Talk:Sample-based synthesis

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I'm missing facts like when was the first multisampler available and what model was that. Year and Model. --Panoramedia (talk) 18:32, 28 January 2020 (UTC)Reply

What should be the different focus of this different from Sampler (musical instrument)

Maybe this should be more about how it is accomplished, rather than the commercial products.  The basic components involved, signal processing.

WhaleFarm (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

As I see it, this article has a melange of information about samplers and wavetable synthesis. Unless someone can come up with some sources that explain how sample-based synthesis is distinct from either, we probably should merge whatever is salvageable into these other articles and delete or redirect this one. We probably should examine the incoming links before proceeding though. ~Kvng (talk) 21:28, 20 June 2026 (UTC)Reply

Wavetable synthesis uses a sampled sound that it plays to make different sounds. This system uses sample sound that it plays to make different sounds. Is this the same thing, or different? If it is different, how exactly? Maury Markowitz (talk) 21:19, 8 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

My understanding is that wavetable uses shorter samples and processes them with subtractive synthesis techniques. There's some coverage at Wavetable_synthesis#Confusion_with_sample-based_synthesis_(S&S)_and_Digital_Wave_Synthesis ~Kvng (talk) 17:00, 11 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

Got it. While looking for more information I was pointed toward a 1984 book called "Musical applications of microprocessors", which despite the dry title is an absolutely fantastic source of information on the topic. As you note, the idea behind a wavetable is ultimately a simpler way to generate an arbitrary base waveform, not "a sound" so to speak. Sampling is more about recording "the sound" as a whole. It appears wavetables were not common as they were overtaken on the low end by FM and the high end by sampling. Maury Markowitz (talk) 16:51, 25 June 2026 (UTC)Reply