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This is a question for a friend ...

My mate has a live band (indie dance crossover) very good they are too .... they have a tour coming up and he does not really want to use a laptop on tour to triggers samples etc after some bad experiences & was asking me if I could recommend anything *hardware* wise that he could fire off samples etc live.
He wants to have a looper synced up with midi and play in samples and stuff over the top to build up the sound.

I did say screw that use a lappy & lives sampler but the man dont trust them flakeys pcs/macs in sweaty clubs

Can anyone recommend a hardware sampler he could invest in?

- I havent used a hardware sampler since the early 90s!?

akai mpc if he can afford one

sp-555, sp404 (there's a new "version" out) or yeah the classic mpcizzle.

i can vouch for the sp samplers specifically the sp-555
virtually unlimited sample time (2 gig CF card, no limit to each pads sample time besides space concerns)
you can have a song on each pad if you want
plus you get visual feedback when you hit the sample, and which pads have a sample on them, a feature that makes working in the dark very very nice
loop modes...gate on/off for one shots, a roll function, and the quickest access to effects you can get
midi receives fixed notes, but on two midi channels which is very convenient

panda bear rocks 2 sp-555's and used to use 2 404's

other than him its kind of a unknown machine

madlib, dilla, flying lo, doom have all used the 303 in some of their productions. it is kind of a simple sampler. but i really like them. i already have a 404 and am contemplating getting a 555 to add to my setup.

yellowhighlighter wrote:madlib, dilla, flying lo, doom have all used the 303 in some of their productions. it is kind of a simple sampler. but i really like them. i already have a 404 and am contemplating getting a 555 to add to my setup.

do it!

Thanks fellas Ill pass this on

All the stuff mentioned above are pretty solid suggestions however one other thing which might be interesting (and somewhat more expensive) is a Muse Receptor. It's basically a box which runs plugins without a laptop, I think I read that Pendulum use them for the exact reason that laptop aren't designed for clubs and if it ever did go down it takes 2 seconds to reboot instead of waiting through a laptop boot sequence.

Never used one myself but then look good.