Sampler (musical instrument)

A sampler is a versatile electronic musical instrument used to record and play back portions of sound recordings. These recorded segments are known as samples.

A sample can be many different things. It might be a rhythm, a melody, or a speech. It could even be a non-musical sound, like a dog barking or a typewriter clacking. Musicians use these sounds to build complex musical pieces. They can change the pitch of a sample to create musical scales and chords. Many samplers are polyphonic, meaning they can play more than one note at the same time. They are also often multitimbral, which allows them to play different sounds simultaneously.

To understand how a sampler works, one must look at its data hierarchy. At the very bottom are the individual samples. These are recordings captured at a specific sample rate and resolution. A sample might have a reference center pitch to indicate its original frequency. To make a short sound last longer, users can create a loop. This involves defining specific points where a section of the sound repeats. A loop crossfade can make these transitions sound smooth by fading the end out while fading the beginning in.

These samples are organized into keymaps. A keymap is a set of keyzones, which are groups of notes assigned to a single sample. By using keyboard tracking, the sampler shifts the pitch of the sample by semitones as the player moves across the keys.

Users control these instruments through various interfaces. A musician might use a MIDI keyboard, a sequencer, or electronic drums to trigger the sounds. Once a note is received, the sampler accesses the digital memory to play the assigned sample. Beyond simple playback, samplers offer powerful editing tools. Users can apply filters to change the "color" or timbre of a sound. They can also use low frequency oscillation (LFO) to create modulation. This allows for the shaping of amplitude, pitch, and filter settings. These processes allow a single recorded sound to be transformed into something entirely new.

Before digital memory, musicians used analog tape replay keyboards. The most famous example was the Mellotron. In these machines, pressing a key caused a tape head to contact moving analog tape.

However, these systems were heavy and very expensive. They were also limited to a range of only three octaves. To change the sounds, a musician had to install an entirely new set of tapes. The shift to digital sampling made the process much more practical and flexible for creators.

Digital sampling began in earnest with the EMS Musys system. This was developed around 1969 by Peter Grogono, David Cockerell, and Peter Zinovieff. The system ran on two Digital Equipment PDP-8 mini-computers. It utilized 12,000 bytes of core memory (RAM) and a 32k hard drive. This technology was used to realize Harrison Birtwistle's "Chronometer" in the early 1970s. Later, the first commercially available sampling synthesizer arrived in 1976, called the Computer Music Melodian. By 1979, the Australian Fairlight CMI became the first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer.

This early Fairlight used wavetable sample-based synthesis at an 8-bit audio depth.

The history of samplers is also a history of changing costs and accessibility. Early professional machines were extremely expensive. For example, the Fairlight CMI could cost as much as $30,000. In 1981, Toshiba released the LMD-649 in Japan. This was an early digital sampler that used 12-bit pulse-code modulation (PCM) and 128 KB of RAM. It was used extensively by the band Yellow Magic Orchestra. As technology improved, prices began to drop. The E-mu Emulator brought costs below $10,000. By 1985, the Ensoniq Mirage and the E-mu Emax offered prices under $2,000. This allowed more musicians to use the technology.

Specific samplers helped define entire musical genres. In the late 1980s, the E-mu SP-1200 percussion sampler helped popularize sampling within hip hop music. The Akai MPC60, released in 1988, became one of the most influential tools in that genre. While most samplers were studio tools, the Ensoniq EPS was designed specifically for live performance. Today, sampling is a core part of modern music workstations. It is also a primary tool for Foley artists who create sound effects. From simple playback to complex digital editing, the sampler remains a fundamental part of how we interact with sound.