Welcome
Once upon a time, the hardware sampler reigned supreme. The introduction of affordable sampling kickstarted a musical revolution by giving everyday producers the ability to create entire tunes without the need for expensive studios. Sonically, the quirks and limitations of those digital machines gave the music a rawness, naivety and charm that will forever be associated with classic dance music, and, of course, the art of sampling and ‘crate-digging’ has become a culture in itself. The hardware sampler was later superseded by software equivalents that make those clunky boxes seem ancient, and we now take the power of today’s Kontakts, HALions and Falcons for granted. But by ditching that dusty old digital tech, we’re missing out on a wealth of creative potential – and our music is arguably suffering for it.
But wait! Can’t we recreate the magic of classic samplers by harnessing the convenience and power of modern software? Of course we can! In this issue’s huge cover feature, we’re going to take you on a tour of history’s most iconic hardware audio-manglers, dive deep into sampling technique, and show you how to create amazing music with the same charisma and flavour as your favourite records from yesteryear.
ENJOY THE ISSUE
“Affordable sampling kickstarted a musical revolution”