How much lo-fi is too much? I just snagged up a Sampletrak for $40 and I'm lovin the grimey sound it makes, but I'm wondering if using the lowest lo-fi setting is going overboard? Personally, I like the sound and will continue using it that way, but I was wondering what the "older" beatmakers think about this. My Korg ESX + Sampletrak = love

This is the specs on it :

Sample rates:
- Hi-fi (32kHz)
-Standard (16kHz)
-Lo-fi (8kHz)

Total sample time:
-(mono): Hi-fi 60S
-Standard 120S
-Lo-fi 240S

Maximum time per sample:
-Hi-fi 30S;
-Standard 60S
-Lo-fi 120S

A-D/D-A Conversion: 18-bit.

i like some dirtness then again i like the dirty mixed with clean also

If you like it the sound then it must be alright

I do have a Sampletrak and you got a very good deal btw...
For me,it depends of the sampling source but I usually use the standard but if I can get away with using the 8 khz rate(usually vocals,basslines),I'll do that

Yah, I figured the "plastic-y" sound of the ESX will compensate for the grit of the Zoom to create a balanced track. I still wish I woulda found an SP for the same price, but the demand is too high for them right now. For comparison sake, what are the sample rates of the 303/404? Also, sample rates are measured in Hertz while samplers also have A/D - D/A converts with their own bitrates. How do bit rates come into play with the sound quality? ( I am sure there is a relationship between bitrate & sample rate)

My man has an ESX/MPC 2kXL combo and he loves his ESX
Yeah,that's a great addition and while I can't totally answer your question,I know that the Sampletrak converters are 16 bit and it's such a gritty machine because there's no interpolation of samples or whatever that means...haha
The 303/505 has 20 bit ad/da and cd quality 44.1 khz compared to the 32
khz for the Sampletrak and yes the converters play a huge role in the grittiness of sound.
On the real,the sp's are in such high demand because they're so fun to use and very versatile

the sampletrak is ill. I like using it solo. I never messed with lofi or standard sampling mode. I only record in "hifi" mode, which really isnt so hifi but good enough for me. It starts to sound bad though after resampling a few times.