About my favorite hardware samplers

The questions “What hardware sampler should I buy? What’s your fave?” probably rank among the most popular ones that I've received from people over the years on socials. People have been asking me stuff relating to my various fields of expertise on socials / over the internet for well over 20 years (that's quite literally one reason I started Patreon in May 2020 and moved most of my postings relating to my expertise here).

Even today, as I was sipping my morning coffee, I got this Q on my IG DMs, plus the hardware sampler topic surely is one that has been mentioned in Patreon requests several times.

This is why I thought I'd write a little bit about what I usually have to say in the context of the question here. I'll speak about some hardware samplers I've used and some I still use and which I still can recommend.

I want to add this post is absolutely not supported or paid for by any company mentioned.

There may be samplers you think should be on this list, but they may be missing because I never owned it or found it worth a mention.

I am thinking, over time I may actually update this post with sounds – would that be nice? I used to have a big sampler shootout in my Soundcloud maybe 15 years ago but I deleted it and have regretted it since. File that under "Forthcoming Patreon stuff!" ;-)

"Why should I get a hardware sampler?"

In all honesty, if you're asking this question, you probably shouldn't. People who usually want one usually know the answer to this, so I absolutely am not trying to sell you a hardware sampler.

The reason I used to use hardware samplers a lot in my past and especially my most formative years they were great to work with, while the then current software was not (clunky, heavy, and CPU power was a far cry from what it's now).

I actually started making music in 1992 with Amiga and its Octamed software (Finnish like me!), but I didn't get to hardware until early 2000 when I bought an Akai s2000 that I sequenced with a cracked Cubase for a while, and then got my first MacBook somewhere around 2005 maybe (memory is a bit hazy). That Akai s2000 is not one would fully recommend, though.

Why do people use hardware samplers?

There are a few reasons I'd point out.

1) It is a device dedicated to playing sounds. Dedicated to making music and nothing else. They can't go online. You don't do tax returns with them. To some ppl this is important. It can lock you into "the zone". If you agree that reading a physical book feels nicer sometimes than reading the same thing on an iPad, now there's a hint.

 2) Many of them very rarely crash or pose any future compatibility issues. A song you make with them today may well work fine in 20 years if the sampler still works. We all know how annoying it is loading a 10-years-old DAW project and running into plugin issues…tech moves quickly, too quickly.

3) Some of them definitely offer a sound advantage with the character you get thru sampling sounds in: it has always been part of my style to sample things in a bit hot, which clips the sound and colors it a bit. This can be very seccsy with drums and bass, in hiphop, jungle and DNB.

What most samplers also offer is some dirtification by the age old method: pitch the sound up at the source (say 12 semitones) and then pitch it down by the same amount in the device. Even with some cleaner samplers (such as Akai s3000 and EMU e5000), this will give you noticeably lo-fi results, especially when using lower sample rate.

4) Some claim and have done tests and said that when pitching sounds up and down via some hardware samplers seems to do a better job than some modern software samplers.

5) Nostalgic vibes. This is the hardest to explain, and I won't try and sell it to you, but using some gear that some of your musical heroes use or used a lot can put you to a certain mindstate as you feel the musical history wings flapping around you when you rock it: e.g., DJ Premier with his MPC 60 and Akai s950 (the former for sequencing, the latter for sounds), DJ Teebee with his E-MU Ultra, Marco Polo with his MPC 2000XL, Paradox with his Amiga and rack Akai…list goes on. And hey maybe Fanu with his samplers too ;-P

This def applies to DAWs too: it may be you love Drake tunes and have been looking up to Noah 40 and his love for Native Instruments and Pro Tools.

6) Working with these slow devices somehow lock you into the zone. It takes more time, but when you're actually using some of these relics, it may improve your focus (because you're not switching from your DAW to socials or emails every five seconds).

I do make an absolute ton of music with DAWs only, so hey I'm trying to sell this to you.

7) Sounding different. Want to sound different from your average Joe rocking an average DAW sounding average? Grab an old sampler and run it thru a desk and you will immediately develop a different sonic character, and that in my book is a lost art.

How do I play it then?

We could do a simple split into two categories: those that have a sequencer and those that do not. The ones that have a sequencer you can rock on their own, because they are standalone devices. Those that do not have a sequencer in them you have to play and sequence with your DAW. I have done both.

Now let's get to the actual content. I emphasise I absolutely am not trying to make this an exhaustive list of features or anything: these samplers, and their features, are the ones I usually mention in the context of hardware samplers.

Considerations?

To me, hardware samplers going thru an analog desk have always been a combo as essential as coffee with milk, tea and milk, bread and butter…I rarely have one without the other.

When you sample things in a bit hot and then add a bit of analog desk distortion, it really brings things to life. I almost cannot speak about not using a hw sampler without a desk.

Another consideration is that some old samplers tend to break and need fixing at times, and that is a long story.

Akai s900/s950

This one can sound real crusty if you want, because you can freely alter the sample rate prior to sampling, which has a big effect on the sound. You can get fairly clean sounds, too, but you can go super low. It is surprising that this feature has rarely been offered in any other sampler later on, because it is interesting to say the least, when sampling some sounds and comparing how they come out at different sample rates. If you make really lo-fi hip hop or jungle, this guy might be for you.

It has an analog filter, for those that want that, but the downside is, you can't control it with midi CC: you can only control it via envelopes (settings per sound can be applied) or manually as you go. So you can't draw filter curves with Ableton Live like you can do with so many other hw samplers.

It comes with a built-in sinewave, which actually sounds really good somehow and many producers have used it for their productions. Drive that a hair in an analog desk and experience the fatness. Instant jungle and hip hop hotness.

Downside is it can't use more than one midi channel or program at a time, so all the sounds you have you're going to lump into one program, to different keys. So no one program for drums, one for bass, etc…just one program. Later Akais improved this with their multimode.

The s950 offers timestretching while s900 does not. Akai timestrech is a big thing for some people.

This is a mono sampler, so no stereo sounds, I am afraid. Then again mixing in mono will help some people.

CAN ping-pong loop a sound unlike many oldies! Can use modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

Hear my tunes Truth Blues or Ain't Got Not Bacon for that Akai s950 vibe. My tune Reverse Dawn has s900 drums (my Patreon has a walkthru of the song).

Akai S-series (s2800, s3000, s3000, plus XL models)

You will nerds debate sound differences between the non-XL models and XL models, but unless someone actually proves it to me, my take is that there is no difference: they all sound the same. They are from the MPC3000 era and sound great.

The S series bring FX to the game, and they actually sound good. Fun fact: you can actually use these models as external FX units (for example if you have a hardware desk), which shows how forward-thinking these were.

Effects are stereo, and so is the sampler in general.

All these samplers have a certain punchy sound which works really dang well for jungle, hip hop, etc.

You get two sampling rates, 10K and 20K, only. The latter is kind of clean, but try sampling a sound with 10K pitched up and then pitch it down in the sampler, and you get nice lo-fi audio seccs. Tasty with drums.

Akai brought their multimode to the game with these, so you can create programs for different channels for better sound hygiene: I always create programs for drums, bass, samples, etc.

You get low-pass and high-pass filters, and one thing that sounds particularly good is using the LP filter, keeping it pretty much fully open, but then applying resonance to it: it gives drums this amazing sheen…I use to do that a lot.

Cannot ping-pong loop a sound. Can use modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

You can timestretch samples: hear some of that in track Amen Demo Mode.

Filters can be controlled via midi CC values, so it's nice drawing filter shapes in your DAW.

I have created a ton of music with Akai s3200XL: hear Crusty-Ass DS165 or Too Blessed To Be Stressed or Drumsö Fuzz.

Akai s5000/s6000

I'm putting these into different categories than the other S-series Akais, because their OS is different and they have a big old screen that looks nice. S6000 allows for detaching the front panel. Amon Tobin used to have one!

Offers the same features as the above S-series, but a bit more and feels and looks more modern.

It has reverb and delay FX that are very usable.

Sample editing is faster and more convenient than with the earlier models.

CAN ping-pong loop a sound. Can use modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

I made the tune From Afterlife She Speaks with an Akai s5000.

Also Sekl - Control Signal (Fanu Remix) was an s5000 job.

E-MU rack series (s5000 etc)

These got really profiled into DNB somehow, more so than some others, probably because they offer much more in terms of modulation thru their Cords.

While Akai is more bare bones and sounds great and is easy to use, EMU caters to the more technical crowd, and this is why DNB guys picked it up.

It has a variety of filters and they can be controlled via midi CC values, so it's nice drawing filter shapes in your DAW. Also you can control those nicely via all the Cords action.

Internal distortion for basses sounds absolutely great (via sample gain), and there's an enhancement feature called AX that adds a bit of sheen to sounds. Distort that bass, add some AX to it, assign it to a complex filter, control it via your DAW and sound like in my tune Recharge…or sound like classic old DJ Teebee.

I've never been able to prove it (I haven't tried…) but I always felt that EMU punches slightly less hard with drums than Akai. Just a feeling. This is why I used to use Akais for beats a lot, and EMU often handled bass, pads, samples etc.

It can resample (see video), unlike so many other older devices, so that's a big plus for sound design ppl.

It offers basic reverbs and delays that are OK, but there is an (expensive) expansion card, RFX-32 that is a bit rare now, but it vastly expands FX and internal routing options even more.

So this is easily the most advanced of all rack samplers ever made in my opinion.

My old tune Siren Song was made at least partially with an EMU e5000 Ultra.

Happy+sad anecdote: I sold that sampler at one point, but years later the buyer got in touch, asking me if I wanted to buy it back. I did. One of the first things I did, accidentally, was format its hard drive that had Siren Song parts in it. So much for remix!

So I still own the very sampler that I used to produce the most famous song in my career.

Cannot ping-pong loop a sound. Can use modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

SP-12 and SP-1200

These sound so badass. I have both.

I ordered my SP-1200 from Alaska  They are known for the aliasing you get thru sampling sounds in and playing them pitched down. Some love it, some hate it, and it ain't for every sound, and it's been overdone. But it does have a very distinct sound.

It does one thing that isn't often mentioned, which is part of the sound, and it definitely enhances transients. This is why it punches harder than any other sampler out there. This is why hip hop heads love it so much.

When you make beats with this, you don't have to emulate lo-fi: it IS the lo-fi.

It does have a sequencer, which is kind of limited and annoying. Absolutely not for sequencing fast music with lots of 16th note action, trust me on this one.

Sample editing is super limited and annoying. In a nutshell, it is an annoying old-ass device that sounds absolutely 10/10 for some styles.

It is very expensive and has enjoyed a lot of hype thru internet, which has raised the prices. But it's one of things that still hasn't been 100% emulated, but a good contender is the espi app by Low Hiss, which I can recommend. It is possibly equally painful to use as the real SP, especially if you don't use the app with a touchscreen.

Cannot ping-pong loop a sound. SP-1200 can use a modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

Sound examples: Heinäkuu by FatGyver, Funky Haaga Shit by Fatgyver, and one of the best hip hop albums ever made, Temples of Boom by Cypress Hill (prod. by DJ Muggs).

Akai MPC 60

This old boy isn't the fastest to use, but it has a sequencer and it does sound quite nice. You can "compress" sounds which makes it more lo-fi.

The sequencer is actually really nice to use, especially for its age, and especially if you buy the aftermarket ones (you can get the chips off eBay). I'll skip the details. But you can really tell it was designed by a person who wanted to design a machine that is made for rhythms and which is nice to use. It's frigging big, too, which adds to the charm.

It doesn't have a filter, unlike MPC 3000 (which definitely deserves a mention, but the only reason I am not mentioning it is I've never actually owned or used on but I know it's great as its OS is the same as in the 60).

Annoying downside is in some units, low sounds tend to click way too easily. Mine does it too. There's pots inside that should fix this if you know what you're doing, controlling DC offset or something, but I can't be arsed (tried once, didn't work out).

I make a few beats every year and whatever reason, they do come out hecking punchy and large. No FX, which can be kind of fun, too, TBH.

Cannot loop a sound at all. Can use modern, proprietary third party memory stick reader. Cannot chop samples.

Sound example: High and Dry by FatGyver, Letkis by FatGyver.

Modern MPCs: MPC Live, One, X, etc.

One of the questions I've had a lot is "If you got to keep only one device, and it's not your computer, what would it be?" the answer is easy: MPC Live or MPC One (then again, if I had to make a selection with a DAW plus an old rack sampler, then it'd prob be my EMU e5000 Ultra or Akai s3200XL).

These units are modern and hence absolutely superior in terms of sample editing and sequencing compared to the old units. I love making music with the new MPCs.

I get asked about these guys a lot so wanted to mention them for that reason as well.

Loading samples and projects is fast, they can be saved on modern SD cards so backups are easy, and in a nutshell they offer a whole plethora of modern conveniences.

I'm in MPC tester team and can say the future is bright, but can't say more than that. I know that right there may sound like Akai sponsored this post, but that's not the case. I wouldn't even be in the tester team if I didn't love the product or actually like making music with it (in general I can assure I will never promote a product to you because someone'd pay me for it; this music thing and certain integrity is too important to me).

Chopping is a breeze and touch screen is definitely a nice touch.

Can ping-pong loop a sound. Has a memory stick slot. Can chop samples.

Some criticise the new units for not sounding like the old units: my reply to that whinery is here.

Polyend Tracker

Making music with trackers is so different from using any other device. It feels like coding, which doesn't entice me one bit BUT tracking does!

I started making music with Octamed on Amiga (video) in 1992, so getting back to tracker action every now and then warms up me old heart.

It's a slightly limited device, but one that somehow improves your creativity, because the right amount of limitations.

My tune Marshall is largely Polyend Tracker work.

It can resample a highlighted part of the sequence, which is interesting for sound design and sampling.

One feature that doesn't get mentioned much has to do with the fact that this device can actually sound crusty, too, if you want, thru its settings for anti-aliasing, and if you flick it off, there's something happening that, to me, reminds of how the SP-1200 sounds: kind of dirty, but often in a good way. There's also Extra Headroom and Limiter modes, and with those, you can inject extra aggression into your sound.

Can ping-pong loop a sound. Has a memory stick slot. Can chop samples.

Well, that's it.

If you read this far, I salute you! 🫡

Funny or not, writing all this made me crave for more sampler action in my life, haha.

Feel free to shoot Qs and I'll try and get back.

Let's add that "sound examples for various samplers" to the ever-growing list of Patreon things to do.