Recommend a solid Hardware Sampler to use along side a 2KXL

My 2KXL is in the shop, my research on moving to the 4K has left me really scared (buggy OS)

If I stay with the 2KXL, I really am wanting improvements in my sampling ability (which are1 of my reasons for looking at the 4K...that a nd a hipper sequencer).

What are people happy with that is more of a "music" sampler with time stretch, beat matching etc. You know, something that goes beyond what the 2KXL can do.


The Akai 5000, and 6000 seem dead in the water...the Z8

Bop

the akai s5000/ s6000 seem dead in the water? i dont understand... i would call them "mature" products (ie none of the bugs that you rightly worry about with the mpc4000). you can get aksys for the 5000 as well, you just need a usb board.

the fact is, it seems the hardware sampler itself is "dead in the water" to a certain degree thanks to computer based sampling... but a gently used s6000 with maxed out memory and the usb board should only put you back 700-1000 on ebay this should do everything you want when combined with a computer based editor like sound forge.

im thinking of doing this myself but i cant make up my mind... on the plus side for the z series you have:

internal hard drive as standard
ability to play 24/96 samples
"drum mapping"
automated sampling features
q-link knobs

on the minus side:
expensive (be prepared to spend over two grand for one with options that you want/need like 8-outputs and a removable face plate)
lets face it: ugly (i like the boxy corporate look akai used to have when they were kings)

so dont discount the s series
the artists that are getting rid of them are replacing them, by and large, with software

Hey Descatres,

I should never have said "dead in the water" without knowing what I was talking about...I was simply quoting an article from memory I was purusing in SOS ...and somewhere the reviewer used those words (I think he was reviewing the Z series...and indicated AKai had walked away from them due to problems...I'll find it and correct my quote)

Needless to say, I appreciate your insight as always...and find your summations what I was kind of expecting. Software is the thing.

But...I just gave up using a a palm Pilot 3 months ago...I hate dealing with computers and "files, upgrades..." You see, I'm really no good with them is the problem (great for e-mail, message boards and finances though!!)

I'll read up on those S's

Bop

For the record...not wanting to make horribly in-accurate statements (Descartes)

can you tell my MPC is in the shop and my head is full of questions and ideas

SOS July 2002 Akai Z series sampler review by Nicholas Rowland (excerpt)

…Talking of which... you may remember that the launch of the S5000 and S6000 also heralded the arrival of a brand-new operating system — unfortunately one that also happened not to work too well. While the Z8 and Z4 also see the introduction of a new OS, Akai aficionados will be pleased — nay, relieved — to note that this appears to be very much a case of evolution, not revolution. It's particularly good news considering that, following those disastrous S-series teething problems, Akai's Z-series OS has subsequently proved extremely stable.

SOS September 2002 MPC4000 review by Nicholas Rowland (excerpt)

….it seems astonishing that Akai in particular would risk compromising their reputation in this way(ed. Launching the MPC4000 with such buggy software), considering the damage this suffered after the launch of the bug-ridden S5000 and S6000 series.

akai s5000- sublime!

greg

Akai are terrible for this - when the S5000/S6000 was released, the OS was absolutely abissmal. A local studio to me bought two S6000's and they just sat there unused for over a year, because they simply could not get them to work without constant crashing. Everywhere I read, top producers were slating them - it took nearly two years to iron out most of the bugs - I believe they are now stable. Pity the suckers that spent £3000 on an S6000 when it first came out - two years of unpaid beta testing for Akai!

It seems to be the same story with the MPC4000 - how many advertised features were actually even available in the OS when the product was released (let alone features that were there that did not actually work)? What other industry could you get away with that sort of marketing??!!

Rush rush rush - must get that product out in time for NAMM... don't care that it doesn't work...

Personally, if you want an all singing-dancing sampler, I'd recommend the Emu Ultra series - in combination with an XL you have a very sturdy setup.

BeBop,

Don't worry about what you said concerning the old samplers. You were right. The S5000/6000 did have bugs. They were another AKAI fiasco. Eventually, AKAI discontinued these samplers. Owners were left without any support. It was horrible thing for AKAI to do, but they had no way to fix the mess without incurring a high cost, assuming it could be done at all. Interest in both samplers is dead. A used one in excellent condition can be found for a reasonable price. Someone who has used the older AKAI samplers will like these later models.

Last year interest in the Z8 died also. This occurred because the power and low cost of soft samplers is a big advantage over hardware samplers. Download the demo for SampleTank sometime. The 8.7 MB file has a user demonstrating several patches whose sound and effects are out of this world. You will understand why there has been a change in user preferences for soft samplers. AKAI was left with a product for which there is no demand. They have no resources to develop a bug free soft sampler of their own. They waited too long, and now there are several excellent choices from other vendors.

The Z8 is so darn expensive that you might as well get an MPC4000 instead of it. Both of them have the same sampling engine--which means they are going to have the same problems and missing features, such as audition from the hard drive. Avoid the Z4 completely. Another idea is just to keep your 2000XL and add SampleTank or a different soft sampler. You would have the best of both worlds by having a drum machine type instrument with tactile feedback and good percussion sound as well as very powerful software with outstanding sound and effects.

...and problems with great things like latency...

Nope.

Unless of course your PC is c-r-a-p. (which it must be, since you're having latency problems)

Laptop demo:

http://www.sampletank.com/STDemoVideoST ... Sounds.mov

and by the way, i would prefer using Ableton 3 for that kind of approach. Elastic Audio, and 1000 Ways to alter your own samples. Far superior to a rompler like Sampletank.

man, you are really aggressive...

Not really. I provided an explanation, and you made an instant negative response to it. So don't complain if you can't handle the response to your own attack.

There is a world of difference between implying everyone will have latency because you are having it, and asking about latency issues. I notice you rush to judgement quite frequently in forums.

These childish one-liners that a few people have been posting lately in response to technical posts don't serve any purpose at all except to disrupt the forum.

MPC_Producer wrote:These childish one-liners that a few people have been posting lately in response to technical posts don't serve any purpose at all except to disrupt the forum.

MPC_Producer wrote:Unless of course your PC is c-r-a-p. (which it must be, since you're having latency problems)

No, that was a response to the one-liner attack on my technical post. Re-read the posts. Don't ignore the early posts and take the discussion out of context.

And like I said, this isn't the first time it has happened. Read the "crack smoking" attack in the other forum.

The best way to stop the childish jabs and digs getting out of hand is to not rise to it - if someone is upsetting you, please just ignore them. The main problem on this forum is some people's knee-jerk reaction to a post they don't agree with - and carrying on some fuede from another thread is a quick recipe for even more disruption.