trying to find a hardware analog of simple software samplers...

[111]

Hello, first of all I want to apologize as my issue isn`t interconnected with Reaper straightly, but anyway I believe people here may help me a little bit) In a short, in Reaper I use samplers, usually it`s just Kontakt with its libraries and sometimes TX16WX (with SFZ\Wav formats), if smb knows.
And I need a hardware sampler to make live performances. I want just a player of SFZ\Wav sounds that will work with my midi keyboard and that`s all, with ease of creating my own sounds on PC and just load them to be further played in a hardware sampler. But I lost myself searching for this, especially for an acceptable price. Besides I don`t understand their types: some of them are phrase samplers, some are linear, etc. So if you know smth about it please let me know.
Laptops, Ipads aren`t for me for some reason.

[Mink99]

If you are used to the tx16w just get yourself a real one, costs close to nothing, and is compatible ...

[111]

That`s funny. I didn`t even think about it. But they aren`t equal and hardware is too vintage for me to use.
After searching I believe Akai MPX8 is what I need, it has midi and wav samples that can be load onto SD card. But I don`t know if it will be controlled chromatically by midi keyboard, some samplers need additional (and not official) programming and devices like Midi SOlutions Event+

[Mink99]

You know that the mpx can do only one-shot samples ? You know that the mpx is very limited in memory ? If you take a professional tool, that the Yamaha is, and , because it's too old, replace it by a toy , be free to do so ....

[xpander]

Originally Posted by 111

And I need a hardware sampler to make live performances. I want just a player of SFZ\Wav sounds that will work with my midi keyboard and that`s all, with ease of creating my own sounds on PC and just load them to be further played in a hardware sampler.

Couple of points you should probably be checking are:
-ease of the sample transfer. There are many really capable hw samplers sold dirt cheap nowadays, but getting your samples in/out may prove to be a hassle (sample conversions, non-compatible physical connections and media types etc.)
-amount and type of sample memory. This also ties up to the previous point.
-ease of the sampler use. The simpler you have your PC sample (instrument?) creations, the easier it will be to get them across to hw samplers. If you have only single layer (one shot) samples laid out across the keys, you may survive even with the "phrase" samplers. If you have real multi-layered instruments, it will get harder in any case.

I still have some Roland hw samplers here and I could always use any of them live. But I will never make new instruments for them in PC, it's just too much of a hassle as I see it. I can work inside the samplers fine and there's no need to transfer/convert anything. If I would have some loose samples in PC which I would like to use in hw, I'd rather sample them into my hw sampler and work from there rather than trying to transfer ready made things over. That's because sample conversions between all the different types has never been solved proper and the few software programs claiming to do it seem to manage from barely working to total failure at best. With all the manual work left to do, it may well be easier to do it all within the target medium to begin with. If you can get your samples from the PC into the hw intact, that's surely a plus but I wouldn't personally expect anything more without further work inside the sampler itself. And there the ease of use will become crucial because of the limitations hw has.

The more modern hw sampler you get, the easier this will be as far as the compatibility goes (and likely the ease of use too).

[Mink99]

You mentioned kontakt sampler libraries (it is not a sampler but it is a sample player) . With a modernised professional sampler (like the emu ultras) you may have a cf card slot, and transfer your samples this way.

Or just resample you favorites into the machine.

There are two serious Facebook groups around hardware samplers

https://www.facebook.com/groups/akai...s/?ref=browser

And

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EMUE...s/?ref=browser

Maybe you could discuss your idea there .

The only professional sampler which is currently in production and I know of is the elektron octatrack. From what I heard, very good for live , but not really a beginners tool.

[111]

Thanks a lot! I`ll check those links. Well I didn`t mean I won`t get real Yamaha because it`s old, I just don`t know what to do with it, how to transfer samples there, and that floppy disk is pretty strange to me. Hardly mpx is very limited in memory. because it can be extended with SD card, I assume. And that ancient Yamaha has 1.5 MB of RAM... Though one-shot is not for me.
But I understood, I need way more money
but actually don`t understand for what exactly (speaking about elektron octatrack) as I really need only a hardware sample player, and noting more. You see, I`m a guitarist, not keyboard electro music player, I need it to add some specific sounds from time to time using guitar midi converter, some melodies lines

[Mink99]

Being a guitar player is no excuse. (Being a bass player maybe...)

You mentioned that you are using kontakt libraries. And they are no simple one shot samples, even the free stuff has complex processing etc. so this was the starting point of the recommendation to go hardware.

Technically there were three manufacturers of real samplers, akai, emu and Yamaha .

A feature comparison of their flagships (https://www.amazona.de/vergleichstes...000-emu-e5000/. Sorry in German ...) gave a clear preference of the non Yamaha samplers.

[111]

I don`t need excusing, I`m just telling that sample player is additional thing in all senses) Though I don`t want to skimp on sound, maybe a little. Just don`t like having a device with unlimited features and not using all its possibilities. Kontakt is very significant for me in studio, but during live sessions I can use sfz or connverted to wav somehow. Unfortunately translator from German confused me) Ok, I`ll look among Akai and E-mu, then

[Mink99]

My apologies for the misguided joke about guitar players.....

[111]

Oh, don`t bother, it`s my fault. I shouldn`t have told about it) Eventually It doesn`t matter whether smb`s a guitarist or keyboardist or smb else. The one should think about getting a decent sound regardless of which instrument he plays. Otherwise such an approach would be non professional.