Groove OS · Sampler
Sample anything.
Turn a drum break, a vocal or a sound from your phone into something of your own. Record it, chop it and play it into your next beat.
$29, once. 1.4 and 2.x updates included. Already own it? Update to 2.0
01 · Sampler
Find a sound. Make a song.
Bring in sounds over Bluetooth or USB-C, or sample the FM-1 itself. Everything you need to turn them into a beat is right here: chopping, tuning, stretching and playing.
02 · Record
Start with a sound you love.
A drum break, a voice memo, a few notes from a record. Bring it in from your phone or computer and start playing with it.
- From your phone. Sample wirelessly over Bluetooth, or connect a phone or computer with a USB-C cable.
- Catch the start. A short recording buffer catches the first hit, even if you press record a little late.
- Loops that fit. Record a set number of bars and the take starts and stops in time with your song.
- Choose your quality. Use HIGH for the best sound, or LONG for about twice the recording time with more grain.
03 · Chop
Find a new groove in an old one.
Split a break or a phrase across the pads, then play the pieces in a different order. A familiar sound can become a completely different hook.
- Chop on the hits. Split a phrase into up to fifteen chops, ready to play on separate pads.
- Follow your ears. Tap out your own cuts as the sample plays to find the rhythm you want.
- Get the edges right. Hear the start and end as you trim, so each chop lands where you want it.
- Keep it smooth. Cuts snap to smooth points in the waveform to help avoid clicks at the edges.
04 · Shape
Tune it, flip it, make it yours.
Pitch a vocal down, reverse a cymbal or turn a tiny cut into a repeating texture. Each pad can have a character of its own.
- Change the pitch. Tune each pad up or down two octaves, from bright little stabs to low, heavy hits.
- Turn it around. Reverse a sample to turn a sharp attack into a swell that leads into the beat.
- Make the kit feel right. Balance each hit and use choke groups so an open hat stops when the closed one plays.
- Play or hold. Let a sound play through, stop when you release the key, or loop while you hold it.
05 · In time
Bring a loop into your groove.
Keep a favourite break in time as you change the tempo. Stretch it without changing its pitch, or speed it up like a record.
- Keep the melody. TONES stretches a phrase to fit your song while keeping its original pitch.
- Keep the attack. BEATS stretches a drum loop while preserving the timing of the hits inside it.
- Get that record sound. PITCH changes speed and pitch together, from slowed-down weight to a sped-up shuffle.
- Follow the sample. Set the song tempo from your loop and build the rest of the beat around it.
06 · Resample
Sample your own groove.
Turn a beat you made into a sample, then take it somewhere else. Chop the whole mix, reverse a phrase or make a new instrument from a synth part.
- Keep the whole sound. Record your mix with its effects, ready to chop and play back as a new part.
- Leave room to change it. Record before the main effects when you want to try a different treatment later.
- Take just one part. Sample a single track to turn a bassline, melody or drum pattern into fresh material.
- Keep a happy accident. Capture what you just played while the sampler is listening, even with recording off.
07 · Instrument
Make an instrument from anything.
A hummed note can become a bassline. A short chord can become a pad. Spread one sample across the keys and see where it takes you.
- Play a melody. One sample follows the notes you play, so you can write basslines, melodies and chords.
- Let it ring. Loop a sound to sustain it while you hold the key, even from a short recording.
- Shape the feel. Adjust attack and release to move from a sharp pluck to a slow, soft swell.
- Give a hit a tune. Play a drum sound across the keys to find a bass, a lead or something in between.
08 · Into the song
Straight into the beat.
Your samples play alongside the synths and drums. Record a part, add effects and hear it in the song while you keep shaping the sound.
- Ready to play again. The kits and instruments you make join your sound library, ready for another track or song.
- Record a part. Play your chops or a melody into a sample track, just as you would with a synth.
- Keep shaping it. Edit a sample in the context of your song, then go straight back to playing.
- Start with a pack. Explore the included drum kits, instruments and loops when you want a new starting point.
09 · Samples
Keep your favourite sounds close.
Build a collection of your own hits, kits and instruments. Hear what you have, find what you need and make room for the next idea.
- Find your sounds. Browse your samples, kits and instruments together, or narrow the list to what you need.
- Pick up where you left off. Return to the kit you were building, with your place in the sample list remembered.
- Start a new collection. Make an empty kit for a fresh set of chops, or an instrument from one sound.
- Listen as you browse. Preview sounds as you move through the list to find the right one for your track.
- Clear some space. See which sounds are still in use before deleting them, or clear the unused ones together.
- Keep a backup. Use the Samples page on your computer to add sounds, organise your collection and back it up.
10 · Sample capacity
How much can you sample?
Built for short samples, chops and loops. HIGH keeps the best sound; LONG trades a little quality for about twice the recording time.
| With empty storage | HIGH Default quality | LONG More recording time |
|---|---|---|
| Total sample storage | 11.3 s | 22.3 s |
| Longest single recording | 10.3 s | 20.3 s |
All your samples share this space, including sounds in kits and instruments. These are storage limits, not song lengths: your patterns can keep playing as long as you like.
- 32 samples per project
- Combine your own recordings and imported sounds. Built-in synth sounds use no sample storage.
- 2 stretched sounds at once
- A third loop stays in time by changing speed and pitch. All samples are recorded and played in mono.
Before your first recording
Before the first save, a new FM-1 can record up to 9.7 seconds at HIGH quality or 19.2 seconds at LONG. After that, the full recording times above apply.
11 · Questions
Questions before you start.
Do I need a computer to sample?
No. A phone plays into the FM-1 over Bluetooth, with no cable and no computer, and everything after that happens on the FM-1.
Can I sample with a microphone?
Through your phone or computer. The FM-1 has no microphone input of its own, so record on your phone, then play it into the FM-1 over Bluetooth or USB-C.
How much can it hold?
The FM-1 holds up to 11.3 seconds of samples at HIGH quality (22.3 at LONG). One take can run up to 10.3 seconds at HIGH quality or 20.3 at LONG, a project can use 32 samples, and two stretched sounds can play at once. All your kits and instruments share that storage. You can see the space left on the FM-1 and remove sounds you no longer use.
Can it sample the FM-1 itself?
Yes. Record the whole mix with its effects, the mix before the main effects, or a single track. Then chop, tune and play it like any other sample.
What happens to my samples and projects when I update?
They stay. The installer saves your samples, your projects and your Bluetooth pairings first and puts them back afterwards.
Does it cost anything?
The sampler is part of Groove OS. A new purchase is $29, once, including Groove OS 1.4 and 2.x updates.
What do I need?
An FM-1, a USB data cable for the install, and Chrome or Edge on Mac, Windows, Linux or ChromeOS. To sample from a phone over Bluetooth you need nothing else.
Anything I should know about?
Samples are mono. Two warped loops play at once; a third keeps time by changing pitch. While the song plays, up to three takes wait and are saved the moment you stop.
Sample it. Chop it. Play it.
A whole beat, from the first sound to the finished song, on the FM-1 and your phone. Included for every Groove OS owner.
Installs from Chrome or Edge over USB · your samples, projects and pairings are kept · Already own it? Update to 2.0
More of Groove OS
- Tracks and sequencerWrite notes step by step, tap out a beat or play a part in, and build a song track by track.
- SoundsFM and virtual analog on every track, with sound packs for every genre to add.
- Mixer and effectsLevel, pan and effects for every track, then reverb, delay and chorus for the whole mix.
- PerformDrop parts out on the bar, punch in effects, throw the mix and launch scenes.
- ConnectPair a phone with no code, play tracks from your music program and put effects on your controller's faders.