Sample vs Sampler

I have heard this question enough times from up-and-coming music producers that it feels necessary at this point to answer the question:

What is a sample, and what is a sampler?

What Is A Sample?

A sample is any piece of pre-recorded music that you use in a new piece of music. An audio clip of a drum, a string section, a vocal chop, a dog barking, a voicemail placed in a song’s intro, the list goes on. You can get these samples from large online marketplaces like Splice and Airbit, or from any one of a range of smaller, independent sellers. Some of my favorites include Samples From Mars, Oasis Sample Library, and (for innovation’s sake alone) Kingsway Music Library. While Splice is a royalty-free marketplace, meaning you can use any of their samples without ever needing to pay residuals to their creators, some of the smaller sellers will charge you for your use of their compositions. They will generally include contracts in your download folder outlining their rights as sellers of those samples. While there are some amazing sample packs for sale from reputable sellers, there are plenty of free-to-download, royalty free sample packs out there as well.

Sampling is an art form that dates back to the invention of samplers, and for more information on how a song and a sample can be used ad infinitum, check out Mark Ronson’s take on sampling in this Ted Talk:

A Sampler

A sampler, on the other hand, is a piece of music production gear into which you load a sample. A sampler can often pitch the sample, chop it into smaller pieces, and play it back so that you may make a new composition from the original sample. There are all kinds of samplers out on the marketplace right now, and they include everything from free softwares you can use on your computer to analog devices that will cost you as much as a used car. Let me show you some popular examples of samplers that are on the marketplace today. This is in no way a comprehensive or in-depth list, but includes some pieces I have used, and some I would love to use.

Digital Samplers:

There are many samplers that you can use on your laptop, without needing to buy anything new. There’s a good chance that your DAW already has a great and very usable sampler in it. Here are some examples of samplers you likely already own:

Native Instruments Battery

Battery is a fun little drum machine that comes in the Native Instruments Komplete bundle. Some sample pack sellers, like Samples From Mars, make presets for Battery so that you can load your samples directly into the software. One hangup I have had with Battery is that, once you load the samples into the sampler, you cannot move the original sample files on your hard drive. This is true of many softwares, from video editing software to music playback software, but one I learned for the first time through Battery. Battery comes with its own set of samples that are versatile and usable across quite a few different genres.

Ableton Live

Ableton is one of the most powerful samplers out there. It is a DAW with endless creative possibilities, and one that I often wish I started with at the beginning of my musical journey, just for the sheer creativity it provides. Ableton’s Suite comes with a ton of samples, sounds, and virtual instruments already built into the software so that you can start to create music right away. This is a real one-stop-shop, great for any laptop producer, or anyone whose focus is far better than mine when looking at a computer screen.

Logic Sampler

Logic Pro has built in samplers that I first found out about from watching UK Garage act Disclosure discuss their process. These samplers made heavy appearances on their first album, Settle, and have been useful to a ton of producers who never want to leave their DAW. These samplers have controls for pitch, length, and filter that make them great to use for any sound you want to load into them. I’ve brought some crazy sounds into this sampler and made sounds I love, including the pitched-down sound of a garbage can lid closing, which became a fantastic kick drum sound.

Hardware Samplers:

While Digital Samplers are affordable (and likely already on your computer), Hardware Samplers can be incredibly unique and personal tools that add something different to the music you are creating. Each has its own tone and sound, which comes from the method of sampling it uses, the effects that are built into the unit, and the way you use it. These can also run you up a good chunk of money, so do some research before buying one! Here are some samplers I have used or loved from a distance because of the producers who use them.

Elektron Digitakt

The Digitakt is a digital hardware sampler that I have used on many of my compositions and productions. It gives you the ability to tweak samples in a ton of different ways, but what is important to me here is the ability to work without a computer. As much as computers have opened an infinite number of doors to creativity, using a hardware sampler is the best thing for my personal attention span. I can get deeper into the music and the sounds than I would otherwise, and often find myself getting lost in the process.

Teenage Engineering OP-1

This piece of gear may look like a toy, but don’t be fooled by the small footprint and bright colors. I have spoken with many producers who refer to this little toy as one of the most important instruments in their collections. It’s a super capable sampler, with a distinct tone and sound. This one is popular among major producers like Bon Iver, but I love the work that up-and-coming artist Boxtrod has made with his OP-1. One of the greatest perks of this sampler is how portable it is. It’s easy to toss in a bag or backpack along with anything else you are taking on a trip, on tour, or for a weekend getaway.

Roland SP-404

This sampler has been popular among so many artists I love. My obsession with this sampler started after learning that Spanish producer El Guincho used this on his 2010 album Pop Negro, notably on his single “Bombay.” This unit has great built in effects that put many of the other samplers here to shame, and has been popular for a long time in hip-hop and boom-bap. It has been through many iterations over the years, only recently moving from RCA inputs and outputs (for vinyl sampling) to 1/4” ins and outs. There is a whole culture associated with this little sampler.

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