samplers

A sampler is a device or software instrument that stores digital audio samples and plays them back, often with the ability to alter playback parameters. In practice, samplers are used to reproduce or manipulate real-world sounds, create instrument-like patches from short recordings, and drive sample-based synthesis within a musical composition or sound-design workflow. Modern samplers typically include sample editors, one-shot and loop playback, envelope generators, filtering, and modulation options, allowing sound designers to sculpt timbre, attack, decay, and expression.

The history begins with experimental digital sampling in the 1960s and matured in the 1970s–80s with hardware machines such as the Fairlight CMI and Ensoniq Mirage, followed by the Akai MPC line that integrated sampling with sequencing. In the 1990s and 2000s, software samplers became dominant as digital audio workstations integrated sampling capabilities and third-party libraries expanded. Notable software samplers include Kontakt, Halion, EXS24, and Simpler in Ableton Live, among others. These tools support multisampling, where multiple recordings sampled at different pitches or dynamics are mapped across a keyboard, as well as looping, time-stretching, and pitch-shifting.

Technical considerations include sample rate, bit depth, and loop handling; mapping, key zones, and velocity layers govern how a sample is triggered across keys or dynamics. Licensing and rights management are important for using library material. Samplers remain central in music production and film sound design, enabling realistic instrument emulation, creative sound design, and hybrid textures.