Just reading the manual of Yamaha's SU700 (MPC-like sampler/sequencer from 1999), which has a ribbon controller which can output MIDI CCs and control many parameters in the effects etc. It also has a scratch function which as I understand it lets you move back and forth through a particular sample - presumably by moving through the sound "sample by sample" (in the narrower meaning of the word "sample", i.e. one of the 44,100 bits that make up a second of audio at 44.1khz), either backwards or forwards depending on whether you're moving up or down the ribbon. Yielding the effect of scratching vinyl.

This seems like a brilliant idea to me, if I've understood it correctly. Not sure I have though.

Does anyone know of any other piece of hardware that has a function like this that allows you to literally move through a sample at a rate and direction determined by a physical controller?

The more I think about this the more I can think of problems with it that make me suspect I've misunderstood what it is the SU700 is really doing, but still, I'll leave it here and await any responses/thoughts!

Cheers,
Tom

Haven't come across that before, but ribbon controller vinyl scratching seems to have been included on various products by Yamaha (eg the humble SU10) and Korg (eg M3)...can't see a "generic" software version, though I think there might be something similar for the iPad, and I guess DJ controllers do the same thing with jogwheels.

The Korg Kaosspad thingies do this - moving your finger over the pad runs thru the sample, forwards and backwards. You could prob pick up a 2nd generation one pretty cheap second hand.

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Adam Inglis
A Disco Ate My BABY!

Hey, thanks Adam!

Now I don't know why I'm admitting this when I needn't... but I actually have a KP3 sitting at home that I got 2nd hand a couple of months ago, checked out the pad works fine, tried out some of the effects algorithms, tried out as a midi controller for an analogue filter and then haven't got round to exploring any more yet!

Looking again at the manual, I can see programs SMP3, SMP4 and SMP5 look like they should do the sort of thing I'm talking about.

Time to get that plugged in again methinks...

(Damn, there goes my excuse to buy an SU700!)

Thank you very much, again!