samples

  • Thread starter Thread starter westg8
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westg8

New member
Hey everyone,
Being a newbie, i may come off ignorant asking this, but anywho, i was thinking about incorporating some sample type stuff into my band's music (we play rock music) such as cheesy nintendo-esque sounds - or possibly a techno/drum beat. How would this best be accomplished in a live setting. I would think there would be some sort of triggering device where each key triggers a set sample. Is there a device that does this where you load wav files onto it? Or would this require some sort of midi device? If this is midi oriented, I know my soundcard does not support this, so is there a way around not using midi? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Steven
 
West -

you want a sampler.

There are samplers that will load .wav files directly (mine is an Akai MPC 2000), and others that you can convert from .wav files to another file type that they will accept.

The two ways to do this are basically -

- get a hardware sampler, or
- set up a small computer or laptop with a software sampler.

If you have a laptop, you can probably whip something up for cheap. And there are plenty of older-model samplers around for not too expensive (most older Akai samplers - S-1000 and older - sell around my area for between $100 - $300) .

If the sounds you want to use are short, you're in good shape - most older samplers can hook you up. If you want long samples or tons of samples, you are going to pay more, because you will need more RAM (to store the samples while you are playing) and some sort of storage device (unless all your stuff fits on a floppy disc, you will need an external hard drive or Zip drive or cd-rom to hook up to your sampler).

hope this helps. more questions? post 'em.

- housepig
 
hey,
Thanks for the respone. I think I'm going to go with the software sampler route. I tried out a little of Logic Audio Platinum at a friends house, and it seems like it is way beyond the scope of what I am trying to do. Is there a much more simplified program that just lets you trigger sounds and such? Also, can these programs be used without getting into MIDI? All I want to do is trigger a few wav sounds or maybe have a drum beat being played created in fruity loops. Thanks.


Steven
 
West -

check out -

www.audiomelody.com
www.databaseaudio.co.uk
www.sonicspot.com

all have freeware and shareware audio software, broken into categories for easy searching.

there are various ways to trigger samples, you can (with some programs) assign samples to keyboard keys and trigger them that way. But the most common is going to be via midi.

Two questions -

- what's your issue with midi?
- are you going to do this live?

speaking of Live, www.ableton.com - Live software, allows you to load samples, configure them as "one-shot" or as loops, and assign them to keys on your keyboard and trigger them - no midi needed, and it's a sweet program. You should be able to download a time limited demo.

hope this helps.

- housepig
 
Again, thanks for the tips. As for midi, i don't have anything against it really, i just never really got into it - not to mention my sound card (delta 44) doesn't support it. I've been recording my band for only about 2 years so i'm still kinda new to the whole recording thing. And yes, i'd like to do this live. I mean, right now i just kinda have ideas in my head and maybe in the end i'll decide not to, but I definitely want to look into this sampling thing.
I'll check out the links now and see how Live is. Thanks again.

steven
 
West -

I can understand on the midi angle (I've been dealing with it off and on for 10 years and it still gives me fits!) but it will make working with a computer in a live setting MUCH easier.

For about $50, you can get a MOTU or Midiman 2x2 Midi interface, hooks up to USB, which I would recommend. Unlike some other audio uses, USB is *plenty* fast enough for midi signals. Plus, a 2x2 box is small enough to draw it's power from the USB, eliminating another wall wart.

Once you've got a hookup, you can use any keyboard with midi to control it, or you can find a Trigger-to-Midi converter and go to town, hook up (or build) some cheap drum triggers or foot triggers - much better visually for rock (in my opinion) than being stuck behind a keyboard....

anyway, check out Live, and good luck.

one other link for you - if you end up using software that supports VST instruments:
www.thepluginlist.com has tons of plugins, both effects and instruments, and you can search it for only the free ones!

- housepig
 
How are you going to sync up with the samples? If you want samples to be triggered halfway through a song you will need a click track playing for your drummer. You will probably need a click track anyways unless the samples can cut through the monitor mix enough so he can follow them.

Computers+Live Music= Recipe for disaster.

If you want it to work 95% of the time then get a hardware sampler.
 
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