Definition
Multisampling is the practice of recording an instrument at many pitches and dynamics, then mapping each recording to the range it sounds most natural across.
Example
A multisampled piano might capture every third key at several volumes, so a low note plays a true low recording and a soft note plays a genuinely soft one. The instrument is reconstructed from many samples rather than one sample stretched everywhere.
Why it matters
Stretching a single sample across a wide range quickly sounds artificial, because timbre changes with pitch and dynamics on real instruments. Multisampling preserves that natural variation, which is why sampled drums, pianos, and basses built this way sound convincing instead of synthetic.
How to play or configure
Record the source at regular pitch intervals and at several velocities, then assign each capture to its key zone and velocity window in a sampler. Keep the zones small enough that no single sample is stretched too far from its original pitch. For drums, combine multisampling with round-robin variations so repeated hits on one pad still sound alive.
Related terms
Further reading
MPC vs Maschine vs Push touches on each device's sampler engine.