History Of Samplers

Oli Freke talks us through the history of samplers, from the introduction of the Mellotron in 1963, through to current day sampling software, while highlighting the golden era of sampling from the late 80s to early 90s. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:08 - The Mellotron 02:28 - Pre-Digital Samplers 03:18 - Pierre Schaeffer And The Phonogène 04:03 - Peter Zinovieff And EMS 05:44 - The University Of Illinois' PLATO 06:08 - Harry Mendell's Melodian 07:21 - Wendel Sampling Computer 08:29 - The Fairlight and Fairlight II 15:20 - The Fundamentals Of Sampling 19:43 - The Synclavier 23:47 - Digital Delay Lines (DDLs) 26:04 - EMU Systems Emulator 31:01 - Ensoniq Mirage 32:39 - Other Notable 1980s Releases 34:46 - Akai S1000 and Roland S Series 38:14 - Sampling And Legal Issues 41:16 - Modern Day Sampling Oli Freke Biog Oli Freke is a London based musician, artist and author who has had a life-long passion for electronic instruments, synthesizers and electronic music. Currently working for the BBC, he has previously enjoyed success with electro band Cassette Electrik supporting the Human League on tour, written music for television and produced dance music since the 1990s. His Synth Evolution range of posters, celebrating the synthesizer and electronic music culture, launched in 2017 and led to the definitive, hand-illustrated book, ‘Synth Evolution: From Analogue to Digital (and Back)’, featuring every commercial synth of the 20th century. Catch more shows on our other podcast channels:

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History Of Samplers is an episode from Electronic Music by Sound On Sound Ltd.

This episode is 44:23 long.

This episode was published on May 9, 2025.

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