SamplerBox¶
SamplerBox is a pocket-sized sound module based on Raspberry Pi for use with MIDI devices in your bedroom, studio, or on the stage. It is completely open-source which means it is forever evolving, making it a formidable alternative to other commercial MIDI samplers and expanders on the market.
SamplerBox Player PCB (without LCD)
LCD loading and initial sample-set display. Line 1 = current sample-set, Line 2 = next sample-set
How it works¶
SamplerBox uses MIDI messages from a connected MIDI keyboard or device to trigger digital audio samples (wave files) which are then converted to an analogue audio signal. The software has been designed to run on Raspberry Pi single-board computers. A single-board computer is a tiny computer that contains a CPU processor, GPU, ROM, RAM, Ethernet, USB and HDMI ports. They can be programmed to do almost anything: run an operating system, operate a security system, navigate aircraft, take over the world. In the case of SamplerBox its sole purpose is to play music!
Once SamplerBox is running, it will find sample-set directories on a connected USB drive and add them to a setlist. SamplerBox will then attempt to load sample files based on a file naming convention or filenames and rules defined in a definition.txt file.
Contributors
Joseph Ernest | twitter: @JosephErnest mail: contact@samplerbox.org |
Alex MacRae | web: GitHub mail: alex@samplerbox.org |
Pavel Titov | |
Hans Hommersom | web: http://homspace.xs4all.nl/homspace/samplerbox/index.html |
Erik | web: http://www.nickyspride.nl/sb2/ |
- Frequently asked questions
- What is SamplerBox, and why this project?
- What kind of MIDI keyboads can I connect to SamplerBox?
- Where can I find instrument sample-sets to use with SamplerBox?
- Is velocity sensitivity possible?
- How to create my own sample-set to use with SamplerBox? (easy)
- How to create my own sample-set to use with SamplerBox? (advanced)
- Is it possible to change the MIDI channel and load two patches at once? (Let’s say bass samples on channel 1 and horn samples on channel 2?)
- Where should I put the sample-sets?
- How to change the current preset?
- What audio formats are supported?
- Do I need a Raspberry Pi 2 or will it work as well with a Raspberry B / B+?
- How do I put the SamplerBox image file on a microSD card?
- (For developers only) Why is the filesystem mounted as read-only by default, when I use the SamplerBox image file?
- What about looping? I have a sample of an organ which is 1 second long, what happens if I press the key for two seconds?
- How to permanently change the sound volume?
- The audio output quality is bad. Why, and how to solve it?
- When I boot the Raspberry Pi with the SamplerBox image, the software doesn’t start automatically. How to solve this?
- Do I really need to build the whole thing (electronic parts, etc.) to use SamplerBox?
- Why is it impossible to edit the samples directly on SamplerBox? Why not add a screen, a graphical user interface and editing features on SamplerBox, like on an Akai MPC?
- Support
- License