Sample Magic Klip £99

Sample Magic are best know for their dance and electronic-focused sample packs, and are regarded as one of the best in this field. More recently however, they have been exploring other areas of sonic provision, particularly in the form of Kontakt instruments such as Bloq and Klip (on test here).

Klip combines a substantive library of 4,000, melodic and rhythmic hits and loops with a multi-track trigger/ parameter sequencer and effectsladen mixer section. Unlike many Kontakt instruments, which are little more than a simple sample playback engine shoehorned into a fancy GUI, Klip feels more self-contained. In these regards it is therefore reminiscent of Native Instruments’ Maschine (minus the custom hardware). Samples are loaded into one of the trigger’s pads, and then programmed to play via the step sequencer on the right.

Delve deeper and you will find 16 additional lanes (per pad) that can control effects, filtering and other parameters (and with 70 pre-shaped presets to get you going). This aspect alone is very powerful, and combined with slicing/editing features allows you to turn Sample Magic’s raw material into something original pretty quickly.

Klip runs happily with the free Kontakt Player and, given its substantial sample library, is fairly priced. The interface is good-looking, but could benefit from more numerical parameter indication and built-in help (it’s easy to forget what some of the icon buttons actually do). User import of samples is not currently supported, which for many could be a dealbreaker – but don’t let this put you off what is a solid and engaging instrument. Bruce Aisher www.samplemagic.com VERDICT 8.0