** 0.5 page PD/Shareware reviews / 300 words **
** Intro essential apparently **

Sample players 

It must be the season for sample players, we're almost spoilt for choice. The development path for these utilities is highly predictable, an OS tweak here or some bouncing bar VU meters there. Shiuming Lai reports on two which have come up with a new spin...

Probe House Player v4.5
80%
Music/Utility
Freeware, STe/TT/Falcon or DMA sound support
Author: William Wong
** BC **
Email: wongck@letterbox.com
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/6880/phsw.html
** /BC **

** PH45.GIF here **
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PH Player's versatility is disguised by its enigmatic front-end
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Since we looked at PH Player v4.2 in AC#7 this release now plays MIDI music files (that's right!) using the STe/TT or Falcon DMA sound, and an instrument sample patch library. The output quality is fairly fuzzy, which perfectly complements the example tune - a cheerful piano ditty and the overall effect wouldn't be out of place in an early black and white comedy film, pure eccentricity! It certainly can't match MIDPLAY in this area but it doesn't purport to, the deal is a flexible sample player for all DMA sound machines in a small package.

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Shiuming Lai
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Samplayer v0.61
75%

Music/Utility
Freeware
Author: Electronic Cow
** BC **
Email: electronic_cow@dial.pipex.com
http://dspace.pipex.com/electronic_cow/cownet.shtml
** /BC **

** SAM_DUMP.GIF **
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This looks familiar...
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** SAM_PLAY.GIF **
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Definitely no frills
** /caption **

The second offering is from Electronic Cow, Samplayer v0.61. Looking much like and sharing more or less the same functionality as the sample window in Snippit Synth, you're more likely to use this one for the MIDI sample dump than its sample playing ability. There's a single play button and that's it for the playback! Stereo or mono *.AVR files are supported here, with 16-bit for Falcons. I experienced a few screen redraw problems (as with PH) but nothing fatal.

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Shiuming Lai
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