Mimic: New Creative Sampler

[avasopht]

This looks like it could be fun.

And adds a lot of value to the Reason core.

[Social Exodus]

Will this eventually be a Rack Extension for the unwashed still on Reason 11 Suite?

[fieldframe]

Interesting device. Totally naff video. I mean really “hey kids here is how a sampler works.” “I’ve never been into sampling before” wait what that? One of the most important pieces of music technology from the past 40-50 years that has influenced and shaped key music genres and songs and a technology the company you work for promotes and you don’t really use it or get it? Ha!

They really need to bring back the old information videos with no faces and just interesting demos and information.

I didn't say I don't get it... I said that up until recently sample manipulation on a grand scale wasn't a key part of my music making process, personally, the way it is for others who make it the core of their workflow and that I know that I was wrong to largely overlook it as much as I have. I'm speaking on a personal-musician level to a very specific other type of music maker, which are the many people who also don't tap into sampling as often as they might realize they'd want to once they start messing with it.

And yeah, every getting started video on sampling needs to include a little "how a sampler" works just like my getting started on Algoritm included a bit of "how FM synthesis works." It's baked into the getting started territory. Mattias and I will be doing a livestream next week for more advanced concepts. Maybe tune into that?

On one hand, I would probably say I prefer the old feature-reveal videos to the new YouTuber-style ones (nothing against you personally, Ryan!). But on the other, this video was a total “it me” moment, as I’m absolutely in the same boat of not being “a sample-based producer.” I came away convinced! Mimic looks like something that I would jam with.

[Marc Swing]

Looks like a nice sampler with good potential, BUT...

• No tempo detect/tempo match

• No key detect & key shift

• No trigger mode "make the sample play in a one shot fashion" (tap my midi controller and have the sample play all the way until the end without having to hold the pad/key down)

• No sample choke when trigger next sample

And yes i know you could increase the "Release" but there is no sample choke so the samples will play all over each other...

So no i will be sticking with Serato Sample.

[jaeproduced]

Looks like a nice sampler with good potential, BUT...

• No tempo detect/tempo match

• No key detect & key shift

• No trigger mode "make the sample play in a one shot fashion" (tap my midi controller and have the sample play all the way until the end without having to hold the pad/key down)

• No sample choke when trigger next sample

And yes i know you could increase the "Release" but there is no sample choke so the samples will play all over each other...

So no i will be sticking with Serato Sample.

I with you Serato Sample is light years ahead of this new NNXT/Grain combo which already feels outdated...

[StephenHutchinson]

No, but the NN-XT and NN19 are good folders to browse for samples


NN-XT samples.png

Got banjos?

More cowbell !!!

[Marc Swing]

Oh my bad, I now found how to "make the sample play in a one shot fashion" and "choke when trigger next sample"

[StephenHutchinson]

Does Mimic has individual audio outputs for the 8 slots, so you can set up individual mixer channels for each (drum) sample?

Yeah it does (thank god).
You can at one point see the backside in the video.

Here's what it looks like:

[jaeproduced]

Can't even reverse per slice. Worthless.

Serato Sample can and a lot more then this outdated NNXT/Grain Combo...smh

[flexluthor]

This would have been pretty cool back when Reason 6 came out. Now though? Come one. No mod matrix. No key detect. Cant even load rex files. Just the typical lazy Reason Studios trash.

[jaeproduced]

This would have been pretty cool back when Reason 6 came out. Now though? Come one. No mod matrix. No key detect. Cant even load rex files. Just the typical lazy Reason Studios trash.

It's definitely a bit of a disappointment especially if you've been using Serato Sample it just doesn't compare and feels outdated already I want be using it unfortunately...

[joeyluck]

Can't even reverse per slice. Worthless.

Serato Sample can and a lot more then this outdated NNXT/Grain Combo...smh

While there are more features I hope they add, it does have some great stretch modes with melody, advanced, and vocal that we don't have in other samplers in Reason. And it has a slice sensitivity setting which we don't yet have in Reason's sequencer.

[kbard]

very cool video and very cool device. lol. cool.

Interesting device. Totally naff video. I mean really “hey kids here is how a sampler works.” “I’ve never been into sampling before” wait what that? One of the most important pieces of music technology from the past 40-50 years that has influenced and shaped key music genres and songs and a technology the company you work for promotes and you don’t really use it or get it? Ha!

They really need to bring back the old information videos with no faces and just interesting demos and information.

You can't be serious. He is an individual and as such he can not cover all the possible grounds and history of music. As a such (an individual) he have the rights to be different then someone else and to create music his own way.

Anyway my point is it's not fair to judge company representative for his subjective workflow ideas and then to impose that picture onto a company itself because he is just a human being.

I could find at least one "major" thing that I am familiar with but you never used it. Does that make you obsolete. No! Just different.

Moreover I think it's just a marketing stunt so a nice way to show or to attract a people to this.

Regards

[rorystorm]

Its cool, a bit entry level but okay. I guess Algoritm set a high bar so there were always going to be some unmet expectations.

but the cpu usage is insane. 50% on my machine just with one sample that's about half a second long. Basically makes it unusable.

[joeyluck]

Its cool, a bit entry level but okay. I guess Algoritm set a high bar so there were always going to be some unmet expectations.

but the cpu usage is insane. 50% on my machine just with one sample that's about half a second long. Basically makes it unusable.

Are you using advanced stretch mode? That mode does use quite a bit more CPU.

[zoidkirb]

Mimic has potential but:
* Loops not following tempo changes (tempo thankfully does follow adjust if you're in slice mode)
* Not being able to render sliced beats as midi
* No slice by beat/bar
* Cant really do anything "per slice" . it's all or nothing.
Are all problems and make comparing Mimic with Simpler not possible at all.

Non compatibility with REX is annoying, as is no drag/drop from the sequencer. Not a deal breaker for me though.

Things I really like:
* the included fx
* useful and creative stretch algos
* automatable start/end points!
* Slice sensitivity knob
* overall ease of use

[BRIGGS]

Got banjos?

More cowbell !!!

[Timmy Crowne]

I’m interested in the stretch algorithms and auto-slicing, but I just wish they had put them into an “NN-XTRA” or something, able to load NN-XT, NN-19 and Rex patches. Add Europa’s Modifier and Harmonic section per voice. Throw in tempo lock and we’d be cooking with gas!

[deeplink]

I really welcome a new kind of instrument but still have some reservations, as I was hoping for:

Some special integration with the DAW. For example, drag a wave on to the rack and Mimic immediately loads. Or right click an existing audio track clip and Select 'Send to Mimic'.

Tempo matched time stretching.
Auto chop by time division e.g 1/4, 1/8 etc.
Rex file integration
Multiple voices
More play modes, eg. Play, Pause, Cue, Stop buttons for triggering and endless looping.

As well more extensive automatable and Combinator controllable parameters.

Overall the device seems a bit rushed, I hope there will be a MKii version soon.

[Creativemind]

Any Reason+ user wanna share what other built in effects there are except Noise?

Mimic Effects.gif

I love what you did with that gif there Joey.

[helmutson]

Mimic can't handle Rex files ? Thats strange since it has a slice mode ...

[slic]

Speaking as someone who tried and reply didn’t like Serento Sample I am happy to have this in Reason and can think of a lot of uses for it, especially in the combiner.

I haven’t tried Serento for a while, but when I did i found it quite toy like, everything simple for beginners but with very little flexibility to change the sound (transient detection, filters, fx) and it didn't actually 'sample'! …more of a DJ Tool for just chopping and triggering loops, unless has that changed since I tried it?

[Creativemind]

very cool video and very cool device. lol. cool.

Interesting device. Totally naff video. I mean really “hey kids here is how a sampler works.” “I’ve never been into sampling before” wait what that? One of the most important pieces of music technology from the past 40-50 years that has influenced and shaped key music genres and songs and a technology the company you work for promotes and you don’t really use it or get it? Ha!

They really need to bring back the old information videos with no faces and just interesting demos and information.

Just because Ryan never uses samplers doesn't stop them being important. It depends on the genre you make. Hip-Hop or electronic music uses samplers extensively but if you don't make those genre's and I thought Ryan put together a great video which demonstrated Mimic well.

[chimp_spanner]

It’s not that strange to be late to the sampling game. I’m 37, I started when I was…5? 6? I’d say it’s only within the last couple or three years I’ve started taking sampling more seriously. Obviously I *use* samplers in my day to day, but not in creative ways. Just sample libraries, the odd one-shot or loop here and there. Really getting creative with mangling sounds is something I’ve massively overlooked in favour of synths (which I’ve kind of hit a dead end with in terms of sound design). So yeah it’s not that weird at all. Very easy to get stuck into a certain way of working and miss everything going on around you.

[DaveyG]

Just because Ryan never uses samplers doesn't stop them being important. It depends on the genre you make. Hip-Hop or electronic music uses samplers extensively but if you don't make those genre's and I thought Ryan put together a great video which demonstrated Mimic well.

I agree but I do think the video could have used a section where Ryan handed over to someone who does use samplers everyday so they can show us why Mimic is quicker and/or better.