Great Vid and clear explanation on some features,was hoping you can explain how to store and retrieve samples from an external source such as laptop or ipod. Cheers
@SuperDrumbanger Hi... You can load samples into the software editor on a Mac or PC if you have them as files, and then copy them over to the MicroSampler. If your "samples" are on an iPod (it's tricky to extract audio from an iPod but not impossible), the best thing is to play them directly into the MicroSampler as audio and sample them (re-record them) with that. Let me know if that's not the question you were asking :-)
@horganator would not being able to play the piano hold you back whilst trying to use this sampler? im really interested but i think my lack of piano knowledge will hold me back with the keys?
@NECTIK900 I guess you could if you really wanted to but it would be hard work. It's really a sampler, designed for recording and playing back reasonably short sounds, rather than a digital recorder and arranger.
@horganator Excuse me mate but can you help me out:) i want to create short length songs on the MicroSampler, but the main problem is that can the goose-neck microphone record vocals or rapping properly? I really need your help! thanks:)
@NECTIK900 Sure, you can record vocals and rapping through the gooseneck mic. If you want more control over the recording you can use other equipment and import the recorded vocals into the MicroSampler as part of a Soundbank using Korg's MicroSampler editing software.
@nandroid You'll need a cable with a 3.5mm cable at one end and two 1/4 inch jacks at the other end. Plug the 3.5mm end into your iPod's headphone socket and the 1/4inch jacks into the sampler's inputs.
@TheKaylem On the right hand side of the machine, it has 2 knobs that are able to add a shit ton of effects to any sample. The software provided, as well, lets you modify everything. Well worth the money.
Can you somehow keep the first few keys working as samples and the rest as a keyboard of one sample? Life if I wanted to have some singular ambient samples on the first six keys to play while I played the rest of the keys as a keyboard bass? Also, can you add multiple effects to one sample and save it that way?
@redhandrail Yes. You need to have the keyboard in "Sample" mode (as opposed to "Keyboard" mode).
Assign your sound effect samples to the lower keys, and make sure your bass sound is assigned to the highest key that holds a sample (not the top key, but maybe middle C).
When there are no more samples assigned to the higher keys, the last sample (bass in this case) is spread across the remaining keys as a tuned instrument, so you will be able to play a bassline and the one-shot sounds at once.
@Jcas872008 You could, but you would have to connect the turntable to a DJ mixer or a phono pre-amp first, in order to convert the turntable's output to a line-level signal.
not the sampler for me then........ i used sound effects.. wind and lots of cool stuff.. i need to bring a library...... i'll wait for my OPENLABS DBEAT and use Ableton.... this seems to be a toy for hip hoppers
@mysticradio It doesn't use memory cards. Instead it has its own internal memory which can store "approximately 160 seconds per bank", of which there are 8.
You record directly to the hardware or you can create sample banks on your PC or Mac and transfer them with the software editor.
Anybody looking for tutorials or tracks made with the microSAMPLER please check out my channel...I'll even do tutorials by request if you have a topic I haven't touched on yet. Hit me up. Peace.
WARNING it HAS NO UNDO !!!!! with those lil butons its kinda hard to dont mistake an overdub !!! i cant believe i wait 700 $ for just a midi player !!!!
When demoing a sampler, one must always criticize the use of ipods in promo videos. Because, as we have been told 100 times, they are just empty holes ;)
Thanks for making these video's, i also found the one comparing the microkorg and the XL very useful.
My purpose with my future new keyboard is to be highly portable with tons of funky sounds. I enjoy the workstation like use of my keyboard, and would i lose that with the korg xl? I would get have reason if it was the xl i decided on. Would it also work with the microsampler?
I need a keyboard that's cheap and has a realistic-sounding piano sound ... do you think this'd fit the bill if I sampled a single piano key into it [or found piano samples on the internets or something]? I can deal with the size [and if it gets to be a problem I'll just plug it into my 88 key controller].
@Sam111111 You could do that, but it would be easier and probably cheaper to get something like a Yamaha SY35, which has 8 different acoustic piano sounds to choose from (as well as some other quite interesting synth sounds).
Otherwise, get a cheap General MIDI keyboard, maybe a Roland model from the 90s. All General MIDI keyboards have a few piano sounds.
@horganator Yeah, I had a Yamaha YPT-200 [and own an Alesis Micron], but the piano sound was awful. I'm looking for a piano sound that's actually good - and when you compare the early 90's Roland models to this, this is around the same price [but is a sampler, which is cool].
great video as it really helped me to confirm before i buy this. Just a question can i use this as my midi keyboard rather than using my maudio usb keyboard?
Lol small change. This is what I wanted like 4 years ago but it didn't exist. Wow. This might look corny to you, but we are witnessing the birth of a classic. I was playing my friend's old casio keyboard, and whoever programmed the autofills/demo songs needs an award.
thanks... the mellotron had 37 keys, so the octaves wont be a problem.. i am not a keyboard player, i am guitarrist, but now my band is doing a lot of prog music, so some nice melllotron choirs will be used for sure... it seems a really nice machine to take live... although the small keys might be a handicap, i already have a microkorg, so i am use to it more or less...
hi, i am looking for a cheap and easy-to-use unit where i can take some mellotron and electric piano samples in order to play them live... could this be a good option? space is as well a priority...
@mynmyself Yes. You could easily create mellotron and electric piano sound banks, and it's very portable. So long as you're happy playing live with the small keys and reduced number of octaves it should be ideal.
Does this product also offer synthesizer sounds like the MicroKorg XL, or is it better to team them up?
I am a musican that writes songs for keyboard, and I own a stage piano that does not offer synth sounds. I'm in a band right now, but am looking to go solo with an electonic synth sound.
What is your recommendation about the Korg Synthesizers?
@lexylou007 It comes with a few sampled sounds preloaded, including some synth sounds, but you're best viewing this as a sampler and getting another synth for synth sounds. Check out my other videos for more on Korg's little synths.
I'm in the market for a video camera. The quality of your video camera is quite good compared to most on UTube . . . lense is sharp, resolution is good, though there's some jitters, but I use a tripod.
Generally I use a Sanyo Xacti VPC HD2. It's discontinued now but the Xacti range is still going. The HD2 is good for close-ups if you set it to macro mode, but it can be tricky to hold still (as you can see). Also you can't place it on a level surface and film, since the lens points up at a slight angle. Overall iIt's a decent compact hi-def camera though.
Yes. It would allow you to get around the microKORG's inability to play more than one patch at a time by sampling its sounds and playing them on the microSAMPLER. You could of course use it to add all sorts of other sounds to your music. With the microKORG it would be good for adding drums and sampled vocals, for instance.
However, depending on how you work (live, studio etc...) , you may find your computer can do a lot of the sampling tasks already.
ur reviews on the microkorgs are wonderful. i'm hopefully setting my sights on an xl and this sampler. few questions though;
On the xl, how many arpeggios are preset into the keyboard? also, is there a speaker you would reccomend with it?
on the sampler, can you plug in an mp3 to play along with? also, when i watched you playing with the effects using the speak n spell, i began to wonder if you could alter incoming noise, like if i sang into the mic could i distort my voice in real time?
You can set the pattern of notes. The notes are the keys you press played in a random order, as a chord, ascending, descending, or up then down
You can't play along to the input on the XL or the sampler. The sampler FX don't work in realtime, so no.
As for a speaker, it depends how much space you have. The best fairly compact speaker I've used is the excellent Blaupunkt Velocity2Go, which is mains powered and stereo and goes very loud, but isn't small.
If you're just using the keyboard, you press the required key before sampling (the red light above that key will light up), and what you record is assigned to that key. If you use the editor on a PC or Mac you can import samples and assign them to keys, then export the whole lot to the keyboard over MIDI or USB.
Thank you for this video. I wonder if you don't mind answering some questions -
Do you know how it copes with time-stretching loops and adjusting pitch in real-time? If I made some samples from an mp3 player in a live situation, would it be reasonable to expect to be able to implement them to sync with something else instantly or would the samples be limited to how they were when they recorded?
well how many samples will it hold.. how many patches. banks... i know it depends upon the time of the sample. but in general terms how man.. i want to take lots of effects onstage.. maybe id be better off with a roland SP 404?
In each bank you can have 36 different samples. There are 8 banks. Overall sampling time is about 80 seconds per bank at 48kHz 16-bit stereo.
I haven't tried the SP 404, but that might be easier to use if all you need to do is trigger the samples, rather than play melodies or patterns with them.
It stores the samples in its own internal memory. You can either record them directly into the keyboard or create sample banks using the editor on a PC or Mac, and then transfer them to the keyboard. Once you have done that you won't need the computer (it keeps the samples in its memory when it's switched off). It won't play samples directly from a USB device.
i just want to use it for sampling effects. like wind and samples from albums i can play... i have a one man show, mostly piano....so just wanna use it as a trigger for different things.... perhaps some drums.
i think you should buy a mpc if you want the real deal,but the microsampler is a nice compromise between crap samplers and mpcs,it's really fun to play and to use,really easy but it has its limits.
Yes. Take a look at the last couple of minutes to hear some of the effects it has. However, you can only use one effect at once, and only one effect for each sound bank. Effects do not have to be used across all sounds in a bank, however. Also, you can bounce a sound or pattern down with an effect selected, and then use that in a bank but change the effect assigned to the rest of the sounds in that bank. Ask me again if that didn't make sense. :-)
Unfortunately not. There's no "Song" mode, so that's not possible. The patterns can be up to 99 measures in length, which would be enough for a track, but I imagine making a whole "song" with one pattern would be tricky and fiddly, though not impossible.
The two would work very well together. The microSAMPLER would let you get a lot more out of the XL, layering up sounds and patterns. But if it was one or the other, I guess it would depend on what gaps in a set-up I wanted to fill.
thanks a lot for posting the video. i thought it was very informative, and now i definitely want to to get that keyboard. i hope you keep posting videos, despite people posting useless rude comments.
Very constructive Mr Tionik. I guess that sort of in-depth analysis and insight explains why you're a professional technology journalist. Oh hang on, that's me isn't it?
Come back and have another go when you know what you're talking about and have more than one video of your own to fall back on.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Professional Technology Journalist. no matter how many videos you have under your belt, it is irrelevant and this is still a limited gimick product. If you were so professional, you could have made a better song with this fantasticly crap product. I've met plenty of professionals who dont know shit so dont think you are impressing me with that nonsense.
OK, let's wind this one up. You don't like the product. That's your opinion and I can't be bothered to try convincing you otherwise. The video is shaky and that's true. Beyond that, I don't think there's anything more to discuss.
The song he choose does'nt make him right or wrong, he used It to show us what features the product has, and yes I admit, There are some professionals out there that don't know anything, but when you work as a PRJ for the world's leading gadget magazine, you sort of know what you're talking about, and to be honest you really do need to improve your vocabulary a bit If the only world you have to describe a product is 'shit'. Keep making the videos tony!
Come on, I'm sure you can think of a better insult than the old "British teeth" jibe. Think, man! What about our tiny little cars? The way we needed bailing out at the end of the war? The awful British food, perhaps?
Cricket: what's that about?
Or you could get personal and criticise the floor tiles... the incomprehensible accent... :-)
Hey man , great video! Just wondering I have a Korg emx and I'm now looking to expand my hardware to fill out live performances. My dilemma is whether to either get this or a microkorg XL and a kp3. Which would you recommend?Currently I'm steering towards the later.
I'd only really want it for sampling the drums don't really look that extensive but I've the emx for that and synths ; however the instant sampling looks like it could be useful.
The KP3 Koass Pad is a great live effects processor. Well built, nice to use, lots of bright lights and great effects. The XL is very neat too and a great sound source, but has some pretty good effects of its own on board, which are actually based on the Kaoss Pad technology.
Adding a microSAMPLER instead of the two above would give you very different options, so it's hard to say which you should do. The sampler would allow you to add a greater variety of sounds to your live performances.
hey, i'm wondering would this be the perfect thing for me, because i thought of creating music, styles: tehcno, & trance also hardstyle im intrested in of creating, hope for ur answer or any answer, thanks! :D
It would make a good starter keyboard, because you will get instant results (which will keep you interested) and it can do a lot. If you really take time to get to know it, and how to get the best from it, you won't need much other gear. It's very well suited to all kinds of dance music.
ah okay, because i also looked a bit at the Korg Kaossilator, (the yellow box) but im unsure of which one that would be best, there is alot of price difference between them, i was caught up with the Kaossilator by heading all the programs/sounds it has, but this seems like a great tool too but im unsure, it looks like this one can do alot and surely the other kaossilator too, thanks for your fast reply, i will see how i'll be doing :P
can you store the samples to it.....or when you turn it off are they lost...an sd card feature would have been good....i think £299 should be the price of it ...looks good though...
1. Yes. You can turn off the metronome on the pattern recorder (it's on in this video), so you could record a loop of a bar, or a few bars, and the sequencer will then loop back seemlessly and play what you've just recorded (and this time it will be quantised according to your settings). Is that what you mean?
2. You can record while listening to another pattern, but this will add your new recording to the pattern you are listening to, so the two will become part of the same pattern sequence.
Yes, in that you can record any audio on the sampler and play it back, and you could also use this keyboard as a controller (an input device for your computer) to play VST synths live. However, I don't think you could use the microSAMPLER as a controller for your VST synths and record their output (from your computer) on the microSAMPLER at the same.
okay, it says the polyphony is 14 keys, does that mean i can only play 14 keys at a time, or that the samples only go over 14 keys? My thought was to sample wavs of my plugins then use my bigger keyboard to play them on. Is this feasible?
Thanks for the answers. I meant "in the audio world", not the midi/pattern one. If I sample an audio loop of 2bars, may I start the audio back by pressing the key while my source is still playing (pressing the last key) and both are in sync. Same goes for #2: in the "audio world", may I sample a bass line fro a synth while another loop is playing "on hold"?. I'm speaking about a regular sampling here, not a resampling whic would merge the 2 loops.
You can't sample while you're already doing something else. I'm happy they did it that way though because if you need to do that you should just use a software solution.
2 little questions: 1- is it possible to go directly from recording loop to playing it? So th loop stays in sync with the source(vinyl, mp3,...) The kaosspad3 can do this.
2- Can you record something while listining to another loop? I mean use the Msampler as a "crude" multitrack? Thank for any info. Sorry if my english is not the best :-)
Sorry, I thought I'd replied to this but maybe it didn't post properly.
1. Yes. You would probably want to turn off the metronome (which you can do). When you record a pattern and you get to the end of your specified pattern length, it will loop back to the start and play what you recorded (but this time it will be quantised according to your settings).
2. Only if you are adding extra sounds and notes to a loop that has already been recorded. These will then become part of the same pattern.
THESE ARE AMAZING... i just ordered the Microkorg XL and this microsampler will definitely be the next thing i buy, im sure they will work well together: Creating great sounds on the XL to sample with this and live loop without software such as ableton. THIS IS AWESOME, thank you korg and also to you Mr Horgantor!
I think you're right, the microKORG XL and microSAMPLER will make a great team. With just those two you'll be able to do so much without even using a computer or a mixer.
I don't know much about samplers or sequencers, but are you able to map a loop to one key and then another loop to another key?(like if you pressed the right chord it would trigger the full "song" and pressing just one key would trigger one loop)
Yes. I did this in the orignal video actually but it ended up not making the final cut. So, for example, that whole loop in the video could be recorded as a sample and assigned to a key. You can set the MicroSAMPLER to record from itself, rather than an external source, by pressing the red button you see at 1:25. That works for recording live (rather than just sequenced) patterns and melodies too.
Nice vid.. though you should really record it from plug outputs instead of cam's mic :/
PitBullFrankfurt 4 days ago
i love your admiration for the speak n spell
muckleby 1 month ago
@muckleby :-) I always wanted one as a kid, but you can't have everything can you? Thankfully there's eBay and jobs that pay for toys you never had!
horganator 4 weeks ago
Does it only run on batteries? If so, what kind? Can you record drum patterns and play it back?
ReinaDelAcordeonMimi 1 month ago
Great Vid and clear explanation on some features,was hoping you can explain how to store and retrieve samples from an external source such as laptop or ipod. Cheers
SuperDrumbanger 2 months ago
@SuperDrumbanger Hi... You can load samples into the software editor on a Mac or PC if you have them as files, and then copy them over to the MicroSampler. If your "samples" are on an iPod (it's tricky to extract audio from an iPod but not impossible), the best thing is to play them directly into the MicroSampler as audio and sample them (re-record them) with that. Let me know if that's not the question you were asking :-)
horganator 4 weeks ago
the voice is similar to wierd science from zabiela
martinotegui 2 months ago
@8DomoloN8 Yes, you'll have to connect it to a speaker system, headphones or your computer to hear it as there are no built-in speakers.
horganator 2 months ago
@8DomoloN8 If you mean "Can it be used on its own without a computer?", the answer is yes. That's how I'm using it in this video.
horganator 2 months ago
Can it be used as a normal keyboard ?
ShazaLondon 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
help!!!
the clap sound dissappeared!
how can i restore microsampler to factory settings!!!???
12345652180 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@horganator would not being able to play the piano hold you back whilst trying to use this sampler? im really interested but i think my lack of piano knowledge will hold me back with the keys?
NECTIK900 5 months ago
@horganotor one last question:) is it easy to make hooks and chorus'? thanks a lot for your help:D
NECTIK900 5 months ago
@NECTIK900 Well, it's easy to play back a sample in a melody, at different pitches, if that's what you mean.
horganator 5 months ago
@horganator so if i really wanted to i could record full length songs on the MicroSampler?
NECTIK900 5 months ago
@NECTIK900 I guess you could if you really wanted to but it would be hard work. It's really a sampler, designed for recording and playing back reasonably short sounds, rather than a digital recorder and arranger.
horganator 5 months ago
@horganator Excuse me mate but can you help me out:) i want to create short length songs on the MicroSampler, but the main problem is that can the goose-neck microphone record vocals or rapping properly? I really need your help! thanks:)
NECTIK900 5 months ago
@NECTIK900 Sure, you can record vocals and rapping through the gooseneck mic. If you want more control over the recording you can use other equipment and import the recorded vocals into the MicroSampler as part of a Soundbank using Korg's MicroSampler editing software.
horganator 5 months ago
Where can you connect to sample from iPod?
nandroid 6 months ago
@nandroid You'll need a cable with a 3.5mm cable at one end and two 1/4 inch jacks at the other end. Plug the 3.5mm end into your iPod's headphone socket and the 1/4inch jacks into the sampler's inputs.
horganator 6 months ago
If it had pitchbend and modulation wheels would buy.
TheKaylem 1 year ago
@TheKaylem On the right hand side of the machine, it has 2 knobs that are able to add a shit ton of effects to any sample. The software provided, as well, lets you modify everything. Well worth the money.
KilIMinusTheK 1 year ago
@KilIMinusTheK How will that modulate and bend string sounds ?.
TheKaylem 1 year ago
Speak & Spell : P
ams1992 1 year ago
Now I know what craig jones does now
bloodhunters100 1 year ago
cost?
coolmanr 1 year ago
@coolmanr google?
horganator 1 year ago 30
@coolmanr $399 on Ebay right now.
jeffbrent 1 year ago
@coolmanr on this site: the music den dot com, the have one for four hundred ninety nine dollars.
minigolfer101 11 months ago
@coolmanr 299 on music store
vascobicker 7 months ago
rien ne vaut une mpc
olyyve 1 year ago
@olyyve The Akai MPC machines are quite different. They don't have a keyboard for a start.
horganator 1 year ago
sequenceur de merde ,quantize de merde ,korg se garde bien de le montrer dans ses videos
olyyve 1 year ago
@olyyve The quantizing is fine and the sequencer isn't bad.
horganator 1 year ago
excellent video mate. I ordered my microsampler a minute ago. Probably I will post a video if it is as good as I think it is.
thekilon 1 year ago
@thekilon Thanks. Hope you have fun with it. :-)
horganator 1 year ago
So.. If I have samples of a mellotron in wav. format, I could assign them onto the keys on the keyboard right? What keyboards can do this?
Tengent 1 year ago
@Tengent Yes, you can do this with the microSAMPLER.
horganator 1 year ago
i need the speak n spell f the korg lol OFF to the thrift.
imsothemanXD 1 year ago
"Rhythm, Mechanic" I like that :P
xTurnipTimex 1 year ago
Can you somehow keep the first few keys working as samples and the rest as a keyboard of one sample? Life if I wanted to have some singular ambient samples on the first six keys to play while I played the rest of the keys as a keyboard bass? Also, can you add multiple effects to one sample and save it that way?
redhandrail 1 year ago 3
@redhandrail Yes. You need to have the keyboard in "Sample" mode (as opposed to "Keyboard" mode).
Assign your sound effect samples to the lower keys, and make sure your bass sound is assigned to the highest key that holds a sample (not the top key, but maybe middle C).
When there are no more samples assigned to the higher keys, the last sample (bass in this case) is spread across the remaining keys as a tuned instrument, so you will be able to play a bassline and the one-shot sounds at once.
horganator 1 year ago
80's breakdance electro, like it lol
xesionprince 1 year ago
tenes una lechuga en el diente
SalahADC 1 year ago
@SalahADC No, not lettuce, just a little hole in the tooth. I've since had it filled by the dentist :-)
horganator 1 year ago
could you record samples from a turntable that plays 12" vinyl records.
Jcas872008 1 year ago
@Jcas872008 You could, but you would have to connect the turntable to a DJ mixer or a phono pre-amp first, in order to convert the turntable's output to a line-level signal.
horganator 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
maycro samplar fram karg am tauching ait wait mait hunds : )
scavenom2008 1 year ago
maycro samplar fram karg am tauching ait wait mait hunds
scavenom2008 1 year ago
not the sampler for me then........ i used sound effects.. wind and lots of cool stuff.. i need to bring a library...... i'll wait for my OPENLABS DBEAT and use Ableton.... this seems to be a toy for hip hoppers
mysticradio 1 year ago
what data cards does this use? usb finger drive ?
mysticradio 1 year ago
@mysticradio It doesn't use memory cards. Instead it has its own internal memory which can store "approximately 160 seconds per bank", of which there are 8.
You record directly to the hardware or you can create sample banks on your PC or Mac and transfer them with the software editor.
horganator 1 year ago
Anybody looking for tutorials or tracks made with the microSAMPLER please check out my channel...I'll even do tutorials by request if you have a topic I haven't touched on yet. Hit me up. Peace.
3sleeves 1 year ago
@3sleeves Hi I have just bought a microsampler and need to know a few things.
1, how to store sounds from external sources such as ipod, laptop ect.
2. how to get sampled sounds into the librarian editor and transfer them and keep them in the microsampler.
hope you can help as seen your other vids and they help novices like me.
SuperDrumbanger 2 months ago
WARNING it HAS NO UNDO !!!!! with those lil butons its kinda hard to dont mistake an overdub !!! i cant believe i wait 700 $ for just a midi player !!!!
DimzTV 1 year ago
@DimzTV 1. It does have an undo. From p21 of the manual:
Hold down the [ENTER/SHIFT] button and press the [REC] button.
You’ll return to the state that you were at immediately prior to the previous
operation (Undo).
This won’t occur if you haven’t performed any recording operation.
2. If you want to cancel the Undo (ie. return to the result of the previous
operation), once again hold down the [ENTER/SHIFT] button and press
the [REC] button.
The pattern will return to its original state (Redo).
horganator 1 year ago
@DimzTV Seriously man, learn the gear before you issue a warning about it. It DOES have UNDO and I demonstrate it in one of my videos.
3sleeves 1 year ago
When demoing a sampler, one must always criticize the use of ipods in promo videos. Because, as we have been told 100 times, they are just empty holes ;)
TrophyBass12 1 year ago
Thanks for making these video's, i also found the one comparing the microkorg and the XL very useful.
My purpose with my future new keyboard is to be highly portable with tons of funky sounds. I enjoy the workstation like use of my keyboard, and would i lose that with the korg xl? I would get have reason if it was the xl i decided on. Would it also work with the microsampler?
Which is your preference?
Thanks a ton, hope to get a response back soon,
have a good one.
gloriaelanna 1 year ago
I need a keyboard that's cheap and has a realistic-sounding piano sound ... do you think this'd fit the bill if I sampled a single piano key into it [or found piano samples on the internets or something]? I can deal with the size [and if it gets to be a problem I'll just plug it into my 88 key controller].
Sam111111 1 year ago
@Sam111111 You could do that, but it would be easier and probably cheaper to get something like a Yamaha SY35, which has 8 different acoustic piano sounds to choose from (as well as some other quite interesting synth sounds).
Otherwise, get a cheap General MIDI keyboard, maybe a Roland model from the 90s. All General MIDI keyboards have a few piano sounds.
horganator 1 year ago
@horganator Yeah, I had a Yamaha YPT-200 [and own an Alesis Micron], but the piano sound was awful. I'm looking for a piano sound that's actually good - and when you compare the early 90's Roland models to this, this is around the same price [but is a sampler, which is cool].
Sam111111 1 year ago
Take a look at my videos of this beast in use.
I'll be posting more MS-1 videos soon.
3sleeves 1 year ago
Can u use this keyboard as a vocoder?
player042 1 year ago
@player042 No, it doesn't have a vocoder function.
horganator 1 year ago
great video as it really helped me to confirm before i buy this. Just a question can i use this as my midi keyboard rather than using my maudio usb keyboard?
irfanshaikh123 1 year ago
@irfanshaikh123 Happy to have helped. Yes, you can use it as a MIDI controller.
horganator 1 year ago
Lol small change. This is what I wanted like 4 years ago but it didn't exist. Wow. This might look corny to you, but we are witnessing the birth of a classic. I was playing my friend's old casio keyboard, and whoever programmed the autofills/demo songs needs an award.
sheatheman 1 year ago
thanks... the mellotron had 37 keys, so the octaves wont be a problem.. i am not a keyboard player, i am guitarrist, but now my band is doing a lot of prog music, so some nice melllotron choirs will be used for sure... it seems a really nice machine to take live... although the small keys might be a handicap, i already have a microkorg, so i am use to it more or less...
mynmyself 1 year ago
hi, i am looking for a cheap and easy-to-use unit where i can take some mellotron and electric piano samples in order to play them live... could this be a good option? space is as well a priority...
mynmyself 1 year ago
@mynmyself Yes. You could easily create mellotron and electric piano sound banks, and it's very portable. So long as you're happy playing live with the small keys and reduced number of octaves it should be ideal.
horganator 1 year ago
Does this product also offer synthesizer sounds like the MicroKorg XL, or is it better to team them up?
I am a musican that writes songs for keyboard, and I own a stage piano that does not offer synth sounds. I'm in a band right now, but am looking to go solo with an electonic synth sound.
What is your recommendation about the Korg Synthesizers?
lexylou007 1 year ago
@lexylou007 It comes with a few sampled sounds preloaded, including some synth sounds, but you're best viewing this as a sampler and getting another synth for synth sounds. Check out my other videos for more on Korg's little synths.
horganator 1 year ago
it loos really corny
sjmeerkees 1 year ago
can you plug a guitar into it and record that over the top of beats?
troutty 1 year ago
all show the same use,there is so many more use of the sampler,the use of the software to loop is the most important for perfect sampling
djyucatec 2 years ago
I'm thinking of getting this or a Roland SP-555. Anyone know which one would be the better buy?
badboyrhythmdub 2 years ago
Hi
I'm in the market for a video camera. The quality of your video camera is quite good compared to most on UTube . . . lense is sharp, resolution is good, though there's some jitters, but I use a tripod.
Please let me know. Thanks.
Vanopelli 2 years ago
Generally I use a Sanyo Xacti VPC HD2. It's discontinued now but the Xacti range is still going. The HD2 is good for close-ups if you set it to macro mode, but it can be tricky to hold still (as you can see). Also you can't place it on a level surface and film, since the lens points up at a slight angle. Overall iIt's a decent compact hi-def camera though.
horganator 2 years ago
would this be a good addition for the microkorg
DouxchCorp 2 years ago
Yes. It would allow you to get around the microKORG's inability to play more than one patch at a time by sampling its sounds and playing them on the microSAMPLER. You could of course use it to add all sorts of other sounds to your music. With the microKORG it would be good for adding drums and sampled vocals, for instance.
However, depending on how you work (live, studio etc...) , you may find your computer can do a lot of the sampling tasks already.
horganator 2 years ago
yeah i don't like uzsing my computer for music
DouxchCorp 2 years ago
thanks for the info..can you make a song out of different sequences on this machine?
krippadonna 2 years ago
Hi! ist best option the microsampler or the sp555?
1430sl 2 years ago
It depends how you want to use them: in what situations, with what other gear, and what the end product is you're aiming for.
More info please.
horganator 2 years ago
ist for combinated and the emx1 korg
1430sl 2 years ago
ur reviews on the microkorgs are wonderful. i'm hopefully setting my sights on an xl and this sampler. few questions though;
On the xl, how many arpeggios are preset into the keyboard? also, is there a speaker you would reccomend with it?
on the sampler, can you plug in an mp3 to play along with? also, when i watched you playing with the effects using the speak n spell, i began to wonder if you could alter incoming noise, like if i sang into the mic could i distort my voice in real time?
liveweyer 2 years ago
Glad you like the vids.
Arpeggio:
You can set the pattern of notes. The notes are the keys you press played in a random order, as a chord, ascending, descending, or up then down
You can't play along to the input on the XL or the sampler. The sampler FX don't work in realtime, so no.
As for a speaker, it depends how much space you have. The best fairly compact speaker I've used is the excellent Blaupunkt Velocity2Go, which is mains powered and stereo and goes very loud, but isn't small.
horganator 2 years ago
Hwo exactly do you assign the sounds to certain keys? do you use a prgram or can you do it manually?
DJdarkshadow7 2 years ago
If you're just using the keyboard, you press the required key before sampling (the red light above that key will light up), and what you record is assigned to that key. If you use the editor on a PC or Mac you can import samples and assign them to keys, then export the whole lot to the keyboard over MIDI or USB.
horganator 2 years ago
oh cool, thanks =]
DJdarkshadow7 2 years ago
Thank you for this video. I wonder if you don't mind answering some questions -
Do you know how it copes with time-stretching loops and adjusting pitch in real-time? If I made some samples from an mp3 player in a live situation, would it be reasonable to expect to be able to implement them to sync with something else instantly or would the samples be limited to how they were when they recorded?
Thank you, Sir.
weaponEX 2 years ago
forgive my retarded phrasing - English is my first language, honest!
weaponEX 2 years ago
Are you Salad Fingers?
BaronvonCase 2 years ago
hahaha
laxbrochill420 2 years ago
hahahahahahahahaha
moogus8000 2 years ago
A reasonable mistake to make, but no. We may have much in common, but I don't have a Yorkshire accent.
horganator 2 years ago
He does sound like Salad Fingers!
MarsHottentot 2 years ago
man you could put it on a desk at least
milancvet 2 years ago
Thanks for the feedback. Not sure how that would help, but thanks anyway!
horganator 2 years ago
well how many samples will it hold.. how many patches. banks... i know it depends upon the time of the sample. but in general terms how man.. i want to take lots of effects onstage.. maybe id be better off with a roland SP 404?
mysticradio 2 years ago
In each bank you can have 36 different samples. There are 8 banks. Overall sampling time is about 80 seconds per bank at 48kHz 16-bit stereo.
I haven't tried the SP 404, but that might be easier to use if all you need to do is trigger the samples, rather than play melodies or patterns with them.
horganator 2 years ago
no dont want MPC.. i want if for live to trigger phrases... and sound effects my yamaha S7-xs has drums
mysticradio 2 years ago
i suppose you cant put samples on usb thumb drive?
or all the samples are just IN the machine only.
most dont take computers on stage.... so how can you take 100's of samples WITH YOU? no smart cards no nothing
mysticradio 2 years ago
It stores the samples in its own internal memory. You can either record them directly into the keyboard or create sample banks using the editor on a PC or Mac, and then transfer them to the keyboard. Once you have done that you won't need the computer (it keeps the samples in its memory when it's switched off). It won't play samples directly from a USB device.
horganator 2 years ago
i just want to use it for sampling effects. like wind and samples from albums i can play... i have a one man show, mostly piano....so just wanna use it as a trigger for different things.... perhaps some drums.
mysticradio 2 years ago
Should work well for that, just make sure you know which samples are on which keys ;-)
horganator 2 years ago
i think you should buy a mpc if you want the real deal,but the microsampler is a nice compromise between crap samplers and mpcs,it's really fun to play and to use,really easy but it has its limits.
arakno1 2 years ago
does it have reverbs and stuff onboard?
mysticradio 2 years ago
Yes. Take a look at the last couple of minutes to hear some of the effects it has. However, you can only use one effect at once, and only one effect for each sound bank. Effects do not have to be used across all sounds in a bank, however. Also, you can bounce a sound or pattern down with an effect selected, and then use that in a bank but change the effect assigned to the rest of the sounds in that bank. Ask me again if that didn't make sense. :-)
horganator 2 years ago
i gotta have this
TrAcKandFEeL 2 years ago
does this have a vocoder function like the microkorg XL? I'm guessing no....
linuslaumusic 2 years ago
You guessed right. No vocoder on this one.
horganator 2 years ago
for $500 bucks ,,,,,, im not sold ,, on it maybe if it were $199
krzone81 2 years ago
cool review...
Krafty Song! Near the end it almost sounds like "RadioActivity"!
VJFranzK 2 years ago
Thanks.
BTW, if anyone wants to use the sample bank from the video, message me and I'll upload it somewhere.
horganator 2 years ago
Hi, thanks for posting the video, Iv'e watched it twice and finally after much research, mine will arrive in 2 days.
Could you upload the Speak N' Spell sample bank somewhere, it made me laugh and I want to jam with it. Thanks.
Cambaudio 2 years ago
Can you program then string patterns to form a song? Without manually changing the patterns?
corganb 2 years ago
Unfortunately not. There's no "Song" mode, so that's not possible. The patterns can be up to 99 measures in length, which would be enough for a track, but I imagine making a whole "song" with one pattern would be tricky and fiddly, though not impossible.
horganator 2 years ago
Comment removed
corganb 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know of any hardware sequencer/samplers that would do this?
corganb 2 years ago
so thats where Jakes got the rhythm sample
Vipmaxp 2 years ago
its actually really tough to decide between one of these and a microkorg xl
Vipmaxp 2 years ago
The two would work very well together. The microSAMPLER would let you get a lot more out of the XL, layering up sounds and patterns. But if it was one or the other, I guess it would depend on what gaps in a set-up I wanted to fill.
horganator 2 years ago
thanx for the review. these assholes who bash the quality of the video should get a hobby...it's youtube not a Tarrantino movie. what do you expect?
steinoo7 2 years ago 11
hey tony-
thanks a lot for posting the video. i thought it was very informative, and now i definitely want to to get that keyboard. i hope you keep posting videos, despite people posting useless rude comments.
sputnikboy 2 years ago
Glad you found it useful. I'll post some more vids soon - with the aid of a tripod next time ;-)
horganator 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
criticise. no really, its obviously a disorienting video, and a shit product. theres better things to buy at that price.
tionik06 2 years ago
Very constructive Mr Tionik. I guess that sort of in-depth analysis and insight explains why you're a professional technology journalist. Oh hang on, that's me isn't it?
Come back and have another go when you know what you're talking about and have more than one video of your own to fall back on.
horganator 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Professional Technology Journalist. no matter how many videos you have under your belt, it is irrelevant and this is still a limited gimick product. If you were so professional, you could have made a better song with this fantasticly crap product. I've met plenty of professionals who dont know shit so dont think you are impressing me with that nonsense.
tionik06 2 years ago
OK, let's wind this one up. You don't like the product. That's your opinion and I can't be bothered to try convincing you otherwise. The video is shaky and that's true. Beyond that, I don't think there's anything more to discuss.
horganator 2 years ago
Comment removed
arpquadra 2 years ago
Comment removed
arpquadra 2 years ago
The song he choose does'nt make him right or wrong, he used It to show us what features the product has, and yes I admit, There are some professionals out there that don't know anything, but when you work as a PRJ for the world's leading gadget magazine, you sort of know what you're talking about, and to be honest you really do need to improve your vocabulary a bit If the only world you have to describe a product is 'shit'. Keep making the videos tony!
SummersCovers 2 years ago
kooool
b41984 2 years ago
Come on, I'm sure you can think of a better insult than the old "British teeth" jibe. Think, man! What about our tiny little cars? The way we needed bailing out at the end of the war? The awful British food, perhaps?
Cricket: what's that about?
Or you could get personal and criticise the floor tiles... the incomprehensible accent... :-)
horganator 2 years ago
cricket IS an odd game... it's like lawn bowling and golf had a baby after binging on heroin.
321Cordell 2 years ago
Can't argue with that. :-)
horganator 2 years ago
damn... that's the fastest response i've ever gotten from someone in a professional position. not bad.
take care.
321Cordell 2 years ago
Hey man , great video! Just wondering I have a Korg emx and I'm now looking to expand my hardware to fill out live performances. My dilemma is whether to either get this or a microkorg XL and a kp3. Which would you recommend?Currently I'm steering towards the later.
I'd only really want it for sampling the drums don't really look that extensive but I've the emx for that and synths ; however the instant sampling looks like it could be useful.
How is the learning curve on the Microsampler ?
TheMusicInMyBrain 2 years ago
The KP3 Koass Pad is a great live effects processor. Well built, nice to use, lots of bright lights and great effects. The XL is very neat too and a great sound source, but has some pretty good effects of its own on board, which are actually based on the Kaoss Pad technology.
Adding a microSAMPLER instead of the two above would give you very different options, so it's hard to say which you should do. The sampler would allow you to add a greater variety of sounds to your live performances.
horganator 2 years ago
hey, i'm wondering would this be the perfect thing for me, because i thought of creating music, styles: tehcno, & trance also hardstyle im intrested in of creating, hope for ur answer or any answer, thanks! :D
Gunneryxc 2 years ago
It would make a good starter keyboard, because you will get instant results (which will keep you interested) and it can do a lot. If you really take time to get to know it, and how to get the best from it, you won't need much other gear. It's very well suited to all kinds of dance music.
horganator 2 years ago
ah okay, because i also looked a bit at the Korg Kaossilator, (the yellow box) but im unsure of which one that would be best, there is alot of price difference between them, i was caught up with the Kaossilator by heading all the programs/sounds it has, but this seems like a great tool too but im unsure, it looks like this one can do alot and surely the other kaossilator too, thanks for your fast reply, i will see how i'll be doing :P
Gunneryxc 2 years ago
can you store the samples to it.....or when you turn it off are they lost...an sd card feature would have been good....i think £299 should be the price of it ...looks good though...
techstyle123 2 years ago
Yes, the samples are retained when you turn it off.
horganator 2 years ago
1. Yes. You can turn off the metronome on the pattern recorder (it's on in this video), so you could record a loop of a bar, or a few bars, and the sequencer will then loop back seemlessly and play what you've just recorded (and this time it will be quantised according to your settings). Is that what you mean?
2. You can record while listening to another pattern, but this will add your new recording to the pattern you are listening to, so the two will become part of the same pattern sequence.
horganator 2 years ago
can i record my favourite vsts like minimoog and mtron and store and play them on this?
Mahavishnu80 2 years ago
Yes, in that you can record any audio on the sampler and play it back, and you could also use this keyboard as a controller (an input device for your computer) to play VST synths live. However, I don't think you could use the microSAMPLER as a controller for your VST synths and record their output (from your computer) on the microSAMPLER at the same.
horganator 2 years ago
okay, it says the polyphony is 14 keys, does that mean i can only play 14 keys at a time, or that the samples only go over 14 keys? My thought was to sample wavs of my plugins then use my bigger keyboard to play them on. Is this feasible?
Mahavishnu80 2 years ago
Thanks for the answers. I meant "in the audio world", not the midi/pattern one. If I sample an audio loop of 2bars, may I start the audio back by pressing the key while my source is still playing (pressing the last key) and both are in sync. Same goes for #2: in the "audio world", may I sample a bass line fro a synth while another loop is playing "on hold"?. I'm speaking about a regular sampling here, not a resampling whic would merge the 2 loops.
OfflineHero 2 years ago
You can't sample while you're already doing something else. I'm happy they did it that way though because if you need to do that you should just use a software solution.
PANDAPANDAMADNESS 2 years ago
Nice review. Thanks fro your time.
2 little questions: 1- is it possible to go directly from recording loop to playing it? So th loop stays in sync with the source(vinyl, mp3,...) The kaosspad3 can do this.
2- Can you record something while listining to another loop? I mean use the Msampler as a "crude" multitrack? Thank for any info. Sorry if my english is not the best :-)
OfflineHero 2 years ago
i am interested as well
bdubbz06 2 years ago
Sorry, I thought I'd replied to this but maybe it didn't post properly.
1. Yes. You would probably want to turn off the metronome (which you can do). When you record a pattern and you get to the end of your specified pattern length, it will loop back to the start and play what you recorded (but this time it will be quantised according to your settings).
2. Only if you are adding extra sounds and notes to a loop that has already been recorded. These will then become part of the same pattern.
horganator 2 years ago
Great demo ,like you said it would have been better with a step sequencer for the drum parts !!
stormshadow2100 2 years ago
The shaky Cam sucks like hell, but it's a well done review nevertheless.
jogl 2 years ago
Thanks. I'll work on the shaky cam for next time. All comments on the quality of the video gratefully received :-)
horganator 2 years ago
i want one badly now, thanks for answering my questions, you're very quick to respond too!
RLbitClassica 2 years ago
THESE ARE AMAZING... i just ordered the Microkorg XL and this microsampler will definitely be the next thing i buy, im sure they will work well together: Creating great sounds on the XL to sample with this and live loop without software such as ableton. THIS IS AWESOME, thank you korg and also to you Mr Horgantor!
ageytube 2 years ago
I think you're right, the microKORG XL and microSAMPLER will make a great team. With just those two you'll be able to do so much without even using a computer or a mixer.
horganator 2 years ago
WHAT A GEEK lol
dj2bklyn 2 years ago
But of course! :-)
horganator 2 years ago
Good Démo.
Thank you.
ayello2007 2 years ago
I don't know much about samplers or sequencers, but are you able to map a loop to one key and then another loop to another key?(like if you pressed the right chord it would trigger the full "song" and pressing just one key would trigger one loop)
RLbitClassica 2 years ago
Yes. I did this in the orignal video actually but it ended up not making the final cut. So, for example, that whole loop in the video could be recorded as a sample and assigned to a key. You can set the MicroSAMPLER to record from itself, rather than an external source, by pressing the red button you see at 1:25. That works for recording live (rather than just sequenced) patterns and melodies too.
horganator 2 years ago
thanks. how many bars per loop is allowed?
RLbitClassica 2 years ago
You can make up to 16 patterns (or loops) with each sound bank, and each of those patterns can be between 1 and 99 bars in length.
horganator 2 years ago
triipoooooddddddddd
EDraven32 2 years ago
Yeah, I know it's wobbly, but with a tripod you can't get into the details.
horganator 2 years ago
I know... kinda hard to both do the fiddly bits and operate the camera.
EDraven32 2 years ago