# sir Sampleton — 80s sampling keyboard w/ MIDI

> 80s-inspired sampling musical keyboard with MIDI and Audiobus support. (iPhone/iPad app by Paul Slocum.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sir-sampleton/id404873671 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Paul Slocum](https://appshunter.io/developer/404873676)
- Category: Music, Entertainment
- Price: $0.99
- Rating: 3.30/5 from 47 App Store ratings · 104 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 21 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-11-24
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sir-sampleton/id404873671/reviews.md

## What is sir Sampleton?

"surprisingly powerful" - Wall Street Journal
 used by DJ/producer Zedd!  // supports Audiobus, MIDI, iOS13

Sir Sampleton is a sampling musical keyboard inspired by Casio and Yamaha samplers from the 80s. The app allows you to record sounds through the microphone and then play them on dual piano keyboards accompanied by a rhythm machine. You'll be surprised at the lush, complex musical sounds that can be created with samples of your voice, musical instruments, and other noises. Samples can be looped, customized, saved, and emailed, and we offer free samples for download on our website. 

Supports Audiobus, Inter-app Audio, CoreMIDI, MIDI Mobilizer 1 and 2.  Works as a virtual instrument for apps like Cubasis, Beatmaker 2, and Genome sequencer.  Capable of sampling other apps and effects through Audiobus.

Sampleton applies a subtle stereo effects process to the audio giving it a fuller, warmer sound that you'd typically get from sampling a monaural microphone.

If you like my apps please leave ratings or reviews! For support email sirsampleton@gmail.com

FEATURES:
• Sample from the microphone and immediately play your sounds on dual keyboards
• Save and email sample packs to friends, or to yourself for backup/transfer
• Download free samples from our website 
• Built-in beats and computer beat generator
• Adjust tuning, release, vibrato, sample time, and much more
• Record, add effects, and sample from other apps (requires Audiobus app)
• Put a different sample on each keyboard in dual-sample mode
• Multitouch with 18 voices for rich sound
• Automatic smart microphone level adjustment
• Supports all CoreMIDI devices, Line6 MIDI Mobilizer 1 and 2
• Virtual MIDI for compatibility with Cubasis, Beatmaker 2, and Genome
• Multichannel MIDI mode places different samples on each MIDI channel, up to 24 samples
• Supports iRig external audio input adapter and iRig microphone
• Low latency
• Coming soon: Audio copy/paste, additional sample banks, and more!

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO SAMPLE: press the red button and speak into the microphone.  It will sample for about 3 seconds.

TO PLAY A DRUM BEAT: press the drum icon button in the upper left to open the Rhythm Menu, and then select the beat you want to play.  To change the tempo or beat volume, use the buttons on the right.  Press the X to return to the keyboard.

TO GENERATE A RANDOM BEAT: press the drum icon button to open the Rhythm Menu, and then press the RANDOM button.  To generate a new random beat, press the button again.

TO SAVE A SAMPLE: press the keyboard icon button in the upper left to open the Sounds Menu.  Press SAVE and then choose one of the flashing numbered buttons.  Your sample is then saved on that button.  Press the X to return to the keyboard.

TO LOAD A SAMPLE:  press the keyboard icon button in the upper left to open the Sounds Menu.  Press the numbered button where you saved the sample.  Press the X to return to the keyboard.

TO PREVIEW A SAVED SAMPLE: press and hold the numbered button in the Sounds Menu.

TO SAVE CHANGES TO A SAMPLE'S SOUND SETTINGS: press and hold the 'save' button in the Sounds Menu.

## Key features

- Sample from microphone
- Dual piano keyboards
- Built-in rhythm machine
- Save and email samples
- Download free samples
- Adjust tuning and effects
- Sample from other apps via Audiobus

## What do users think of sir Sampleton?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Simple, intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- 🎹 Great Casio SK-1 emulation and nostalgic appeal
- 🎵 High-quality sound and audio fidelity
- 🎧 MIDI and Audiobus support for integration
- 🎨 Clean, minimalist design
- 🎪 Fun and entertaining for casual users
- 💾 Multiple sample banks and storage capacity
- 🎚️ Downloadable sample packs available

**Cons**

- 🐛 Screen orientation issues (stuck in portrait/vertical mode)
- 🐛 Touch input misalignment and unresponsive controls
- 🐛 Graphics scaling problems on newer devices
- 📱 Incompatible with iOS 16 and later versions
- 🐛 Distorted/crackling audio from microphone recording
- 🔊 Audio routing issues (plays through earpiece instead of speakers)
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ No developer updates for 3+ years
- 🔌 MIDI interface recognition problems
- 🎚️ Limited sample manipulation capabilities

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Screen stuck in portrait mode, won't rotate to landscape
- Touch input only registers on 1/4 of screen
- Graphics and app engine mismatch causing display corruption
- App incompatible with iOS 16, 16.2, 16.4.1, 17.5.1
- Microphone recording produces unintelligible distorted crackling
- Audio outputs through earpiece speaker instead of main speaker
- App crashes on startup
- App freezes and locks up device
- Keys play different notes than pressed
- Some keys don't register input
- Requires full device restart to fix screen orientation
- MIDI interface not recognized
- Volume too low or no volume after updates

**Most requested features**

- Export samples as MP3/WAV files
- Sequencer for arranging samples into songs
- Reverse/reverse-loop functionality
- Sustain button/function for live performance
- Arpegiator feature
- Sample envelope presets
- Ability to assign different samples per key
- GarageBand compatibility
- Audio copy/paste between apps
- Sample gain adjustment
- Pitch shift without changing playback rate
- Record and layering features
- Loop begin/end point selection
- Effects (reverb, delay, etc.)
- Sample naming and preset saving per sample

## Recent user reviews (10 of 104)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sir-sampleton/id404873671/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Waste of money...

*2025-01-05, version 3.3.8*

It does not format properly and is stuck with a stretched screen. Tapping on the screen does not sync up so the app is essentially unusable. Not worth it!

### 3/5 — iPhone 12 and iPad Air 3/pro problem with graphics scaling-

*2025-01-04*

-stuck in vertical mode and won't go horizontal-unusable because I'm landscape only 1/4 of the actual screen accepts input and it accepts quarter screen landscape mode superimposed on the vertical screen interface. Wish this worked right because it could be Awesome!

### 2/5 — Wish it worked

*2024-12-04*

Doesn't display correctly anymore. The graphics and the app engine are mismatched and it goes vertical when the buttons are confined to horizontal

### 5/5 — doesn’t work at all in iOS 17.5.1

*2024-08-06, version 3.3.8*

This was a fantastic app but when I updated my iOS it completely stopped working. Such a shame bc I’d been working with it for ages and had many samples in it.

### 2/5 — Needs updating

*2024-03-12*

..... display still stuck in portrait on latest Apple update

### 1/5 — Screen lock issue

*2023-11-24, version 3.3.8*

I want to love this app, but for some reason most of the time when I open the app the screen is rotated incorrectly, and the graphics are squished and lining up to where the buttons are mapped on the screen. When it works it’s awesome, but most of the time it is not working for me despite the settings on my iPad. It requires a full restart of the iPad every time for the screen to reset.

I’m on an iPad Air, 5th gen

### 2/5 — Used to be great

*2023-10-24, version 3.3.8*

As per previous reviewer, the app no longer works. Was brilliant though. Sadly a lot of music apps from a decade ago have vanished or turned rubbish :(

### 3/5 — A once upon a time great app

*2023-09-12, version 3.3.8*

Don’t even bother downloading it. It’s completely worthless and unusable with ios  16 and as you can see, there hasn’t been an update in 3 years.

### 5/5 — Key problem

*2023-09-10, version 3.3.8*

The app is kinda glitchy I press a key but it plays a different key and so of the keys don’t work

### 1/5 — App is dead

*2023-07-06, version 3.3.8*

Sad as it was pretty good for a while.

## Frequently asked questions about sir Sampleton

### What does sir Sampleton do?

sir Sampleton is a musical sampling keyboard inspired by 80s samplers. It allows you to record sounds using your device's microphone and then play them back on dual keyboards. You can also use its built-in rhythm machine to create beats and customize your samples with various effects.

### What are the key features of sir Sampleton?

Key features include sampling directly from the microphone, playing sounds on dual keyboards, a built-in rhythm machine with a computer beat generator, the ability to save and email sample packs, and access to free samples from the developer's website. It also offers extensive customization options for samples and supports MIDI and Audiobus.

### Is sir Sampleton free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned in the provided description, indicating a completely free experience for users.

### What devices and software is sir Sampleton compatible with?

The app supports Audiobus, Inter-app Audio, CoreMIDI, and MIDI Mobilizer 1 and 2. It functions as a virtual instrument for sequencers like Cubasis, Beatmaker 2, and Genome. It also works with external audio input adapters like iRig and supports iOS 13.

### How can I create music with sir Sampleton?

You can start by sampling sounds from your microphone, voice, instruments, or even other apps via Audiobus. These samples can then be played on the dual keyboards, looped, and customized with effects like tuning and vibrato. You can also add drum beats using the built-in rhythm machine or generate random beats.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.3.8 — 2020-03-05

Fixed issue with importing samples in iOS 13

### 3.3.7 — 2019-08-26

Fixed crash when opening sample packs

### 3.3.6 — 2019-02-28

This update should fix the noise issue when sampling on newer iOS devices.  Please update your app rating if this fixes the issue for you.  The problem was caused by either a bug or undocumented limitation in Apple's CoreAudio sample rate converter, which I have now bypassed.  If anyone still has any issues, please post or email which device and version of iOS that you're using.

### 3.3.5 — 2019-02-07

There is an issue affecting a small number of users where the samples come out as loud noise.  I've never been able to reproduce this issue on any of my devices or on any of Apple's iOS simulators, but I'm releasing an update built with the latest tools to see if it improves the issue.  I suggest making sure you have the latest version of iOS installed and reboot your device completely.  Also make sure you have microphone permission enabled for Sir Sampleton in settings.  I've only received one or two emails on this issue over the last year, so I think it is only affecting a small percentage of users.  If anyone is having this issue, please email me the exact device model and iOS version that you're using.

### 3.3.4 — 2017-09-25

Updated to support iOS 11

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## More apps by Paul Slocum

- [Clipboard PDF](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clipboard-pdf/id590520484)
- [Museum Loop Video Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/museum-loop-video-player/id1488823425)

All apps by Paul Slocum: https://appshunter.io/developer/404873676

## Related topics

[paul slocum](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/paul-slocum)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*