Rompler
Encyclopedia
A rompler is an electronic musical instrument
that plays back sample
s stored in ROM
chips to generate sound. Romplers lack the ability to record such samples and have limited or no capability for generating original waveforms. This is in contrast to samplers
, which let the user record samples as well as play them back.
The term rompler is a portmanteau of the terms ROM and sampler, and as with samplers, a rompler can have additional sound editing features, such as layering of several waveforms and modulation with ADSR envelopes and LFO
s.
The E-mu Proteus
line of products and the Roland U-20
are well-known romplers. Romplers are often packaged as sound module
s. Almost all digital piano
s and many electronic keyboard
s made for the home market (such as the Yamaha PSR-290) are romplers.
The term rompler is sometimes used to describe software instruments (such as VSTi
s) that only play sounds (samples), with no ability to record new sounds. In this instance the samples are played back from computer RAM
after being loaded from disk, rather than from ROM
chips. Many software instruments described as samplers have no ability to "sample" audio and therefore might be described more correctly as "sample players". Well-known examples of software romplers are reFX Nexus and Spectrasonics
Omnisphere.
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
that plays back sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
s stored in ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
chips to generate sound. Romplers lack the ability to record such samples and have limited or no capability for generating original waveforms. This is in contrast to samplers
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
, which let the user record samples as well as play them back.
The term rompler is a portmanteau of the terms ROM and sampler, and as with samplers, a rompler can have additional sound editing features, such as layering of several waveforms and modulation with ADSR envelopes and LFO
Low frequency oscillation
Low-frequency oscillation is an electronic signal, which is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep. This pulse or sweep is often used to modulate synthesizers, delay lines and other audio equipment in order to create effects used in the production of electronic music. Audio...
s.
The E-mu Proteus
E-mu Proteus
The E-mu Proteus was a range of digital sound modules and keyboards manufactured in the late twentieth century.-History:E-mu Systems came to prominence in the early 1980s with their relatively affordable Emulator sampler, and subsequently pioneered sample-based synthesis technology with the Proteus...
line of products and the Roland U-20
Roland U-20
The Roland U-20 is a musical keyboard and rompler released by Roland in 1989. There is also a 1U rackmount version, the U-220. It is the successor to the U-110 rackmount, released in 1988....
are well-known romplers. Romplers are often packaged as sound module
Sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device...
s. Almost all digital piano
Digital piano
A digital piano is a modern electronic musical instrument, different from the electronic keyboard, designed to serve primarily as an alternative to a traditional piano, both in the way it feels to play and in the sound produced. It is meant to provide an accurate simulation of a real piano. Some...
s and many electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s made for the home market (such as the Yamaha PSR-290) are romplers.
The term rompler is sometimes used to describe software instruments (such as VSTi
Virtual Studio Technology
Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
s) that only play sounds (samples), with no ability to record new sounds. In this instance the samples are played back from computer RAM
Random-access memory
Random access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
after being loaded from disk, rather than from ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
chips. Many software instruments described as samplers have no ability to "sample" audio and therefore might be described more correctly as "sample players". Well-known examples of software romplers are reFX Nexus and Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics is a music software company based in California, United States. Founded in 1994, the company originally produced sample libraries and then became one of the first companies to create software instruments in 2002 Their flagship product is Omnisphere, an extensive software synthesizer...
Omnisphere.