Samplers
Latest about Samplers

Did Michael Jackson really use a sampler demo riff for the intro to Beat It?
By Andy Jones published
The Synclavier demo's seven notes certainly have a similarity to the iconic intro to Beat It but what do you think?

"Makes the white dot spawn little golden play heads": Brinta could be the granular sampler we all need, just to calm down a bit
By Andy Jones published
Error Instruments and This Is Not Rocket Science team up to produce this fascinating-sounding (and looking) Eurorack sampler

RZA’s first E-MU SP-1200 sampler is up for auction: your chance to own a piece of Wu-Tang Forever
By Ben Rogerson published
“There’s DNA in this,” says the hip-hop legend, as his well-worn hardware goes under the hammer

Secret SAWs: the story of the impossible sampler that made the Stock Aitken Waterman smashes, and the backroom boys that pushed it to its limits
By Daniel Griffiths published
Keyboards came and went throughout SAW’s hundreds of hits, but one box kept delivering the tricks. Think you know sampling? Think again

Best samplers 2025: top picks for hardware music-making, live performance and DAW-less jams
By Simon Truss last updated
Expert buying advice for hardware samplers, from pocket models up to full-blown workstations – including samplers from Elektron, Akai, Korg and Teenage Engineering

Akai issues a red alert as it launches the MPC One+, but it might not have all the upgrades you were hoping for
By Ben Rogerson published
Increased storage, but the same amount of RAM as its predecessor, and still no built-in battery

Roland SPD-SX vs SPD-SX Pro: Should you upgrade?
By Tom Bradley published
Does Roland’s flagship sample pad justify the higher price and how does it compare with the standard model? We've played both to find out

The hottest new samplers, grooveboxes and drum machines of 2023
By Andy Jones published
GEAR EXPO 2023: Essential beat, groove and sample boxes coming out this year
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