Let’s start with an old-school drum break that has a distinctive analogue vibe: ĭropping it to a lower resolution is an effective way to add a retro feel: Reality and the Modern Ageįor those of us without access to vintage samplers, there are still ways of experimenting with some relatively straightforward techniques to achieve different forms of digital flavouring.Ī good place to start is with a bit crusher – such as the Toneboosters plugin we used previously or something like D16’s excellent Decimort – set for 12 or 8-bit and sample rates of a half, third or even quarter that of your original signal (assuming you’re working with 44.1 kHz sound sources). Some sampling purists consider most samplers introduced after this point as lacking in ‘warmth’, but at the time, that was a selling point in its own right – before the widespread use of computers for digital audio, neutral, uncoloured sample playback was highly desirable.
DECIMORT 2 SP 1200 FULL
Despite this, these are still sought for their sound – evidence perhaps that technical specs rarely provide the full picture. It wasn’t long before the battle for affordable high-fidelity sampling finally reached ‘CD quality’ with the release of the Akai S1000 in 1988. The MPC sampling engine was based on that of the Akai S900 and reached up to 40 kHz. In the latter half of the 80s, notable 12-bit drum/sequencing systems included the E-mu SP-1200 and Akai MPC60. Ensoniq’s Mirage was introduced with a similar sampling spec (on paper) but cost a fraction of the price.
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The legendary 8-bit Fairlight CMI series II would stretch those specs to 32 kHz sampling (with 8-note polyphony), and do much more besides, but only if you could afford the £90,000 it would cost in today’s money.īy the mid 80s, budget models started to arrive. Some voices make a feature of digital aliasing to give the drums more bite.Įarly samplers like the E-mu Emulator, with its 8-bit, 27 kHz engine, were expensive but not particularly accurate by today’s standards. The output of each is mixed in the analogue domain. Peek inside a DMX and you’ll see a series of individual voice boards that can be independently tuned up or down.
In general, the earlier (or cheaper) the machine, the lower its maximum bit depth and sample rate.Ĩ-bit digital drum machines include the Linn LM-1 and Oberheim DMX (both introduced in 1980), using samples recorded at 28 kHz or less. The Akai MPC60: a 12-bit classic History Class