Sample playback reproduces a stored recording at variable rate to change pitch, trading flexibility for sound quality and memory

Sample playback is the most direct digital sound synthesis method: a recording is stored in memory and played back at a rate proportional to the desired pitch. Slowing the playback rate lowers pitch and stretches duration; speeding it raises pitch and shortens duration. Since pitch and time are coupled in naive sample playback, pitch-shifting without time change requires additional processing (time-domain pitch shifting, phase vocoder). Interpolation of samples is needed for playback rates that do not align to integer multiples of the original rate. Sample playback excels in realism for acoustic instruments and any recorded sound. Its weakness is that without additional analysis it has few meaningful real-time control parameters beyond playback rate and position.

Examples

Hardware samplers (Akai MPC, E-mu SP-1200), software samplers (Battery, Kontakt), and DAW sample tracks all use this principle. The Strudel s function triggers sample playback.

Assessment

What happens to the perceived pitch and duration of a sample when its playback rate is doubled? Why is raw sample playback considered inflexible as a synthesis method?