Logic Pro Quick Sampler Tutorial: Chop, Slice and Play

What is Quick Sampler in Logic Pro?

Quick Sampler is Logic Pro's single-file sampler: you drop in one audio file, Apple Loop or region and play it from a keyboard, chop it into slices or loop it. Apple introduced it in Logic Pro X 10.5 in May 2020, alongside Sampler, which Apple called the next generation of the EXS24 plug-in^[1].

It sits in the instrument slot of a software instrument channel strip. Under the waveform you get Pitch, Filter and Amp panes with their own envelopes, two LFOs and a Mod Matrix^[2]. The one hard limit is the name: it holds a single audio file. For multisampled instruments with many zones, Apple points you to Sampler instead^[2].

If you want the general theory of cutting loops first, read how to chop samples. This page stays inside Logic and walks through the actual controls.

How do you load a sample into Quick Sampler?

Drag an audio file, Apple Loop or region onto the Quick Sampler waveform display and drop it on either the Original or the Optimized zone. Original keeps the source tuning, loudness and length; Optimized analyzes the file, sets tuning and loudness, adds loop markers to looped material and crops silence at both ends^[3].

1. Create the track
   Choose Track > New Software Instrument Track, click the Instrument slot and pick Quick Sampler.^[7]
2. Drop the audio
   Drag a Finder file, Loop Browser file or track region into the waveform display. Use Original for untouched drum loops and Optimized for one-shots and tonal samples.^[3][7]
3. Check the root key
   The sample maps around C3 by default. Keys above play it higher and faster, keys below play it lower and slower.^[7]
4. Pick a mode
   Choose Classic, One Shot, Slice or Recorder above the waveform, then trim with the blue start and end markers.^[4]

One detail catches people out. Dropping a region triggers an offline bounce, and when you drag a region to the track header it is bounced through the plug-ins on that track, Flex processing included^[3]. Bypass any effects you do not want printed into the sample before you drag.

Which Quick Sampler mode should you use?

Use Classic for playable, sustaining sounds, One Shot for drum hits and full-length phrases, Slice for chopping loops, and Recorder to capture new audio straight into the plug-in^[4]. The table sums up how each one behaves when you hit a key.

Classic mode loop settings

Classic mode offers No Loop, Forward, Reverse and Alternate loop modes, plus a crossfade marker to smooth the loop seam^[8]. For a held pad from a short vocal note, set Forward, keep the loop at least a few hundred milliseconds long and raise the crossfade until the click disappears.

Recorder mode

Recorder mode lets you pick an input, monitor it and start either immediately or when the signal crosses a threshold^[10]. The threshold option is handy for sampling your own finger snaps or mouth percussion without trimming silence afterwards.

How to slice a loop in Quick Sampler

Click Slice, choose a slicing method from the Mode pop-up menu, then play each slice from its own key. Quick Sampler can place slices at transients, at beat divisions, at equal divisions, or wherever you click^[5].

1. Choose the slicing method
   Transient suits drum breaks with clear hits. Beat Divisions suits loops that already sit on the grid. Equal Divisions suits pads and vocals where hits are vague.^[5]
2. Set the density
   Raise Sensitivity (Transient), Division (Beat Divisions) or Slices (Equal Divisions) until every kick, snare and hat has its own slice. For a one-bar break, 8 to 16 slices is a sensible first target.
3. Fix markers by hand
   Click the waveform to add a slice marker, drag a marker to move it and double-click a marker to delete it. Manual markers ignore Sensitivity and show in orange.^[5]
4. Map the keys
   Set the Start Key, then choose Chromatic, White or Black mapping. White-key mapping is easier to play on small controllers.^[5]
5. Decide on Gate and Play to End
   With Gate on, a slice stops when you release the key. Turn Gate off for one-shot behavior, or turn on Play to End so a slice runs to the end marker.^[5]
6. Add tiny fades
   Click a slice marker handle to reveal the Fade In and Fade Out fields. A few milliseconds of fade removes clicks at slice edges; the value applies to all slices.^[5]

Slices play in any order, which is the whole point. Apple suggests playing every second or third slice for a gated effect^[5]; in practice, swapping the snare slice onto a different beat is the fastest way to turn a familiar break into your own groove.

Flex and pitch settings: keep chops in time and in tune

Turn on Flex so a sample keeps its original speed on every key, then turn on Follow Tempo so it locks to the project tempo. Without Flex, playing higher also plays faster, like a classic sampler^[6].

Flex needs tempo information, so it works on Apple Loops, regions from the Tracks area, bounced files and files analyzed in the Smart Tempo Editor^[6]. If Follow Tempo still sounds off, choose Derive Tempo from Loop Length in the Action menu to recalculate the tempo from the loop length^[6]. With Follow Tempo on, slices stretch or contract so there are no gaps between them, which makes slowing down a fast loop practical^[7].

• Speed menu Divides or multiplies the synced playback speed for half-time or double-time chops, and can also be modulated.^[6]
• Key Tracking Turn it off and every key plays the sample at its original pitch and speed, which is what you want for drum slices spread across the keyboard.^[9]
• Coarse and Fine Tune in semitones and cents to match the sample to your key. One cent is 1/100 of a semitone.^[9]
• Glide and Bend Range Glide slides between notes for 808-style slides; Bend Range sets the pitch wheel range in semitones.^[9]

Flex in Quick Sampler uses the same stretching idea as Flex Time on audio tracks. If you want the audio-track side of that story, the comparison of Logic Flex Time and Ableton Warp covers the algorithms.

How to turn slices into a Drum Machine Designer kit or MIDI

In Slice mode, open the Action pop-up menu and choose Create Drum Machine Designer Track. Logic builds a new kit with one slice per pad, each on its own MIDI note, plus a MIDI region that replays the slices in their original order^[7].

The kit version is better when you want per-slice effects, because every pad has its own channel. The single Quick Sampler version is lighter and quicker to edit. You can also drag from the lower part of the waveform straight to the track lane, or choose Copy MIDI Pattern and paste it, to get a MIDI region that triggers the slices in sequence^[7]. Quantize it, delete notes and reorder hits in the Piano Roll, or program the pads in the Logic Pro Step Sequencer.

When should you switch from Quick Sampler to Sampler?

Switch when you need more than one audio file in the same instrument, such as velocity layers or a multisampled keyboard. Replace Quick Sampler with Sampler in the same instrument slot and Logic transfers the current content automatically^[2].

The move is one-way. Sampler can load saved Quick Sampler settings, but Quick Sampler cannot open a Sampler setting^[2]. Save a Quick Sampler patch before you swap if you might want the simpler interface back.

Chopping tips and clearing your samples

A few habits save a lot of cleanup. Set the project tempo before you load a loop so Follow Tempo has the right target. Keep kicks and snares on white keys near C3 so they are easy to find. Resample finished chop patterns to audio once they work, so later edits to Quick Sampler do not change an arrangement you already like.

Chopping does not change who owns the audio. If you sample a commercial record, plan to clear it or replace it before release; the basics are in how to sample legally for beats. Royalty-free one-shots and loops avoid the problem entirely, and there is a roundup of free sampler plugins if you want to compare Quick Sampler with third-party options.