I STAND ALONE: a 2020 sampler thread

[coldbrightsunlight]

Good things there's a dealer to try it out. The reason I shied away from it is that it is many things besides a sampler, and also as you mentioned really expensive -> therefore other samplers offer more for the same price. but if it's the feature set and workflow that you want, then....

[fcknoise]

Best Standalone Sampler in 2020

Octatrack.

-something fun to use
-battery power preferred
The issue that I have with most of this is that they’re highly unintuitive and most of them have extremely steep learning curves. It seems like samplers are stuck in the menu-diving 90’s while the rest of the music industry has moved slowly away from that kind of thing? Am I missing something? Is this a situation where I have to learn to live with the reality of the un-fun interface in order to play with music like this?

!Octatrack.

You are not wrong

I just (i can't believe i missed it earlier) discovered the sound lock feature when I was gassing for an analog four. It shook me to my core and I love that machine so much. That said, the digitakt can also do that. Which is so freaking handy and good

The sound/parameter locks are really a selling point on elektron. You change the parameters on a per-step basis. You can also switch sample that is being played on a per step basis, which I again cannot believe I had missed earlier.

[01010111]

I found two other contenders:

OP-Z they added sampling functionality in one of the updates. It supposedly works in a similar way to the OP-1. This one’s honestly the most exciting I’ve found so far. It seems like it has a relatively steep learning curve, but it also seems like one of the funnest options on this list. I don’t think I’ve really seen it around the forum anywhere, though. Does anyone have experience with it?

PO-33 easily the cheapest sampler that meets all my requirements. I don’t know if I want to get another pocket operator, though. I had the pocket arcade. It was fun, but I never really enjoyed using it enough to ever record a song on it.

[coldbrightsunlight]

I have no direct experience of the sampler, but as much as the pocket operators are very cool, it's not exactly the same in terms of features and playability as the other options you've been discussing. I would think your experience with the arcade might hint at how useful you would find the sampler. I just watched a video going through the functions, to me it looks amazing for a portable device, a fun way to sketch out ideas, but far too limited and annoying to actually make music I want to record properly, sitting in my house. Buuut on the other hand... clearly you don't have the same views on samplers as me.

No idea at all about the OP-Z

[fcknoise]

I found two other contenders:

OP-Z they added sampling functionality in one of the updates. It supposedly works in a similar way to the OP-1. This one’s honestly the most exciting I’ve found so far. It seems like it has a relatively steep learning curve, but it also seems like one of the funnest options on this list. I don’t think I’ve really seen it around the forum anywhere, though. Does anyone have experience with it?

PO-33 easily the cheapest sampler that meets all my requirements. I don’t know if I want to get another pocket operator, though. I had the pocket arcade. It was fun, but I never really enjoyed using it enough to ever record a song on it.

I did not know they added sampling to the OP-Z, I'd say that is a pretty strong contender then. I don't think the learning curve is too steep with it, I've only played with it a very little bit. I was looking at it for a while but it seems like a normal person would opt for owning either that or an op-1, not both.

I am a big fan of all the pocket operators I've had, but they do go pretty lofi, and pretty limited. I don't think that you will be totally satisfied using only the po-33, and that if you want to sample stuff for real you'd end up buying something else anyway.

[D.o.S.]

IIRC the reason the OPZ is mostly unheralded is that people just wanted it to be a better OP-1, and this is a different beast entirely.

[fcknoise]

IIRC the reason the OPZ is mostly unheralded is that people just wanted it to be a better OP-1, and this is a different beast entirely.

It is entirely a product of the TE philosophy I think, trying to make a more affordable version of the OP-1. In many ways it is really that. But yeah, it is not a better version of the OP-1. I would be surprised if TE released a synth that is gonna be more expensive that the op1 tbh

[coldbrightsunlight]

Looks like the OP-Z is functional but... limited without the app?

Not that I've looked into it much.

[fcknoise]

Looks like the OP-Z is functional but... limited without the app?

Not that I've looked into it much.

I think most people don't actually look at the app. But it might be a good way to get used to the machine, idk

[01010111]

IIRC the reason the OPZ is mostly unheralded is that people just wanted it to be a better OP-1, and this is a different beast entirely.

It is entirely a product of the TE philosophy I think, trying to make a more affordable version of the OP-1. In many ways it is really that. But yeah, it is not a better version of the OP-1. I would be surprised if TE released a synth that is gonna be more expensive that the op1 tbh

Both of these seem pretty accurate. I think the OP-Z has a fairly different workflow from the OP-1; where the OP-Z is entirely focused around sequencers, and the OP-1 is entirely focused around tape? I don’t know if it was supposed to be “better”, they fill slightly different parts of the same niche. The design philosophies seem slightly different. The OP-Z seems to put more focus on performing live with its different global effects as well as its lighting and video synthesis capabilities, and the OP-1 seems like it aims to recreate the four track recording process in a fun and easy to navigate package?

I think my “steep learning curve” expectation was built on the review video from Sonic State. Their presentation was really confusing and made it hard to understand how it worked. Every other video on it I’ve seen has been a lot easier to understand.

Looks like the OP-Z is functional but... limited without the app?

Not that I've looked into it much.

From the reviews I’ve seen so far, it seems like it actually is a lot nicer to use if you don’t connect it to the app? Like, it’s helpful when you’re first learning it, but once you have the button combos memorized and remember how to navigate the different settings pages the app’s not really necessary anymore? Some things like the DMX lighting and the Unity programming would definitely require the app, but I really doubt I’ll ever touch those features?

I figured out where the Teenage Engineering dealer is here. So, I’m going to head there next weekend and hopefully try out both the OP-1/OP-Z

[coldbrightsunlight]

Ah right that's interesting. As I said I haven't looked into it in too much detail but from what I saw it just looked like the interface was lacking a bit in display without it. But yeah I can understand the thing about learning it.

[D.o.S.]

Ya I was just talking about the hype leading into the unveiling of the OP-Z, since OP-1's were in a paused production state at the time.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah. I haven't really looked into it but in the end it looks like more of a different thing.

[01010111]

I was definitely expecting OP-1 v2 with the OP-Z. So, the OP-Z was a huge letdown when it was released. Looking at it now, it really seems like the two machines are optimized for fun, and to work well with two very different workflows. With that in mind, going back and learning about the OP-Z now makes it seem like a much better machine.

[$harkToootth]

I went through this last Summer. I concluded.. the best sample in 2019 is to just get old samplers for cheap. This is not the right answer but "it's my bit". Neither of the ones I got are battery powered... and they are both heavy.

MPC 500 is battery powered. I'm personally trying to use mine more... as a bit. Very menu-div-y though (at first). I wonder in the age of Fader Banks and axoloti midi controllers... would this be a new powerhouse sampler? Lord knows it has enough midi channels to make it happen.

I could see myself with an Analogue Rhythm MK ][ one day. Cause those have sampling but I guess it's mostly a drum machine. Willy, could you see yourself with that? Not battery powered. More of a studio tool too... because of all those "outs".