sampler
SAM-pler
/ˈsæmplər/
An electronic or digital musical instrument that records, stores, and plays back short audio recordings (samples) of real-world sounds or other music.
A sampler does not generate its own sounds from scratch; instead, it relies on pre-recorded audio that can be pitched up, down, or sliced.
The story behind the word. The word 'sample' originally referred to a small specimen of something. When the Fairlight CMI was released in 1979, it allowed musicians to take a digital 'sample' of an analog sound wave, giving birth to the musical term.
Word relationships
- audio sampler: Audio sampler is a more formal, technical synonym, though 'sampler' is universally understood in music contexts.
Commonly confused with
- synthesizer: A synthesizer generates synthetic waveforms from scratch, while a sampler manipulates existing recorded audio.
Word family
- sample (verb): To record a portion of an existing sound or song for reuse in a new piece of music.
- sample (noun): A short recording of a sound used in a sampler.
Collocations
- digital sampler
- hardware sampler
- trigger a sampler
Example sentences
- "The producer loaded a dusty jazz drum break into his hardware sampler and chopped it into individual drum hits." A history of 1990s hip-hop production.
- "Using a digital sampler, she turned the sound of a closing door into a heavy cinematic bass drum." An explanation of modern sound design.
Memory hook
A sampler is like a digital scrapbooking tool, but for sounds instead of paper clippings. Take a sample of the world and play it on a keyboard.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a synthesizer, which generates sounds electronically using oscillators rather than playing back recorded audio.
Fun facts
- The earliest commercial sampler was the Mellotron in the 1960s, which played back actual strips of magnetic tape for every key pressed on its keyboard.
Related words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.