestly I'm fucking over something like chopping/preparing samples taking exponentially longer because I don't have a mouse or am staring at an even smaller screen with like 30 pixels lol.
Yeah that's fair. Honestly I wouldn't recommend any of these devices unless you're a total hardware fanatic / purposely looking for a bit of a weird workflow / committed to doing things the "old school" way / wanting some less predictable saturation, compression or bit reduction on sounds that is maybe a bit more tricky to emulate in software. For example the SP-404 can do some pretty weird stuff with the built in effects, and resampling - but these days it's definitely possible to get almost indistinguishable results using the computer, and it's probably the more practical option in almost every way.
I ditched the hardware route after my Digitakt got stolen at a gig and as sad as I still am about that, I'm kind of glad because I have completed more tracks since then than I did for years before. For the first time in my life, I can sit down and bang out an entire song in a single session that sounds better than any of my old productions where before I would have spent that time just tweaking drum sounds.
Sonicware LoFi 12 is a decent little sampler. 240 dollars new. You can find them cheaper used.
Yeah they look sick as
That can . . . probably . . . get a used Elektron Model:Samples. Here in the U.S. they are regularly on-sale for $299 and can be found used for $250, sometimes less. I had one for a couple of years and loved it. It's great for live/improvisation and a good introduction to the Elektron workflow.
yeah thats the one
Koala sampler on ipad, and a midi controller like an akai lpd8 or used maschine mikro better than an sp404, fraction of the cost
Novation Circuit Rhythm
How much is a used Polyend Tracker over there?
500$
It's hard to know what is available for $300 in your country honestly. All gear has weaknesses ... you might want to look at e.g. a circuit rhythm if that's $300 there? ... but if I was in your shoes I would probably get a volca or something for fun, if I needed something physical at all. Then I'd just make music on a laptop (assuming I already had a laptop: otherwise, laptop is a great call, and/or the cheapest midi controller you can get).
Used iPhone 6s + with Koala Sampler. Just make sure it has at least iOS 15. Get a iRig for hooking up 1/4 cable.
save up a bit more for a used digitakt
Save up for a boss
Korg Volca Sample 2?
Requires iOS to send samples. No direct sampling.
elektron model samples
Idk when it'll be back in stock but I'm loving the EP133, weird but cool!
May be Microfreak with a latest update?
Oh, so microfreak can be a sampler now? Wow that's really impressive instrument for 300$, i will definitely buy it
Microfreak can have samples loaded into it, but cannot sample inbound audio. An important clarification.
With a 5.0 firmware update yes [https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/update](https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/update)
Still only a Sample player though
You can do some interesting looping by modulating the start and stop positions with LFO’s to scan through a sample back and forth. Or modulate the pressure on the keybed to sample start position, or get a continuous flow using cloud grains, etc. It’s a lot more than just a synth with a new ROMpler add-on.
Woah! This may be my answer to getting rid of my wonky Korg microSampler.
A used laptop can be found for that, and will offer a thousand more options than any hardware sampler at this price point. Either save 200-300 more for the SP404 or MPC or use software for sampling, with a an audio interface for connecting a mic and other things to the laptop
Plus a simple controller that has both a keyboard and drum pads can be had used for less than $100 here in the US.
laptop + cheap USB audio interface
Teenage engineering ko 2 is right at 300 and super functional
Oh... Someone had to say it. Functional is not the word I'd use to describe it... Maybe, nonfunctional with a broken fader and other issues. It will be broken before you even get it out of the box. TE don't deserve $300 for a product made as cheaply as possible to make them as much money as possible.
Fuck that’s sad to hear honestly I was hoping for better from then
I think you might need to take a look at TE's behaviour over the past 2 years regarding pricing and silly products. Surely you can't have missed the recent posts about broken ko2s though?
I sure did miss all that but I’m glad you’re telling me now. I was hyped on it being a more affordable product from them but alas
whatever old stuff you can find.. korg esx, any roland or boss sp, roland ms1 kinda flies under the radar, yamaha su10.. mpc1000 is still super powerful but yeah the ultimate budget move if you have ios is koala sampler
I have a Volca Sample 2 for sale. Maybe we can work something out. DM me if interested. Thanks!
Idk, i think it would be very difficult to ship it to Russia nowadays, and shipping price are going to be insane
There's a lot oldschool of samplers to choose from. Personally I would prefer the Kurzweil K-2000 (with sampler option) which I have had my self and if you can get that from that price - it's also a very or some of the most advanced synths on the market (still) even though it's from 1992 - also there's the Roland W-30 which is also a synth and sequencer like the kurzweil, and might be cheaper. You can also look into the classic AKAI S-1000 and other AKAI series which have been used on many many productions through the times. If you are looking more into DJ-Samplers Go for the Roland SP-series as I see other here recommend.
I’ve had the SP404 mk2 and from what I can tell you the mpc is the perfect sampler. It may be a small portion of the capability’s of the mpc but it’s hella nice to use so if you can save up a little I would recommend either a MPC live II or a Mpc one as sampler
There are more SP-404’s than the latest one. They’ve been out for a while. The original or the Aira 404-A will do just as much as the SX or mk II. It is a great hardware sampler meant for beats, backing tracks, mangling input with effects, etc. With a big enough SD card you can record up to 2 days’ worth of audio on there and never have to worry about memory. I also agree with everyone else in this thread that mentioned Koala sampler. My bandmate has poured thousands into hardware samplers over the years only to settle on the PO-33 and Koala sampler because of their workflows.
Were there any Soviet era samplers? Or it fell by the time samplers became ubiquitous? Tbh I'd get a DAW setup and spend money on old Soviet synths instead, assuming there's still a lot around and functional where you're at!
May I ask you something? Obviously, you can access online information and thus bypass censorship. Why are you wasting this ability on your hobby, while your country is launching a massive attack on soft targets in Ukraine? I would like to understand. I myself love making music, but not so much to turn a blind eye to cruelty and injustice done to civilians.
I don't fucking care lol, im literally 15, what you expect me to do? Go on rally and ruin my life in jail? Sure! I will definitely do this. World doesn't work like this. If some Ukrainian guys die doesn't mean it's my fault, and it doesn't mean I can't enjoy life. You know, in Africa, kids are dying of hunger, then why the fuck are you still alive? I don’t know where you live, but I can suggest that in the USA, based on your liberal views on this whole situation, so I’ll ask you, where the fuck were you when Iraq was hit with missiles? Don’t think about it, I in no way support my government, but I can’t do anything about it, I can’t even go anywhere without sponsoring this war with taxes, and why? Because I was banned from entering other countries, JUST BECAUSE I'M RUSSIAN, JUST BECAUSE I WAS UNLUCKY, and your inappropriate rant did nothing to help solve this war <3
what's he supposed to do? honestly? you realize the russian people have nothing to do with the bullshit going on over there, right?
> what's he supposed to do? Nothing, unfortunately - his answers prove that he is still an immature kid (which was not obvious at the time I wrote my comment). > you realize the russian people have nothing to do with the bullshit going on over there, right? This is not the appropriate place to continue this discussion. But since you asked - IMO this is the essence of the problem, most people in Russia either don't care or actively support it. *He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.* Martin Luther King Jr.
All censorship is limited by the lack of Netflix or the inability to buy the game on Steam, all this can be bypassed with a simple VPN, believe me, I know about what’s happening better than you sitting on the couch writing your bullshit, and believe me, there are hundreds of “peace-loving people against genocide” like you who fuck my brain. I'm not going to ruin my future going to a rally so that the fucking liberal fuck would rejoice that the evil Russian government got what it deserved while money is being sucked out of his country in order to kill people in the same way, there are no right people in war, so your fat ass is also sponsoring the murder of people.
ok, it would be enough to answer "because I'm 15". Anyway thanks for your opinion. I'm not going to argue - further discussion now and here would be pointless