While most DAWs come with built-in sampling tools, you don’t have to stick with these sampling solutions. There’s a whole world of third-party samplers out there, each offering unique workflows and creative possibilities. Sometimes the right sampler can reshape the way you make music—or your personal workflow might guide you toward the perfect sampling tool. However you approach beatmaking, we’ve rounded up five fun and intuitive sampler plugins that are well worth exploring. Who knows? A fresh sampler might just spark a whole new creative direction.

Serato Sampler 2.0

Since its debut in 2017, Serato’s imaginatively named Serato Sampler has made serious waves in the beatmaking community. Designed with loop manipulation and sample chopping at its core, this plugin sampler feels like it was built by and for beatmakers.

The first thing you’ll notice is its sleek, intuitive interface—simple, colourful, and seriously inviting. Inspired by Serato’s legendary DJ software, the sampler boasts a fast-as-funk workflow that makes it ridiculously easy to get creative. Just drag in some audio and you’re off. Serato even offers automatic slicing based on transient patterns, which means you can get from raw sample to chopped groove in seconds. Prefer to slice it your own way? You can chop in real time or slice to various quantise grids—it’s all there.

But Serato Sampler isn’t just about chopping. It comes loaded with powerful tools like Serato’s renowned Pitch ‘n’ Time algorithm, offering real-time pitch shifting and time stretching that sounds smooth and musical. Add in key detection and automatic syncing, and blending multiple samples becomes effortless.

And here’s where it really flexes: real-time stem separation! That’s right—you can isolate vocals, drums, bass, and melodic content with a click, opening up a whole new world of options from a single sample.

And we have just touched the surface with many other innovative features as well as all the essential sampler features you’d expect. If you’re after a sampler that’s fast, fun, and creatively inspiring, Serato Sampler absolutely deserves a spot in your toolbox.

Key Features

  • Real-Time Stem Separation: Isolate vocals, drums, basslines, and melodies from any audio sample instantly.
  • 32 Cue Points: Set and trigger up to 32 colour-coded sample points for detailed chopping and sequencing.
  • Pitch ‘n Time Technology: Apply high-quality time-stretching and key-shifting without compromising audio fidelity. ​
  • Automatic Key & BPM Detection: Quickly sync samples to your project’s tempo and key for seamless integration. ​
  • Keyboard Mode: Play samples chromatically across a MIDI keyboard, turning any chop into a playable instrument. ​
  • Per-Pad Parameter Control: Individually adjust pitch, filter, attack, release, reverse, and output routing for each pad. ​
  • Dynamic Beatgrids: Quantize and align even the most unstructured samples to your project’s grid.
  • Sample Discovery Tools: Utilise ‘Find Samples’, ‘Random’, and ‘Slicer’ modes to uncover and chop the best parts of your audio.
  • Glide Mode: Introduce smooth pitch transitions between notes for expressive melodic lines. ​
  • Mono/Poly Playback Modes: Choose between monophonic or polyphonic playback to suit your performance style. ​
  • Velocity Sensitivity: Trigger samples with dynamic expression using MIDI velocity. ​
  • Serato DJ Integration: Import cue points directly from Serato DJ for a cohesive workflow.

Kontakt by Native Instruments

If you’re after ultimate sampling power and total control over your sound, Kontakt is hard to beat. For over two decades, it’s been the industry standard for advanced sampling—its powerful engine and flexible architecture have made it the go-to platform for thousands of professional virtual instruments.. So if you are a beatmaker that uses a lot of sampled instruments, there is a high likelihood that you already own a version of Kontakt installed in your DAW.

Now, it’s true—Kontakt isn’t the most beginner-friendly sampler out there. Its interface can be a little dense, but that complexity is exactly what makes it so powerful. For beatmakers who want to go beyond basic loop chopping and dive into crafting layered instruments, multisample kits, or evolving textures, Kontakt is a playground. It excels at building custom sounds, manipulating samples in detailed ways, and creating unique, performance-ready instruments from scratch.

With up to 16 stereo outputs, multi-mic mixing, and deep sample layering, Kontakt lets you craft detailed, punchy drum kits or richly textured sample stacks with ease. Its Time Machine Pro algorithm allows for high-quality time-stretching—perfect for reworking vocal chops or stretching loops without artefacts. You can also map samples across velocity layers or key zones, giving your beats dynamic range and realism. The built-in effects rack includes everything from gritty distortion and tape saturation to lush reverbs and delays—ideal for adding flavour right inside the plugin. Plus, Kontakt’s Script Editor (for the more advanced users) enables full customisation, allowing you to create smart instruments with randomization, round robins, or custom sample triggering

Key Features

  • HiDPI-Optimized Interface: Enjoy a modern, scalable GUI with crisp visuals and improved navigation, enhancing workflow efficiency. ​
  • Redesigned Browser: Quickly find and preview instruments, presets, and samples with an intuitive, full-screen browser featuring enhanced text search capabilities. ​
  • Dual View Modes: Switch between Single View and Rack View to tailor the workspace to your preferences, with customizable layout and zoom settings.
  • Expanded Factory Library: Access a diverse collection of over 60 meticulously recorded acoustic instruments from around the world.
  • Advanced Effects Suite: Incorporate new effects like Psyche Delay and Ring Modulator from Guitar Rig 6 Pro, along with other enhancements for creative sound design.
  • Enhanced Modulation Capabilities: Utilise new engine parameters for effects such as Bite, Dirt, Freak, Raum, Twin Delay, Vibrato/Chorus, and Wow/Flutter, offering deeper sound manipulation.
  • Instrument Building Tools: Leverage the powerful scripting and editing tools to create custom instruments, with features like real-time wavetable, frequency modulation, and ring modulation oscillators.
  • Light Guide Integration: Experience seamless integration with Native Instruments’ Kontrol S-Series keyboards, including Light Guide support for enhanced playability. ​
  • Improved Performance: Benefit from under-the-hood audio improvements for more efficient CPU usage and enhanced stability during complex projects. ​
  • Comprehensive Library Support: Enjoy compatibility with a vast array of third-party libraries, making Kontakt 7 a versatile tool for various musical genres and styles.

Redux by Renoise

Redux by Renoise sits somewhere between Serato Sampler and Kontakt. Like Serato, it excels at loop-based chopping and manipulation, but it also offers the deep sound design potential you’d expect from something like Kontakt. The trade-off? Much like Kontakt, Redux comes with a steeper learning curve than more plug-and-play samplers like Serato.

What really sets Redux apart is its Tracker-Based Phrase Sequencing. This brings sequencing directly into the sampler, allowing you to program intricate, step-by-step manipulations like retriggers, pitch slides, volume fades, and real-time effects. It’s perfect for crafting detailed drum edits or glitchy rhythmic textures—one reason it’s become a favourite among jungle and DnB producers.

If you’re into building custom instruments, Redux delivers here too. It supports multisampling, key mapping, and velocity layering, plus it comes with built-in effects for sound shaping—all inside the plugin. For beatmakers who crave precision and creative depth, Redux is a powerful and rewarding tool.

Key Features

  • Tracker-Based Phrase Sequencing: Program intricate sample manipulations using tracker-style notation, allowing for precise control over playback, retriggering, and effects. ​
  • Advanced Modulation System: Utilize envelopes, LFOs, and custom modulation chains to shape parameters like volume, pitch, and filter cutoff for dynamic sound design. ​
  • Per-Sample DSP Effects: Apply built-in effects such as compression, EQ, and reverb to individual samples or groups, enabling detailed processing within the plugin.
  • Multisample Support: Create expressive instruments by layering samples across key and velocity ranges, complete with key mapping and velocity layering.
  • Integrated Sample Editor: Edit waveforms directly within Redux, including functions like reversing, crossfading, and drawing waveforms from scratch.
  • Beat Slicing and Key Mapping: Slice loops using transient detection and assign the slices to different keys, facilitating creative rearrangements.
  • Host Synchronization: Sync Redux’s playback with your DAW’s timeline, ensuring seamless integration into your existing projects. ​
  • Flexible MIDI Implementation: Control Redux via MIDI, allowing for real-time performance and integration with external hardware controllers. ​
  • Self-Contained Instrument Files: Save and share instruments as XRNI files, encapsulating samples, modulation settings, and effect chains for easy portability. ​

Akai MPC Beats

For our final two picks, we have virtual versions of two of the most iconic drum machine samplers from the golden era of Hip-Hop. First up is Akai’s MPC Beats software. If you’re a beatmaker, the MPC name—short for MIDI Production Centre—should be familiar. While this software is designed to integrate seamlessly with Akai’s range of MPC hardware controllers and samplers, it also works great as a standalone plugin in any DAW and is compatible with most MIDI controllers. Best of all, it’s completely free.

MPC Beats is more than just a basic sampler—it’s a full-featured mini DAW that replicates the classic MPC workflow. That means you can use it as a standalone beat-making environment or load it into your DAW as a traditional sampler. Either way, it’s built with beatmakers in mind. You get the iconic 16-pad layout, intuitive sample chopping, time-stretching, pitch-shifting, and a built-in step sequencer, all wrapped in that unmistakable MPC-style interface.

What makes MPC Beats a great beatmaker’s choice is its perfect balance of simplicity and depth. Drag-and-drop sample loading, effortless loop slicing, and tight, swing-heavy quantisation give your beats that classic groove MPCs are known for. It also includes a suite of MPC instruments and effects, supports VST plugins, and allows for flexible MIDI mapping. For beatmakers who want to tap into Akai’s deep roots in Hip-Hop culture, MPC Beats is a solid and inspiring choice—especially when paired with MPC hardware.

Key Features

  • Classic 16-Pad Interface: Emulates the iconic MPC layout, allowing intuitive triggering of samples and loops. ​
  • Integrated Sample Editor: Provides tools for chopping, editing, and manipulating samples directly within the software. ​
  • MIDI Piano Roll: Facilitates precise MIDI sequencing for composing melodies and intricate drum patterns. ​
  • 2 Audio and 8 MIDI/Instrument Tracks: Offers ample tracks for layering audio and MIDI elements in your productions. ​
  • 80 Built-in Effects Plugins: Includes a suite of effects designed by AIR Music Tech for sound shaping and mixing.
  • VST/AU Plugin Support: Allows integration of third-party virtual instruments and effects to expand your sonic palette.
  • Standalone DAW Functionality: Functions as a full-featured digital audio workstation, enabling complete music production within the software. ​
  • Pre-Mapped Controller Support: Offers plug-and-play compatibility with various MIDI controllers, streamlining setup and performance. ​
  • 2GB Sound Library: Comes with a diverse collection of samples, loops, and virtual instruments to kickstart your projects. ​
  • Expandable with MPC Expansions: Supports additional content packs from renowned sound designers to enhance your production toolkit.

RX1200 by Inphonik

And finally, the RX1200 by Inphonik—a virtual love letter to one of the most iconic 12-bit samplers of Hip-Hop’s golden age: the E-mu SP-1200. If you’re a boom bap producer, you’re likely already familiar with the SP’s legendary sound. Its gritty, aliased character has a punchy rawness that’s perfect for hard-edged Hip-Hop beats. The only problem; an original SP1200 in good working order in today’s market could set you back over £4,000. But fear not, the RX1200 does an astonishing job of capturing the SP’s sound and for only…..£38!!!

If you’re looking for advanced features like layering, modulation, or time-stretching, forget about the RX1200 and check out our previous suggestions. But if you believe that simplicity is the key to authentic Hip-Hop and lo-fi production, the RX1200 is tailor-made for you. The interface is stripped down and tactile, giving you a hands-on, no-frills experience that encourages quick chopping and the raw creativity that birthed so many 90s classics. You get eight pads, pitch and volume controls, basic editing, and that unmistakable punch that defined early ’90s Hip-Hop.

Unlike the MPC Beats plugin that also includes an emulated MPC sequencer the RX1200 does not offer a sequencing engine. The original SP1200s sequencer, while very tight, did not impart a particularly strong character so this is no big deal. You can even find SP1200 groove templates in many DAW’s so try adding these for a fully authentic flavour. This sampler is primarily designed to help you step back in time to a golden era of sampling where every second of sample time counted. (It’s worth noting that Inphonik didn’t implement the SP’s restricted sample time by capping it at 10 seconds.)

So if you’re looking to inject some retro flavour into your beats or want a quick-and-dirty sampler that sounds like a dusty classic, this plugin delivers pure nostalgia with modern convenience.

Key Features

  • Authentic 12-bit / 26.041 kHz Sound Processing: Faithfully emulates the gritty, lo-fi character of the original SP-1200 sampler.
  • 32 Sample Slots Across 4 Banks: Organize and trigger samples using 4 banks of 8 pads, totaling 32 slots for creative flexibility.
  • Tune, Decay, and Mix Controls: Adjust pitch, envelope decay, and volume for each pad to sculpt your sounds precisely.
  • Switchable 4-Pole Resonant SSM2044 Low-Pass Filter: Apply classic analog-style filtering to shape the tonal character of your samples. ​
  • Input Amp Stage Modeling: Emulates the original hardware’s input circuitry, allowing you to drive samples for added punch and warmth. ​
  • Unrestricted Sample Length: Load samples of any duration without the limitations of the original hardware.
  • Non-Destructive Visual Sample Editor: Edit samples with start/end markers and fade-in/out controls without altering the original audio.
  • Chromatic Play Mode: Play samples across a MIDI keyboard chromatically, enabling melodic and harmonic performance.
  • 8 Assignable Outputs: Route individual pads to separate outputs for detailed mixing and processing within your DAW.
  • Factory Collection of 900+ Samples and 50 Presets: Includes a comprehensive library of sounds to jumpstart your productions.

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