By Andrew Kelly
Music is enjoyed by an enormous number of folk and without it their lives would be much duller.There are in existence a gigantic selection of types of music that there will be at least one which is just right for you. There is also an amazing range of musical instruments which aid in making a distinctive sound. Many artists are unable to afford using a string section etc. so it is not a surprise that the music sampler came into being.
The music sampler is a musical instrument which records a variety of sounds and allows them to be replayed by a keyboard or sequencer. The very first samplers utilised magnetic tape on which to record sounds. Each reel was assigned to the relevant key on keyboard. Therefore when a key was played the related tape played the relevant note. sadly this meant that the resulting musical instrument was enormous and incredibly heavy. Another problematic area was that reels were required to be changed every time a new sound was to be played. One of the earliest examples of this kind of sampler was the Mellotron which replayed recordings of flutes, male choirs, female choirs and strings.
Groups such as the Beatles used the Mellotron on various songs. Sadly the Mellotron was extremely costly and the sound so distinctive that it didn't become used extensively. The earliest examples of electronic digital samplers were seen in the Seventies, the first models include the Synclavier System and the Fairlight CMI however they proved to be incredibly restricted by the computing technology of the day, as well as the high cost of the parts such as memory.
In the Eighties music using synthesiser keyboards increased incredibly in popularity and interest in sampling technology also increased. companies such as E-mu started to produce digital samplers to a wider market, although their products were still very expensive and beyond the budgets of most groups. The E-mu Emulator series of music samplers were available for much less expense than both the Fairlight and the Synclavier System and swiftly became a popular choice.
In 1984 Akai became part of the sphere of electronic musical instruments when they started to produce the 12 bit music sampler, the S612 which became the first truly affordable sampler. Their follow up sampler was the Akai S900, which was even cheaper than their S612, improved the frequency range and the sampling memory available. It was also capable of storing a maximum of 32 samples in memory at one time. The S950 soon followed and, with the manufacturing of the Akai S1000 sampler, sampling became available at 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo resolution (the same resolution as CD players). Other companies, such as Roland released samplers, which now included a variety of techniques of synthesis, such as filters, envelopes and LFOs, which helped decrease their expense still more.
Towards the end of the Eighties digital samplers had reduced in price so much that the majority of musicians could afford to use them. Memory prices had fallen to such a degree that samplers could now sample extremely long notes and sampler technology started to be used in keyboards right up to the latest.
Today it is often incredibly difficult to be able to tell the differences between a sampler module and a real instrument. Samplers are now available in software form which utilise the computer's memory and hard drive which has lessened the cost still further and there are even freeware softsamplers available, so virtually everybody can afford a sampler. Many software digital recorders, for example Logic Audio incorporate software samplers and the majority also include vast sound libraries. Many companies now produce sample CDs for software samplers such as Structure, EXS24, Halion, Kontakt and Gigasampler.
The music sampler is a musical instrument which records a variety of sounds and allows them to be replayed by a keyboard or sequencer. The very first samplers utilised magnetic tape on which to record sounds. Each reel was assigned to the relevant key on keyboard. Therefore when a key was played the related tape played the relevant note. sadly this meant that the resulting musical instrument was enormous and incredibly heavy. Another problematic area was that reels were required to be changed every time a new sound was to be played. One of the earliest examples of this kind of sampler was the Mellotron which replayed recordings of flutes, male choirs, female choirs and strings.
Groups such as the Beatles used the Mellotron on various songs. Sadly the Mellotron was extremely costly and the sound so distinctive that it didn't become used extensively. The earliest examples of electronic digital samplers were seen in the Seventies, the first models include the Synclavier System and the Fairlight CMI however they proved to be incredibly restricted by the computing technology of the day, as well as the high cost of the parts such as memory.
In the Eighties music using synthesiser keyboards increased incredibly in popularity and interest in sampling technology also increased. companies such as E-mu started to produce digital samplers to a wider market, although their products were still very expensive and beyond the budgets of most groups. The E-mu Emulator series of music samplers were available for much less expense than both the Fairlight and the Synclavier System and swiftly became a popular choice.
In 1984 Akai became part of the sphere of electronic musical instruments when they started to produce the 12 bit music sampler, the S612 which became the first truly affordable sampler. Their follow up sampler was the Akai S900, which was even cheaper than their S612, improved the frequency range and the sampling memory available. It was also capable of storing a maximum of 32 samples in memory at one time. The S950 soon followed and, with the manufacturing of the Akai S1000 sampler, sampling became available at 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo resolution (the same resolution as CD players). Other companies, such as Roland released samplers, which now included a variety of techniques of synthesis, such as filters, envelopes and LFOs, which helped decrease their expense still more.
Towards the end of the Eighties digital samplers had reduced in price so much that the majority of musicians could afford to use them. Memory prices had fallen to such a degree that samplers could now sample extremely long notes and sampler technology started to be used in keyboards right up to the latest.
Today it is often incredibly difficult to be able to tell the differences between a sampler module and a real instrument. Samplers are now available in software form which utilise the computer's memory and hard drive which has lessened the cost still further and there are even freeware softsamplers available, so virtually everybody can afford a sampler. Many software digital recorders, for example Logic Audio incorporate software samplers and the majority also include vast sound libraries. Many companies now produce sample CDs for software samplers such as Structure, EXS24, Halion, Kontakt and Gigasampler.
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