Workarounds for 'one keyboard part' issue?

[piplefou]

Hi,

Like many others, I find the only 'one keyboard part' limitation one of the more frustrating of the microSAMPLER. (For the rest, it is really an ideal piece of equipment!)

The reason is that, for many songs/beats, I'd like to have both a bassline and a keyboard part, combined with drums and other samples. To play the bassline and keyboard part, it would be ideal to have two keyboard parts...

[b]I'd like to know what types of workarounds other people have?[/b]

Here are some of mine:

1. Resample the bassline. This is the one I generally use, but it is not very pleasant: the individual notes are lost, resampling in stereo sometimes gives a pop at the beginning (so I usually resample in mono), changing the tempo is only possible in a limited way, etc.

2. (This one I haven't really tried yet.) Use samples 1-12 for drums, effects and the 'keyboard part sample', and use samples 13-36 for a multisampled bass sound (or put one sound on key 36, with e.g.pitch -12 semitones, so both octaves are covered). Then I have drums, one keyboard part, and two octaves of samples for the bass part. Not too bad. The disadvantanges are: requires quite some planning and thinking, less space available for individual samples, etc. In principle a better solution, but the spontaneity is lost...

3. I have considered getting an MPC500 for sequencing, and then use the MPC and microSAMPLER together. E.g. MPC for drums and a bassline, and microSAMPLER for keyboard parts. But if I do that, wouldn't it have been better to buy an MPC with a MIDI keyboard/synth in the first place? Or just go to my PC DAW and edit everything there? Because to me, an MPC with an additional keyboard seems not so much different from using a PC: it's not very portable anyway, and using Ableton seems a bit more user-friendly in some ways.

Similarly, I looked at drum machines that can play basslines. I could sync the microSAMPLER with that, but that would also make the set-up quite a bit more complicated. So I guess I'll stick to microSAMPLER for simple beatmaking, and then transfer the results to e.g. Ableton for more control.

4. Does anyone know whether the microSAMPLER sequencer can be used to record other MIDI tracks than the 'sample track' and the 'keyboard track'? For me, that would be absolutely great (nearly as great as having two keyboard parts...) Then I could connect a sound module for playback of a few basslines (that I recorded via the microSAMPLER), and use the microSAMPLER for the other sounds.




Another question, is it possible to play the keyboard part on the microSAMPLER (MIDI channel 2), while playing drums with the Korg Padkontrol? That would be a great plus to me; I can control the keyboard part with the microSAMPLER keyboard, and play drums with the Padkontrol without having to switch all the time.

[Griffin Avid]

Most of your ideas are what I use the microSAMPLER for.

It's a lot of work to try to compose a whole track in the microSAMPLER. I just don't think anyone (KORG) expected it to really be used that way. It's basically the 'light sampler' in your studio. Ultra fast, but only so flexible.

I use it as a Drum Machine and make the whole drum track- and for that it's over-kill.

As a bass line monster it's great with the one-shots and the Keyboard mode. Same with synth/leads.

When I do bring it to work, I load it with complete kits, which as you've said, a few drum sounds, bass and effect samples. I find I tend to stay in a single octave for certain bass sounds so it's not such a bad limitation.

It requires the trimming of stuff that's not very useful. I tend to load it with the meat and then add the vegetables later when I get back to the main studio.

I would also say its MIDI implementation is a bit limited too as it's not geared toward being a MIDI sequencer of any sort. It's great on its own, but it's no MPC (again, not that it's trying to be).

[piplefou]

Good to hear someone who is liking the device as well! I must say I never try to produce a full track on the microSAMPLER. Transferring a track to the PC after the first parts have been done is much better. So for 'quick sketches' it is quite OK, and I don't feel the need for a large sequencer.

But there are moments where I just want to lay down a drum track, add a bass line to it, and improvise a piano part on top of it. In those cases, I think my strategy should be to make a bank that's filled with a few drums, one keyboard sample for the 'keyboard part', and 2 octaves full of chromatic bass sounds, so I don't need the keyboard part for that.

[Griffin Avid]

Oh yes. I like the idea (sometimes) of just making the drum track in my bedroom or on the couch and then transferring or recording what I've done to the PC. I came from the days of sampling so a drumloop is a perfect place to start a song as far as I'm concerned.

When it's hooked up, it's basically an experimental tone module and I must admit I import samples more than I sample them.

[piplefou]

[quote="Griffin Avid"]When it's hooked up, it's basically an experimental tone module[/quote]

I don't come from the days of sampling... but I must say that I am continuously surprised with the results of sampling a nearly random piece of music, then changing the pitch, applying effects and/or resampling. It gives you such a broad pallette of sounds, which for me is more inspiring than most pure synthesizer sounds.

[3sleeves]

As a musician with a low budget who favors hardware to software, I'd say the MS is definitely capable of being used to produce a whole track. Of course, I don't like automating FX and I don't often have vocal tracks over an entire song. If I make a track that is loop based I often have at least 2 thirds of the sample memory free by the time I've recorded all of the instrument lines. I think ultimately it boils down to how you formulate a song and whether or not you record a live jam or just want to export a sequence of measures. Given the option, I say jam every time.

http://www.youtube.com/user/3sleeves