Trigger samples from your QWERTY keyboard with SoundPlant 42

Marcel Blum has released a new version of SoundPlant, the standalone piece of software that lets you assign samples of virtually any format and length to 72 of your QWERTY keys and then trigger them at low latency.

The developer suggests that Soundplant 42, as the new version is known, can be used for live music performance, to trigger FX, as a drum pad or however else you see fit. Samples can be dragged and dropped onto the graphical interface, and this edition enables you to play up to 256 sounds simultaneously, offers effects for each key, lets you output at 96kHz and enables you to record your key jamming.

Find out more on the Soundplant website. The software is available for PC and Mac priced at $50, though a decent-looking free version is also available for non-commercial use.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.