DJing is more than just playing music. It’s about creating a vibe in the room that makes people want to stick around and move. In a previous piece, we looked at how having a sampler app on your phone gives you that edge. Check out these 3 sampler apps which let you play back DJ idents and custom samples by triggering them on your phone. Little tricks like these are how we move from hobby DJ to professional DJ, so get on it!

G-Stomper

If you haven’t tried out G-Stomper, get on it. It’s a beast, and deserving of the universal love it gets. The sampler sectdion is just one of its features, but it delivers as expected. Sequence drum machine-styled patterns with up to 8 samples at a time. Click and hold a sample to load one from your phone. Loads more. Pros: sophisticated and beautiful. Cons: Only 12 sounds before you have to upgrade.

Samply

Samply is one of the leading apps for iOS and Android, probably because the app doesn’t try to bake too much functionality into its interface. On an ordinary-size phone, you’ll get 12 sample pads, each with their own volume control and trigger. Pros: simple, free (with some banner ads) and intuitive built-in playback features. Cons: costs a couple bucks to load more than 3 sample packs at a time. 

DJ Sound FX

Another simple app with a bunch of built-in sounds which doesn’t promise more than it delivers is DJ Sound FX. Onboard sounds include typical hype DJ stuff like an airhorn, explosion and MC catchphrases (“Here we go now!”). Pros: loads of sounds to choose from (bat sounds?!). Cons: unattractive interface and sneaky ads disguised as the actual transport panel for the app!

To play back samples from your phone while DJing, you’ll need to plug it into a spare input on the mixing desk. Most phones still have 3.5mm headphone outputs, but if your phone is a more recent iPhone or Samsung, you’ll need a USB-C to RCA cable. Make sure your volume levels match the track you’re playing, and get triggering and consider checking out the Advanced DJ Techniques III course by DJ Courses Online today.