The folks at Elektron have some incredible pattern-based synths/percussion generators (see full product line), if you can afford them (US$1350-1950 list). They’re working on a new Machinedrum, the SPS-1. It’s not a true sampler, but you can load samples onto it via MIDI and soon USB, so as the creators put it “finally you can get those 909 hihats that we always refused to copy! What a shame.”
Shame, indeed: the real beauty of this is bringing together new synthesis with oldskool pattern generation. Check out Autechre using a Machinedrum on their latest tour. And since I can’t afford this, I’ll just take at as inspiration for my next Max patch, I guess! (Thanks for the links, Wally!)
Speaking of Autechre, check out their latest interview at Pitchfork. (via em411)