Momentum vs Subsample

Momentum is a free loop and sample plugin and application for editing loops and shaping sound. It works with leading DAWs and can also run as a standalone app on Mac and PC. Its web edition lets users browse, audition, and download from the Big Fish Audio catalog, with filters for attributes such as instrument, genre, key, and tempo. Users can apply 18 effects to individual loop sections, including pitch, stutter, delay, and reverse. Each slice is assigned a MIDI note automatically, so sections can be rearranged and played. The free app accepts WAV and AIFF files. Momentum Pro adds MP3 support, personal audio importing and organization, and individual loop purchases; subscribers receive monthly or annual points for adding samples, kits, or full products. Minimum requirements include Windows 10 or later (64-bit) or macOS 12 Monterey or later, 8 GB RAM, 1440×900 resolution, and an internet connection. Big Fish Audio says legitimate purchases grant unlimited rights to use its license-free sounds in musical compositions without additional license fees.

Subsample is a standalone sampler that turns live input or recordings into collections of sounds that can be played from MIDI. It separates and sorts sound events, then maps them to MIDI notes by acoustic similarity without labels, training data, or manual tagging. In live sampling, it captures, trims, analyses, and adds distinct events to an instrument library in real time. For longer samples, onset detection can identify hits and place them on a beat grid at a target BPM. Its processors include filters, dynamics, distortion, radio, vocoder, pitch shifting, time stretching, and quantisation. It accepts WAV, BWF, FLAC, AIFF, OGG, and MP3/MPEG files, and supports MIDI input, OSC, and MIDI control bindings. Audio runs from mono through 7.1, with per-instrument routing and first-order ambisonic capture and playback. Subsample has no graphical interface and runs from a terminal, using YAML files and a MIDI map. It is an early release, and those formats may change. The open-source AGPLv3 license requires source availability for modified versions used as network services; proprietary use requires a commercial licence.