Help me find a hardware sampler!

[Joey]

hey all

so I've had an itching for sampling lately, and I would really like a hardware keyboard sampler that can do a couple things.

I have a kurzweil k2vx, and it is the f**k s**t, but it needs to be repaired to be used properly (mix outs are broken - internal fx dont work) and thus I mostly use it as a masterkeyboard. with that in mind, I need a sampler that has/can do a few things:

keyboard (or the ability to be played chromatically from a midi controller - i dont need something made just for drums)
real time sampling (i'd like to be able to record my modular into it)
more than one sample per patch
FX (mainly distortion, waveshaping/wrapping, and bread and butter chorus delay reverb flange s**t - though more esoteric stuff is obviously appreciated!)
FM between samples/oscs OR audio rate LFO's (this is the clincher - not sure if any hardware samplers do this!)
Ring modulation (though not totally necessary)
Weird f**k up s**t (self explanatory! functions that can do FSU and f**k with my sound in a weird way - like the ensoniq sample length glitch, etc..)

so guys,

what is out there?

[tallowwaters]

Dude, how many times have you made this thread and got the same answer?

V Synth

[tallowwaters]

keyboard (or the ability to be played chromatically from a midi controller - i dont need something made just for drums)

The V Synth actually has a very nice keybed.

real time sampling (i'd like to be able to record my modular into it)

? I thought all real samplers had realtime sampling.

more than one sample per patch

You get 2 per key, but there is always resampling and keyboard zoning.

FX (mainly distortion, waveshaping/wrapping, and bread and butter chorus delay reverb flange s**t - though more esoteric stuff is obviously appreciated!)

Distortion, waveshaping, and bit f**k are all just part of the two COSM fx you get for each patch. From there you have Roland's typical stuff plus guitar/key/voice multis for layering lot of s**t.

FM between samples/oscs OR audio rate LFO's (this is the clincher - not sure if any hardware samplers do this!)
Ring modulation (though not totally necessary)

Is 2 screen touches away from the main patch screen. FM, enveloped FM, and AM (ring modulation)

Weird f**k up s**t (self explanatory! functions that can do FSU and f**k with my sound in a weird way - like the ensoniq sample length glitch, etc..)

Ugh. Real time time stretching with knob/dbeam/mod stick? Envelope controlled formant f**k? I could go on.

[Joey]

three times!

i just wish it wasnt so f**k expensive

(says the guy with a modular.... )

[tallowwaters]

I think mine was $700. That ain't too bad, especially considering what you're getting.

Plus you're thin enough to make some dough as a cross dressing harlot.

[Joey]

You're assuming I don't already do that for my money

[tallowwaters]

What a coincidence! I roll cross dressing harlots for spare dough. Maybe we could become some sort of unlikely duo?


Seriously though, the V Synth is really just all about mangling the living s**t out of something. It has a few annoying limitations (50mb project memory, lack of real multi sampling, not importing loop points from pc files), but they are easy to work around/ignore, and all the real time controls make it a blast to play (the TT pad and D Beam aren't just novelty tricks like I thought they would be). I have no idea why they aren't worth more?

[aeon]

V-Synth is one option, yes, but you could also look at a Kurz 2500 w/KDFX or 2600, or 2661, especially since they can sometimes be had for less than a used V-Synth, and with the KDFX, they can do some wicked mangling.


cheers,
Ian

[Stab Frenzy]

Dude, how many times have you made this thread and got the same answer?

V Synth

I was checking the date to see who'd bumped this old one.

Joey: Get a V-Synth. Even if you don't like it at least Tallow and I will be able to shut up about telling you to get one.

[Hugo76]

Yeah, the V-Synth sure is a killer machine. highly recommended for weird stuff and excellent realtime control.

[vinyl_junkie]

Or you could pick up a EMU E6400 Ultra for about 150 quid...S-3200XL for a lot less or a S-5000 for about 100 quid or less

A couple of S-5000's recently sold on ebay for 40GBP

[tallowwaters]

Or you could pick up a EMU E6400 Ultra for about 150 quid...S-3200XL for a lot less or a S-5000 for about 100 quid or less

A couple of S-5000's recently sold on ebay for 40GBP

You can FM samples with each other with Akais?

[balma]

If I can't remember, I spent like 1 hour writing a comparison of pros and contras of the Vsynth and K2500 answering you the same question

We should invent an hypothetical sampler for your answer.

[Joey]

Care to post it!? or pm it to me? Spanish is my first language (assuming you wrote it in that)

[balma]

more than one sample per patch

You get 2 per key, but there is always resampling and keyboard zoning.

You can use 32 samples per patch, accessing the keyzone. Each patch can have 16 different zones, but you can tweak only one of the zones.


Vsynth is a masterpiece of hardware-software interaction. Is truly a very well designed instrument. It saves you a lot of time since the workflow when editing-composing-performing is hyperfast.

So much features on this machine, I would only ask for an onboard sequencer, and more instruments per patch (without using keyzones) and finally more poly

When you use the Vsynth with a sequencer like the E-mu CS, you can access 512 samples/oscillators using the tracks of the sequencer, without any directory scrolling. On a higher detail description, these 512 samples will be on pairs, that's 256 sounds.

This is possible, programming the weird but simple multimode screen on the Vsynth. Go to the 16 MIDI channels, and assign on each one, a patch with 16 zones on it. Then from the Emu sequencer, you can trigger any of the 256 sounds.

All data can be saved with the USB port in a short amount of time. You can organize or edit your V synth projects with the V synth librarian, wich tell you, wich samples are being used on each patch, and then load them.


Besides, the V synth has optical/digital inputs onboard, something that is an extra on most of the samplers.

you can't ask more for $700. Other samplers offer you 10% of these habilities, on $500....








I'm sorry the comparison was with the K2000, not the 2500....



Well, 20 minutes maybe....:



I had a Kurzweil K2000, and actually own the Vsynth since 4 years ago. So here are my 2 cents:

Kurzweil..... high, very ver high quality audio, components, controllers, incredible keyboard, very extensive response to control after touch.

Now, its technology manipulating samples is to sit down in fron of it, and editing a sample set, for about two days.

The strings and acoustics on this keyboard are the best I ever heard.... really. They are multisample based.

The programming workflow is kind of tedious, V.A.S.T is not for everyone, but the results are brilliant. The sampler on the K2000 is oriented to the multisample edition. This means, you want to sample your luxury violing and set it on a keyboard note by note. you can with Kurzweil. But you'll ran out of memory soon. Loading process are slow, this for age of this synth.

Now, the V synth is an experimental sampling station. I would consider this, the dream of the samplers freaks, if each patch could have more than 2 samples.

Sampling on the V synth is very very comfortable. Is a fast synth, ,you can load a huge project of 512 patches, and 300 samples, in a matter of seconds with the usb, and the V synth librarian.

Now, on each patch, you can spread 16 zones, of two samples each one, along the keyboard. This allows you to create keyboard mapping of 32 samples each one.

Formant can be assigned to the keyboards zone. there are FM link, and other types of ring two samples into one sound,. Then, you can resample, and add more layers.

varyphrase, allows a very intuitive manipulation of the pitch of the samples along the keyboard. I mean, if you sample C3, C2 and C4 will sound good, I assure you. the samples does not lose punchiness in around 2 octaves surrounding the sampled note.

GReat effect section, and what I tell you, I never touched a more friendly user interface than this one. Is a synth, that you when learn to play it, you'll never sell it, because EVERYTHING is on the surface, controllers are even duplicated, touch the screen, or reach a knob, is up to you.

And it's around $700, go for it Joey. Sound quality is better on the kurzweil, intensive ADSR. Sample mangling, is the V synth speciality