r/Samplers

Hello all,

I know this question has been debated for years, but I’ve been stuck in serious decision fatigue over it. I’ve read countless Reddit posts, watched tons of videos, and even talked to chatbots about it, yet I still can’t reach a conclusion.

I’ve been thinking about buying my first Elektron box for a while now. I’ve never owned one before.

For context:
- I love tracker workflows. Renoise is my go-to DAW over Ableton.
- I use my iPad heavily for synths and use Koala for sampling.
- Breakbeats are everything to me.
- I’m mostly into jungle, IDM, trip hop, ambient textures, and glitchy rhythmic experimentation.

The Octatrack really fascinates me. I know it’s deep and intimidating, especially as a first Elektron device, but I also love the idea of treating it like an instrument I slowly build a relationship with over years. Ned Rush videos completely hooked me on the machine.

At the same time, Digitakt II looks incredibly fun and immediate. From what I’ve seen, the gap between OT and DT feels smaller nowadays, especially for breakbeat workflows. Groove in G’s jungle videos on the DT2 honestly impressed me a lot.

One of the main things I want to do is live breakbeat manipulation. Slicing drum breaks, jumping between slices while keeping the groove flowing, improvising transitions, punch-in FX, glitching, evolving patterns, more glitching etc.

My current options are:
-Octatrack MKII — €900
Digitakt II — €800

The OT price especially feels like a steal, which makes this even harder. I’m worried that if I get the DT2, I’ll always wonder about the Octatrack. But I’m also worried that if I get the OT first, I might end up overwhelmed and regret not starting with the more immediate machine.

People who’ve used both, especially for jungle/IDM/trip hop/ glitchy workflows. What would you honestly recommend?
Thanks everyone.

This may sound like the most middle aged boomer question ever (although I'm Gen X), but are there any good books on samplers, how to get the most out of them, production ideas, etc?

TIA

Could I theoretically buy an inexpensive used sampler and load TR1000 sounds on it? If so, any recommendations?

I've been lookin' into getting a sampler, a whole new world for me as a guitarist. So that being said, what could be recommended for a beginner?

I've been reading about the Akai MPC series (Studio, One, One+, ...) and also the Elektron Digitakt II. Although I can compare them in everything I've read about those units, I can't really tell from a practical standpoint.

The music I'd like to create with this, I do not know yet either. Ofcourse I'd like to mix it up with my guitar, that win't be an issue. I think I'd like to experiment with it and try to find fun stuff to create with it as top priority.

Thanks in advance for any advise!

Here's a mellow disco number. With the Bento as the brain and the JT4000M to add a little extra. I used an NI midi controller to play the notes.

hey all,

I've had so much fun with the KOII but ended up selling it since the 128MB storage is a no go.

But this experience shed a light on what I'm looking for: a portable creative sampler with these go to feats:

- portable (must)

- has a sequencer & tracks (nice to have)

- effects can be performed live (ideally only sends in order to retain eventual tails when disegnaged) (must)

- has great sounding effects (must)

- ideally has a song mode too (nice to have)

- I can resample what I'm doing at any time (even if I leave the resampler page - my biggest limitation with my AKAI Mpc One + ) (must)

- has SD card for storage (must)

- has a great sounding warping-pitching algorithm (must)

- battery powered (super nice to have)

_________________________________________

I already know the OP1 Field would tick all of these and more but I just can't justify the price - even second hand. Awesome little machine but no.

Also I've bought the MPC Sample but returned it after a 3 weeks deep dive since to my ears it doesn't sound good due to its subpar warping-pitching algorithm and most of all the bad sounding FXs. (reverb is almost obscene lol)

__________________________________________

Torso S4 is the only I've found so far.

anything else comes to your mind?

btw I don't do vinyl sampling or such. I do game audio and do all sorts of experimental stuff with samples

Thanks!!

I have the MPC1000 and the SP404 and I’m f****** love it. I make HipHop and RnB styled beats.

I’m afraid I have to admit that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here in terms of size and weight.

As a perpetual traveler, it’s simply too difficult to manage all this gear, including the MicroFreak, iLoud Micro, DT770 Pro headphones, and MacBook, while on the road.

That’s why I’m now looking in the direction of the Octatrack, to see if it might serve as an alternative to the MPC and SP-404.

Which do you prefer, and why?

I just got an E4x for super cheap. Plot twist, the hard drive is bad. It spins, but is unreadable. If I try to format it, it says its not ready.

I have a couple of old SCSI hard drives kicking around my studio. I could take one of those an image it to work if I had the original ISO image of the E4x hard drive.

Internet search is finding gobs of factory CDROMs, but not the OG spinny hard drive.

Also, bummer, it has the 1MB Flash RAM, so I'm stuck at EOS 3.0b, unless I can source a 2MB card.

Something that I can make beats on just the sampler .

Okay, so I already own an MC909 and a Kurzweil K2000rs (with sample option and ZuluSCSI), an XV5080 with a ZuluSCSI sample playback, as well as Cubase Artist 15 (so there's a sampler in that, too). I honestly have not dug deeply into the samplers I already have, apart from finding out that the MC909 is more about creating funky drum loops than creating sample based instruments spread across a keyboard. I'm honestly considering selling the MC909.

I've always had a nearly fetish level of love for Emu gear, samplers,ROMplers, etc. I already own a Proteus MPS Plus keyboard, but it has no filters, an d kinda feels limited for preset design. I'm interested in a Proteus 2000, or any of the other 3rd gen Emu ROMplers.

An ESI-4000 with Turbo option has grabbed my attention, because of the fantastic price. I love the Z-Plane filters, and figured I could use this sampler as a real time effect box in addition to the sampler functions.

I make a lot of pop-rock with some synthwave kinda keyboard tracks on it. I'm a huge fan of 80s, 90s, music, as well as 80s, 90s, and 2000s ROMplers.

Please, I need an intervention before I shoot more of this junk in my veins.

I got limited time back in the states to pick up some new gear. I think im going one of these two directions (and I'll be using them with ableton); any thoughts? What would you go with? Thanks!!

You can watch a lot of content i've uploaded with the EP-136 in my channel

https://www.youtube.com/@nachosantagata

TL;DR: I'm building an open-source hardware sampler. Pre-alpha, no hardware exists, may never ship. The community votes on every spec. Pad layout, encoder count, even the CAD of the case. Roast me.

I'm a software engineer who's been making beats on an MPC 1000/JJOS and an SP-404 for years. Love the Octatrack from a distance. None of these boxes is what I want to play in 2026.

Akai, Roland, Elektron: slow, opaque, increasingly indifferent. Feature requests rot in forums for years. JJOS exists because the community had to fix the MPC themselves. That should be the rule, not the exception.

So I started building one.

The working idea (all subject to community argument):

• MPC 1000/JJOS workflow and sequencing
• SP-404 MK2 hands-on resampling. "Play the FX" mindset.
• Octatrack-grade trigging. Scenes, parts, conditional trigs.
• Standalone hardware. Instant boot. No menu-diving for things you reach for every bar.
• Open firmware forever. Open hardware. Repairable. Framework-grade.
• Community votes on every spec. Pad count. Encoder count. The case.

Status: thinking, sketching, writing manifesto. No firmware. No PCB. No 3D model. Honest about all of it. The .dev domain is the working title because the real name gets picked once there is a community to pick it.

There's a public feedback board live where you can post ideas, upvote, comment. Sign-in is a magic link, no account spam.

opensampler.dev

What I'd love from you: pad layout opinions. Encoder vs. button purists. Anyone with serious Octatrack scenes time. Anything I'm missing or getting wrong. Tell me which existing box I should be ripping more ideas from.

Pre-alpha. May never ship. That's not the bug, it's the point.