sampler
n. countablen. an electronic device or software that records short pieces of sound so you can play them back as music. You use it to turn real-world noises or parts of other songs into new instruments.
n. an electronic or digital instrument that records, processes, and plays back audio segments. These segments, known as samples, are typically mapped to a keyboard or sequencer for musical performance.
He uses a digital sampler to create his drum beats.
The producer used a vintage sampler to give the vocal track a gritty, lo-fi texture.
Early hip-hop pioneers relied on hardware samplers to loop drum breaks from classic funk records, effectively turning the recording studio into a primary instrument for composition.
From Old French essamplaire, from Latin exemplāris. Doublet of exemplar.
From sample + -er.
Commonly refers to both the physical hardware and the software equivalent used in digital audio workstations.