Let's say we have Sample A & B
#1 We trigger A (A starts playing)
#2 We trigger B (A pauses / B starts playing)
#3 We trigger A again (B pauses / A continues where it paused in step 1)
#4 We trigger B again (A pauses / B continues where it paused in step 2)
How is this sample playback mode called and is there a sampler able to play the way?

another playback mode would be as follow:

Let's say we have Loop A & Loop B
#1 We trigger Loop A (Loop A starts playing) (beat sync starts)
#2 We trigger Loop B at Beat 3 (Loop A stops / Loop B starts playing with playhead at its Beat 3)
#3 We trigger Loop A at beat 6 (Loop B stops / Loop A starts playing with playhead at its Beat 6)
#4 We trigger Loop B at bar 2 (Loop A stops / Loop B starts playing with playhead at its bar 2)
How is this sample playback mode called and is there a sampler able to play the way?


tia!

 

I don't know what these modes are called, and since they are not that widespread there is no safe name for it anyway, so I'll focus on possible solutions:

1) what you need is a sampler with Pause/Continue playback mode.
- Sonic Assault Mixed Reaction! (homepage.ntlworld.com/jez.price)
==> Control Play and Pause buttons using Midi CC
- NI Reaktor might also be able to do this.
If you're into programming, see:
- Cycling74 Max5 "sfplay" function can do this too
- the python sampler in OpenSesame on osdoc.cogsci.nl/python/sampler, which can do at least play/stop/resume.

2) Several solutions to this:
- If you own an iDevice, try Glitchbreaks, a $2.99 app that has 4 loops playing simultaneously "in the background" and by hitting one of four pads, you can switch between them. The loops always play in sync. Glitchbreaks can even be slave-synced to external MIDI gear which I use sometimes.
- You can mimic this behaviour in any DAW by placing loops on separate tracks, loop playback and soloing the tracks you want to hear.
- There are certainly many VSTi that would play >1 loops simultaneously and let you mute/unmute individual loops.

Please report back here if you found something else!