MicroSAMPLER Questions and Opinions

Fatso Forgottso · Post by **Fatso Forgottso** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:17 am

I already posted this at the Harmony Central forums but figured you guys could be pretty helpful as well.

What's your guys' opinion on the Korg MicroSAMPLER? I'm looking at picking one up for $350. I've never owned a sampler or anything before.

Further questions: I know you can record a sound with the mic and then have it pitch-transposed to any of the other keys, but can you record individual sounds for every key? And then could I have different "scenes"? As in, scene 1 would be a certain set of noises and tones, and scene 2 would be a different set? Also, how long is the sample time? Could I record 10-second sounds?

Also, I'm pretty sure you can use this unit as a sequencer of sorts, where the samples play in a predetermined order? Can someone confirm that?

Thanks a lot!

orchards · Post by **orchards** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 8:54 pm

yes, it does all that.

each bank contains about 160 seconds of sampling time at 48 kHz, longer if you set the fidelity to 24 kHz or lower. a sample can be as long as the amount of available memory remaining.

if you pick one up be sure to enjoy

Fatso Forgottso · Post by **Fatso Forgottso** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:22 pm

orchards wrote:yes, it does all that.

each bank contains about 160 seconds of sampling time at 48 kHz, longer if you set the fidelity to 24 kHz or lower. a sample can be as long as the amount of available memory remaining.

if you pick one up be sure to enjoy

Awesome. I actually got one the other day, I'm really digging it so far! I don't understand the hate, really. It seems to me that if people complain about it/flip it on, they either didn't really want a sampler in the first place or they know a ton about samplers and shouldn't be picking up an entry level one. But hey, I come from a guitar FX forum, what do I know

kilon · Post by **kilon** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:15 pm

Fatso Forgottso wrote:
orchards wrote:yes, it does all that.

each bank contains about 160 seconds of sampling time at 48 kHz, longer if you set the fidelity to 24 kHz or lower. a sample can be as long as the amount of available memory remaining.

if you pick one up be sure to enjoy
Awesome. I actually got one the other day, I'm really digging it so far! I don't understand the hate, really. It seems to me that if people complain about it/flip it on, they either didn't really want a sampler in the first place or they know a ton about samplers and shouldn't be picking up an entry level one. But hey, I come from a guitar FX forum, what do I know

I am a quite experienced synth composer, fidling with synths more than 20 years now , love my microsampler , dont get all the hate. Its limited yes, but loads, and loads, and loads and load and loads of fun.

Its the most creative toy I ever used. Can make music with it , in just a few minutes. So certainly its not only you.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:24 am

the "Hate" you all are discribing is actually due to the fact that when it came out the MicroSampler was waaaaaaaaaaay over priced. The microSampler it self is great and has one key feature that is only found in expensive work stations...playing your live sample across the keys instantly.

Now Korg that this feature was worth the insane price of $600 and did not consider the fact that the Electribe sampler ESX has 3 times the amount of features but for only $450. The only thing that the ESX fails on is the ability to smoothly sample live. The microSampler is a superior live sampler but it's limited in advanced features like ones in the ESX.

So really the issue is price. If the unit had been priced at $350 originally there wouldn't have been as much dislike for the microSampler. It is a shame that this sampler is on it's way out...

Korglee · Post by **Korglee** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:44 am

My local music store finally got these in this month. Tried one for a bit and started to seriously consider buying one. My question is - is the Microsampler on it's way out and if so, does that mean there will be a new and improved version of it available soon?

artpunk · Post by **artpunk** » Sat May 07, 2011 12:13 am

Korglee wrote:My local music store finally got these in this month. Tried one for a bit and started to seriously consider buying one. My question is - is the Microsampler on it's way out and if so, does that mean there will be a new and improved version of it available soon?

This is my question too. After years in the wilderness (I was once the happy owner of the MS-20 & MonoPoly waaaay back when) I am looking to get into Korg machines again. After much comparing & taking into account budget, space requirements, what kind of music I wanted to create etc etc the MicroSampler seemed to be a good choice.
One thing however, even though the Australian dollar is above parity with the US, these seem to be selling from anywhere between $700 - $900 Australian! Has the original release price been adjusted down? If so, as usual Australia seems to be behind...
So if a new, better synth/sampler/sequencer might be in the pipeline I am wondering if it is wise to jump in and get a MicroSampler?

Korglee · Post by **Korglee** » Sat May 07, 2011 5:38 pm

It's going for $350.00 here in the USA, a huge drop from where it started.
Still, if a new model came out with on board SD storage a month or two after I bought one - I wouldn't be happy about it. Truth is, even if there's a Microsampler 2 in the works, we probably would be the last to know.

Re-Member · Post by **Re-Member** » Sun May 08, 2011 12:45 am

Yeah, I'm really not sure what else they would add. The amount of sample time for each bank is plenty as is, plus you can already back up infinite banks and samples using the software. The software alone has made this one of the easiest samplers to work with. Adding more on-board storage would mean longer loading times between banks or start-up. The only thing worth adding would be ADSR sliders and LFO modulation for samples, but then it would function more like a synthesizer and probably bump up the selling price.

Honestly, if Korg just used a less annoying set of demo samples, they probably could have sold more units. I even remember playing a demo unit of the ESX-1 when it was first released and cringing over how bad all the samples sounded. Seems like any time a new sampling instrument is produced, it's marketed toward the US Hip-Hop crowd.

Korglee · Post by **Korglee** » Sun May 08, 2011 2:55 pm

I can't imagine that adding attack adjustment and most of the other additional features mentioned on this forum would increase the price too much (an OS update would take care of them actually) The Roland SP-404 I have uses 2gb CF cards and the newer model uses SD cards. All samples and banks are instantly available and one sample can be the length of the entire card memory. No need to use a computer for sample storage, just switch cards. The Micro- Sampler is so portable and yet, in the end you're anchored to a computer if you want to keep any of your work to make room for more work. Still, with the price drop it just might be worth taking a chance for everything it does do.

artpunk · Post by **artpunk** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 12:06 pm

I eventually picked up one near mint for AU $265 from a local fellow. Despite the limitations mentioned here & elsewhere, it's pretty easy to use and play with and with a bit of creative imagination I'm hoping it'll be a nice sonic addition to my embryonic set-up!