I bought one of these to bring my Yamaha CS REFACE to life. As it couldn't save any patches or sequence them. The two together is INCREDIBLE. Both very underrated and amazing. I'm gojng to start uploading tracks I've made with the two of them together in 2023.
@@gearfacts Trust me the two of them together are POWERUL. Because the micro sampler has something of a lo fi analogue warmth to it. It makes the REFACE CS sound even better. I believe certain gems dont capture the public imagination. Because they arent loaded with endless presets, ram memory and drum kits. and effects. The REFACE CS is exactly this. A pure synthesiser capable of incredible sounds. But like the old Minimoog. No patch memories. This is where the Korg Micro sampler comes in. It's becomes the storage bank for my creations on the REFACE CS. And it brings them to life with the onboard sequencer and effects. As someone who doesn't like using software to make music. This is the best way to do it. And then I can record the results straight onto CD or cassette tape. Real oldschool and AWESOME. And totally portable. You can put the two of them in a hold all. And have a portable hardware recording studio. Love em...
As soon as you realise you can just hold the edit key and hit the keys under effect section, to quickly go to choose fx type or to change the fx settings it becomes much easier. I love my microsampler.
I saw a guy using a microsampler when they were fairly new. He used it like a normal keyboard for most of his set, playing piano parts, pads and what I'm guessing were samples of his own voice. I started making music myself about 5 years and decided to finally buy one last night. A sampling keyboards is much more useful than a regular sampler for what I do and the microsampler is a good middle ground between the huge units and Casio/Yamaha toys
Yeah I agree. The Yamaha PSR-E463, even though it seems very amateur compared to the Microsampler, actually does a really good job of chromatic sampling too, it's become one of my favorites..
@@gearfacts I had to look that one up. I thought sampling keyboards from Casio and Yamaha were pretty much limited to the sk and vss series. I love the vss 200. It's lofi as hell but has some pretty in depth editing options for something that was essentially a toy. I just wish they had made it possible to save sounds
Public notice: I almost sent back my second hand unit because I could not get the keyboard mode to be sequenced. I would play into the pattern generator in keyboard mode but it would always play back in sample mode, no matter what I tried. After wading through the forums, I discovered you must have keyboard midi channel set to "2" otherwise you're screwed. You can find this in Edit; Global; MIDI settings.
Gearfacts Exactly! I think the improvement I’d like the most would be if those LED’s above the keys would be changed to lit up pads/buttons for the step sequencer. That would add so much sequencing depth and take away the annoyance of not being able to change steps you made before.
Oh my days this looks absolutely incredible!! How come I’ve never come across one of these until now!! Sampling the audience sounds like a ton of fun 😱. Also pairing it with a GR 55 guitar synth could be an absolute blast 😍😍
thebaggytrouseredone I appreciate your feedback, trousers. I'm just gutted that the whole section of the demo that showed the sampling process was lost! Oh well.
Just found a fix for those super light oversensitive dials that I personally have been fighting with for 13 years…. Slip them carefully off & drop rubber hose washers or similar. Replace dial knobs. They now have more weight & resistance & dialling in parameters is SO much easier. KORG messed up this little beauty with some silly omissions & it flopped. Tragic really as it’s really great with familiarity.
I'm trying to replicate a sample from a band I'm covering. If I played the sample note through the mic, it will spread the different notes of that sample across the keyboard? Totally new to all this.
Yes it’ll spread the sample so you can play it like an instrument. You can also arrange the keyboard to play several samples in a series of keyboard zones
@@gearfacts awesome, can I load a sample from the computer as well and have it spread out the notes like that? I'm in a cover band and trying to get some very specific tones - I was thinking of just splicing the actual track and just using note from that peice and hoping it can spread it out so i can play it on the keyboard.
Yep, holding down edit & specific key simplifies some of the menu diving. Still have only scratched the surface for learning how to use as a bit of an old school sampler/creative tool. I found it interesting that I could use the gooseneck mike with reverb for "live" singing while in sample mode or holding the last key. Its too bad their isn't a way to do so while in keyboard mode, that would have been ultimate all in one!
Yep, I've just got mine out again, so I should be updating this review fairly soon. I used it for the kids shows I used to do, but I don't think I ever really go the most out of it, or even became fully confident using it. It'll be good to re-visit.
When recording your pattern sequence, i saw in other videos that theres supposed to be a count it. On mine theres no count in and it immediately starts recording but actually cuts out the first note. I have been searching the web for answers but cant seem to find any.
Can someone explain this to me? I want to basically load a patch from another synth I have and have that sound on one of these all over the keyboard. Can you do that?
hello I just buy one. how to sample with the microphone. they didn't give the original samples. I use the mic of the idxi but I can't ear anything. please help. I din't find anything on the instruction manual
@@gearfacts yeah I tried that and also the button up ndef the mic input but nothing. Maybe the jd-xi mic have not enough and mput or maybe it need his own mic
I wondered what the slots at the back were for. I put my cigs in mine and a twix in the other lol. Regarding the Tape Echo, I can vouch for its accuracy in emulation. I own a Roland Space Echo which is tape driven. The Microsampler even emulates the rate change of the tape when you alter one aspect if the echo is still playing you will hear it pitch up or down as the tape speed changes, as a real space echo does. clever . :) The feedback on the tape echo can give you quite a crunchy modern effect if you control it with care ie, ease it in then out you get a really good effect :)
hi! is it possible to upload one sound on(from a computer) it and play this sound chromatically allover the keyboard? and how much memory does it have?
Lunartériel You have 6 banks and in each bank you can have a separate sample for each key, so I think that’s about 222 samples in total (I think it has 37 keys but it nought me a few more)
Since the Microsampler doesn't have attack..you have to remember to sample the sound from the source WITH the attack...but..is there a way to set the loop point after pressing the key..so it doesn't play the whole sound again..when playing it...meaning..press key..plays whole sound with the attack..continues to press key..but now it only plays between end and loop point?
Yes you can get more notes with an external keyboard connected by midi, but it won't increase the number of accessible samples for each bank :) #gearfacts
Yes you can. There is some free software you can get from Korg, it also has some good tools that allow you to polish up the samples before transferring to the MicroSampler. THanks for watching Gearfacts :)
Hi,can I ask you a question please? I bought one but Idont know if its working right kind of question. But everytime I try to record a sample on a key,it always records the sample but in a different pitch layed out on the keyboard,But it starts where I choose the key for sampling,then all the keys on the left side of that key have the same sample in different pitches.I hate when it does that.Do you know if mine is just broken?thank you
Gearfacts thank you so much.I had to remember to check this video again to see if there was a reply. I hate when youtube does not notify me when there is a reply. I didn't think you answered back yet until right now. I appreciate your comment thank you very much thats good news to hear about it not being broken .TY!
get the Liberian software from korg downloads free download and 4 sample packs there for free! Put your sample in to it after you fine tune it in the program
This may seem annoying at first but its actually good for creating instrument multi-samples, let say you sample a bass key at C1, all of the keys to the left that don't have any samples will automatically map and become your bassline section, and you could do the same for say strings on C2 and then still leave some keys left over in your bank for drum loops, hits etc. I use the Microsampler this way myself.
I’ve been wrestling with this for a few days now, it’s confusing as hell, I’m trying to find a way to stutter the samples like you can do on pad type samplers, the key gate function gives me shit every time I try and use it , for sampling sounds and turning them into chromatic keyboard sounds it is great, for triggering long samples it’s fantastic, for chopping samples intelligently like on the PO33 it’s hit and miss
I sold this one a long time ago and yep I agree it's challenging to use. I made a tutorial about it I think, might have uploaded that a year or two ago. Just a few design changes could have made it absolutely awesome :/ GF
Kleptolian Industries yeah I have used the looper but it’s not as simple as on the PO33 , it’s a bit hit and miss using a knob to trigger the effect as well
Hello! im reading here in the comment section this sampler doesnt have an "attack" function. So i cant make a patch with soft attack, like a soft string pad? this is sort of big deal
Ah hi Adam ...Well, I probably emphasised that aspect a little bit harshly in this video. It's all pretty straightforward except for that top right bit where you navigate the various system menus. It's tricky. but when you are getting a plethora of good results, it's just a minor irritation :)
I bought one of these to bring my Yamaha CS REFACE to life. As it couldn't save any patches or sequence them. The two together is INCREDIBLE. Both very underrated and amazing. I'm gojng to start uploading tracks I've made with the two of them together in 2023.
Can't comment on the Reface but the microsampler, yep I'm surprised it hasn't had more buzz since its release.
@@gearfacts
Trust me the two of them together are POWERUL. Because the micro sampler has something of a lo fi analogue warmth to it. It makes the REFACE CS sound even better.
I believe certain gems dont capture the public imagination. Because they arent loaded with endless presets, ram memory and drum kits. and effects.
The REFACE CS is exactly this. A pure synthesiser capable of incredible sounds. But like the old Minimoog. No patch memories. This is where the Korg Micro sampler comes in. It's becomes the storage bank for my creations on the REFACE CS. And it brings them to life with the onboard sequencer and effects.
As someone who doesn't like using software to make music. This is the best way to do it. And then I can record the results straight onto CD or cassette tape.
Real oldschool and AWESOME.
And totally portable. You can put the two of them in a hold all. And have a portable hardware recording studio. Love em...
As soon as you realise you can just hold the edit key and hit the keys under effect section, to quickly go to choose fx type or to change the fx settings it becomes much easier. I love my microsampler.
Midi on my Mind Great tip, I should read the manual more closely :) Gearfacts
I've wanted this thing for YEARS
Keep searching it's great :) gf
Me too!
I have one for sale
@@independentjames1 how much?
I saw a guy using a microsampler when they were fairly new.
He used it like a normal keyboard for most of his set, playing piano parts, pads and what I'm guessing were samples of his own voice.
I started making music myself about 5 years and decided to finally buy one last night.
A sampling keyboards is much more useful than a regular sampler for what I do and the microsampler is a good middle ground between the huge units and Casio/Yamaha toys
Yeah I agree. The Yamaha PSR-E463, even though it seems very amateur compared to the Microsampler, actually does a really good job of chromatic sampling too, it's become one of my favorites..
@@gearfacts I had to look that one up. I thought sampling keyboards from Casio and Yamaha were pretty much limited to the sk and vss series. I love the vss 200. It's lofi as hell but has some pretty in depth editing options for something that was essentially a toy. I just wish they had made it possible to save sounds
Public notice: I almost sent back my second hand unit because I could not get the keyboard mode to be sequenced. I would play into the pattern generator in keyboard mode but it would always play back in sample mode, no matter what I tried. After wading through the forums, I discovered you must have keyboard midi channel set to "2" otherwise you're screwed. You can find this in Edit; Global; MIDI settings.
Cool man, you have probably saved several ppl a lot of time and hassle :) GF
Dude. Thanks so much for this 5 year old comment. I could not figure this out for the life of me and your comment just helped me solve it.
Just got one 2nd hand cant wait to get into it tonight , great positive review / tutorial makes me feel good about copping this machine!
Yes it's great. I should get another one, I miss it. Gearfacts
if you are ever in south sweden i got one thats hardly been used at all. I keep it cuz it so close to being awesome but not quite there for me.
Just dusted this one off again! Such a sampling delight! A bit of an unforgiving workflow, but hey, that’s life...
I so agree - I'd love to see a second version with better styling and workflow
Gearfacts Exactly! I think the improvement I’d like the most would be if those LED’s above the keys would be changed to lit up pads/buttons for the step sequencer. That would add so much sequencing depth and take away the annoyance of not being able to change steps you made before.
Thanks, good quick demo with useful info.
Cool machine !
Thank you Zorb
Oh my days this looks absolutely incredible!! How come I’ve never come across one of these until now!! Sampling the audience sounds like a ton of fun 😱. Also pairing it with a GR 55 guitar synth could be an absolute blast 😍😍
Yep I was an IDIOT to sell this one, jut coz it has no apreggiator. They hold their value too so it's going to be a while before I get another one...
Great video, I have a MicroSampler and I intend on using it in my new setup.
thebaggytrouseredone I appreciate your feedback, trousers. I'm just gutted that the whole section of the demo that showed the sampling process was lost! Oh well.
Just found a fix for those super light oversensitive dials that I personally have been fighting with for 13 years…. Slip them carefully off & drop rubber hose washers or similar. Replace dial knobs. They now have more weight & resistance & dialling in parameters is SO much easier. KORG messed up this little beauty with some silly omissions & it flopped. Tragic really as it’s really great with familiarity.
I'm trying to replicate a sample from a band I'm covering. If I played the sample note through the mic, it will spread the different notes of that sample across the keyboard? Totally new to all this.
Yes it’ll spread the sample so you can play it like an instrument. You can also arrange the keyboard to play several samples in a series of keyboard zones
@@gearfacts awesome, can I load a sample from the computer as well and have it spread out the notes like that? I'm in a cover band and trying to get some very specific tones - I was thinking of just splicing the actual track and just using note from that peice and hoping it can spread it out so i can play it on the keyboard.
@@ltran25 Yep, you can load samples through usb
Yep, holding down edit & specific key simplifies some of the menu diving. Still have only scratched the surface for learning how to use as a bit of an old school sampler/creative tool. I found it interesting that I could use the gooseneck mike with reverb for "live" singing while in sample mode or holding the last key. Its too bad their isn't a way to do so while in keyboard mode, that would have been ultimate all in one!
Yep, I've just got mine out again, so I should be updating this review fairly soon. I used it for the kids shows I used to do, but I don't think I ever really go the most out of it, or even became fully confident using it. It'll be good to re-visit.
When recording your pattern sequence, i saw in other videos that theres supposed to be a count it. On mine theres no count in and it immediately starts recording but actually cuts out the first note. I have been searching the web for answers but cant seem to find any.
Yep I remember you can turn on the count-in when you go into the "Sampling" menu, I think you scroll almost all the way to the right :) #gearfacts
Just picked up a used one for $150 USD. A good investment as this little puppy will appreciate in the future.
Yep I woulda bought it again at that price :) #gearfacts
A local pickup? They're still around original MSRP used on eBay
Very wise
brill...this will help me get to grips with the bsics! nice simple to the point demo, cheers
Thanks for watching, PR :) #gearfacts
Thanksfor this! Am thinking about getting this 2nd hand in 2018!
Yes! Do it. And thanks for watching Gearfacts :) Hey if you subscribe right now you'll be number 5000!
Subscribed!
Yayyyyyy! Thanks man, I'm indebted to you :)
All good brother, I genuinely am your fan and want to see the gear you're reviewing! We'd be good friends in real life, haha!
I have a boxed & practically unused one for sale if you are looking...the other one gets hammered, it's a great piece of kit :)
Can someone explain this to me? I want to basically load a patch from another synth I have and have that sound on one of these all over the keyboard. Can you do that?
The only way to do it is to play the sound from your synth directly into the Microsampler, and create a new sample.
hello I just buy one. how to sample with the microphone. they didn't give the original samples. I use the mic of the idxi but I can't ear anything. please help. I din't find anything on the instruction manual
There is a small switch on the back that changes it between line and mic modes. It's easy to miss!
@@gearfacts yeah I tried that and also the button up ndef the mic input but nothing. Maybe the jd-xi mic have not enough and mput or maybe it need his own mic
@@TheInart The JDXi mic should work fine ...hmm. Maybe look for input sensitivity in the menu?
I wondered what the slots at the back were for. I put my cigs in mine and a twix in the other lol.
Regarding the Tape Echo, I can vouch for its accuracy in emulation. I own a Roland Space Echo which is tape driven. The Microsampler even emulates the rate change of the tape when you alter one aspect if the echo is still playing you will hear it pitch up or down as the tape speed changes, as a real space echo does. clever . :) The feedback on the tape echo can give you quite a crunchy modern effect if you control it with care ie, ease it in then out you get a really good effect :)
Yeah that effect used to really amuse the kids when I used to perform at schools. Such a versatile machine :)
Does anyone know how to remove the metronome when listening to patterns? (Edit) never mind, it's cause I was still recording 🤐
hi! is it possible to upload one sound on(from a computer) it and play this sound chromatically allover the keyboard? and how much memory does it have?
Yes, you can do that. I think the total recording time is about 150 seconds :) Gearfacts
@@gearfacts that means approximately how many sounds can you upload on it?
Lunartériel You have 6 banks and in each bank you can have a separate sample for each key, so I think that’s about 222 samples in total (I think it has 37 keys but it nought me a few more)
Can you play samples with portamento with this?
Nope :( #gearfacts
Since the Microsampler doesn't have attack..you have to remember to sample the sound from the source WITH the attack...but..is there a way to set the loop point after pressing the key..so it doesn't play the whole sound again..when playing it...meaning..press key..plays whole sound with the attack..continues to press key..but now it only plays between end and loop point?
Nope, I'm not aware of any way to do that :( Gearfacts
its possible with two keys. first key - begin with attack. second key - loop
Pal can u fine tune a sample? Not semi tone but a acurate tuning? Thanks pal great demo here....
Yes, it is possible :) GF
Thank you
I would like a 2nd one but i am saving for a behringer model D
Big price difference, but they'd make a great duo :) Gearfacts
Can you use an external midi keyboard to have more keys for sampling?
Yes you can get more notes with an external keyboard connected by midi, but it won't increase the number of accessible samples for each bank :) #gearfacts
Can these clock sync
Yep
Would u be sach kind and make comparisson between two of those pieces of magic s.a. korg microsamler and yamaha DJX?!😁
Well, I've only got the DJX now but I have been thinking of making a new video about it :) Gearfacts
hi mate please can you tell me if you can upload samples over the usb connection? thanks
Yes you can. There is some free software you can get from Korg, it also has some good tools that allow you to polish up the samples before transferring to the MicroSampler. THanks for watching Gearfacts :)
Hi,can I ask you a question please?
I bought one but Idont know if its working right kind of question.
But everytime I try to record a sample on a key,it always records the sample but in a different pitch layed out on the keyboard,But it starts where I choose the key for sampling,then all the keys on the left side of that key have the same sample in different pitches.I hate when it does that.Do you know if mine is just broken?thank you
dragon model it's not broken, that's just the way it works :/ Thanks for watching Gearfacts!
Gearfacts thank you so much.I had to remember to check this video again to see if there was a reply.
I hate when youtube does not notify me when there is a reply.
I didn't think you answered back yet until right now.
I appreciate your comment thank you very much thats good news to hear about it not being broken .TY!
get the Liberian software from korg downloads free download and 4 sample packs there for free! Put your sample in to it after you fine tune it in the program
This may seem annoying at first but its actually good for creating instrument multi-samples, let say you sample a bass key at C1, all of the keys to the left that don't have any samples will automatically map and become your bassline section, and you could do the same for say strings on C2 and then still leave some keys left over in your bank for drum loops, hits etc. I use the Microsampler this way myself.
I’ve been wrestling with this for a few days now, it’s confusing as hell, I’m trying to find a way to stutter the samples like you can do on pad type samplers, the key gate function gives me shit every time I try and use it , for sampling sounds and turning them into chromatic keyboard sounds it is great, for triggering long samples it’s fantastic, for chopping samples intelligently like on the PO33 it’s hit and miss
I sold this one a long time ago and yep I agree it's challenging to use. I made a tutorial about it I think, might have uploaded that a year or two ago. Just a few design changes could have made it absolutely awesome :/ GF
Kleptolian Industries yeah I have used the looper but it’s not as simple as on the PO33 , it’s a bit hit and miss using a knob to trigger the effect as well
Hello! im reading here in the comment section this sampler doesnt have an "attack" function. So i cant make a patch with soft attack, like a soft string pad? this is sort of big deal
Yes I believe that's correct. You have to record your sample with the slow attach in the first instance, and that's far from ideal. :) Gearfacts
I have one in perfect condition for sale right now. I even have the manual lol
I painted it red
Wow that'd be cool to see. Keyboards and synths are seriously lacking in color.
I found your youtube channel. So this is the machine eh? Looks complicated.
Ah hi Adam ...Well, I probably emphasised that aspect a little bit harshly in this video. It's all pretty straightforward except for that top right bit where you navigate the various system menus. It's tricky. but when you are getting a plethora of good results, it's just a minor irritation :)
Well fortunately I have plenty of decent outboard effects so if it gives me any grief I'll be using those instead I suppose.