#small sampler

The trouble with some of these MIDI devices and controllers is that they are just so damn big.  It may sound like an odd thing to complain about, but sometimes a musician or a DJ only needs to trigger a few samples here and there, rather than needing pages and pages of different samples and functions.  There is also the problem of a larger unit requiring too much space; needing an extra stand to carry its own weight.  Let’s say you’re a live band who needs only a few one shot sample effects for your music.  You could easily get away with ha small MIDI controller like the Akai LPD8 – but then you’re also forced to bring a computer along with you.  Seems kind of unnecessary right? On the opposite end of that setup you could bring an Akai MPC variant with you, and skip the need for a computer altogether – but this is also unnecessary as you’re not intending to sit there and create beats all day long.  This is the challenge that Akai has set out to tackle, and they have so far done a decent job of it.  Enter the MPX8.  This compact unit looks like the smaller LPD8 laptop controller, but it is much more.  It houses its own samples using a SD card and has knob controls to sort through each setting. http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/namm-2013-video-akai-mpx8-eight-pad-sample-launcher-announced-569966  

One of Akai’s hottest selling MIDI devices is, believe it or not, a laptop MIDI controller.  Even though they hold the crown for the tightest drum machine pads out there – they cannot help but explore other territory that is modern and new.  Their LPD8 is one of the most recognizable MIDI controllers out there, and it is well known for its sleek look and clean layout.  You get nothing expect two rows of four pads each – which isn’t much consider what other controllers often come with, but it is enough for many.  They liked that design so much that they even decided to take a MIDI concept and turn it into an all-in-one device that could handle tasks without a computer. Imagine the LPD8 with an internal computer and memory slot for samples and a screen.  This is exactly what the MPX8 is.  There probably isn’t such a machine out there that gives off the same small footprint.  It is rather limited when it comes to audio ports and inputs, and some have complained about the woefully slow SD card connection that can take forever to read data.  It’s a small price to pay for a machine that comes in such a small size, since you cannot have it all. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2013/09/samples-no-computer-99-akai-mpx8-combines-pads-sd-card-midi-and-usb-ports/

by Erich Lessing

The Wolf of Wall Street pictionary drawing

From Golden Hands Monthly September 1972