Korg Forums

[FwuffyTheBunny]

Hey guys, I'm new here and am thinking about buying a microsampler. Ive done a lot of research, but I still have some questions, so maybe you guys can help me.

I want a keyboard I can load drum sounds into, and play, real time, and loop/record to overdub everything. And be able to load in string samples and bass samples, and play them chromatically on the keys. And again, record them, and add them to the loop.

It seems like the microsampler is limited when it comes to storage of samples. That is my main concern. But I like it's price.

And also, if I load say a 4 second violin sample. Where the sample is one continuous note. Will the microsampler keep it going as long as I hold down the key? Or will I notice the note stutter like when it repeats?

Thanks!

EDIT **
And one more thing.
I'm not looking for anything professional, just sort of a portable mini jam studio all packed into a keyboard. Just to be able to pick it up and make some tunes. When I get bored, load in some new samples.

And I hear that you can't change the loop bank while the pattern is playing? But if I swap banks, can I restart it? And add the new samples from the new bank, onto the old samples that are looped in my pattern?

[floccipocci]

[FwuffyTheBunny]

Wow, great answer! Thank you for alot of help!
So it seems like I still want this unit, I can work around the chipmunk keyboard mapping. I don't need bang on notes, just a portable instument I can jam on.

So I think I only have one question left.

The keyboard mapping.

If I have all my keys full of samples, can I choose one, and spread it across the keys, and play it chromatically with the keys? Then play it, add it too the loop, and go back into the sample mode, where my keys are samples again. And then choose another sample to spread across the keys, and add it to the loop as well. And keep going, etc.

If that is totally possible, then I think I'm sold on this unit.

[floccipocci]

The MS stores the samples into keys on the keyboard. Because of this, there are modes of playing them back.

MS has two modes:

1) Keyboard mode
With a knob, you can select the sample you want to play as a keyboard. Like keyboard mapping. e.g. much like choosing a piano, guitar etc sound on a Yamaha or Casio keyboard, one of those portable keyboard thingies. Chromatically.

Root key is C3, however if you need to play somewhere else on the keyboard far from the root (e.g. A3), you require a closer root key, but MS does not do it. BUT There's a simple effective workaround to that.

2) Sample mode
This is the main mode. Samples are stored in the keys. To play the sample (loop, gate, one shot, whatever), you hit the key. e.g. much like choosing the drum patch on a Yamaha or Casio keyboard whatever, you have a key for kick, snare, etc. and keys that have loops.

I've done this before:
Go into sample mode, do a loop hold (like an invisible finger pressing down on a key) on a drum loop, bass line loop and pad loop. Then go into keyboard mode and jam over it with a sampled synth lead instrument.

Another thing I did was program a basic track with a sequencer. And jam in sample mode (to turn on and off more loop layers), and jam in keyboard mode for a while. Then go to sample mode, use real-time FX to do a transition (e.g. HF sweep), loop hold a new layer and then keyboard mode, play a new lead. (But the real thing wasn't as graceful as I just described. )

[FwuffyTheBunny]

Excellent!

Just one more thing, sorry, haha.

Can I add multiple lead lines? I heard that you can only have one lead line looping from the keyboard mode.

So can I:

Play drums, real time, and have it record, and keep playing back.
Take a piano sample, into keyboard mode, and play a line, real time, and record it.
Then take a violin sample, into keyboard mode, and play a line, real time, and record it onto of the rest?
And build like that.

People have said that you can only used one sample in keyboard mode, and once you have that recorded into your song, you cannot do it again with another sample. Is this true?

If so, then the microkorg has failed.
I assumed that you could endlessly build ontop of your recording, like the same way a kaossilator does. That makes sense. If they limit you to one, then I'm not going to buy one.

[floccipocci]

[FwuffyTheBunny]

Wow, that is a real letdown. The microsampler is not for me.

Is there a sampling keyboard that does what I'm looking for. Preferably in a small size?

Just a keyboard that can store samples via usb or sd card or some type of storage. And play each one chromatically across the keys, and record it on the machine, and be able to choose another sample to play and record over top of the first?

So a kaossilator-like style for loop and layers. But plays back my samples, all housed in a keyboard.

Does that exist? It seems like it should and it's crazy if not.

[darthballs]

[FwuffyTheBunny]

Well, I was wanting some type of all in one package, built into a keyboard, but portable.

Sound like I won't find it.

I do have an mpc500 though, which I can just use as a drum machine.
Next I want a synth that can have ANY of my samples in it, and play them into the mpc to build a song.

I don't plan on making quality stuff, just instruments to jam on with a buddy or too.

So my friend can play drums on the mpc, and start building up a pattern, while I play with some bass sounds on a synth, and come up with a line. Then hook it into the mpc and build it together. Then add some strings to it and such.

I no the mpc has building capabilities, but what synth should I get?

I can either get a stand alone synth, like a microkorg, and just use the built ins, but I have alot of string and bass, etc, samples that I want to use chromatically across the keyboard.

So is the microsampler still a good choice for that purpose? Or is there a cheaper sampling keyboard?

Or maybe just use a midi controller keyboard through say, FL studio, and control my samples thatway, and output the sound into the mpc to record and loop it?

I just want some physical hardware to jam on with friends, and build some rap/techno/anything. Just chillin making some beats and tunes.

I no this could all be done with software and a midi keyboard, but I'm in it for the fun of playing it, not actually saving it, mastering it, and using it.

[darthballs]

[lloydsmith]

You can indeed pitch samples chromatically but beware that playing too many semitones away from the original sample will create the chipmunk effect. So the answer would be to sample every few semitones. But then you will probably run out of memory.. LOL

I don't know why memory has had such a mean non flexible allocation. Surely KORG don't expect samples to be constantly loaded via USB on stage..?