Perfect sampler would be the Pioneer SP-16 with individual track lengths, infinite looping, and Elektron type conditional trigs.
Those additions to the SP would make it the ultimate sampler in my opinion.
Oh. And port over some of the quality of life things from the DJS-1000
Do you know what he didn’t like about it? I haven’t tried one myself yet, but one of the reasons for me to save up for it is that I also need a new keyboard. I’m curious to what kind of action it has, I like light action keys like the UltraNova. I also like the keys on the Minilogue xd, except that they’re a bit small.
@brisket
I think you’re right, there is probably a good reason for manufacturers to their lineup.
Their worldwide sales numbers tell them more than we can possibly know.
But I wouldn’t mind the big ones taking some more innovative risks.
@djadonis206
Pioneer has some nice hardware indeed, good converters, nice display etc.
I really like the formfactor of the DJS-1000 with it’s tilted screen, and it’s the perfect size to sit next to a DJ mixer. I just can’t justify the price of an Octatrack for the functionality it offers.
I misspoke about the MODX keybed being a deal-killer. Rereading the conversation with him, he actually said its action was fine, though he preferred those of the Korgs and the Hydrasynth.
I haven’t heard yet which keyboard he chose to sit on top of his Rhodes, although he seemed to lean towards Nautilus, as it has 3GB of usable sample memory, and out of his choices, it’s the most versatile - it’s got all those synth engines, including his beloved FM (MOD7).
I have the Rossum SP1200 which i love and made a few tracks with just that. However it always felt hard work prepping samples in the DAW, getting something going with soft synths (to then resample into the SP)…And thats how i worked - i know others start with drums and track them into the DAW and then hit a brick DAW wall…Basically the SP1200 is immediate for groove/feel/vibe but the DAW for musical purposes (for me) isnt. The answer? Im getting a Deluge delivered next week. I had a Deluge about 3 years back, it was fun but the screen cumbersome. The new OLED screen looks great plus about 3 big firmwares since i last had it. And its super quick with the musical side (sequencer/grid/quickly dial up sounds/patches) as the SP1200 is with percussion. Cant wait to get both sync’d up
it’s a conspiracy, Richie Hawtin won’t allow it
Saying it again, PO-33 is perfect at its price point! It does so much for so little!
I thought this question was already resolved in the late 90s with gigasampler
I dont think there is any point in having a super versatile sampler that does everything you can imagine with a sample.
There is no point in it because the workflow is dictated by the machines limitations. If you put everything in one then all of its functions would become so tedious, the sampler would be a total flop… probably.
Just think of the octatrack. Its a really good sampler and maybe its one of the best designs of a sampler that does as much as its possible without becoming a total pain in the ass… Well for some people at least… There is a good bunch of people that still find it tedious af. but its a pretty good balance in versatility and workflow.
I think you should define what you wanna do to a sample and then find a sampler that does just those things perfectly. Then have another sampler that does something else. Its so much better having a streamlined workflow than having bottomless versatility
My sampler is perfect. It’s the AkaiForceDigitaktBlackBoxSp404Mk2KoalaLoopyPro.
Be careful, MPC really doesn’t like syncing to external midi clock.
Because perfect means differently to different people.
completely agree with this. i think samplers should be roughly categorized in performance samplers / utility samplers / creative samplers. combining all would be overkill and give the average user another form of ‘octatrack ptsd’. speaking of OT, i think Elektron managed to combine the performance and creative category fairly well. (though i think OT should be at least able to play back a sample polyphonic on a track + freed of that stupid 2 octave limit by now, hinthint mk3)
i had a lot of hardware samplers from emax to asr10 to roland akai emu etc and while some really sounded warm/cousy/edgy/lofi (insert adjective) boy they were often very tedious to work with. SCSl, making drumkits took ages, lots of other rose tinted glasses stuff like the Emu Z-plane filters (only the peakshelf was usefull to me, HP sounded much more badass in my memory)
that said it would be awesome if some brand could indeed reinvent the utility/creative hardware sampler in compact form with a '23 UI. built-in autosampler, Emu style modulation matrix, easy multi sample / drumkit management, USB integration for quick editing and transfers (like hook up the sampler and an editing/management program pops up), daw integration. i know quite a lot of keyboard players who would be into this.
Here’s an idea.
The problem with sampling grooveboxes is finding the right balance between flexibility and usability.
Digitakt is simple and therefore immediate, but has limits. The octatrack is flexible but hard to use. It also, despite this flexibility, still has limits. Even further into flexible: you could configure norns or organelle to do whatever you want using pd or csound, but thats a pain, and theyre kind of excessively flexible, while lacking a stable framework. Everything is completely different in every patch.
So here’s my idea.
A complete sampling groovebox environment, like octatrack. But then the ability to add plugins, including things made in a simpler scripting or gui environment like in organelle.
I’m sure it’d prove to be unworkable once you start thinking about the nuts and bolts, because you’d have to put limits around what the plugins could do. But short of modifying the core workflow, I think you could host a lot of flexibility for sequencer plugins and sound generating plugins and sound recording plugins.
Why has no one built the perfect sampler yet?
perfect for whom ?
I bet several different people would describe several different definitions of perfect.
Yeah I don’t get it.
It’s called E4XT Ultra.
almost there, see my previous post. make it smaller/more lightweight, integrated SSD, throw in autosampling, add usb for easy multisample/drumkit editing on pc. remove that PSU fan and give it a more sturdy jogwheel 
The perfect sampler exists. Portable and battery powered too.
(Renoise + Laptop)
edit: but some built in i/o would be nice in a hardware version 
And if it doesn’t exist for you, why not learn how to build it yourself? Get Max/Bidule/Supercollider/VCV/etc/etc/etc and empower yourself. And perhaps on the way realise how hard it is to build something even just for yourself. Even if you don’t want to go down that long and winding road, try designing the perfect interface with pen and paper. It can be an enlightening experience.
