ALM Busy Circuits Squid Salmple

8-Channel Audio and CV Sampler - Eurorack Format

• Eurorack sampler with 8 independent channels for audio and CV
• Approximately 11 seconds per channel in 16-bit / 44.1 kHz CD quality on low-latency RAM
• Real-time editing and manipulation: bit depth, sample rate, pitch, envelope, loops with crossfades, direction, and cue points
• Multimode digital filter per channel: high-pass, low-pass, notch, and band-pass with resonance
• Pamela’s Workout-style interface—intuitive and minimally reliant on the display
• Includes a USB stick with approximately 90 royalty-free banks curated by ALM and artists such as Mumdance, Russell Haswell, and Lauren Flax
• Designed and built in England

ALM Busy Circuits Squid Sample is an 8-channel Eurorack sampler for audio and CV, designed to sample, edit, and manipulate sound in real time within your modular system. The inspiration comes from early hardware samplers: no endless menus, just a direct and intuitive approach where the gesture matters more than the screen. The result is an old-school sampling experience, brought into the world of modular synthesis with all the flexibility of voltage control.

The ALM Eurorack sampler that operates in real time

Each channel offers approximately 11 seconds of CD-quality sampling (16-bit at 44.1 kHz), stored in low-latency RAM. A single mono recording input accepts both audio and CV signals, from line level down to modular level. You can select the recording and destination channel via patching, automating the process, or manually using the panel controls.

Pamela’s Workout-style interface: hands on the panel, not on the screen

The Squid Sample adopts the tried-and-true interface of Pamela’s Workout, one of the ALM modules most beloved by the community. Reliance on the display is kept to a minimum, and the workflow remains hands-on, fast, and fun: you play the sampler, you don’t program it.

Editing and Manipulating Audio and CV Samples

On each channel, you can adjust parameters on the fly: bit depth, sample rate, playback speed, pitch, and level with a simple envelope; looping with crossfades; playback direction; loop start, end, and cue points; multiple cue groups; and much more. Each channel also features a multimode digital filter with resonance, selectable between high-pass, low-pass, notch, and band-pass. Reducing resolution, slowing down, inverting, and filtering become part of the creative process, not a post-production step.

Sampling CV: Recorded and Played-Back Modulations

The Squid Sample isn’t limited to audio. It also records and plays back control signals, transforming gestures, envelopes, and voltage sequences into material that can be recalled, looped, and manipulated just like any other sample. The DC-coupled outputs allow you to feed these signals back into the system to drive other modules.

Voltage Control and 8-Channel Sampler Outputs

Three CV inputs can be assigned to one or more parameters and filters simultaneously. Channels 6, 7, and 8 have dedicated 1V/oct inputs for pitch control, with a deliberately crunchy aliasing that is part of the instrument’s character. With the Axon-1 and Axon-2 expanders, you can add 4 more CV inputs. The 8 channels are routed to 4 DC-coupled outputs—two channels per output—plus an AC-coupled mix output.

Sample Banks, USB, and Squid Bank Maker

Samples and banks can be saved and loaded on the fly to a USB flash drive as standard WAV files, organized into banks of 8, with up to 99 banks per flash drive. Included in the package is a USB flash drive containing approximately 90 carefully selected, original, and royalty-free sample banks: classic drum machines, bizarre synths, field recordings, and CV modulations. The banks are created by ALM and artists such as Mumdance, Solid Blake, Russell Haswell, Lauren Flax, Dave Burraston (NYZ), Sue Zuki, Dungeon Acid, Sasha Lewis, and Andrew Duff.

Create your own banks with the free software

Squid Bank Maker is a free, cross-platform desktop application that lets you create your own banks in just a few steps: drag and drop almost any audio file onto a channel, preview it, name it, and export the bank folder—already converted and ready for the Squid. Free, compatible banks are also available for download online, including Calamari, a comprehensive alternative library created by the ALM team. The firmware can be easily updated via a USB flash drive.

Technical Specifications

• Brand: ALM Busy Circuits
• Model: Squid Sample
• Type: Audio and CV sampler for Eurorack
• Channels: 8 independent
• Outputs: 4 DC-coupled (2 channels per output), 1 AC-coupled mix output
• Recording input: 1 mono, audio and CV, from line level to modular level
• Sampling time: approximately 11 seconds per channel in low-latency RAM
• Audio quality: 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, AKM codec
• Latency: trigger response time 1–2 ms
• Parameters per channel: bit depth, rate, playback speed, pitch, level with envelope, loop with crossfade, direction, start, end, loop cue, multiple cue groups
• Filter: multimode digital filter per channel (high-pass, low-pass, notch, band-pass) with resonance
• CV inputs: 3 assignable to multiple parameters and filters
• Dedicated 1V/oct inputs on channels 6, 7, and 8
• Expansion: compatible with Axon-1 and Axon-2 expanders (4 additional CV inputs)
• Storage: WAV files on a USB flash drive, 8-sample banks, up to 99 banks per flash drive
• Included: USB flash drive with approximately 90 banks of royalty-free samples
• Software: Free, cross-platform Squid Bank Maker
• Firmware update via USB flash drive
• Power supply: +12 V 300 mA max, -12 V 35 mA
• Dimensions: 21 HP
• Depth: 38 mm, suitable for skiff cases
• Reverse polarity protection
• Made in England