Sample Pads for Dummies info

basset52

Senior Member
Bit of background. I play in a 4 piece covers guitar band. vintage and classic rock mainly 60's through to 80's with a few contemporary songs eg The Killers for those few people under 50 in the audience! All of the band members are "vintage " as well ie I'm 70 . As I'm an aussie we play quite a few aussie rock songs. We play about once a month and that suits us fine. Clubs and private parties. Anyhow, there are a few songs that we would like to do but they might have an iconic piano solo for example to lead into the song .I know absolutely nothing about sample pads and I've tried to read up on them but its all a bit overwhelming I have to say, as there seems to be a "language" that goes with them! For example , what I would like to do is record a piano piece or some other instrument so we could play it as an into or a bridge in a particular song so we can replicate the original song as best we can. I clearly don't need a top of the range sample pad and we probably only need 6 or so " samples" at the most at anyone time . Hopefully this is a sensible explanation of my needs - I don't know if I've even got the terminology right! Can anyone give me some recommendations on brands/models etc. I have a lot of other questions about the operation of the pads ie how does the particular sound get recorded on the machine - I assume through a mic of some sort? How does it get amplified during the playing of the song etc? What else do I need besides the sample pad itself, ie a mic? All of which seems a bit embarrassing to ask! Is there a basic document that someone has that can explain in basic terms ( for dummies) how one of these machines work ? I did search "sample pads" on here but I didn't really find anything at my basic level . Thanks in advance.
 
Probably the two most "popular" samplers, on the drummers end of things .... is the Roland SPD-SX, and the Yamaha DTX-Multi 12. But ..... both are probably vast overkill for what you need.

Maybe look at a Digitech Jamman. It's a looper. But, with the basic 128MB memory card, it gives you 24 minutes or recording time ..... and with a 2GB card, over 6 hours. For your purposes, you'd record and save an intro. onto a given patch. And there are 99 of them. It's foot operated, so it might be better handing over operation to your guitarist or bassist.

I've got this model. Looper_Single_Images_Final_Page_2-4528f86ff959a49979dde04356090e7f.jpg
 
It's a huge subject...
There are cheaper sample pads, like the Roland TM-1 and TM-2. There's a ton of videos on Youtube. I would suggest starting your research.
If you are going to incorporate performances (as samples) in your gig, you are probably going to need a sample pad with click option.
To create the samples by far the best thing to do is use a DAW. There are cheap DAWs like Reaper and free DAWs for Mac users like GarageBand.
You do not want to record real piano. Midi pianos (often free with a daw) are absolutely fine. Even the biggest bands don't use real pianos on tour any more.
Where are you in Australia? Better Music in Canberra have a lot of experience of drum pads and v-drums. Give them a call and ask their advice.
 
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